Golden Globes 2014: film predictions Predicted winner: American Hustle Other nominees: Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, The Wolf of Wall Street Let's start gently. American Hustle and 12 Years a Slave are the two best-regarded films at the Globes this year by far, with seven nominations each, and it seems likely that each will triumph in its respective Best Picture group. There is a chance that Gravity could squeak ahead in the first category, but Steve McQueen's mighty historical drama is reportedly a favourite with voters. Hustle, meanwhile, is draped in sex and glamour: two qualities that have traditionally appealed to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, or HFPA, who run the show. It's also easier to take than Martin Scorsese's brash, twisted The Wolf of Wall Street, even though in my view, at least, Scorsese's is the superior film. The cast of American Hustle Best Director Predicted winner: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) Other nominees: Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Alexander Payne (Nebraska), David O. Russell (American Hustle) Gravity was one of the best-reviewed films in an extraordinary year for cinema. Since it likely won't win top honours, the HFPA may decide to name Alfonso Cuarón best director - a prize often used as a silver-medal surrogate. Fortunately, in this case, the award would be entirely appropriate: more than any other nominated film, Gravity is a virtuosic display of directorial vision. Best actor - drama Predicted winner: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) Other nominees: Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Robert Redford (All is Lost) This might be the tightest category of them all: in truth, the Globe could just as easily go to Matthew McConaughey or Robert Redford, whose performances both have more of the showbiz crackle on which the Globes thrive. But Ejiofor's astonishing work in 12 Years a Slave simply feels too important to ignore. Chiwetel Ejiofor (right) stars in 12 Years a Slave Best actress - drama Predicted winner: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) Other nominees: Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks), Kate Winslet (Labor Day) Blanchett's thrillingly brittle riff on Blanche DuBois has been touted as an award-worthy performance since Blue Jasmine's release last September, and none of her fellow nominees here, HFPA favourites though they may be, look like credible threats. Best actor - comedy/musical Predicted winner: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street) Other nominees: Christian Bale (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Joaquin Phoenix (Her) Leonardo DiCaprio is a regular Golden Globes bridesmaid. Of his nine nominations since 1994, only one has resulted in victory: that was in 2005, for The Aviator. If his charisma-blasting turn in The Wolf of Wall Street doesn't earn him a second, it's hard to know what could, although voters" long-standing affection for Bruce Dern may be enough to cause an upset. Best actress - comedy/musical Predicted winner: Amy Adams (American Hustle) Other nominees: Julie Delpy (Before Midnight), Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Enough Said), Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) The Globes split their main nomination categories in two, with dramas on one side and loosely defined "comedy/musicals" on the other: the method doesn't tend to attract a lot of praise, but shortlists like this one justify it at a stroke. I doubt we'll see Julie Delpy, Greta Gerwig and Julia Louis-Dreyfus recognised at the Oscars in the same way, although we can but hope. Amy Adams, a five-time nominee, probably has this one sewn up, although I'll gladly accept anyone but Streep, who this year isn't quite in the same class. Best supporting actress Predicted winner: Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) Other nominees: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), June Squibb (Nebraska) Awards ceremonies and Jennifer Lawrence go together like peaches and cream, but Lupita Nyong'o, a relatively unknown actress who is just unforgettable as the favoured field girl Patsey in 12 Years a Slave, will surely come out on top here. Nyong'o photographed by Lydia Goldblatt for the Telegraph magazine at The Langham London Best supporting actor Predicted winner: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) Other nominees: Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Daniel Bruhl (Rush), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave) Dallas Buyers Club, a drama about an Aids patient who smuggles medication across the US-Mexico border, was entirely overlooked in the Bafta nominations, but the film has fared much better on home turf. Leto's performance as Rayon, a transsexual drug addict, is its best chance of victory in any category, and Fassbender seems to be the only potential obstacle to a smooth coronation. Best screenplay Other nominees: 12 Years a Slave, Her, Nebraska, Philomena Eric Singer and David O. Russell's zinger-heavy script for American Hustle is just so much fun, with so many memorable one-liners, that it's hard to see voters opting for another contender here. Best foreign film Predicted winner: Blue is the Warmest Colour Other nominees: The Great Beauty, The Hunt, The Past, The Wind Rises Another extraordinarily strong category: thanks again, cinema of 2013! The lesbian romantic drama Blue is the Warmest Colour won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, although owing to a release-date technicality, it was ineligible for the Oscars. No such hiccups here, so expect it to breeze to victory. Best animated feature Predicted winner: Frozen Other nominees: The Croods, Despicable Me 2 Frozen, no contest. Disney's Snow Queen musical continues the animation house's winning streak. The other nominees don't come close. Frozen's Anna, Olaf and Kristoff (AP Photo/Disney) Best original song Predicted winner: Idina Menzel, "Let it Go" (Frozen) Other nominees: Coldplay, "Atlas" (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), U2, "Ordinary Love" (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Justin Timberlake et al, "Please Mr. Kennedy" (Inside Llewyn Davis), Taylor Swift, "Sweeter than Fiction" (One Chance) A two-horse race. In lane one is Please Mr. Kennedy, the novelty protest song from the Coen brothers" Inside Llewyn Davis. Beside it, neck and neck, is Let it Go, Frozen's grand coming-out ballad, performed with Broadway bombast by Idina Menzel. A win for either would be very welcome, but I suspect the big musical number may have more Globe-grabbing potential. Best original score Predicted winner: Steven Price, Gravity Other nominees: Alex Ebert, All is Lost, Alex Heffes, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, John Williams, The Book Thief, Hans Zimmer, 12 Years a Slave From its cinema-shaking opening crescendo and sudden cut to silence onward, Steven Price's Gravity score is decisively the most memorable of the nominees, if not quite decisively the best. But Hans Zimmer has had a sensational year with his work on both 12 Years a Slave and The Lone Ranger (we'll skim over Rush and Man of Steel), and would make a highly credible alternative. IN PICTURES: The 71st Golden Globes - the nominations