How about that? They're happening this soon! Much to my relief, and I'm sure everybody else's, they will be back to the last Sunday of February. Whatever the situation, this has been an interesting race with a lot of interesting contenders. Here are my predictions for the Oscar winners:
BEST PICTURE
Will Win: 1917
Should Win & Closest Threat #1: Parasite
Closest Threat #2: Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood
Seven out of the ten Best Picture winner of the 1990's grossed more than $100 million domestically. Seven of the ten Best Picture winners of the noughts also made it past $100 million domestically. But only two of the nine Best Picture winners of the 2010's have passed the domestic $100 million mark? Here's hoping 1917 will make it #3, at least.
BEST DIRECTOR
WW: SAM MENDES/1917
SW & CT: BONG JOON-HO/Parasite
Many months before I even first visited TSO (back in the fall of 2000) my aunt was to take me out to a movie. I expected an action movie I wanted to see. Instead I got American Beauty that was directed by Sam Mendes. I was mesmerized from start to finish. And it was one of many movies from the ground-breaking movie year of 1999 that launched my interest in film and the Oscar races.
Will history repeat itself for Mendes 20 years later? He's highly favored.
BEST ACTOR
SW & WW: JOAQUIN PHOENIX/Joker
CT: ADAM DRIVER/Marriage Story
Joker could have been a popcorn movie and the role of the Joker could have been a role good enough for a popcorm film. But Joaquin Phoenix went above and beyond everyone's expectations.
BEST ACTRESS
SW & WW: RENEE ZELLWEGER/Judy
CT: SCARLETT JOHANNSON/Marriage Story
Judy Garland never won a competitive Oscar of the two nominations she received in her lifetime. She did however win an honorary Juvenile Oscar in 1939 for her performance in The Wizard Of Oz. Renee looks poised to win the Oscar for portraying Judy.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
SW & WW: BRAT PITT/Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood
CT: JOE PESCI/The Irishman
Interesting that Brad Pitt is the only nominee in this category that has never won an Oscar. Three nominations but never a win. This looks like it's finally his time!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
SW & WW: LAURA DERN/Marriage Story
CT: MARGOT ROBBIE/Bombshell
Laura's father Bruce Dern has been nominated twice but never won. Her mother Diane Ladd has been nominted three times without a win. Laura herself has been nominated twice before without a win. This could finally be it!
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WW: QUENTIN TARANTINO/Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood
SW & CT: BONG JOON-HO/Parasite
I don't trust the Academy to give this award to a foreign film for the second straight year.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
SW: STEVE ZAILLIAN/The Irishman
WW: GRETA GERWIG/Little Women
CT: TAIKA WAITITI/Jojo rabbit
Interesting that Greta's common-law husband Noah Baumbach is nominated in Original Screenplay for Marriage Story.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
SW & WW: Toy Story 4
CT: Klaus
This looks like to be the most unpredictable year for this particular category. Toy Story 4 won the Critics Choice and the Producers Guild Award, Missing Link won the GG, and NetFlix's Klaus won the BAFTA and the Annie! I go with Toy Story 4 because even though I know the Academy doesn't normally pick animated sequels, Toy Story 3 is the only sequel to win this category.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
SW & WW: ROGER DEAKINS/1917
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WW: MAYES RUBIO/Jojo Rabbit
SW & CT:JACQUELINE DURRAN/Little Women
Ever notice how this category mostlfavors timepieces? Very rarely sci-fi. Though Ruth E. Carter won for Black Panther last year. However all are timepeices this year. Even Joker is set in the 1980's.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WW: American Factory
CT: For Sama
BEST FILM EDITING
WW: MICHAEL McCUSKER and ANDREW BUCKLAND/Ford v Ferrari
SW & CT: YANG JIM-MO/Parasite
BEST HAIR and MAKEUP
WW: Bombshell
SW & CT: Joker
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
SW & WW: Parasite (South Korea)
CT: Pain and Glory (Spain)
“Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you’ll be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
-Bong Joon-ho
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
SW & WW: HILDUR GUðNADOTTIR /Joker
CT: THOMAS NEWMAN/1917
The only time a woman has won an Oscar for Score was back in 1997, when there were two Score categories: for dramas and comedies. Hildur looks heavily poised to be the second!
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
SW & WW: "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" - Rocketman
CT: "Stand Up" / Harriet
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
SW & WW: Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood
CT: 1917
BEST SOUND EDITING
SW & WW: Ford v Ferrari
CT: 1917
BEST SOUND MIXING
WW: 1917
SW & CT: Ford v Ferrari
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
SW: Avengers: Endgame
WW: 1917
CT: The Lion King
This is another category with many awards boards giving its award to different movies. This will be one of the hardest to pick.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WW: Hair Love
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
WW: Brotherhood
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
WW: Learning To Skate In A Warzone (If You're A Girl)
And there you go! Those are my predictions for the Oscars. We'll see how I fare on Sunday night.
Actually I was in a rush and I had problems with a library computer.
Predictions for all categories are up now.
Shawn said:
Very cool but you did not add your choice for Visual Effects I would like to know your choice ion that cat.
Eldon said:
Thanks, I can't understand how a war movie could be in consideration for visual effects? is that not more for like Star Wars, Superhero movies and other sci-fi like stuff?
A lot of the explosions in 1917 are part of the visual effects as well as the plane crash. Also there's the effect of making this film look like it's all a single take.
Also The Irishman is in there for making Joe, Robert and Al look 40 years younger without a big make-up job! That's the magic of CGI!