It’s Oscar night this Sunday! Whether you see the Academy Awards as Hollywood’s annual orgy of self-congratulation or a yearly celebration of outstanding achievements in a year in film, those coveted gold statues represent the most prestigious honor in the industry and the highest form of recognition a filmmaker can receive. That said, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is far from the perfect governing body. Each year comes with its own controversies, be it in a policy change or in the nominations.
Unfortunately this year, we saw the return of the dreaded #OscarsSoWhite. Nearly every nominee from 2019 is a white and most of those folks are male. Cynthia Erivo, who was nominated for her performance in Harriet, was the single non-white actor nominated out of the twenty who are recognized every year. Similarly disappointing, no females were nominated for best director.
Regardless, this year’s batch of nominees largely represent the very best films and filmmaking from 2019. The result is one of the most unpredictable and consequently most exciting Oscar races in recent years. Despite the momentum some films have over others, a handful of the categories, including some of the heavy hitters, are still anybody’s game.
The 92nd Academy Awards will air live February 9 at 8pm EST on ABC. Check out below the complete list of nominees including my predictions for who and what will win:
FEATURE FILM
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Prediction: 1917
Potential spoiler: Parasite
DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Todd Phillips, Joker
Sam Mendes, 1917
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Prediction: Sam Mendes, 1917
Potential spoiler: Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
LEAD 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
Prediction: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Potential spoiler: Adam Driver, Marriage Story
LEAD ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renee Zellweger, Judy
Prediction: Renee Zellweger, Judy
What could win: Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
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
Prediction: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Potential spoiler: Joe Pesci, The Irishman
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Scarlett Johannson, Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Prediction: Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Potential spoiler: Margot Robbie, Bombshell
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Irishman, Steven Zaillian
Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi
Joker, Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Little Women, Greta Gerwig
The Two Popes, Anthony McCarten
Prediction: Jojo Rabbit
Potential spoiler: Little Women
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, Jin Won Han
Prediction: Parasite
Potential spoiler: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
FILM EDITING
Ford v Ferrari, Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
The Irishman, Thelma Schoonmaker
Jojo Rabbit, Tom Eagles
Joker, Jeff Groth
Parasite, Jinmo Yang
Prediction: Ford v Ferrari
Potential spoiler: Parasite
ORIGINAL SCORE
Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir
Little Women, Alexandre Desplat
Marriage Story, Randy Newman
1917, Thomas Newman
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, John Williams
Prediction: Joker
Potential spoiler: 1917
ORIGINAL SONG
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” Rocketman
“I’m Standing With You,” Breakthrough
“Into the Unknown,” Frozen 2
“Stand Up,” Harriet
Prediction: “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” Rocketman
Potential spoiler: “Stand Up,” Harriet
CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Irishman, Rodrigo Prieto
Joker, Lawrence Sher
The Lighthouse, Jarin Blaschke
1917, Roger Deakins
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Robert Richardson
Prediction: 1917, Roger Deakins
Potential spoiler: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Robert Richardson
ANIMATED FEATURE
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4
Prediction: Toy Story 4
Potential spoiler: Klaus
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Dcera, Daria Kashcheeva
Hair Love, Matthew A. Cherry
Kitbull, Rosana Sullivan
Memorable, Bruno Collet
Sister, Siqi Song
Prediction: Hair Love
Potential spoiler: Kitbull
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
Brotherhood, Meryam Joobeur
Nefta Football Club, Yves Piat
The Neighbors’ Window, Marshall Curry
Saria, Bryan Buckley
A Sister, Delphine Girard
Prediction: The Neighbor’s Window
Potential spoiler: Brotherhood
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
Prediction: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
Potential spoiler: St. Louis Superman
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
American Factory, Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar
The Cave, Feras Fayyad
The Edge of Democracy, Petra Costa
For Sama, Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
Prediction: American Factory
Potential spoilers: Honeyland
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Corpus Christi, Jan Komasa
Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
Les Miserables, Ladj Ly
Pain and Glory, Pedro Almodovar
Parasite, Bong Joon Ho
Prediction: Parasite
Potential spoiler: Pain and Glory
VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers Endgame
The Irishman
1917
The Lion King
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Prediction: 1917
Potential spoiler: The Lion King
MAKEUP & HAIR
Bombshell
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
1917
Prediction: Bombshell
Potential spoiler: 1917
PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Irishman, Bob Shaw and Regina Graves
Jojo Rabbit, Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova
1917, Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh
Parasite, Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee
Prediction: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Potential spoiler: 1917
COSTUME DESIGN
The Irishman, Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson
Jojo Rabbit, Mayes C. Rubeo
Joker, Mark Bridges
Little Women, Jacqueline Durran
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Arianne Phillips
Prediction: Little Women
Potential spoiler: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
SOUND MIXING
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Prediction: 1917
Potential spoiler: Ford v Ferrari
SOUND EDITING
Ford v Ferrari, Don Sylvester
Joker, Alan Robert Murray
1917, Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Wylie Stateman
Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker, Matthew Wood, David Acord
Prediction: 1917
Potential spoiler: Ford v Ferrari
Those are my final predictions for which films and filmmakers will be walking away with a prestigious Academy Award this Sunday night. What do you think of my picks? Do you disagree with any? Sound off in the comments below and let me know all of your predictions for the Oscars!
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