This may be the biggest year for the Academy Awards, as some major Hollywood players are going up against some fresh newcomers. Eyeballs everywhere will be glued to ABC on Sunday, February 27th at 8PM E/5PM P when the awards show goes live. But before that, we decided to do some picking of our own with the staff’s predictions for each award.

For a full list of the nominees, check out our previous article on the subject. Now, on to the predictions.

Best Picture

Shannon Hood-The Social Network. It had early and consistent momentum all year, and the Academy appears to be trying to shake up their stodgy image. This would be the perfect film to put their money where their mouth is.

Matt Raub – True Grit. Not only are the Coens a regular in the “I Have an Oscar” club, but this testament to classic western films is definitely one for record books, between its all-star cast and gritty (no pun intended) visual style, this one definitely deserves the golden statue.

Chris Ullrich – True Grit. Even though this was a pretty great year for movies and there are many excellent choices in this category, True Grit stands on its own as my pick. As an example of pure movie storytelling, this Coen Brothers masterpiece excels on every level and delivers a pure entertainment experience you will want to revisit many more times in the future.

Cortney Zamm – The Social Network. There’s a lot of great films in this category, some of them from my favorite directors and starring my favorite people. But the one that combined all of the essential elements of filmmaking into a truly gorgeous, compelling, and memorable film was The Social Network.

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On Saturday morning, it looked like Megamind was going head to head with Due Date.  Both films made around $12M on Friday evening, but Megamind built on its momentum and added another $20 M to its total on Saturday, bringing its full weekend total to $47.7M.  This came from a mixture of 2D and 3D venues.

That is still a bit lower than Despicable Me ($56.4M)  made on its opening weekend, though. Incidentally, Paramount has had a number one movie three of the last  four weekends (Paranormal Activity 2, Jackass 3D and now Megamind.)

That is  not to say that Due Date didn’t have a great weekend.  It’s total of $33.5 M was good enough to break the November record for best opening for an R-rated comedy. The Robert Downey Jr./Zach Galifianakis comedy didn’t so fare so well when it came to critics, but audiences seemed to enjoy the movie.

Tyler Perry continues to be box office gold for Lionsgate.  His latest movie For Colored Girls was not widely screened for critics, but it managed an impressive $20.1 M anyway.  This is the first time Perry has released a R-rated film.  The weekend total is a bit lower than what his films typically earn, but it is a good, solid number.

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Saw 3D won the  weekend box office, to no one’s surprise.  The perennial Halloween franchise made its 7th (and presumably final) bow at the box office with a healthy $22.5M.  It is reported that almost 90% of that total is from 3D screens. If you factor in Thursday midnight showings, the total is $24.2M.

Although the film did much better than its predecessor, Saw VI ($14.1M) it still was only the fifth best Saw debut.

Last week’s champ Paranormal Activity 2 tumbled about 59% from last week for $16.5.  That’s a pretty steep drop, but fairly typical for a horror movie. With a measly $3M budget, the film is hugely profitable, looking at almost $65M in its first two weeks. Guess we know what our next Halloween franchise will be.

Red continues to defy expectations, and only dropped 28% in its third week, for $10.8M.  The film has quietly made $58.9M over three weeks.  Take that, naysayers.

Jackass 3D crossed the $100M mark this weekend, despite dropping 61% from last weekend. Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter came in at the number five spot, but continues to struggle.  The film has made about $22M after three weeks, which is less than half of its budget.

Next week, Due Date, For Colored Girls, and Megamind vie for the top spot.

After some truly disappointing weekends at the box office for horror movies (Hatchet 2, Pirahna 3D, Let Me In, My Soul to Take) fans can finally breathe easy that the genre is alive and well.  Paranormal Activity 2 catapulted to the top of the pack this weekend, and easily exceeded expectations to earn around $41M.

That was good enough to shatter a few records.  The movie broke the opening weekend record previously held by the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot in 2009.  It also made a cool $6.3M on Thursday midnight showings.

In comparison, Paranormal Activity made about $21M over its opening weekend.

Jackass 3D managed to claim the number two slot. The film tumbled over 57% from last weekend, but still made an impressive $21.6M.  Its two week total is now over $87M.

Comedy/Drama/Thriller Red only dropped 31%, and added $15M to its two week cumulative of $43M.

Clint Eastwood’s ethereal after-life drama made about $12M.  That might sound paltry, but it only played on about 2,100 screens, and had an okay per/screen average of  $5,500, which puts it in the top three per/screen averages for the weekend.  The film came in number four for the overall box office.

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If there is one truth that is universal to every human being, it is that we are all going to die someday.  For some people that is a terrifying prospect, for others it is just another stop on life’s journey.  Whatever your beliefs are, I think that all people have innate curiosity about what happens when we die.  After all, no one knows for sure.

I’m sure it is no coincidence that Clint Eastwood has turned to this subject matter at this point in his life. The man is 80 years old.  He’s likely had more than a fleeting thought about his own mortality.

Hereafter juggles three distinct storylines throughout the movie until they converge in a neat and tidy package at the end of the movie. The film doesn’t even give you a moment to get settled in your seat before you are subjected to  a gut-churning Tsunami action sequence.

It’s one of the most amazing set pieces I’ve ever seen.  It is terrifying and fantastically realistic, and it will leave you a slack-jawed mess.

Marie (Cécile De France from High Tension) is a successful French news reporter with her own show.  She is on vacation with her boyfriend (who happens to be the producer of her show) when the Tsunami hits.  She has been buying souvenirs for her boyfriend’s children in the marketplace.  As the giant wave starts bearing down upon the market, everyone starts running for their lives.

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