Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects

The competition: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Hereafter, Inception, Iron Man 2

Previous winners: Avatar, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Golden Compass, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, King Kong, Spider-Man 2
Who should win: Inception
Who will win: This is the first time since 1979 that there are five nominees in this category. I don’t think that “Hereafter,” which boasts one strong scene, has a shot at all. The visuals of “Alice in Wonderland” were fairly divisive, and others were unimpressed with “Harry Potter” (for the record, only the third film in the series was nominated before, and it didn’t win). The first “Iron Man” didn’t win, so I’m not sure the second one will, though the second “Pirates of the Caribbean” did just that. I still think the obvious frontrunner, “Inception,” just can’t not win, so I’ll go with logic on this one.