- BEST PICTURE
The AMPAS loves war epics - 1917, CHECKED! The AMPAS loves movies about old Hollywood days - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, CHECKED! The AMPAS loves movies about WWII and the Holocaust - Jojo Rabbit, it can be too much of a comedy for such a serious subject, but CHECKED! An indie drama that feels authentic and teaches its audience a lesson about family values - The Farewell, CHECKED! A crime saga from Martin Scorsese - The Irishman, CHECKED! A testosterone fueled movie about cars, with great sound and editing work and some box-office hit potential, Ford v. Ferrari (and Telluride reviews are great), CHECKED! A commentary about politics and USA's international affairs in Middle East and so on - The Report, CHECKED! So, I feel kinda safe about these predctions so far, but I believe Oscars will end up getting 8 Best Picture nominees, so my 8th pick is Harriet. I know the trailer looks too generic and kinda cheesy à la TV movie, but it is a movie about freedmon and a black woman's actions to fight for freedom and the end of slavery (national hero, Harriet Tubman) - plus, the Academy loves a biopic. Little Women and Marriage Story sound like movies some voters might think "I've already seen something like this before" and they might not get enough #1 votes in order to manage a nomination in this category. Marriage Story, which is more likely to score acting and a screenplay nods or maybe even wins (considering the kind of rave reviews from Venice and Telluride around these elements that are impossible to ignore). without a Best Picture nomination.. Little Women is different because is based on a novel everybody love! And let's not count the Disney power out - I believe the studio will build a heavy campaign around Avengers: Endgame! And then Rocketman and The Peanut Butter Falcon might just have enough devout fans in the AMPAS since they are movies that go straight to your heart!
OTHER CONTENDERS:
11. Avengers: Endgame
12. Rocketman
13. The Peanut Butter Falcon
14. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
15. A Hidden Life
- BEST DIRECTOR
The AMPAS loves war epics and they owe Sam Mendes the recognition he deserves for having one of the best post-Oscar win careers in the Best Director history (specially, considering he was a "young" winner, back in American Beauty days) - after Beauty, he brought us Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road or Skyfall and 1917 promises to be a cinematic event! An iconic director, Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is something completely different from what he has done before! This time he goes full nostalgia and writes a love letter to old Hollywood... and Oscar voters just can't resist about movies about filmmaking! Plus, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is both a critical and a box-office success, which helps a lot. A living legend, Martin Scorsese has just finished one of his passion projects - a huge $160M budget production starring Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci - and the Academy is very found about great directors who finally got the project they pursued for so long! After crime sagas like Goodfellas, Gangs of New York or The Departed, I believe The Irishman won't be a lesser work! After some small productions and then the mad love for Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi is one of the directors of the moments and he has just finished a satyre about the Nazi regime and the Holocaust - Jojo Rabbit - and its movie trailer looks delicious. The AMPAS loves movies about WWII... but will they fall in love for a satyre of such a serious subject? Sometimes, Sundance hits find their way to Oscar recognition and Lulu Wang directed one of the most acclaimed movies of the year: The Farewell. It's a sensitive drama and she executed her narrative and directed the acting brilliantly, but the question is: will Greta Gerwig get the "woman's seat" for Little Women? They showed her some love before and she would be the first female director to be nominated twice...
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Greta Gerwig, Little Women
7. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
8. James Mangold, Ford v. Ferrari
9. James Gray, Ad Astra
10. Terrence Malick, A Hidden Life
- BEST LEADING ACTOR
Best Actor race has one interesting aspect: it has a lot of actors contending for roles related to filmmaking or artistic world! Starting with Adam Driver, who plays a man from the theatre world who goes through a divorce in Marriage Story, delivering his best performance to date, according to critics – in fact, he’s playing a version of writer/director Noah Baumbach during his divorce days and it seems the auteur was kind to him and gave Driver na extraordinary part – which might well translate into an Oscar nomination (he was nominated last year for BlacKkKlansman, so the AMPAS has already showed him some love). Banderas plays the lead in the semi-autobiographical Dolor y gloria, from Pedro Almodóvar, and his performance has already earned him the prize for best performance by an actor in Cannes Film Festival - universal critical acclaim and a prestige award, but it's a foreign language performance and the AMPAS has been kinder to foreign actresses than actors. From Telluride Film Festival come fresh Ford v. Ferrari reviews and it seems Christian Bale delivers another winning and committed performance as the timebomb Ken Miles (and a devil behind the wheel) - another physical transformation (specially considering how fat he was in last year's Vice) from one of the best actors alive who's also becoming an Oscar regular! I believe the AMPAS will bite! Taron Egerton's performance as Elton John in Rocketman is a true revelation and I was impressed by him... it's a fascinating portrayal of a complex artist and he does it effortlessly and I hope the early movie release won't hurt its awards chances (it is said it got a standing ovation during a screening for AMPAS members, so...)! Another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Netflix? Well, Eddie Murphy stars Dolemite is My Name and judging from the trailer, he seems to be great in it (a comedy genius as we know him!) and I believe he'll be a sure nominee for the Golden Globes... BUT the AMPAS is not keen about Netflix distribution method... BUT he's the strongest black contender in this year's race and his movie is about black representation in movies! I will keep an eye on Ian McKellen (The Good Liar), who's said to be great in the Bill Condon's upcoming movie (and he'll be teaming with the great Helen Mirren, so it can be some sort of acting show), Jamie Bell (Skin) who delivers an AMAZING performance in a movie that might give him indie glory and, of course, Leonardo DiCaprio for the buzzy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood! Phoenix... well, it's a great part and reviews say he's great but there were 3 different Jokers since 2008 - Joker fatigue?
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Ian McKellen, The Good Liar
7. Jamie Bell, Skin
8. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
9. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
10. Michael B. Jordan, Just Mercy
- BEST LEADING ACTRESS
It’s a strong (and diverse) year for Best Actress and it can be the first time since 1972 (Cicely Tyson v. Diana Ross) that we have 2 black actresses nominated at the same time in this category… Which I believe the AMPAS won’t pass! First, fresh from Venice Film Festival glory for her performance… we have Scarlett Johansson, who met critical acclaim for what is said to deliver her most complex and raw performance yet as a woman who decides to make her own choices and goes through a divorce in Marriage Story – and her multiple previous Oscar snubed performances (2001’s Ghost World, 2003’s Lost In Translation, 2005’s Match Point, 2013’s Her or 2014’s Under the Skin) plus box-office glory thanks to MCU won’t hurt for sure. The AMPAS likes Saoirse Ronan and it seems she has one of the best roles of the year: the independente yet hot-tempered Josephine “Jo” March in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the classic Little Women and given how talented Ronan is, I believe we’ll have Oscar material! Another great part, Cynthia Erivo (a Tony Award-winning actress who made a huge impression in last year’s Widows and Bad Times at the El Royale) is set to play the activist Harriet Tubman in the upcoming Harriet and, in spite of looking a somwhat “too generic” movie judging by the trailer, there’s no way to deny how relevant and inspiring the part can be… and Erivo has already showed she’s a capable actress. Alfre Woodard wowed every critic in this year’s edition of Sundance Film Festival with her performance in Clemency, a study not only about her character but also about the death penalty – it was considered “a performance of her career” by some critics and I believe the AMPAS might welcome her this year since she’s just a respected huge TV star. Finally, the last spot was a tricky one to pick between Helen Mirren (The Good Liar) and Renee Zellweger (Judy), but then I went for Zellweger. Judy got tepid reviews from Telluride, but Zellweger's performance got rave reviews: it seems she really channels Judy Garland and delivers what some named a "career best performance"! The AMPAS loves an actor portraying another real life actor and Judy's material is dark and juicy and Zellweger shines... she might even be in the run for an Oscar win! As for Mirren, she's a veteran actress and her last Oscar nomination was 10 years ago, but I believe she almost got her 5th nod for Hitchcock (2012) or Trumbo (2015) – this year she plays a widow who gets involved with a burglar and all his lies and early word is very strong about her performance (and McKellen’s), so it can happen for sure! Charlize Theron has one of the most interesting post-Oscar win careers and she’s a charismatic lead – in Bombshell she plays Megyn Kelly (and she disappears behind the makeup work) in a movie covering the sexual harassment scandal around Ailes from Fox… It can be a very juicy part if the movie explores the personal journey of Kelly and the social role of a beautiful woman and then Theron could get one of my top 5 spots in my predictions (easily).
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Helen Mirren, The Good Liar
7. Charlize Theron, Bombshell
8. Awkwafina, The Farewell
9. Lupita Nyong'o, Us
10. Meryl Streep, The Laundromat
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
His charisma, his comedic timing and the Oscar buzzy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Brad Pitt seems to be back to the Oscar race a big couple of years after Moneyball and things look good for him - he's the strongest element of a star studded cast and his role as a ruined stunt-double is one of those parts that really require a true movie star in order to catch the audiences eye! Good Oscar prospects for Pitt! Al Pacino's last Oscar nomination was in the 90's for Scent of a Woman (1992) (and Glengarry Glen Ross in the same year), but it seems he's back in the game as Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman - and judging by the synopsis and the movie trailer it is a supporting part with a lot of screentime and the AMPAS likes it. Can Willem Dafoe get a 3rd Oscar nomination in a row? He's stellar in Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse - and scary! - and Oscar experts say he's going supporting while Robert Pattinson goes lead for Oscar campaign effects (which means there will be an Oscar campaign!). As for Tom Hanks, he's overdue for a 6th Oscar nomination since his last Oscar nominated performance was Cast Away (2000) and since then he delivered great performances in Captain Phillips (2013), Sully (2016) or The Post (2017)... This year he stars as Fred Rogers (a real-life TV personality) in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and he looks amazing in the trailer, BUT the studio is building an Oscar campaign for Hanks as a supporting actor - category fraud alert! Will Oscar voters buy Hanks as a supporting player and Matthew Rhys as the lone leading man of the movie? The 5th spot of my Best Supporting Actor predictions is "no one's spot": Jeffrey Wright has a meaty role as a mentor in The Goldfinch and he's an actor waiting for his Oscar-breaking role after 2 Emmy wins for his TV work; Taika Waititi is the director/actor of Jojo Rabbit and he's playing a comedic (imaginary) Hitler, which might be delicious or be ignored by the most conservative members of the AMPAS; and then Zack Gottsagen, an actor with Down syndrome who delivers a sweet and moving performance in The Peanut Butter Falcon - it can be really moving and reach some hearts! Lithgow might have a chance given his talent and reputation if Bombshell manages to be serious and good enough for Oscar play, while Letts might be "lost" between the big names of Bale and Damon in Ford v. Ferrari. Jonathan Majors is simply brilliant in The Last Black Man in San Francisco and I'm praying for him to get this 5th spot at the end of the awards season!
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit
7. Zack Gottsagen, The Peanut Butter Falcon
8. John Lithgow, Bombshell
9. Tracy Letts, Ford v. Ferrari
10. Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Some say the best characters in Little Women are both Jo and Beth, but I disagree: it's Jo and Amy! Florence Pugh plays Amy March in Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women, the spoiled beautiful sister with her classy manners and an eye for drawing and painting. Early word on the movie says she's the best in show and she delivers an amazing performance as both childish Amy and the grown-up version - and since Pugh is having such a great year with Fighting With My Family and Midsommar, Oscar voters might just want to nominate her. Annette Bening is a gifted actress and she got great reviews for her performance in The Report as Dianne Feinstein. She's still an Oscarless actress in spite of her previous works and I'm still shocked by her Oscar snub for 20th Century Women (2016), so I believe the Academy won't skip her once again (and Amazon is likely to build a campaign around The Report since it seems to be its more Oscary movie this year). Not the villain, but maybe an anti-hero role, Meryl Streep plays the rich Aunt March in Little Women (who employs Jo at her home) and she seems to have a few scene-stealing moments in the movie judging by the trailer - and if there's someone who can get nominated easily is Streep! We'll have to wait for TIFF to be 100% sure Jojo Rabbit is a movie that fits the AMPAS tastes, but the role of a mother who hides a Jewish girl in her house during the Holocaust looks like an heroic and inspiring part on paper - a part for Scarlett Johansson. Right now, she's living Venice and Telluride glory thanks to her rave reviews for Marriage Story and a nomination (some even say win) in the Best Leading Actress field seems likely... so would she be able to get a second nomination in the same year? Jamie Foxx or Cate Blanchett have already gotten 2 nods in the same year... is Johansson next? Finally, The Farewell features a great performance from Shuzhen Zhou as the leading lady's dying grandma and my fingers are crossed so she can get some Oscar recognition for this particular performance! Oscar voters rarely nominate Asian actors for their work, but I remember they have already nominated an Asian actress (Rinko Kikuchi) in this category for Babel (2006), so it can happen! A note to Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman, both in the Oscar talk in this category for 2 performances each... vote spliting can be a problem for them! And Laura Dern can emerge in the race for her role as Nicole's lawyer in Marriage Story, but according to reviews, the movie belongs to Johansson and Driver, so supporting players are likely to fall into oblivion.
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood OR Bombshell
7. Nicole Kidman, The Goldfinch OR Bombshell
8. Laura Dern, Marriage Story
9. Janelle Monáe, Harriet
10. Anna Paquin, The Irishman
- BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Bombshell, Charles Randolph
7. The Peanut Butter Falcon, Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz
8. Dolor y gloria, Pedro Almodóvar
9. Blinded by the Light, Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha & Sarfraz Manzoor
10. Booksmart, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel & Katie Silberman
- BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
OTHER CONTENDERS: 6. The Good Liar, Jeffrey Hatcher
7. The Laundromat, Scott Z. Burns
8. Ford v. Ferrari, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller & James Mangold
9. Gloria Bell, Pablo Larraín
10. Just Mercy, Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham
- BEST EDITING
A category made of Best Picture nominees and, sometimes, one occasional (random) movie that truly excels in the editing department. As the Best Picture contenders that are likely to be this AMPAS favorites, I'm picking Ford v. Ferrari (a kind of movie that might actually feature a kind of Oscar winning editing work), 1917 (war movies also win Best Editing easily), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Jojo Rabbit. I would add Rocketman as the non-Best Picture nominee, since I truly believe the editing work might catch the eye of the Oscar voters - it's showy work in the same vein of last year's winner Bohemian Rhapsody, but way better! I might be overlooking Thelma Schoonmaker for her work in The Irishman (specially since she's a 3-times winner thanks to Scorsese's movies), but it's going to be such a strong year for Netflix that I fear the more conservative AMPAS member might not embrace The Irishman all over the place.
CONTENDERS:
6. The Irishman, Thelma Schoonmaker
7. Bombshell, Jon Poll
8. Ad Astra, John Axelrad & Lee Haugen
9. Us, Nicholas Monsour
10. Little Women, Nick Houy
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
It might be one of the most open categories in terms of you don't have to be a big Oscar player of the year in order to get a nomination in this field and it is common to have indie productions or foreign films appearing here! Besides the big favorites of the year so far (Robert Richardson for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Roger Deakins for 1917), there's the freshness of Hoyte van Hoytema in Ad Astra (a cinematographer that seems to me to be destined to become an Oscar favorite anytime soon) and Jarin Blaschke who seeks his first Oscar nomination with the black & white tones of The Lighthouse! And then we have Jörg Widmer, who served as camera operator in other Terrence Malick movies but assumes the cinematographer chair in A Hidden Life, for a beautiful and critically acclaimed result. Personally, I fell in love with Adam Newport-Berra cinematography work in The Last Black Man in San Francisco and I truly hope he can become one of those surprise nominees, since the movie itself is likely to have some difficulties in breaking for the indie awards circuit to big awards.
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Adam Newport-Berra
7. The Goldfinch, Roger Deakins
8. The Irishman, Rodrigo Prieto
9. Little Women, Yorick Le Saux
10. Ford v. Ferrari, Phedon Papamichael
- BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
War scenarios (1917), Los Angeles in the 60's nostalgia (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), supersized and extravagant set pieces (Cats), Germany during the Nazi regime from a child's perspective (Jojo Rabbit) or an Arabian palace, the Cave of Wonders or Agrabah (Aladdin) - it's a strong category this year and any of these contenders could ended-up winning for sure! But will the AMPAS be more into space epics like Ad Astra or Star Wars: Episode IX? Sometimes they appreciate a futuristic set!
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Ad Astra, Kevin Thompson & Karen O'Hara
7. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
8. Little Women, Jess Gonchor & Claire Kaufman
9. Dolor y gloria, Antxón Gómez
10. Ford v. Ferrari, François Audouy & Peter Lando
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN
In this category, Oscar voters fall hard for period pieces... That's why I see Little Women as a lock here, no matter how well the movie is received: plus, they love Jacqueline Durran! Channeling old Hollywood and all those nostalgia from the 60's, I believe Once Upon a Time in Hollywood not being a "corset" period piece, it will impress thanks to its recreations. I don't believe Harriet will be a critical darling, but I've a hunch that the AMPAS will like the movie and they will go for that easy nomination for Best Costume Design since they love movies set in the Civil War period. Those extravaganza and iconic costumes Elton John used in his concerts are a showcase for Julian Day who recreates not only the showman, but also the regular man or woman appearing on his side in Rocketman. The fifth spot is a tricky one, but I believe they will want to honour those gorgeous Arabian costumes in Aladdin - and Naomi Scott is such a beautiful "model" to wear Princess Jasmine's clothes. But the same can be said about the contemporany wearings of Theron, Kidman and Robbie in Bombshell from a designer they love (madly): Colleen Atwood!
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Bombshell, Colleen Atwood
7. 1917, Jacqueline Durran
8. Downtown Abbey, Anna Robbins
9. Dolemite is My Name, Ruth E. Carter
10. Jojo Rabbit, Mayes C. Rubo
- BEST MAKEUP & HAIR
Thank God they expanded this category to 5 nominees like all the others! Avengers: Endgame might appear here since it combines the stellar makeup work seen (and Oscar nominated) in The Guardians of the Galaxy, plus ageing Captain America or turning Chris Hemsworth into a fat man - a nom seems likely to happen. We got a Bombshell teaser trailer and it was what it took to consider the movie as a contender for Best Makeup & Hair: the team was able to turn Charlize Theron into a character that really draws a strong ressemblance to Megyn Kelly. Rocketman does a fine working turning Taron Egerton into the pop icon... in spite of having a similar jaw line, Egerton is a lot younger and better looking than Elton, but the makeup & hair time was able to make Egerton look older, wasted and with less hair at some point of the movie. Sharon Tate, old Hollywood glamour, Charles Manson and others - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood turn nowadays' actors into real-life people of the late 60's! And then we have the March sisters & company in the late XIX century period drama Little Women. Or will Jordan Peele's Us pop-up thanks to that burned face makeup work?
OTHER CONTENDERS: 6. Us
7. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
8. Aladdin
9. Ford v. Ferrari
10. Captain Marvel
- BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Another category that might belong to Disney empire! We've already seen Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King and there's no way to deny they are visual spectacles thanks to their visual effects works. Star Wars: Episode IX (also from Disney) has yet to be seen, but the last installements of the franchise also fit the "visual spectacles" profile and I count The Rise of Skywalker to be no different - plus, none of the Star Wars saga (including the anthologies) missed an Oscar nomination in this category! None! Judging from Ad Astra's trailer, there will be plenty of scenes to showcase the visual effects team's work and it looks good, very good! Well, if First Man managed to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects last year and Dunkirk also got nominated a couple of years ago, I believe the AMPAS also appreciates some practical effects in the CGI era, so I believe Ford v. Ferrari or maybe 1917 might enter the nominees shortlist! in the end, I'm predicting a Disney V. FOX battle for Best Visual Effects.
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. 1917
7. Aladdin
8. Rocketman
9. Alita: Battle Angel
10. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
- BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
We haven't heard all the scores yet, but there are names the AMPAS simply can't resist. Starting with Thomas Newman, who composes the score for Sam Mendes' war epic 1917 and might have a chance of finally winning an Oscar after 14 nominations without a win! John Williams is a legendary composer and it seems he only leaves retirement to compose for Spielberg or the Star Wars saga's movies... and The Rise of Skywalker will be no exception, so I'm expecting the master to add one more Oscar nomination to his 51 nominations score. Michael Giacchino was recognize by the AMPAS before for his scores for Ratatouille (2007) and Up (2009) - will he get the third one 10 years later for scoring Jojo Rabbit? With 8 nominations and no win, James Newton Howard composed a score for A Hidden Life and it has been regarded as one of the strongest elements of the movie - the movie itself got a good reception and Oscar voters always respect a Terrence Malick work. As for Marco Beltrami and his work in Ford v. Ferrari, the movie is yet to be released, but considering his talented, the Oscar buzz around the movie and the fact Beltrami must have been *this close* of a nom last year for A Quiet Place, I confident about his chances of getting some Oscar love this year. A note about Avengers: Endgame, since Avengers: Infinity War made last year finalists almost out of nowhere, so the AMPAS might be thinking about recognizing Alan Silvestri's work in the franchise - and Endgame features a superior score than all the previous Avengers movies!
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Avengers: Endgame, Alan Silvestri
7. Ad Astra, Max Richter
8. Little Women, Alexander Desplat
9. The Good Liar, Carter Burwell
10. Dolor y gloria, Alberto Iglesias
- BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Besides Rocketman's "I'm Gonna Love Me Again" song about personal redemption and self-love, I'm not sure about none of my other predictions in this category. This is a song Disney often dominates with its family-friendly songs, but it is such a prolific year for Disney movies I could see her easily "Speechless" from Aladdin or "Spirit" from The Lion King - two of the highest grossing movies of the year for the studio. But the AMPAS also loves a freedom inspired song and Harriet might just feature the right tune about it somewhere (I would say the trailer song is a movie's original since I didn't find it anywherelse). The last spot would go for Cats or Frozen II - both haven't featured their original songs yet, but both have potential to generate an Oscar nominated song... Remember the colossal success of "Let It Go" from 2013's Frozen? But then I remember Cats might also impress in the songwriting department! Any of the Disney songs can be left out depending on the studio's campaigns for each movie (because they have so many this year).
OTHER CONTENDER:
6. "NEW ORIGINAL", Frozen II
- BEST SOUND EDITING
Blockbusters, war movies and action flicks with explosions, guns and races...! Space epics Ad Astra and Star Wars: Episode IX sure will provide enough thrills and action sequences to show great sound works in editing. 1917 just like most of the high-profile war dramas from a good director will also make an impression. As for Ford v. Ferrari, I believe all those racing scenes and car crashes will also be a blast of a sound work! Avengers: Endgame does have a lot of action and the sound work is great, but I believe the AMPAS might be tempted to not recognize the movie in both sound categories since it might get "enough" Oscar noms and Oscar voters might want to recognize another kind of movie here since they have never showed crazy love for the Avengers franchise (something smaller, yet acclaimed or extremely entertaining like Triple Frontier or Rocketman if they really embrace Elton John biopic).
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Triple Frontier
7. Rocketman
8. Harriet
9. Cats
10. The Lion King
- BEST SOUND MIXING
A category for blockbusters AKA extravaganza productions with a lot of high tech sounds OR a category for musicals or music themed dramas! This way, I'm expecting Avenggers: Endgame, Star Wars: Episode IX and Ad Astra to fill the blockbuster seats and Rocketman to enter the race since it has exquisite sound work in the music scenes! Cats... well, I don't have a nice feeling about the movie, but this category tends to recognize musicals no matter what... personally I would bet Ford v. Ferrari, but my brain keeps screaming "Cats"!
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Ford v. Ferrari
7. The Irishman
8. Us
9. 1917
10. Captain Marvel
- BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
No Toy Story film was passed by the Academy before and I'm not counting Toy Story 4 to be the first: it has already grossed over $1B worldwide, it got rave reviews and the fact is Disney reigns supreme in Best Animated Feature category! Another Disney sequel is Frozen II: after the colossal critical and box-office success of Frozen back in 2013 (and the tune "Let It Go"), I'm expecting the sequel to be well-received as well and considering it took 6 years to release this one, I believe it must be something good. ANOTHER sequel I'm expecting to storm the awards season in Best Animated Feature category is How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, one of the best movies of the year so far and it is likely to follow its previous installements steps and get an Oscar nomination in this category. The AMPAS sometimes goes for foreign and more serious pieces of animated filmmaking and I've a hunch Oscar voters might go for Funan, the tale of a young woman who seeks for her son torn from her during the Khmer Rouge revolution! Finally, some original mainstream animation with Spies in Disguise, a 20th Century Fox + Blue Sky production about a spy turned into a pigeon that has to rely on his tech officer for a mission - can be funny and the voices of Will Smith and Tom Holland rise the productions profile - not the most secure bet, but I can see it happening.
OTHER CONTENDERS:
6. Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles
7. Wish Dragon
8. Klaus
9. Okko's Inn
10. Missing Link
- BEST FOREIGN PICTURE
It stills early to predict this specific category, because it all depends on each country's submission for the competition. Considering the last international film festival hits, I've some clues about which movies might be submitted. Pedro Almodóvar's Dolor y gloria was also a hit in Cannes and it received some of the best reviews Almodóvar's work has received in years - it has an autobiographical vibe and it is a movie about a moviemaker coming from one of the most prestigious international auteurs working these days... Hope Spain submits this one, the AMPAS would bite. The Palme d'Or winner, Gisaengchung (AKA Parasite) is also gaining widespread buzz in Best Picture, Director or Screenplay categories, so it is impossible to ignore it's Best Foreign Picture potential if South Korea decides to submit Joon Ho Bong's latest. It was a critical darling during 2018's film festival circuit, but Diamantino was only released in Portugal this April - a beloved satyre about a football soccer star, it took home 2018's Critics Week Grand Prize of Cannes Film Festival and it had a fine run in USA, with critics calling it "surreal" and "unforgetable" (plus, Portugal holds the record of country with most submissions and no nominations in this category). Ut og stjæle hester or Out Stealing Horses, not only stars a big bunch of Scandinavian stars but it is also set in WWII... and it got lots of love in this year's Berlinale - the AMPAS loves Scandinavian cinema and this one comes from Norway. And I found a very feministic movie named Papicha, about a young student passionate about making a fashion show during the terrorist invasion of her country, opressing women - I see the AMPAS going for this one! Plus, it is Algeria's official submission and it was selected the Un Certain Regard Award competition at Cannes!
OTHER CONTENDERS:
7. Ema, CHILE
8. A Vida Invisível, BRAZIL
9. Atlantique, SENEGAL
10. Love Trilogy Unchained, ISRAEL
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