Another wonderful night is upon us with the 92nd Academy Awards right around the corner. The biggest names in film compete for the top prizes in what is Hollywood’s night of nights. This year sees Todd Phillips’ Joker leading the Oscar race with 11 nominations, with The Irishman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and 1917 coming in with 10 nominations. Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite is the one lurking on the outskirts. The foreign film is sneaking into the Oscar race with the potential to make a shocking impact in a number of categories. Before we get to the big night, let’s run through my predictions for all of the 24 categories.
My prediction will be highlighted in RED
Who I personally would like to see win the most will be highlighted in GREEN.
If you don’t see an option highlighted in GREEN that’s because it’s the same as my prediction.
Best Picture
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
This is the big one, the best picture of the year… and this time… it could go in any direction. Firstly, my prediction is 1917. The film is a visual and cinematic masterpiece with an immensely strong story, impeccable directing, stunning cinematography and fantastic performances. When it comes to a film that is incredible across all departments, there’s no denying that 1917 checks all those boxes. It may not be my favourite film of the year, but it wholly deserves the top spot. My personal pick is Joker, the film is a thrilling masterpiece and nails every beat it attempts to hit. It may have an outside chance, but we’ll have to wait and see. The big threat to 1917 is surprisingly Parasite. The foreign film has been getting a tonne of buzz throughout this entire awards season, taking home a number of wins across a range of categories. It’s a little crazy to think this foreign film could take home the big one, but despite not having seen it yet, I wouldn’t be surprised due to the amount of buzz around it. So keep an eye out for that one.
As for the rest of the nominees, I don’t see any other contenders strong enough to secure the win, it really is a three-horse race with 1917, Joker and Parasite all in contention, but Parasite is still the dark horse, especially due to being a foreign film.
Actor in a Leading Role
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
Don’t even bother speculating who is going to walk away with this one. Sure, everyone has a chance, but if anyone takes it over Joaquin Phoenix, who delivered a phenomenal performance in Joker, then it would be a crime. He completely transformed into the character both physically and mentally so to not win this award would be insane.
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy
Here’s one you could be placing your bets on. Scarlett Johansson is strong in Marriage Story, Saoirse Ronan is a powerhouse in Little Women, but no-one is coming close to Renée Zellweger who has been garnering all of the attention for her performance as Judy Garland in Judy. She’s on track for a surefire win so there’s not much to be said here. Of course, there’s always the chance for an upset where we could see one of the aforementioned performers steal it.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Another strong category, but another pretty locked-in win with Brad Pitt the frontrunner for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Al Pacino and Joe Pesci will most likely cancel each other out, leaving the road pretty clear for Pitt. Despite being an immense talent, Tom Hanks most likely won’t come out with the win compared to the competition he’s up against.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
My personal pick, Florence Pugh, is the most deserving of the award for her riveting performance in Little Women. However, due to being part of such a stellar ensemble I don’t feel like she’ll take home the gold. It’s predominantly down to Laura Dern and Scarlett Johansson, both of whom I believe can take it easily, but I’m going with Dern for how she stands out in Marriage Story opposite two stellar lead performances.
Directing
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Todd Phillips, Joker
Sam Mendes, 1917
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
If Sam Mendes wins best director for his work on 1917, I’d say you could start to lock in his film for the big one. However, if Bong Joon Ho steals it for Parasite, we could be looking at a major upset later in the night. All of the directors in question are superstars in their own right and have delivered fantastic films, so any of them could take this one and I wouldn’t be too surprised.
Cinematography
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
There’s no-one in the world greater than Roger Deakins when it comes to crafting awe-inspiring cinematography that sweeps you away in every shot. The man is a master of the art and only just won his first Oscar in 2018. I think he backs up that win with another here due to his exceptionally stunning work on 1917. The other contenders are good too, but nothing comes close to what Deakins captures.
Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost my Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4
Disney is always the obvious pick when it comes to the Animated Feature category, and they have a strong competitor this year with Toy Story 4. Despite Toy Story 4 being my personal pick, I’m predicting that Missing Link; from the incredible stop-motion studio, Laika; will steal the victory. Their stories encapsulate a tonne of heart and are backed with A-list voice performances so I think there’s a good chance it takes the win.
Film Editing
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite
This is going to be a tricky turn of events if Parasite takes home this award and/or Original Screenplay. early in the night. It could be hinting at a more major win coming up at the end of the night. From all the buzz that has been going around, it’s one of the frontrunners, but it still has formidable competition in The Irishman, Joker and Ford v Ferrari. The latter has a good chance of taking it home as the racing drama is not going to be winning Best Picture any time soon. The Irishman’s editing is stellar, managing to jump back and forth through time and different locations with ease, so it has a major shot.
Music (Original Score)
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
When it comes to scores, we were blessed with a number of strong contenders across the board. Joker and 1917 are the frontrunners with scores that were utterly mesmerising and sucked you into the dramatic intensity of every moment. Little Women and Marriage Story delivered sweeping scores that heightened the emotion and captured the essence of their stories magnificently. Then you have John Williams’ Rise of Skywalker score that encapsulates everything Star Wars has accomplished over the last 40+ years. In the end, despite every nominee deserving the win, I believe Joker will come out on top.
Music (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 II
“Stand Up”, Harriett
This year we don’t seem to have a stand-out song that comes to mind when you think of the best of the year. My pick would be “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II, however, I feel like this is where Rocketman gets its recognition for not only a great original song but for all of the music strewn throughout the film.
Sound Editing
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
In three of the last four years, the winner of Sound Editing ended up also being the winner of Sound Mixing. The awards recognise different talents, however, it seems that if a film does one to perfection, it almost always nails the other. The art of sound editing lends itself to war films. The ability to craft an intensely harrowing atmosphere that places you in the shoes of soldiers through sound is incredible. Much like many in the past, 1917 does that amazingly well. Every sound is designed to shock you and draw you into a sense of constant danger as you navigate an active warzone. This could go to other nominees, but I don’t see them trumping 1917.
Sound Mixing
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Much like Sound Editing, 1917 captures the essence of war through its blending of gunfire and explosions, elevating the film and drawing you into the action in every moment. It’s an experience that grabs you and never let’s go, leaving your ears ringing like you’ve just navigated a battlefield in the theatre. I can also see Ad Astra having a very outside shot here, like way outside, but still possible. The recreation of sound in space is something that has been recognised in the past, so there’s your dark horse.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes
This, along with Original Screenplay, is usually one of the toughest categories to predict as it’s always stacked with five strong contenders. That’s the case this year too with potential for each of the nominees to take this home. My personal thought is that this is where The Irishman gets its recognition as I don’t see it taking home Best Picture. It’s a phenomenal story and written to perfection, with all of its moving parts, storylines and characters making an impactful mark on the film as a whole. This is also the moment where I could see Greta Gerwig’s Little Women receive some recognition for its strong, intelligent story that hooks you emotionally. It would be very well deserved as Gerwig continuously proves her immense talent wit each of her films.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Knives Out
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Parasite winning for Original Screenplay could mean one of two things… it’s being recognised here because it won’t be taking home Best Picture or it’s an early indication that it will be taking home the big one as well, similar to last year’s Green Book. I believe 1917 is the one that should take this for how it managed to tell a riveting, singular story in virtually one continuous shot taking place over the course of a couple of hours. Despite what I want to win, I’m predicting utter carnage when Parasite takes it.
Visual Effects
Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
The Lion King
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
I feel like when it comes to visual effects, nothing beats the realism of the entirely computer generated animals of The Lion King. However, I’m banking on Avengers: Endgame taking home the win, if anything as a bit of a legacy award, commending the end of an era. The Irishman’s visual effects are revolutionary, but most likely still a little far away from a film earning an Oscar for that.
Predictions in Additional Categories
Production Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Costume Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Documentary (Feature)
American Factory
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland
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
International Feature Film
Corpus Christi
Honeyland
Les Misérables
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Makeup and Hairstyling
Bombshell
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
1917
Short Film (Animated)
Dcera (Daughter)
Hair Love
Kitbull
Memorable
Sister
Short Film (Live Action)
Brotherhood
Nefta Football Club
The Neighbours’ Window
Saria
A Sister
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