Haven't seen all the nominated films, but that's not going to stop me. I have a dart board.
Best Picture
Life of Pi
Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master. Phoenix is fabulous, skirting the edge of excess and then pulling back. The plot meanders but the performances are riveting.
Best Actress
Naomi Watts, The Impossible. Bought into her character completely. WIth Phoenix I was aware at times he was performing, but Watts is so natural here you forget.
Best Supporting Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman. His subdued sophisticate plays extremely well off the caged animal that is Phoenix.
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway. Because she's cute and I don't to see another Sally Field acceptance speech.
Directing
Ang Lee, Life of Pi. Didn't care for the book, but the movie is both breathtaking and thought provoking. It can also be slow and frustrating. Argo had a better flow, but somehow felt slight and empty, giving the edge to Pi.
Animated Feature Film
Wreck-It Ralph. Couldn't stand the idea of sitting through Frankenweenie, thought The PIrates was tepid, and the ending of ParaNorman overwrought.
Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio, Argo
Original Screenplay
Amour, because Django Unchained is too glib and irreverent for The Academy. The cinematic equivalent of All Bran, it makes The Academy feel good about itself.
Production Design
Life of Pi
Cinematography
Life of Pi. Bright and cheery visuals masking dark subject matter. The only picture that surprised me with the visuals, or that felt truly innovative in any way. A CGI fest that didn't feel like a CGI fest. Awesome.
Costume Design
Anna Karenina, because Russia is more exotic than France.
Documentary Feature
How to Survive a Plague. Dart.
Documentary Short Subject
Redemption. Dart.
Film Editing
Argo
Foreign Language Film
War Witch. Patriotism. It's Canadian.
Makeup
Les Misérables. Didn't like the look of the dwarves in Hobbit. They reminded me of Peter Sellers in Revenge of the Pink Panther, where his prosthetic nose melts.
Original Score
Life of Pi
Original Song
"Suddenly," Les Mis. I liked the live musical.
Short Film (Animated)
Paperman. Only one I've seen of the nominees. Bias. But it was pretty good.
Short Film (Live Action)
Death of a Shadow. Dart.
Sound Editing
Zero Dark Thirty
Sound Mixing
Skyfall
Visual Effects
Prometheus. The Hobbit had some truly impressive effects, but these were undermined by subpar sequences. See below. Avengers was a cacophonous spectacle, but lacked the sophisticated edge of Prometheus. Second choice: LIfe of Pi.
Biggest Disappointment:
Prometheus
Most Enjoyable:
Ted. I wasn't expecting much, but this flick is gloriously stupid fun.
Most Harrowing Viewing Experience:
The Impossible
Most Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner Style Action Sequences:
The Hobbit
Tightest, Most Suffocating Art Direction Using One Point Perspective:
Moonrise Kingdom. Anderson lets his inner control freak go bananas, ordering everything in every shot down to the subatomic level. This film is a must see for quantum physicists.
Quirkiest Film:
Moonrise Kingdom. Wins over Beasts of the Southern Wild, which leans more eccentric.
