Predictions - Art Direction, Costumes, F/X, Makeup

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION (i.e. set design and decoration)Black Swan
InceptionThe King's Speech
Shutter Island
True Grit
Other Possibilities: Alice in Wonderland, Burlesque, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Get Low, The Ghost Writer, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, Robin Hood, The Social Network, Tron: Legacy

Alice in Wonderland could very easily take one of the slots (Shutter Island, probably), but I know some people - myself included - found it cluttered and on the unattractive side. If enough Academy voters think that, it's out. My other four "predictees" are BP hopefuls looking to gain support from the tech branches.


BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Burlesque
The King's Speech
True Grit
Other Possibilities: Agora, Inception, Made in Dagenham, Robin Hood, Secretariat, Shutter Island, The Tempest, Tron: Legacy
Period pieces dominate this category, so predicting Black Swan may be a mistake, but I feel it has a lot of momentum going right now. Alice in Wonderland and The King's Speech both have Oscar-winning designers, which helps secure their places. Burlesque could be in trouble, though, especially if voters decide to go with old favorite Sandy Powell, designer for The Tempest. To date, Powell has eight nominations and three wins.



BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTSAlice in WonderlandHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
Inception
Iron Man 2
Tron: Legacy
Other Finalists: Hereafter, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Ah, a category with finalists. That was easy. Sorry Hereafter and Scott Pilgrim. Seriously though, if either one of the "other finalists" is nominated, it will be a major shocker.


BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP (Includes hair, i.e. wigs)Alice in Wonderland
Barney's Version
True Grit

Other Finalists: The Fighter, Jonah Hex, The Way Back, The Wolfman

Outside of Alice in Wonderland, I have no idea. Unlike most other categories, the finalists aren't comprised of BP hopefuls and big box-office hits. Your guess is as good as mine.