Oscar Predictions: Best Art Direction

This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 16th. As a result, most of the corresponding guilds won’t have announced their picks by then, so I’m making predictions in advance without being able to take those into consideration. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in most of the major categories, saving some of the biggest categories for last.

Last year’s nominees: Anna Karenina, The Hobbit, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln

This year’s locks: Inside Llewyn Davis, Gravity, 12 Years a Slave

Very likely: Rush, The Great Gatsby

Possible: Saving Mr. Banks, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, American Hustle

Unlikely: All is Lost, The Grandmaster

The rundown: This category is friendly to epics and fantasy films, though I’m not sure how much that will apply this year. Inside Llewyn Davis seems like a good bet to join Gravity and 12 Years a Slave, and this is also a likely spot to recognize both Rush and The Great Gatsby. The first “Hobbit” film made the cut last year, so The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug could be nominated if voters want to continue honoring that series. Otherwise, it’s anyone’s guess, whether it’s a period film like Saving Mr. Banks or American Hustle, or a grander visual undertaking like All is Lost or The Grandmaster.

One possible crazy scenario: Something like Man of Steel manages a mention.

Forecasted winner: My guess is The Great Gatsby if it gets nominated.