My Oscar 2020 Predictions

With all of the craziness in the news lately, it's hard to remember that it's that time of the year again: The Oscars. The time when we reflect on the magic that movies bring; when we are transported to other worlds, other lives, and other times. To give recognition to the blood, sweat, and tears that are poured into all of the films listed below, and some not listed. So I'm here to go over my picks for the best of each category. For the first time in thirty years, there will be no host, opting instead to have stars introduce each category. 

The year 2019 was an amazing time for movies, some of them masterpieces. There are some surprising nominations and some surprising snubs as well. I will exclude categories in which I have not seen all of the films. 

🏆 = What I Think Will Win

 ❤ = My Pick

Animated Feature Film

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

I Lost My Body

Klaus ❤

Missing Link

Toy Story 4 🏆

Pixar rules this category, and when they don't win, people ask why. I think the same thing will happen this year. Don't get me wrong, Toy Story 4 was a fun film with lots to offer for children and adults. But Klaus quickly became my favorite new Christmas story in two decades. It's some of the most beautiful animation I've ever seen, and it was directed by an ex-Disney animator from my childhood. The story is great, the message is wonderful, and the characters are all well fleshed-out. It will be a new holiday tradition in our house.

Cinematography

The Irishman

Joker

The Lighthouse

        1917 🏆❤

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

All of the films listed are gorgeous to look at. Joker had a beautiful grunginess to it that perfectly captures the slum of an early 1980's city. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood had a perfectly filmed color pallet of 1960's LA. The work done to put you there was nothing short of amazing, but that category is for later. The Lighthouse should be the winner if 1917 hadn't been released in 2019. From its 4:3 aspect ratio, to the black and white colors, to the gorgeous lighting and insane camera angles. It's a perfectly shot film and it would have won, but 1917 is in a whole other league. You might know the story by now, but it's a film shot to look like one long take. From the first shot to the last, you are fooled into thinking the camera follows the characters without any cuts. Its cinematographer is the legendary Roger Deakins who won in 2018 for Blade Runner 2049. This film will be held up as a new standard for years to come in the realm of cinematography.

Costume Design

The Irishman

     Jo Jo Rabbit ❤

Joker

     Little Women 🏆

Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood

The Academy loves its period pieces, and the costume design award is usually given to them. All of the films deserve this award, and ironically they are all period pieces. While I love the costume design for Jo Jo Rabbit, Little Women's are stunning to look at and vary depending on the character. To the dresses to the tuxes, Little Women transports you to another time and place with grace and elegance.

Film Editing

     Ford v Ferrari ❤ 

The Irishman

Jojo Rabbit

Joker

    Parasite 🏆

While every film in this category was a delight to watch (except for The Irishman), the fun and quickly paced Ford v Ferrari will take home the gold. Parasite has the opportunity to take the upset with its intense editing during some jaw dropping scenes in the second half of the film.

Makeup and Hairstyling

       Bombshell 🏆❤ 

Joker

Judy

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

1917

The trans-formative makeup of Charlize into Megyn Kelly is astounding and deserves the award. While the other nominees are worthy of course, there is just nothing that can top it.

Original Score

    Joker 🏆

Little Women

Marriage Story

    1917 ❤ 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

This category was a toss up in the department of what could win. Joker has the perfect soundtrack for his character and the film. A slow and melancholy descent into madness. Sad and innocent, yet angry and brooding. It's how a score is meant to convey a film's tone. On the other hand there's 1917, a score as epic as the film itself. Slowly building, sprinkle in some heavy percussion, intoxicating strings, and reward the listener with the biggest finale to a score and film in a long time. Not to mention that the composer, Thomas Newman, has been nominated 14 times in his career just to come up empty handed. In the past, the Academy loves to reward those who wait, this just might be the year for him.

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 2 ❤ 

"Stand Up" Harriet

It's Idina Menzel returning to her iconic role and busting out those insane chops again. Of course she's gonna win. Although, Elton John will be in attendance so he might pull this one off.

Production Design

The Irishman

Jojo Rabbit

  1917 🏆

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood ❤ 

Parasite

1917's production design is incredible. I really felt I was with these characters in the trenches of the Western Front, No Man's Land, or in the ruins of a French village. Bodies of the fallen, piles of canon shells higher than a human, an underground German bunker. So much detail was put together to make this period of time come to life and it deserves the award without a doubt. Why I gave the award to Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood was the even more insane attention to detail. Every street, every store front, every home was brought back to 1969. Hundreds of man-hours of research went into recapturing this era of time and it was mind blowing.

Sound Editing

    Ford v Ferrari ❤ 

Joker

     1917 🏆

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Sound Mixing

Ad Astra

     Ford v Ferrari ❤ 

Joker

    1917 🏆

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Let's just say I can't wait to listen to the Atmos mix of both of these picks. I was lucky enough to see both of these film in IMAX, and I don't regret a second of it.

Visual Effects

       Avengers: Endgame 🏆❤ 

The Irishman

The Lion King

1917

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The fact that Avengers: Endgame managed to make that final battle make any sense with how many characters are on screen is an achievement. The all-digital characters of Hulk and Thanos look incredible.

Adapted Screenplay

The Irishman

        Jojo Rabbit 🏆❤ 

Joker

Little Women

The Two Popes

Joker was an unexpected and appropriate adaptation of an expansive history of comic book lore. To make a leap into serious territory in a genre of big muscles and explosions was a brave move. Yet, Jojo Rabbit was a beautiful film with an emotional message. It starts in one direction and takes you in another with amazing performances from everyone involved. The fact that this was adapted from a serious book about the Holocaust and the Hitler Youth and made into a lighthearted comedy and pulls it off is incredible.

Original Screenplay

Knives Out

    Marriage Story ❤ 

1917

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

    Parasite 🏆

The screenplay of Marriage Story blew me away. The way the characters were expertly written left a major impact on me. In a story with a premise like this, you would think it would be 90 minutes of constant shouting and berating between a man and a woman. Instead, we are treated to the mature look into a relationship that was never meant to be and how two good people are torn apart by outside forces. Parasite was a crazy film that took so many twists and turns that it gave me whiplash, but it never lost the message.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell

        Laura Dern, Marriage Story 🏆❤ 

Scarlett Johansson, Jo Jo Rabbit

Florence Pugh, Little Women

Margot Robbie, Bombshell

Kathy Bates is a legendary actress, and every role she plays she becomes those characters, but this time around her role as the mother just didn't wow anyone until near the end, and by then it was too late to make any significant impact for the Oscar voters to make it an easy choice. Florence Pugh was stellar in Little Women, and she quickly became my favorite character in the movie. Her performance was subtle and commanding at the right times and I'm sad we didn't spend more time with her. Scarlett Johansson again is great, and she is a standout in this film, which made the choice even harder to select Laura Dern as the one who I think will win. Laura is a great actress no doubt, but she was so well written in Marriage Story that one scene I loved her and next I hated her. She became the embodiment of the drama the main characters had to face, and I loved every second she was on screen.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ❤ 

Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes

Al Pacino, The Irishman

Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood 🏆

Tom Hanks delivered a performance that truly moved me. It was subtle, charming, emotional without being overly dramatic. While not looking or sounding like Mr. Rodgers, he perfectly captured the spirit of the man. The strength of Anthony Hopkins' acting of The Two Popes, in my opinion, stems from the cleverly written dialogue from the adapted screenplay. So I didn't feel there was enough there to warrant the academy giving it to him. Al Pacino is amazing in everything he's in, and his role as Jimmy Hoffa was well done, but it seemed like Al Pacino in every other gangster film hes been in. He was hired because of his star power and relationship with Scorsese, not because he was the absolute perfect person to play him, and I think the Academy will see that. As for Brad Pitt, what will nab him the award is that this character was made for him: a man's man of old Hollywood who has his heroic moment to shine against the forces of evil. He's also never won an Oscar for his acting, so it's time he's due a little gold man.

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 Price, The Two Popes 

For this category I think every actor did a fantastic job. But what makes this so hard to judge is that the winner is someone who blows everyone's minds, or delivers a performance that is out of their comfort zone. What made Joaquin Phoenix's Joker a standout above the rest is just how completely he enveloped himself into that role. It's the same reason Heath Ledger won for Supporting Actor in 2009 for the same character. A man who is broken, psychotic, and misunderstood is catnip for the Oscar voters.

Actress in a Leading Role

Cynthia Erivo, Harriet

Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story ❤ 

Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

Charlize Theron, Bombshell

Renée Zellweger, Judy 🏆

I think every actress here deserves the award, and this was one of the hardest ones to predict. They all fit the bill of what the Academy looks for. Cynthia Erivo did a fantastic job as Harriet Tubman, it's just a shame that the film she starred in was mediocre, and I think that will cost her the win. Scarlett is great in every film she's in. It was her year, being nominated twice, and having a major role in the most successful movie of all time. What made her role in Marriage Story so mesmorizing is how she played a loving but stressed out mother and wife. A lot of this is attributed to the writing and directing, but this was one of her best performances and she deserves it. I was completely captivated by Charlize Theron's Megyn Kelly, but a lot of that is attributed to the amazing makeup work. Going off of past years, Renée Zellweger will likely take home and gold statue. Judy was a mediocre film that dwelled too much in two eras of her life, but the Academy will take into account that this was Renée's return to the big screen after a long absence, and she will win it.

Directing

The Irishman

Joker

    1917 ❤ 

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

     Parasite 🏆

The Academy loves to bring surprises to the show. This year might not be any different, and giving the trophy to a foreign director would do it. Parasite has quickly become the favored underdog in this race, and it will almost certainty win the International Feature award. Scorsese is a legend, and nominating him for his 3.5 hour gangster epic The Irishman starring the titans of the genre was a no-brainer for the academy, even if the film was unnecessarily long. Todd Phillips is generally known for being a comedy director (The Hangover, Old School). So when he released his dark Joker comic book film, it sent eyes in his direction for being a pleasant surprise. Quentin Tarantino is an unstoppable force in directing and writing. When he made his 1960's historical fiction, the Academy lapped it up for being a love letter to Hollywood. He might win, not likely for Director, but for another category later on. Sam Mendes' 1917 is a technical masterpiece, and the groundbreaking work of  thousands of people. Being able to direct a film of this kind and make it as awesome as it did is an achievement of its own, which is why he's my pick.  

Best Picture

Ford v Ferrari

The Irishman

Jojo Rabbit

Joker

Little Women

Marriage Story

       1917 🏆❤ 

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Parasite

Here we are. The category that means the most. 1917 is just too good. It is a groundbreaking technical achievement. It's an emotional gut-wrenching tale that doesn't feel its length. And while the other films on this list are incredible on their own merit, it just doesn't have the impact that 1917 left on those who saw it.