Here we go again folks….
With the 94th Academy Awards due tomorrow night, it’s time to unveil my predictions for a majority of this year’s film categories.
Can The Power of the Dog ride its way to Best Picture glory? Does Will Smith have an ace up his sleeve in the race for Best Actor? Or will Drive My Car steer towards victory in the Best International Feature category….
Let’s get cracking then…
BEST PICTURE
BELFAST
CODA
DON’T LOOK UP
DRIVE MY CAR
DUNE
KING RICHARD
LICORICE PIZZA
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
WEST SIDE STORY
WILL WIN? – CODA – The Power of the Dog looked well set on winning this a month ago, but CODA’s recent successes at the PGA and WGA has elevated it to frontrunner status. Additionally, it should make history in being the first deaf-based film to win the Best Picture Oscar.
SHOULD WIN? – CODA – While not the strongest of the ten nominees, it’s nice to see a little film holding its own against bigger contenders.
IGNORED? – SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME – Despite strong reviews and a huge box-office, the exhilarating superhero blockbuster was overlooked a’la The Dark Knight and the Avengers trilogy.
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, LICORICE PIZZA
Kenneth Branagh, BELFAST
Jane Campion, THE POWER OF THE DOG
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, DRIVE MY CAR
Steven Spielberg, WEST SIDE STORY
WILL WIN? – Jane Campion – While her film has lost momentum in the Best Picture race, the New Zealand filmmaker is set to become the third woman to win the Best Director Oscar.
SHOULD WIN? – Kenneth Branagh – His autobiographical ode to his childhood was a joyous experience for audiences, especially against the slow-paced The Power of the Dog.
IGNORED? – Denis Villeneuve (DUNE) – A bitter disappointment for the Canadian filmmaker, given the sci-fi blockbuster’s dominance throughout this season.
BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, BEING THE RICARDOS
Benedict Cumberbatch, THE POWER OF THE DOG
Andrew Garfield, TICK, TICK…BOOM!
Will Smith, KING RICHARD
Denzel Washington, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WILL WIN? – Will Smith – The Fresh Prince has scooped awards left-right-and-centre for his towering work as Richard Williams and is effectively a lock at this point.
SHOULD WIN?– Will Smith – The Hollywood superstar is set to become the fifth African-American actor to win this tight category.
IGNORED? – Leonardo DiCaprio (DON’T LOOK UP) – While his film landed a Best Picture mention, he couldn’t quite carry himself towards another Best Actor nod.
BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain, THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
Olivia Colman, THE LOST DAUGHTER
Penélope Cruz, PARALLEL MOTHERS
Nicole Kidman, BEING THE RICARDOS
Kristen Stewart, SPENCER
WILL WIN? – Jessica Chastain – Despite Tammy Faye’s underwhelming reviews, Jessica’s Best Actress success at SAG should edge her ahead of her rival nominees. However, an upset from Penélope Cruz could well be on the cards!
SHOULD WIN? – Jessica Chastain – Hopefully it’ll be third time lucky for the red-haired star after producing several strong performances over the past decade.
IGNORED? – Jodie Comer (THE LAST DUEL) – A tragic snub for the Liverpudlian star, with a lot of blame being aimed at the film’s disastrous performance at the box-office. Lack of support from so-called fans of the film (*cough* Oscar pundits *cough) also didn’t do her any favours!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ciarán Hinds, BELFAST
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, THE POWER OF THE DOG
J.K Simmons, BEING THE RICARDOS
Kodi Smit-McPhee, THE POWER OF THE DOG
WILL WIN? – Troy Kotsur – Recent successes at the Screen Actor’s Guild and BAFTAs have elevated him to frontrunner status. It also helps that CODA has peaked at the right time too!
SHOULD WIN? – Troy Kotsur – His sensitive turn should be enough to see him become the second deaf actor (after co-star Marlee Matlin) to win an Academy Award.
IGNORED? – Ben Affleck (THE TENDER BAR) – Couldn’t make the cut despite nabbing Golden Globe and SAG nods for his performance.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley, THE LOST DAUGHTER
Ariana DeBose, WEST SIDE STORY
Judi Dench, BELFAST
Kirsten Dunst, THE POWER OF THE DOG
Aunjanue Ellis, KING RICHARD
WILL WIN? – Ariana DeBose – The Afro-Latino actress has dominated this awards season and will surely join an illustrious group of actors that have won Oscars for playing the same character (a’la predecessor Rita Moreno).
SHOULD WIN? – Jessie Buckley – The Irish starlet captured the expressions of co-star Olivia Colman well, though the nomination is essentially her reward.
IGNORED? – Caitríona Balfe (BELFAST) – Was deservedly acknowledged by a number of key awards groups yet snubbed in favour of an inferior turn from co-star Dame Judi.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA (Siân Heder)
DRIVE MY CAR (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi & TakamasaOe)
DUNE (Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve & Eric Roth)
THE LOST DAUGHTER (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
THE POWER OF THE DOG (Jane Campion)
WILL WIN? – THE POWER OF THE DOG
SHOULD WIN? – CODA
IGNORED? – WEST SIDE STORY
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BELFAST (Kenneth Branagh)
DON’T LOOK UP (Adam McKay & David Sirota)
KING RICHARD (Zach Baylin)
LICORICE PIZZA (Paul Thomas Anderson)
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier)
WILL WIN? – BELFAST
SHOULD WIN? – BELFAST
IGNORED? – MASS
BEST EDITING
DON’T LOOK UP
DUNE
KING RICHARD
THE POWER OF THE DOG
WEST SIDE STORY
WILL WIN? – DUNE
SHOULD WIN? – KING RICHARD
IGNORED? – BELFAST
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
DUNE
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY
WILL WIN? – DUNE
SHOULD WIN? – THE POWER OF THE DOG
IGNORED? – BELFAST
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
DUNE
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY
WILL WIN? – DUNE
SHOULD WIN? – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
IGNORED? – THE FRENCH DISPATCH
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
CRUELLA
CYRANO
DUNE
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
WEST SIDE STORY
WILL WIN? – CRUELLA
SHOULD WIN? – DUNE
IGNORED? – THE LAST DUEL
BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING
COMING 2 AMERICA
CRUELLA
DUNE
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
HOUSE OF GUCCI
WILL WIN? – THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
SHOULD WIN? – THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
IGNORED? – NIGHTMARE ALLEY
BEST SOUND
BELFAST
DUNE
NO TIME TO DIE
THE POWER OF THE DOG
WEST SIDE STORY
WILL WIN? – DUNE
SHOULD WIN? – NO TIME TO DIE
IGNORED? – SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
DUNE
FREE GUY
NO TIME TO DIE
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
WILL WIN? – DUNE
SHOULD WIN? – SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
IGNORED? – THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
DON’T LOOK UP (Nicholas Britell)
DUNE (Hans Zimmer)
ENCANTO (Germaine Franco)
PARALLEL MOTHERS (Alberto Iglesias)
THE POWER OF THE DOG (Jonny Greenwood)
WILL WIN? – DUNE
SHOULD WIN? – THE POWER OF THE DOG
IGNORED? – SPENCER
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
BELFAST, “Down to Joy”
ENCANTO, “Dos Oruguitas”
FOUR GOOD DAYS, “Somehow You Do”
KING RICHARD, “Be Alive”
NO TIME TO DIE, “No Time to Die”
WILL WIN? – NO TIME TO DIE
SHOULD WIN? – ENCANTO
IGNORED? – RESPECT (“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)”)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
ENCANTO
FLEE
LUCA
MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON
WILL WIN? – ENCANTO – Though not Disney’s strongest effort, the film’s lush production and that popular “Bruno” song should guarantee it the win.
SHOULD WIN? – LUCA – The Pixar animation was vastly overlooked throughout this season, despite being slightly superior to Encanto.
IGNORED? – SING 2 – Performed better than its predecessor, only to miss the cut.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
DRIVE MY CAR (JAPAN)
FLEE (DENMARK)
THE HAND OF GOD (ITALY)
LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM (BHUTAN)
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (NORWAY)
WILL WIN? – DRIVE MY CAR
SHOULD WIN? – DRIVE MY CAR
IGNORED? – A HERO (IRAN)
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