With the Oscars due to be announced on Monday 3 March (Australian time) we’re making our predictions of who will take out this year’s top awards. You can view the full list of nominees

Nina Kenwood, Online Manager

Best Picture: 12 Years A Slave
Best Directing: Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary Feature: The Act of Killing
Best Original Screenplay: Her

I’m absolutely loving Matthew McConaughey right now. He was brilliant in Dallas Buyer’s Club and his phenomenal work in True Detective is generating so much buzz, it’s sure to help his Oscar chances. He’ll be a deserving winner of Best Actor (I’ll be deeply annoyed if Leonardo DiCaprio wins.) Jared Leto was also excellent in Dallas Buyers Club and he’s a lock for best supporting actor.

Likewise, Cate Blanchett will almost certainly win Best Actress - her performance in Blue Jasmine was mesmerizing. I’ll be honest and say I’ll be disappointed if American Hustle wins anything. I thought it was an entertaining film but it’s not a worthy Oscar winner.

Finally, I really hope Spike Jonze wins Best Original Screenplay, because I loved Her and it deserves some recognition for its beautiful, touching screenplay.

Chris Gordon, Events Manager

Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Every year, my girlfriend and I attempt to see every single film nominated for an Oscar before the great television marathon of awards goes to air. Unfortunately we may have made a mistake this year as we have knowingly not seen 12 Years a Slave. We’ve heard from all accounts it’s a powerful and important movie but alas, our hearts have just not been there - our cravings have been for more shallow entertainment… I suspect this is truly our loss, and one we will surely amend post Oscars.

Taking into account what I have seen though, here are my predictions:

• If Cate Blanchett does not win another Oscar for her Blue Jasmine role my world might end.
• I would dearly love Christian Bale to win Best Actor for American Hustle (a fun, fun, fun movie) or even giving Leonardo - as ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ - a shot would make it a good year, but I think neither will take home the trophy this year. I’m quite sure Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) will instead because if a male loses weight for a role…
• Again, I’d be happy for American Hustle to win, but I suspect it’s going to be 12 Years a Slave. (Though, if Gravity wins I will never ever watch the Academy Awards again.)

Who’s with me?

Bronte Coates, Online and Readings Monthly Assistant

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Best Foreign Language Film: The Hunt
Best Original Song: ‘Let It Go, Frozen
Best Documentary Feature: The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen

Cate Blanchett is seriously something in Blue Jasmine, funny, heartbreaking and scrubbed raw, while the Danish film, The Hunt completely destroyed me. And even I don’t think Frozen is quite as good as the internet claims, the song 'Let It Go’ is particularly special and a deserved winner here. Broadway fixture Idina Menzel delivers a stunning performance that is reminiscent of her role as Elphaba in Wicked.

My final pick this year that I feel 100% certain (mostly…) about is for The Act of Killing to win for Best Documentary Feature. I haven’t seen it yet as, like other documenary lovers, I feel ethically torn towards its premise. Regardless, Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary is challenging and provocative, and has contributed to encouraging interesting debates which is very valuable.

(Also, I think it’s terrible that the documentary Blackfish was not even nominated when it was a clear winner to my thinking.)