Alan's Academy Award Nomination Predictions 2014

On Thursday morning, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Academy president will attempt to read off the nominees for the 86th annual Academy Awards. Here’s what’s gonna happen:

Best Picture  (If 8)
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
The Wolf of Wall Street
(If 10)
Inside Llewlyn Davis
Saving Mr. Banks
Watch out for:  A wild surprise like The Great Beauty

Best Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Watch out for: As always, Meryl Streep

Best Actor
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Watch out for: The Gatsbys! Between the two 77-year old, original Great Gatsby co-stars, Bruce Dern gets nominated instead of Robert Redford (All Is Lost). If Leo DiCaprio, the current Gatsby, doesn’t make the list, Joaquin Phoenix (Her) instead of Redford.

Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years A Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Watch out for: Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Supporting Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years A Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey, The Butler
Watch out for: Octavia Spencer, Fruitvale Station. It would be a hoot to hear “Scarlett Johannson, Her.”

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Spike Jonze, Her
Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Watch out for: Paul Greengrass, Captain Philips

Adapted Screenplay
12 Years A Slave
Captain Phillips
Before Midnight
The Wolf of Wall Street
Philomena
Watch out for: Writers Guild nominees August:Osage County and Lone Survivor

Original Screenplay
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska
Watch out for: The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis. No threat from Gravity

Animated Film
The Croods
Frozen
Ernest & Celestine
Monsters University
The Wind Rises
Watch out for: Despicable Me 2

Documentary
20 Feet From Stardom
The Act of Killing
Blackfish
Stories We Tell
The Square
Watch our for: The Crash Reel
 
Foreign Language Film
The Great Beauty, Italy
The Hunt, Denmark
The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium
The Missing Picture, Cambodia
The Notebook, Hungary
Watch out for: Two Lives, Germany

Best Cinematography
12 Years a Slave  
Gravity 
Inside Llewyn Davis 
Nebraska
Captain Phillips
Watch out for: Rush

Best Film Editing 12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Her
Watch out for: The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Production Design  
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
Watch out for: Inside Llwyen Davis

Best Costume Design 12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
Saving Mr. Banks
Watch out for: Inside Llewyn Davis

Best Original Score
12 Years a Slave  
All Is Lost  
Captain Phillips  
Gravity  
Philomena
Watch out for: John Williams, the most nominated person of all time, for The Book Thief

Best Original Song 
"Amen”, All Is Lost
"Let It Go" , Frozen
"The Moon Song", Her
"Ordinary Love", Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
"Young and Beautiful", The Great Gatsby
Watch out for: Happy, Despicable Me

Best Sound Mixing  
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor
Rush
Watch out for: All Is Lost

Best Sound Editing
All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Lone Survivor
Rush
Watch out for: 12 Years A Slave

Best Visual Effects  
Gravity
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
World War Z
Watch out for: Love for a Sci-Fi film like Star Trek Into Darkness or Elysium

Best Makeup & Hairstyling
American Hustle
Dallas Buyers Club
The Lone Ranger
Watch out for: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. For real.