For our fifteenth Rundown article, we get a glimpse at the sometimes unpredictable aural duo. After the jump, you’ll find our winner and runner-up predictions for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing as well as general commentary about the race. Tomorrow, we’ll cover two categories whose literary aspirations are high. (NOTE: Edited to include Tripp’s predictions and commentary.)

Best Sound Mixing

Winner Predictions

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo (New)(R) (New)(R) (New)(R)
• Moneyball
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• War Horse

Runner-Up Predictions

• War Horse (R) (R) (R)

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Wesley Lovell: Hugo has won enough precursors in this category to suggest it’s a very likely winner at this year’s Oscars. However, voters have made it a point to deliver surprises here, so it’s possible that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Transformers or War Horse could win this derby. Even Moneyball has a chance. So, we may not know until Oscar night which way they go, but I suspect if Hugo doesn’t win, Spielberg’s film will take the prize and this is even in spite of the fact that there has been griping over Greg P Russell never having won an Oscar despite several nominations. The sympathy factor didn’t work in Kevin O’Connell’s favor, so I don’t think Russell has much hope.

Peter J. Patrick: Will they go with the most nominations or the most sound? If the former, then Hugo; if the latter, then War Horse.

Tripp Burton: Hugo is the technical marvel that the Oscars seem to love this year, and I think it should pick up this award pretty handily. If not, War Horse could sneak out a token technical win or two and one of them could be here. The others are the kind of filler this category always has.

Best Sound Editing

Winner Predictions

• Drive
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo (O) (New)(R)
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• War Horse (O)

Runner-Up Predictions

• Drive (R)
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon (R)
• War Horse (R)

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Wesley Lovell: Hugo‘s nomination seems surprising to me and although it’s in the Sound Mixing race, I don’t think it’s competing in Sound Editing. War Horse may be their favorite option of the other films being the only other Best Picture nominee in the race and with few other categories in which it can easily compete. Drive has the best sound editing of the group, but the fact that it was shut out everywhere else suggsets they won’t give it a second thought.

Peter J. Patrick: Will they go with the most nominations and throw ait to Hugo or will they take the opportunity to reward Drive in the only category they can?

Tripp Burton: The same story here as sound mixing. Hugo is the technical marvel that the Oscars seem to love this year, and I think it should pick up this award pretty handily. If not, War Horse could sneak out a token technical win or two and one of them could be here. The others are the kind of filler this category always has.

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