The nominations won’t be announced until Feb. 15, but several ISU experts in film, music and pop culture are already predicting who will be triumphant on Oscar night.

“American Beauty” has their votes for the 1999 Oscar for Best Picture. “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Snow Falling on Cedars” and “Magnolia” were also predicted as worthy Academy Award nominees.

“‘American Beauty’ is a beautifully acted and scripted film,” said Hamilton Cravens, professor of history. “The cinematography is wonderful.”

Cravens said Kevin Spacey’s performance in “American Beauty,” a dark satire of suburban life, was the highlight of the film and deserving of the Academy’s attention.

“Kevin Spacey’s performance blew me away,” he said.

Patrick Gouran, associate professor of music, also found Spacey’s acting skills impressive.

“I think Kevin Spacey is one of the finest actors living in the U.S. today,” he said.

Despite its rave reviews, Loring Silet, professor of English, was not awed by “American Beauty.”

“I didn’t care for it all that much. ‘American Beauty’ will come with some awards, but it is not a film I would choose,” he said.

Instead, Silet supported “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” as well as “Snow Falling on Cedars.”

“‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ did not receive a lot of attention, but it was an absolutely gorgeous film,” he said. “It might get cinematography.”

Silet said Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” should also be considered for its variety of wonderful performances.

“Oftentimes, films that come out later in the year will do better than films out earlier in the year because the hype is still in the air,” he said.

Jim Carrey, for “Man on the Moon,” Tom Cruise, for “Magnolia” and Spacey were mentioned most frequently by the professors as front-runners in the race for Best Actor.

“All three are strong contenders,” Cravens said. “They are the same order of magnitude, but they are all different.”

Cravens said Carrey and Cruise both delivered the best performances of their careers.

Gouran said he thinks Carrey is a talented, creative and inventive actor, but “right now, he is a personality more than an actor — a work in progress when it comes to his work and art.”

When asked about Best Actress nominations, the professors had difficulties determining their prevailing favorites.

Silet suggested “The Talented Mr. Ripley” actresses Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow.

“They were wonderful but small roles. I am not sure what kind of role will attract Academy attention,” he said.

Silet said lesser-known actresses and actors are often more deserving of recognition, but the Academy will reward one with bigger celebrity.

“Oftentimes, I think performance X is best, but Y will win Best Actor,” he said.

The Academy Awards are sometimes based on factors other than the performance quality, Silet said.

“There is an enormous amount of politicking among studios to get the Academy Awards,” he said.

Film studios benefit financially from winning Oscar titles. By publicizing nominations and victories, studios are capable of boosting ticket sales, Silet said.

“The Academy Awards are about money and money and money,” Cravens said. “It’s not really about quality.”