So, the Oscars are on February 9th, and as a way to break in this blog, I figured I’d do a post about them! Basically, I’m going to predict who will win, then talk about who I want to win. That’s kind of confusing, but it’s fine. I’m just going to jump into it and hope for the best. You’ll see what I mean. Also, after a point, I’ve only decided to do categories where I have an opinion. Sorry, documentaries. I love you, but not right now.
Best Picture:
Who Will Win?: There’s no clear frontrunner for Best Picture this year, as at the three major film awards ceremonies that have already occurred this year, no film has won twice. Also, nothing I’ve seen has won. That’s kind of wild, and a bit of a shame for me. 1917 took the crown at the Golden Globes, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood won at the Critics’ Choice Awards, and Parasite took the “Best Cast” award at the SAG Awards--the closest thing that ceremony has to a Best Picture prize. It can be assumed that one of these three will be victorious at the Oscars, but the Academy is known for shaking things up, as seen last year when everyone expected Roma to take home the award that instead went to Green Book. Therefore, I can’t really make a prediction as to what’s going to win Best Picture at the Oscars, though I think it’s going to be Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, given how well-received it was.
My Preference: Okay, so I’ve got two for this one. I absolutely adore Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, and I think it’s one of the best movies I’ve watched in a long time, but on January 20th, I saw Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and the way she executed it was absolutely phenomenal. So, I desperately want one of those two to win. I know the odds of that happening are slim to none, given that neither of them has won at any of the other awards shows this year, but as I said, the Academy loves to surprise us. I’m looking at you, Great La La Land/Moonlight Mix-Up of 2017.
Lead Actor:
Who Will Win?: Unlike the previous category, there’s a serious frontrunner here: Joaquin Phoenix, nominated for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips’s Joker. It’s easy to see why he’s winning at every awards ceremony he attends. His portrayal of Fleck was sympathetic while not making you root for the character since he’s still a villain. And let’s face it, some of his acting choices are absolutely fantastic. So it’s not that he doesn’t deserve the award. It’s just that I have a slightly different opinion of who should win…
My Preference: Adam Driver. This is a personal preference to end all personal preferences. I’ve been a fan of his since I saw him in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Kylo Ren. I genuinely think he's a fantastic actor, and his performance in Marriage Story had me in literal tears, which is probably not something I should admit on the internet, but that's fine. The scene at the end where he sings Stephen Sondheim’s “Being Alive?” Cinematic masterpiece. I’m not going to go into a full rant here, because I plan on writing a Marriage Story review which will serve as an “Anna-Loves-Adam-Driver’s-Acting” rant since I get to talk about his acting choices. So, to keep things short--Adam Driver. Yes.
Lead Actress:
Who Will Win?: There’s a frontrunner here as well, and it’s not one I would’ve expected--Renee Zellweger for her role as Judy Garland in Judy. I haven’t seen this movie, though I’d like to in the future, so I can’t attest to her performance, but since she’s winning so many awards, I’m sure she’s doing a fantastic job.
My Preference: Saoirse Ronan for Little Women. She brought so much depth into Jo, and she captured Alcott’s vision for the character perfectly. I can’t express how much I love her work in Little Women. The monologue where she turns Laurie down brought me to tears (while simultaneously making me very happy because it’s straight out of Alcott’s original novel), and her reaction to Beth’s death was nothing short of heart-wrenching. Ugh. I’m getting emotional just thinking about it. She deserves every award in the world.
Supporting Actor:
Who Will Win?: Again, we’ve got a frontrunner. Brad Pitt is winning awards left and right for his role as Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Like I said before, I haven’t seen this movie, so I can’t really give my opinion on if he should win or not, but I have faith in him.
My Preference: Okay, confession time. I haven’t seen any of the movies with actors nominated in this category. I know, I know. I’m a bad film blogger. But to be fair...I don’t have an excuse other than The Irishman is really long and the others I just haven’t gotten around to watching. However, if I was going to pick a favorite, it would easily be Tom Hanks. I think he’s a magnificent actor, and I’m sure this role is no different. Again, I don’t think he’s going to win, but I want him to. Please. We deserve this.
Supporting Actress:
Who Will Win?: Once again, we’ve got a frontrunner. This time, it’s Laura Dern for her role as Nora in Marriage Story. Finally, a movie I’ve seen! Okay, with knowledge of her performance, I can tell you that she absolutely deserves all the recognition in the world. When she talks about the injustice in divorce between men and women, I got literal chills. Holy cow. I’ve only known who she was since 2017, when she appeared in The Last Jedi (in case you can’t tell, I watch a lot of Star Wars), but I’m fully convinced she is one of the greatest actresses of all time. Maybe I’m biased, I don’t know. What I do know is that Laura Dern deserves all the appreciation in the world, and I’m glad she’s getting it.
My Preference: For once, the Academy and I agree. May this go down in history as the first and only time I’m agreeing with what will likely be their decision. However, I’d also love to see Florence Pugh recognized for her portrayal of Amy in Little Women. She took a character who I, let’s face it, greatly disliked, and made her truly likable. That’s something that takes serious acting chops, which Pugh clearly has. Everything she did was just sheer perfection. I mean, the scene where she tries to make a mold of her foot to give to Laurie. Comedy gold. So yeah, either Laura Dern or Florence Pugh. I’m good with both of those.
Best Screenplay:
Who Will Win?: According to Entertainment Weekly (where I’m getting all my projected winners, really), it’s going to go to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which I, shocker, still have not seen. If any of y’all can tell me if it’s actually good or not, let me know. Not sure that I’ll watch it, but let me know your thoughts.
My Preference: Hate to be predictable, but Marriage Story. The writing is just that good. Literally, I was emotional in the literal opening scene. You know, where they’re describing each other? That’s good cinema. That’s real good cinema. I’d like an award handed to Noah Baumbach, please? Thank you. Except not really, because it’s going to go to Quentin Tarantino. Apparently.
Best Director:
Who Will Win?: According to the projections, it’s going to be Sam Mendes for 1917. Now, I haven’t seen that yet, though I’m going to so I can get bonus points in my history class. However, I know about some of the amazing cinematic feats going on here, so it’s safe to say that Mendes deserves to be recognized. I mean, imagine coaching your actors through a nine-minute scene, no breaks. That’s a lot.
My Preference: Okay, so I don’t have a preference here. Shocking, I know. But given that I think it should go to Greta Gerwig, who wasn’t even nominated, I can’t pick a favorite out of the actual nominees. Sorry to disappoint.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Who Will Win?: Greta Gerwig is projected to win, and may I just thank the Academy for actually acknowledging that she exists this time. She deserves this. The screenplay for Little Women captures the spirit of the original book so well, and I can’t express my adoration for it enough. Literally. There’s so much I could say here, but I’m going to keep it short so I don’t ramble forever. Just know that Greta Gerwig deserves this award and I’m going to be very upset if she doesn’t win.
My Preference: I may have lied earlier when I said that Laura Dern was the only time I was going to agree with the Academy. This is the other, in case you haven’t noticed. Thank you, Greta Gerwig.
Best Animated Feature:
Who Will Win?: So, I’m having trouble finding actual concrete predictions for this, but I think it’s going to be either Missing Link or Toy Story 4. The former is because it won at the Golden Globes, though it lost at the Critics Choice Awards, and the latter is because well, Disney. You know how it is.
My Preference: For the first time in years, I haven’t seen any of the nominees in this category. Shocking, I know, especially coming from a diehard Disney fan like myself. Here’s the thing: I was so set on Frozen II being nominated that I didn’t think to watch any of the others. I know that's a really bad excuse, but come on. I thought it would be a shoo-in. I mean, look at it. That's a beautiful movie. Maybe I’ll watch Toy Story 4 this week. Until then, I can’t safely pick any of these movies as my personal favorite and my choice to win the award. Sorry to disappoint (as if anyone is actually sad about this).
Best Cinematography:
Who Will Win?: It seems that once again, the frontrunner in this category is 1917. And I mean, if you’ve got a nine-minute long scene in your movie, that’s pretty dang impressive. Go for it. You deserve some appreciation, Roger Deakins. You’ve got my applause.
My Preference: I’ve got to go for Lawrence Sher for Joker here. Believe it or not, I genuinely enjoyed that movie. I know I’m voting against it in like, every category, but it was really good, and the way it was filmed sent shivers down my spine. I mean, the famous scene where he’s dancing alone (not the stairs one, the other one)? That’s beautifully filmed. You go, Lawrence. Get you that Academy Award.
Best Costume Design:
Who Will Win?: Probably Joker, to be honest. That movie’s got the Academy so wrapped around it that I’d be shocked if it didn’t take home a lot of the awards it’s nominated for.
My Preference: Oh, here goes me voting against Joker again, but I adore the costumes in Little Women. The sisters always just look so amazing, and the attention to detail is amazing. I mean seriously, I saw this movie almost a week ago (at the time I’m writing this), and I still can’t get over how beautiful Jo’s red dress is. And the pink dress Meg wears for the debut? Literally stunning. Ugh. This movie should win.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Who Will Win?: For once, it appears that Bombshell is the frontrunner. I mean, that’s valid. Everyone really does look amazing in that movie. The way they were transformed into the people they represented was truly an unparalleled feat of cinema.
My Preference: This, like Adam Driver, is the personal preference to end all personal preferences. I love Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and I think the makeup in it is to die for. I mean, let’s just talk about Maleficent’s horns for a minute. Those look amazing. Can we get a win for Maleficent nation? Oh, who am I kidding? I know we’re not going to get a win. But I can dream, right?
Best Original Song:
Who Will Win?: Yeah, it’s gonna be “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman. I can feel it coming. And I mean, good for it. Elton John deserves a good win. I’m not mad about it winning. I just, as a Disney stan, am obligated to root against it. And why is that, exactly?
My Preference: It’s because “Into the Unknown” is nominated. Seriously. I adore that song with my entire being. AURORA’s performance as the Siren (for lack of a better term) is literally amazing, and we all know my thoughts on Idina Menzel as Elsa (she says, knowing that this is her first post and people who don’t know her don’t actually know her thoughts on Idina Menzel as Elsa). This song deserves awards for the way Menzel delivers “I’m sorry secret siren but I’m blocking out your calls,” alone, not even because it’s a fantastic song. Which it is. I want this to win so badly. But, you win some, you lose some, and this might be a loss for Disney nation.
Best Original Score:
Who Will Win?: I’m guessing it’s going to be Hildur Guðnadóttir (I had to copy and paste that because I have trust issues when it comes to typing) for her work on Joker, but according to Indiewire, Thomas Newman and Randy Newman are both frontrunners.
My Preference: Having for once seen all these movies (except 1917, but that’s subject to change), I can safely say that I’d be okay with any of the nominees winning. Randy Newman’s work on Marriage Story has a ridiculous ability to make me cry with literally like, three chords, so that’s ridiculous and also really impressive. Seriously. I just almost spontaneously started bawling by listening to “What I Love about Charlie.” I’m a wreck. Alexandre Desplat does a phenomenal job with Little Women, especially in the dance scenes with the soaring orchestral melodies he has created. Guðnadóttir’s work in Joker is haunting and beautiful, and it kept me on edge just the way the score of a psychological thriller movie should. However, my vote’s got to go to John Williams for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The way he repurposes each character’s theme and other leitmotifs throughout the movie sends me over the edge every time. I mean, when “Rey’s Theme” comes in during “The Force is with You?” I literally cried over this earlier today. Don’t test me. So it’s got to be Williams for me, though I’d be fine with any of these wonderful composers winning.
So, those are my Oscar predictions! What do you think? Let me know your opinions beneath this post, and thank you for checking out my blog. It really means a lot to me. I hope you stick around to see what else I get up to in my film journey.
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