It’s that time of year again. There’s slush on the ground, the days are slowly getting longer and, most importantly, it’s Oscar season, with the big show itself just a few days away. We know, we know – the Oscars get annoying very quickly, and considering the political nature of it all, the best movies rarely seem to win. All the same though, it can be fun to follow those politics and track the race, if only to see what insane, attention-baiting stunt Harvey Weinstein is pulling this year.

But even if you don’t follow the race, it’d be a shame if you had miss out on your Oscar pool accordingly. So (with the help of staff writer Ben Murray) we’ve gone ahead and put together our predictions for this year’s awards.

Best Picture:

Amour

Argo (Will Win)

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln (Dark Horse)

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Why? Because Argo’s an amazing story told in a very engaging way and, more importantly, it’s the kind of movie you’ll stumble across on TNT for the next few decades and momentarily forget that you ever saw. It could be Lincoln if they’re feeling patriotic (or Silver Linings if they’re feeling sentimental), but the TNT factor is crucial.

Best Director:

Michael Haneke, Amour

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Ang Lee, Life of Pi (Dark Horse)

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln (Will Win)

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Why? Because Ben Affleck got snubbed. It could be Ang Lee, if Life of Pi squeaks by with more than technical wins, and it could even be David O. Russell, but for now (as tends to be the case), the safe bet is Spielberg.

Best Actor:

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln (Will Win, No Dark Horse!)

Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Denzel Washington, Flight

Why? Because Daniel Day-Lewis is generally unstoppable, and his biggest competition is the second lead from All About Steve (who, to be fair, was really great in Silver Linings). Sorry Joaquin – we’re down to drink some paint thinner and chill with some sand sculpture biddies with you, if it makes you feel better.

Best Actress:

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook (Will Win)

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Dark Horse)

Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Why? Because she’ll give a wacky acceptance speech and everyone – including the Academy – wants to see that. It doesn’t hurt that Chastain, her initial primary competition, has seemingly been knocked out of the race (ostensibly as part of bogus “torture” controversy that has dogged Zero Dark since release).

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Arkin, Argo

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook (Dark Horse)

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained (Will Win)

Why? Because he was really great in Django, and he’s pretty much the most likeable human being alive!  (Well, aside from Jennifer Lawrence.) Seriously, if you doubt us, watch Djesus Uncrossed.

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams, The Master

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables (Will Win, No Dark Horse!)

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Why? Because, at this point, Anne Hathaway will probably cut someone if it goes any other way.

We know the Oscars are often ridiculous, and almost never arbiters of taste aside from the middlebrow, but the annual prognostication can be really fun! So let us know in the comments: who do you think will win?

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