The Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards are behind us now, and in the early hours of tomorrow morning, the nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards (occurring February 9) will be announced. I’m coming in hot with some super last minute predictions for who I think will be nominated tomorrow morning. I am excluding the short subject categories from my predictions, simply because I haven’t watched enough of those contenders to have a valid opinion on them, but you can check out my picks for the rest of the categories below. Starred items are my current picks to win that category, and you can click the links to read my full review of the films.
Who do you think will or should be nominated for an Oscar?
BEST PICTURE
- “Parasite”
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” *
- “1917”
- “Joker”
- “Jojo Rabbit”
- “Marriage Story”
- “Little Women”
- “The Irishman”
- “The Farewell”
NOTE: I don’t think there will be 10 nominees this year, but the addition of “The Farewell” is a little iffy to me. “Knives Out” is also a potential contender, but despite it being such a crowd-pleaser I don’t see it gaining much awards traction outside of screenplay. Another likely crowd-favorite is “Dolemite Is My Name.”
BEST DIRECTOR
- Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite” *
- Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
- Sam Mendes, “1917”
- Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
- Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story”
NOTE: I had a hard time going between Baumbach and his real life partner Greta Gerwig, who wrote and directed “Little Women.” It would be great to get more female representation in this category, and I think it’s certainly possible, but not super likely.
BEST ACTRESS
- Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
- Renee Zellweger, “Judy” *
- Awkwafina, “The Farewell”
- Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
- Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
BEST ACTOR
- Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
- Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
- Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” *
- Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
- Eddie Murphy, “Dolemite Is My Name”
NOTE: Look out for Adam Sandler, whose recent release “Uncut Gems” has created a lot of buzz, as well as Taron Egerton, who recently won a Golden Globe for playing Elton John in “Rocketman.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” *
- Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
- Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
- Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
- Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
NOTE: One to watch for who could replace Margot Robbie is Zhao Shuzhen, who endeared herself to audiences playing Nai Nai in “The Farewell.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
- Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
- Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” *
- Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
- Jamie Foxx, “Just Mercy”
NOTE: “Just Mercy” was only just released in theaters and hasn’t gotten a lot of buzz so far, but Foxx was nominated for a Golden Globe, as well as a SAG for his performance, which gives him a good shot at being nominated for the Oscar too. But potential favorites who could overtake him include Song Kang Ho of “Parasite” (although that is very much an ensemble feature) or Willem Dafoe of “The Lighthouse.”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story”
- Rian Johnson, “Knives Out”
- Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” *
- Lulu Wang, “The Farewell”
- Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin Won, “Parasite”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- Taika Waititi, “Jojo Rabbit”
- Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” *
- Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, “Joker”
- Steve Zaillian, “The Irishman”
- Anthony McCarten, “The Two Popes”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- “Parasite” *
- “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
- “Atlantics”
- “Pain and Glory”
- “Les Miserables”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- “Frozen II”
- “Toy Story 4” *
- “Missing Link”
- “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
- “I Lost My Body”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- “Apollo 11” *
- “For Sama”
- “One Child Nation”
- “American Factory”
- “Honeyland”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- “1917”
- “Parasite”
- “The Irishman”
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” *
- “Joker”
NOTE: I think this category is a hard one to predict this year. Certain films like “1917” are shoe-ins, but I wouldn’t count out “Jojo Rabbit” or the black-and-white beauty “The Lighthouse.”
BEST COSTUMES
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” *
- “Rocketman”
- “Little Women”
- “Dolemite Is My Name”
- “Downton Abbey”
BEST FILM EDITING
- “1917”
- “Parasite”
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” *
- “Ford v Ferrari”
- “Marriage Story”
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
- “Joker”
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
- “Rocketman”
- “Bombshell” *
- “Dolemite Is My Name”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” *
- “The Irishman”
- “1917”
- “Little Women”
- “Joker”
BEST SCORE
- “Joker” *
- “Little Women”
- “Marriage Story”
- “1917”
- “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
- “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from “Rocketman” *
- “Spirit” from “The Lion King”
- “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II”
- “Glasgow (No Place Like Home” from “Wild Rose
- “Stand Up” from “Harriet”
BEST SOUND EDITING
- “Ford v Ferrari”
- “1917” *
- “Avengers: Endgame”
- “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker”
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
BEST SOUND MIXING
- “Ford v Ferrari”
- “1917” *
- “Avengers: Endgame”
- “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker”
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker”
- “Avengers: Endgame” *
- “The Lion King” (2019)
- “1917
- “The Irishman”
Katie at the Movies 