Best Picture
- Ford v Ferrari
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- Marriage Story
- 1917
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Parasite
Another year, another weird number of Best Picture nominees. At least this year we get 9, which is one more than last year. Of course, that means that plenty of deserving films like The Farewell and Knives Out got boxed out for that #10 spot. At this point, we seem to be in a three-way tie between Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 1917 and Parasite, which all hit me very differently in terms of quality. Hollywood is the current favorite and I’m inclined to agree; look no further than the fact that it has “Hollywood” in the title. Indeed, the Academy does love to love movies about Tinseltown and this year looks to be no exception, unless 1917 pulls a Moonlight.
My Prediction: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
My Vote: Marriage Story
Overlooked: The Farewell
Best Director
- Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
- Todd Phillips – Joker
- Sam Mendes – 1917
- Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Bong Joon-ho – Parasite
This category looks to be much more difficult to call. With the exception of Phillips, you could make a case for any of the other 4 directors to take home the statue. My current gut feeling is towards Mendes, given how technically impressive his faux one-take war epic is. Bong Joon-ho, who helmed one of the most audacious and wildly enjoyable films of the year, would be my personal pick. Certainly a shame that Gerwig wasn’t represented for her terrific work in Little Women. Even though she was nominated previously for Lady Bird, her vision for Alcott’s classic novel deserved to be recognized here.
My Prediction: Sam Mendes
My Vote: Bong Joon-ho
Overlooked: Greta Gerwig – Little Women
Best Actor
- Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
- Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Adam Driver – Marriage Story
- Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
- Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
A surprisingly competitive field for Best Actor this time, especially in comparison to last year. Previous Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix seems to be an almost certainty for his undeniably great work in Joker. Great to see Adam Driver get recognition even though he won’t win; I’m sure he’ll have more chances down the road. As sleepy as The Two Popes was, Jonathan Pryce did reliably great work in it and Leonardo DiCaprio was hilarious as Hollywood‘s washed-up actor. Pain and Glory is one of the few titles nominated in a major category that I haven’t seen but I endeavor to do so before the big show.
My Prediction: Joaquin Phoenix
My Vote: Adam Driver
Overlooked: Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems
Best Actress
- Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
- Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
- Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
- Charlize Theron – Bombshell
- Renée Zellweger – Judy
Probably my most frustrating category, as there were many brilliant female performances this year and yet, it looks very likely that the trophy will predictably go to Renée Zellweger for her admirable Judy Garland impression. I would much rather any of the other four actresses, especially Johansson, win the award and it looks like Charlize Theron has the best shot to upset. Still baffled that previous Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o got snubbed for her mesmerizing dual role in Us. The Academy did a great job at not ignoring Get Out two years ago, even though it came out early that previous year, and it’s a shame they didn’t give the same treatment to Peele’s follow-up.
My Prediction: Renée Zellweger
My Vote: Scarlett Johansson
Overlooked: Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Best Supporting Actor
- Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
- Al Pacino – The Irishman
- Joe Pesci – The Irishman
- Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
My Prediction: Brad Pitt
My Vote: Joe Pesci
Overlooked: Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
Best Supporting Actress
- Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
- Laura Dern – Marriage Story
- Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
- Florence Pugh – Little Women
- Margot Robbie – Bombshell
My Prediction: Laura Dern
My Vote: Florence Pugh
Overlooked: Thomasin McKenzie – Jojo Rabbit
Strong supporting categories this year, especially Supporting Actor. Aside from the current favorite Brad Pitt, every other Supporting Actor nominee has won previously. I love Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, despite the disturbing lack of Pittsburghese in his performance, but my personal preference would be towards Pesci for his quiet commanding work in The Irishman. It’s good to have him back.
Like Pitt, Laura Dern is similarly a lock in the Supporting Actress field. I’m obviously a huge Marriage Story fan, so I’m happy with any awards that film can gather, even if Dern’s role wasn’t as challenging as some of her competitors. Willem Dafoe and Thomasin McKenzie are obvious snubs for me but I also would’ve loved to have seen a nod for 10-year-old Julia Butters, who more than holds her own against Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Best Original Screenplay
- Knives Out – Rian Johnson
- Marriage Story – Noah Baumbach
- 1917 – Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino
- Parasite – Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won
My Prediction: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
My Vote: Marriage Story
Overlooked: Booksmart
Best Adapted Screenplay
- The Irishman – Steven Zaillian
- Jojo Rabbit – Taika Waititi
- Joker – Todd Phillips and Scott Silver
- Little Women – Greta Gerwig
- The Two Popes – Anthony McCarten
My Prediction: Little Women
My Vote: Little Women
Overlooked: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Best Animated Feature Film
My Prediction: Toy Story 4
My Vote: Missing Link
Overlooked: Ruben Brandt, Collector
Best International Feature Film
- Corpus Christi
- Honeyland
- Les Misérables
- Pain and Glory
- Parasite
My Prediction: Parasite
My Vote: Parasite
Overlooked: Ash Is Purest White
Best Documentary – Feature
- American Factory
- The Cave
- The Edge of Democracy
- For Sama
- Honeyland
My Prediction: American Factory
My Vote: Honeyland
Overlooked: Apollo 11
Best Documentary – Short Subject
- In the Absence
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
- Life Overtakes Me
- St. Louis Superman
- Walk Run Cha-Cha
My Prediction: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
My Vote: —
Overlooked: —
Best Live Action Short Film
- Brotherhood
- Nefta Football Club
- The Neighbor’s Window
- Saria
- A Sister
My Prediction: Brotherhood
My Vote: —
Overlooked: —
Best Animated Short Film
- Dcera (Daughter)
- Hair Love
- Kitbull
- Memorable
- Sister
My Prediction: Hair Love
My Vote: —
Overlooked: —
Best Original Score
- Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir
- Little Women – Alexandre Desplat
- Marriage Story – Randy Newman
- 1917 – Thomas Newman
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams
My Prediction: Joker
My Vote: 1917
Overlooked: The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Best Original Song
- “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4
- “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman
- “I’m Standing with You” from Breakthrough
- “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II
- “Stand Up” from Harriet
My Prediction: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”
My Vote: “Stand Up”
Overlooked: “Super Cool” from The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Best Sound Editing
- Ford v Ferrari – Donald Sylvester
- Joker – Alan Robert Murray
- 1917 – Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Wylie Stateman
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Matthew Wood and David Acord
My Prediction: 1917
My Vote: Ford v Ferrari
Overlooked: Waves
Best Sound Mixing
- Ad Astra – Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano
- Ford v Ferrari – Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow
- Joker – Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland
- 1917 – Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler and Mark Ulano
My Prediction: 1917
My Vote: Ford v Ferrari
Overlooked: High Life
Best Production Design
- The Irishman – Production Design: Bob Shaw; Set Decoration: Regina Graves
- Jojo Rabbit – Production Design: Ra Vincent; Set Decoration: Nora Sopková
- 1917 – Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Production Design: Barbara Ling; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
- Parasite – Production Design: Lee Ha-joon; Set Decoration: Cho Won-woo
My Prediction: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
My Vote: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Overlooked: Knives Out
Best Cinematography
- The Irishman – Rodrigo Prieto
- Joker – Lawrence Sher
- The Lighthouse – Jarin Blaschke
- 1917 – Roger Deakins
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Robert Richardson
My Prediction: 1917
My Vote: The Lighthouse
Overlooked: The Beach Bum
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Bombshell – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker
- Joker – Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou
- Judy – Jeremy Woodhead
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White
- 1917 – Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis and Rebecca Cole
My Prediction: Bombshell
My Vote: Bombshell
Overlooked: Rocketman
Best Costume Design
- The Irishman – Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson
- Jojo Rabbit – Mayes C. Rubeo
- Joker – Mark Bridges
- Little Women – Jacqueline Durran
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Arianne Phillips
My Prediction: Little Women
My Vote: Little Women
Overlooked: Dolemite Is My Name
Best Film Editing
- Ford v Ferrari – Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker
- The Irishman – Thelma Schoonmaker
- Jojo Rabbit – Tom Eagles
- Joker – Jeff Groth
- Parasite – Yang Jin-mo
My Prediction: Ford v Ferrari
My Vote: Parasite
Overlooked: Apollo 11
Best Visual Effects
- Avengers: Endgame – Dan DeLeeuw, Matt Aitken, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick
- The Irishman – Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, and Nelson Sepulveda
- The Lion King – Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Elliot Newman
- 1917 – Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy
My Prediction: Avengers: Endgame
My Vote: The Irishman
Overlooked: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Enjoy the show!