Hey there, Sploich here with my final Oscar predictions for the 84th Academy Awards. I got a 56% accuracy rating on my nomination predictions so I'm hoping to get even better with my winner predictions. The thing is, this year is a bit tricky. My head and my heart are telling me several different things based on the other award ceremonies this year (not including the Golden Globes because, as I've stated before, they mean nothing) as well as the way the Academy typically votes. I'm just going to tell you now that my predictions might be a little controversial. But what do I care? They're my predictions. If I'm wrong then I'm the only one to blame. BUT ENOUGH RAMBLING! ON WITH THE PREDICTIONS!

BEST SCORE
What I Think Will Win: The Artist
What I Want To Win: The Artist*

How can the silent film NOT win Best Score? There were some really great scores this year but when it comes to memorable...War Horse wins. But if memorable scores were the ones that won this award then the score from the first Pirates of the Caribbean would have been nominated. Like it should have been. But yeah, The Artist, hands down.

BEST SONG
What I Think Will Win: "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets
What I Want To Win: "Real in Rio" from Rio

This category is very strange this year. I literally have a 50/50 chance of getting it right (hey, there's a movie that got snubbed at the Oscars this year: 50/50). I figure they'll go with the Muppet's song because, well, it's the Muppets. That and it's written by that guy from that show on HBO or Showtime or whatever that I've never watched. I'd love to see "Real in Rio" win but I'm pretty confident the Muppets will take it, and I'm perfectly okay with that.

BEST SOUND
What I Think Will Win: Hugo
What I Want To Win: Hugo*

BEST SOUND EDITING
What I Think Will Win: Hugo
What I Want To Win: Hugo*

Hugo may not have struck me the way it struck other critics, but you'd find it difficult to find a soul who doesn't praise the film for its technicals. It even got some of the most cynical, dismissive critics to admit that the 3D was great (though admittedly, I didn't see it in 3D myself, yet). Both of these could go to War Horse, or maybe even The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I'm siding with the most marketable answer and saying Hugo takes both.

BEST FILM EDITING
What I Think Will Win: The Descendants
What I Want To Win: The Descendants

Film Editing is always an interesting category. Well, not on the surface for most people I guess, but it's one that I personally am always interested in. It really could be any of the five nominees, but I'm saying The Descendants because it just seems like more the type of film the Academy would pick. You can have your fancy gimmicks like with Hugo and The Artist, and they work great for those movies, but I like to think the thing the film editors look for is subtlety, and The Descendants is graceful, to say the least.

BEST MAKEUP
What I Think Will Win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
What I Want To Win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2*

Did you ever realize that not a single Harry Potter film has ever won an Oscar? This is the last chance for them to give one to The Boy Who Lived and this is the perfect category to do it in. It's up against two movies that were not only not very strong with critics but movies that didn't do a whole lot with their makeup. HP, on the other hand, was tasked with creating a battlefield of sorcery, and the makeup works wonders for that goal.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
What I Think Will Win: The Artist
What I Want To Win: The Artist*

This one is really tough this time around because all five nominees have an equal shot at the Title. I might be taking a bit of a risk with this one because usually this category goes to a lesser known film like Jane Eyre or W.E. I can't imagine they would give a Roland Emmerich film an Oscar these days but they have done it before. And then there's Hugo, which could take it I guess. I dunno, I'm sticking with The Artist, for no reason other than that I just can't choose between the five.

BEST ART DIRECTION
What I Think Will Win: The Artist
What I Want To Win: The Artist*

Once again, the silent film is sort of the obvious winner just on the basis of it being a silent film. The art direction is what makes The Artist such a lovable film, and the Academy is more than likely going to award it for this.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
What I Think Will Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
What I Want To Win: Real Steel*

Alright, I'm being pretty bias here. You have no idea how excited I was to see Real Steel nominated in this category. I loved the hell out of that movie and totally didn't expect it to get such a lousy welcome. I know Rise is easily the most technologically advanced film in the group, with some of the most astonishing CG I have ever seen in a movie, but for my personal pick I've just got to go with the one I didn't expect to show up. Now if only my favorite movie of the year, Captain America: The First Avenger, had been nominated for anything...

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
What I Think Will Win: Hugo
What I Want To Win: The Artist

I really don't know about this one. War Horse has some beautiful cinematography, but Terrence Malick is one of those guys who could easily steal this one away. I think Hugo wins if only for that opening shot and the allegedly (again haven't seen the effect) masterful 3D work. I'd definitely like to see The Artist take it though, considering, again, that cinematography is sort of one of the major benefactors to a silent film.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
What I Think Will Win: The Descendants
What I Want To Win: The Descendants

Easily the front-runner due to its sheerly masterful pacing, humor and grace. I'm sad to see The Ides of March only got nominated in this one category, but if it belongs anywhere at the Oscars this is where it belongs. Seeing as it is the only nomination for the movie, however, it probably doesn't have a chance. I'm honestly not even sure how Hugo got in here, but that could be my own feelings on the film poking through. Meanwhile I really did not like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but I totally understand what it's doing in this category. I just disagree. But none of that really matters because this is going to be a very easy win for The Descendants.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
What I Think Will Win: Midnight in Paris
What I Want To Win: Midnight in Paris*

I wonder if Woody Allen is going to show up this year. Anyway, this is probably the category with the most surprises, with only two of the nominees having even been on my radar for the category. It's nice to see A Separation on here as I've heard very good things about it and I'm looking forward to seeing it. But Margin Call? Really? I've heard nothing but BAD things about that movie. And then there's Bridesmaids. Ugh. If you're one of the handful of people who have been following my reviews then you know I do not like Bridesmaids. Nay, I loathe and despise it and refuse to even call it a film. Why people think this is funny, why they would think it's good writing, I will never know. Anyway, Midnight in Paris wins this one easy. I need to get off of this category before I burst a blood vessel.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
What I Think Will Win: Octavia Spencer for The Help
What I Want To Win: Bérénice Bejo for The Artist*

And I get right into another category featuring Bridesmaids. Joy. Actually I'm not at all upset with Melissa McCarthy being nominated. Well, okay a little bit, but I do really like her even if I couldn't stand her character in that movie. She's one of those actresses who should have gotten a bigger name for herself a long time ago but just didn't have the chance until now. This one is a hard race between Chastain, Bejo and Spencer, but I'm going with Octavia mainly because of her Globe win. I know that goes against everything I say about the Globes but honestly I just don't know what to think of the acting categories this year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
What I Think Will Win: Christopher Plummer for Beginners
What I Want To Win: Nick Nolte for Warrior*

All I've been hearing for months is how easily Christopher Plummer is going to win this award, so I figure that's probably the best person to go with. I'm sure I'll regret it if Branagh takes it, but then I'll shrug it off since Branagh totally deserves it. I don't have a review up for Warrior for technical reasons (I will eventually) but Nick Nolte gave the performance of a lifetime in that movie and I'd love to see him win. But really? Jonah Hill? I mean, he was good, but Oscar-worthy? I don't know...

BEST ACTRESS
What I Think Will Win: Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn
What I Want To Win: Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn*

I have to admit that this is a somewhat bias opinion. I feel like I'm the only person who really just didn't see a lot of acting from Viola Davis in The Help. Don't get me wrong, she's a great actress who deserves plenty of Oscars, but for that movie specifically I just do not see it. She's barely in the movie enough to even call her a lead actress and when she is on screen she's just looking kind of mopey. Michelle Williams on the other hand was considered a casting catastrophe, but what she did with the role was magnificent. She embodied Marilyn Monroe in a way that is so unique and graceful that I really want to believe the Academy won't overlook her the way they did Frank Langella when he did the same in Frost/Nixon.

BEST ACTOR
What I Think Will Win: George Clooney for The Descendants
What I Want To Win: Jean Dujardin for The Artist*

Clooney really gave two of his best performances in 2011: One in front of the camera in The Descendants and one behind the camera making The Ides of March. And since this is the only one that he got nominated for, this is the one he's going to win for. Honestly, it could be any of the five nominees, but The Descendants is just the right movie in just the right year to win Clooney the Oscar for a second time. As for my pick though? It's tough but for now I'm going with Dujardin because I just really loved him in The Artist.

BEST DIRECTION
What I Think Will Win: The Descendants
What I Want To Win: The Descendants

I really truly honestly and thoroughly can't stand that they would nominate Terrence Malick, one of the most pretentious, laziest, hacky-est directors working today, who isn't Lars von Trier or freaking Baz Luhrmann, for Best Director. But I digress. This year it's being considered a race between The Artist and The Descendants for the big awards, and I just think The Descendants is more the kind of film the Academy chooses. That's not to say either of them is better than the other. In fact, I gave both of them a 9/10 on my site. But The Descendants is a much more down-to-earth, less gimmicky film. Gimmick has never won a movie the big ones, and that's why The Descendants is the only movie in this category that makes sense for the win. But hey, what do I know? They might want to give it to Scorsese again, even though he only won six years ago.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
What I Think Will Win: Rango
What I Want To Win: Rango

Puss in Boots really got 5% of the vote? Really? Anyway, Rango gets it unless one of the lesser known films, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita, make some sort of surprise win. They don't look like they will though, so I'm saying Rango takes it. And why shouldn't it? It's a beautifully artistic, hysterical western that treats kids like adults and allows adults to be kids again. And really, what more do you need than that?

BEST PICTURE
What I Think Will Win: The Descendants
What I Want To Win: Midnight in Paris

And thus we come to the grand finale, with my most controversial pick of all. As I stated before, I just don't see The Artist getting the win. Send-ups like that don't win. It's actually kind of funny that we have a silent film, making homage to the history of film, Hugo, making homage to the history of filmmaking and War Horse, which feels like it should have come out in the '90s, both nominated for Best Picture alongside Midnight in Paris which is about how much B.S. nostalgia is. The Descendants is the strongest film in the running that seems like something the Academy would give the big award to, and it deserves it. Really, about half of the movies on the list deserve it in my mind. If you see my reviews on my site, I gave the other half a meh-to-awful rating, and the only two I absolutely loved were Midnight in Paris and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The reason I choose Midnight in Paris as my personal hopeful is because it's a highly enjoyable film with a powerful message that everyone needs to receive, especially today. It's my second-favorite movie of 2011 and I'm just glad to see it nominated. But as for winning, it's between The Artist and The Descendants and I think The Descendants is just stronger among Academy voters.

Welp, that's all there is. I may make a post-Awards blog to express my feelings on the results and tell you how completely wrong my guesses probably were. Or maybe I'll be back to gloat. Oh how I wait for the day on which I can actually gloat about getting these predictions right. Curse me and my taking chances with my predictions. Oh well, it's fun all the same. If you'd like to see a full list of the nominees as well as a few predictions I didn't state on here, go to my site at Spoich.com. And while you're there, you can check out my reviews, watch me eat a cupcake (you'll understand when you see it) and follow me on Twitter @Sploich and @SploichCom and Facebook!

* - Indicates a personal pick in a category where I haven't reviewed every nominee, so my pick is subject to change.