Oscar predictions for 2013

Time Out looks at the contenders for the 2013 Academy Awards

The Oscars race is well and truly on. The frontrunners for the 2013 Academy Awards are ‘Argo’ and ‘Lincoln’, with ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and ‘Les Misérables’ bringing up the rear. The nominations have been announced and the ceremony is on February 24 2013. Here, Time Out’s tipsters weigh up the chances of this awards season’s fancied runners and riders.

Best director

Who‘s been nominated?
This is the controversial category, with several serious contenders left on the cutting-room floor. Do ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ first-timer Benh Zeitlin or ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ helmer David O Russell really deserve the award more than Ben Affleck, especially now that 'Argo' looks like the Best Picture favourite?

We’re thrilled to see Michael Haneke on the list for 'Amour' – could the average age of Academy voters have made this possible? – and pleased, if not remotely surprised, to see Steven Spielberg ('Lincoln') and Ang Lee (‘Life of Pi’) alongside him.

Who’s going to win?
You hardly ever get to say this for a major Oscar category, but it really is wide open. ‘Lincoln’ may be the safe choice, but it’s not exactly a whizz-bang visual experience. ‘Life of Pi’ is without doubt the most immersive and beautiful of all the films in this category, a real triumph of the director’s art, but the film itself might be too ‘exotic’ for the stuffy old Academy. It seems unlikely that ‘Amour’, ‘Silver Linings’ or ‘Beasts’ really have much of a chance – but we wouldn’t bet against any one of them, even at this late stage.

The 2013 Oscar nominees for best director

  • Rated as: 4/5

    Ang Lee

    In 'Life of Pi', Lee managed to film the unfilmable

  • Rated as: 5/5

    Benh Zeitlin

    'Beasts of the Southern Wild': a deeply eccentric tale

  • Rated as: 5/5

    Michael Haneke

    'Amour' is a staggering, highly intelligent work

  • Rated as: 4/5

    David O. Russell

    Russell creates ordinary America in 'Silver Linings Playbook'

  • Rated as: 4/5

    Steven Spielberg

    Spielberg goes into historical mode with 'Lincoln'

See the full list of 2013 Oscar nominees
Share your thoughts
  1. * mandatory fields

Comments & ratings

Rated as: 4/5 (11 ratings)
  • horaba;l

    gffghb Sun Mar 3
    Rated as: 1/5
    Report
  • Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild are the best movies and both (the oldest and youngest) actresses deserves to win.

    kim Sun Feb 24
    Report
  • Argo, a lot like The Artist, came out of nowhere for me, which leads me to believe that it has a good chance of winning for Best Picture this year. I’ve already added Argo to my Blockbuster @Home queue that I have through DISH since they let me add titles that are still in theater or net yet on Blu-ray disc. This way I can forget all about it until the day I’m pleasantly surprised to find it in my mailbox. I’ve even added the other nominees like Lincoln and Life of Pi since it’s rare that I make it out of my office at DISH in time to catch a movie.

    Molly Fri Feb 22
    Rated as: 5/5
    Report
  • Best picture "ARGO"

    Ayomi Sun Feb 10
    Report
  • Best Supporting Actor & Actress: my personal favourites are Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master & Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables respectively!.

    DutchFilmFan2013 Tue Feb 5
    Rated as: 4/5
    Report
  • Best Director: My personal favourite is Mr. Ang Lee, being a really big & long-time fan of most of his movies but I really think that Mr. Michael Haneke might just be the surprise winner for this prestigious prize (for Amour)!

    DutchFilmFan2013 Tue Feb 5
    Report
  • Best Foreign Film: I have only seen A Royal Affair but Amour will and should win I think based on the really great reviews almost everywhere for this movie.

    DutchFilmFan2013 Tue Feb 5
    Report
  • Miss Jessica Chastian will and should win in this Best Actress category in my humble opinion!

    DutchFilmFan2013 Tue Feb 5
    Rated as: 5/5
    Report
  • I have not seen Flight and Silver Linings Playbook. But I really that Daniel Day-Lewis is unbeatable in this category in Lincoln and that he will most probably go back home to Ireland with his third Best Actor Oscar on Sunday 24th February 2013 in L.A.!

    DutchFilmFan2013 Tue Feb 5
    Rated as: 4/5
    Report
  • I have not seen Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild and Silver Linings Playbook. Of the six movies that I have already seen, my personal favourite is *Life of Pi* for Best Picture, being a big & long-time Ang Li fan. *Lincoln* might just win though or who knows even *Argo*. I really think that *Zero Dark Thirty* might just prove too controversial for the Academy Award voters. *Les Miserables* might just be the surprise Best Picture winner on Sunday 24th February 2013 in L.A.! That said, all the six films that I have seen deserved at least four stars in my humble opinion and I give *Zero Dark Thirty* five stars.

    DutchFilmFan2013 Tue Feb 5
    Rated as: 4/5
    Report
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Best films now showing

1

Star Trek Into Darkness

  • Rated as: 4/5

JJ Abrams comes up aces again with a warp-speed fun sequel

2

Our Children

  • Rated as: 5/5

A staggering and painfully convincing Belgium drama based on a real-life tragedy

3

Beware of Mr Baker

  • Rated as: 4/5

An eye-opening music doc about the drumming legend Ginger Baker

See more Time Out film reviews
  • Hotwise
  • Cool brands
  • Star