My Thoughts on the 2021 Oscar Nominations

This morning, the 93rd annual Oscar Nominations were announced, and I've listed them all below for your convenience. Like always, there were plenty of snubs and surprises. But overall, it's a fantastic selection of nominees. Yesterday, I published My 2021 Oscar Nominee Picks and Predictions, where I put forth my hypothetical ballots and predictions for what would be announced this morning. I've put the nominees I correctly predicted in bold, gold text, and the ones I picked on my ballot that were actually nominated in red text. I predicted 3 categories accurately, and all but one or two of the nominees in 15 different categories. For most of the categories I missed, a nominee I would have chosen got in instead, so I'm glad to have been wrong after all! A win-win in my book. 

My Thoughts

While there are some snubs and surprises I'll get to momentarily, I'm delighted with these nominees for the most part. I didn't consider the possibility of Thomas Vinterberg swooping into Best Director and taking Aaron Sorkin's supposed slot. Still, I'm thrilled it happened because Another Round was one of my favorite films of last year. Another thing that's drawn a lot of attention is that Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya were nominated for Supporting Actor from Judas and the Black Messiah, which feels like major category fraud since both are leads and Stanfield campaigned as the lead. Nevertheless, they are two great performances, so I'm glad to see them recognized at least. Plenty of groundbreaking nominations happened in the acting categories, and it's the first time two women have been nominated for Best Director in the same year. This year, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing combined into one Best Sound category, so that's a bit disappointing because the two are very different. I'm thrilled to see a swell of support for The Father, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Sound of Metal among my other favorites.

Surprises: LaKeith Stanfield and Paul Raci for Best Supporting Actor (yay!), Thomas Vinterberg for Best Director, Sound of Metal for Best Picture, Da 5 Bloods for Best Original Score, and Eurovision for Best Original Song.

Snubs: Tenet for Best Film Editing and Best Original Score, Delroy Lindo, Ben Affleck, and Mads Mikkelsen for Best Actor, Han Ye-ri and Rosamund Pike for Best Actress, Alan Kim and Chadwick Boseman for Best Supporting Actor, Helena Zengel for Best Supporting Actress, Spike Lee, Regina King, Christopher Nolan, and Florian Zeller for Best Director, and lastly Da 5 Bloods, Palm Springs, The Invisible Man, I Care A Lot, Never Rarely Sometimes Always across the board for netting 0 nominations (with Da 5 Bloods only nominated for Original Score).

Nominations

Best Picture

"The Father"

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Mank"

"Minari"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Director

Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"

David Fincher, "Mank"

Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari"

Thomas Vinterberg, "Another Round"

Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"

*Best Actor*

Riz Ahmed, "Sound of Metal"

Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"

Gary Oldman, "Mank"

Steven Yeun, "Minari"

*Best Actress*

Viola Davis, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Andra Day, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"

Vanessa Kirby, "Pieces of a Woman"

Frances McDormand, "Nomadland"

Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"

*Best Supporting Actor*

Sacha Baron Cohen, "The Trial of the Chicago 7"
Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Leslie Odom Jr., "One Night in Miami"

Paul Raci, "Sound of Metal"

LaKeith Stanfield, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova, "Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

Glenn Close, "Hillbilly Elegy"

Olivia Colman, "The Father"

Amanda Seyfried, "Mank"

Youn Yuh-Jung, "Minari"

Best Original Screenplay

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Minari"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Adapted Screenplay

"Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

"The Father"

"Nomadland"

"One Night in Miami"

"The White Tiger"

Best Film Editing

"The Father"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Cinematography

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Mank"

"News of the World"

"Nomadland"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Costume Design

"Emma"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Mulan"

"Pinocchio"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Emma"

"Hillbilly Elegy"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Pinocchio"

Best Production Design

"The Father"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"News of the World"

"Tenet"

Best Visual Effects

"Love and Monsters"

"The Midnight Sky"

"Mulan"

"The One and Only Ivan"

"Tenet"

Best Sound

"Greyhound"

"Mank"

"News of the World"

"Soul"

"Sound of Metal"

Best Original Song

"Fight For You" from "Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Hear My Voice" from "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

"Húsavík" from "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"

"Io Si (Seen)" from "The Life Ahead"

"Speak Now" from "One Night in Miami"

Best Original Score

"Da 5 Bloods"

"Mank"

"Minari"

"News of the World"

"Soul"

Best Animated Feature

"Onward"

"Over The Moon"

"A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon" 

"Soul"

"Wolfwalkers"

Best Short Film, Live Action 

"Feeling Through"

"The Letter Room"

"The Present"

"Two Distant Strangers"

"White Eye"

Best Short Film, Animated

"Burrow"

"Genius Loci"

"If Anything Happens I Love You"

"Opera"

"Yes People"

Best Documentary Feature

"Collective"

"Crip Camp"

"The Mole Agent"

"My Octopus Teacher"

"Time"

Best Documentary, Short Subject

"Collette"
"A Concerto is a Conversation"
"Do Not Split"
"Hunger Ward"
"A Love Song for Latasha"

Best International Feature

"Another Round"

"Better Days"

"Collective"

"The Man Who Sold His Skin"

"Quo Vadis, Aida?"

My 2021 Oscar Nominee Picks and Predictions

Every year, I share a series of posts revolving around the Oscars. While it may seem like there weren't many films released in 2020, 366 total feature films were eligible for this 93rd Academy Awards. That's the most that have been in contention for the Oscars since 1970, where 374 were eligible. This is largely due to flexibility in eligibility requirements seeing as theaters were closed for a majority of the year. Therefore, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video will have a huge presence among the nominees. While streamers have steadily become more prominent in the awards race for film and television, this could potentially signal the start of a major paradigm shift towards streaming. 

This post will detail the films I'd personally nominate for each category and what I suspect will be nominated. While I definitely didn't see as many films as I usually would due to the pandemic, I think I've seen enough of the contenders and films I was personally interested in to carry forward with this tradition. Many of the films I mention throughout this list will be films I've yet to review since I'm behind on reviews. Those reviews will come in time, and one of my main priorities will be to get those all out in addition to my Top 10 Films of 2020 before this Oscars air on April 25th.

As always, my picks consist of long shots and likely nominees. If something's not listed, it probably barely missed the cut and there were many categories that were especially difficult to whittle down. As for my predictions, I looked to the precursor award show nominees, shortlists, and patterns I've noticed in recent years. It's very unlikely all of these predictions will pan out since there are always surprises and snubs. Nevertheless, I'm going to give it my best shot and see how close I am tomorrow. You'll also probably notice that a few of the more obscure categories are missing and that's because I haven't seen enough documentaries, shorts, or foreign films this year. 

My 2021 Oscar Nominee Picks and Predictions

Best Picture

My Personal Picks:

"Another Round"

"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

"Da 5 Bloods"

"The Father"

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Minari"

"Palm Springs"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"Soul"

**The Academy has a sliding scale of Best Picture nominees every year, so I'm listing nine in my predictions**

My Predictions:

"The Father"

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Minari"

"Nomadland"

"One Night in Miami"

"Promising Young Woman"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Director

My Personal Picks: (I'm selecting six nominees here because I couldn't decide on five)

Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"

Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari"

Spike Lee, "Da 5 Bloods"

Christopher Nolan, "Tenet"

Florian Zeller, "The Father"

Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"

My Predictions:

Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"

David Fincher, "Mank"

Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari"

Aaron Sorkin, "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"

Best Actor

My Personal Picks: (I'm selecting six nominees here because I couldn't decide on five)

Riz Ahmed, "Sound of Metal"

Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"

Delroy Lindo, "Da 5 Bloods"

Mads Mikkelsen, "Another Round"

Steven Yeun, "Minari"

My Predictions:

Riz Ahmed, "Sound of Metal"

Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"

Gary Oldman, "Mank"

Steven Yeun, "Minari"

Best Actress

My Personal Picks:

Andra Day, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"

Vanessa Kirby, "Pieces of a Woman"

Cristin Milioti, "Palm Springs"

Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"

Han Ye-ri, "Minari"

My Predictions:

Viola Davis, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Andra Day, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"

Vanessa Kirby, "Pieces of a Woman"

Frances McDormand, "Nomadland"

Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"

Best Supporting Actor

My Personal Picks:

Chadwick Boseman, "Da 5 Bloods"

Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Alan Kim, "Minari"

Bill Murray, "On The Rocks"

Paul Raci, "Sound of Metal"

My Predictions:

Sacha Baron Cohen, "The Trial of the Chicago 7"
Chadwick Boseman, "Da 5 Bloods"

Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Jared Leto, "The Little Things"

Leslie Odom Jr., "One Night in Miami"

Best Supporting Actress

My Personal Picks:

Maria Bakalova, "Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

Olivia Colman, "The Father"

Amanda Seyfried, "Mank"

Youn Yuh-Jung, "Minari"

Helena Zengel, "News of the World"

My Predictions:

Maria Bakalova, "Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

Olivia Colman, "The Father"

Jodie Foster, "The Mauritanian"

Amanda Seyfried, "Mank"

Youn Yuh-Jung, "Minari"

Best Original Screenplay

My Personal Picks: (I'm selecting six nominees here because I couldn't decide on five)

"Another Round"

"Da 5 Bloods"

"Minari"

"Palm Springs"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Soul"

My Predictions:

"Mank"

"Minari"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Adapted Screenplay

My Personal Picks:

"Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

"The Father"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Nomadland"

"One Night in Miami"

My Predictions:

"Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

"The Father"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Nomadland"

"One Night in Miami"

Best Film Editing

My Personal Picks:
"The Father"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"Tenet"

My Predictions:

"Mank"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Cinematography

My Personal Picks:
"Another Round"

"Da 5 Bloods"

"Mank"

"Minari"

"Nomadland"

My Predictions:

"Mank"

"Minari"

"News of the World"

"Nomadland"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Costume Design

My Personal Picks:
"Emma"

"Mank"

"Mulan"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Wonder Woman 1984"

My Predictions:

"Emma"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Mulan"

"Promising Young Woman"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

My Personal Picks:

"Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)"

"Emma"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Pinocchio"

My Predictions:

"Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)"

"Hillbilly Elegy"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Pinocchio"

Best Production Design

My Personal Picks:

"The Father"

"Mank"

"Mulan"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Tenet"

My Predictions:

"Mank"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"The Midnight Sky"

"News of the World"

"Tenet"

Best Visual Effects

My Personal Picks:
"Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)"

"The Invisible Man"

"Mank"

"Soul"

"Tenet"

My Predictions:

"Mank"

"The Midnight Sky"

"Soul"

"Tenet"

"Welcome to Chechnya"

Best Sound

My Personal Picks:
"Da 5 Bloods"

"The Invisible Man"

"Mank"

"Sound of Metal"

"Tenet"

My Predictions:

"Greyhound"

"Mank"

"News of the World"

"Nomadland"

"Sound of Metal"

Best Original Song

My Personal Picks:

"Húsavík" from "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"

"Io Si (Seen)" from "The Life Ahead"

"The Plan" from "Tenet"

"Rain Song" from "Minari"

"Speak Now" from "One Night in Miami"

My Predictions:
"Fight For You" from "Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Hear My Voice" from "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

"Turntables" from "All In: The Fight For Democracy" 

"Io Si (Seen)" from "The Life Ahead"

"Speak Now" from "One Night in Miami"

Best Original Score

My Personal Picks:
"Mank"

"Minari"

"Soul"

"Tenet"

"Wolfwalkers"

My Predictions:

"Mank"

"The Midnight Sky"

"Minari"

"Soul"

"Tenet"

Best Animated Feature

My Personal Picks: (I only saw four animated films last year as of writing this)
"The Croods: A New Age"

"Onward"

"Soul"

"Wolfwalkers"

My Predictions:

"The Croods: A New Age"

"Onward"

"Over The Moon"

"Soul"

"Wolfwalkers"

My Thoughts on the 2020 Oscar Nominations

This morning, the 92nd annual Oscar Nominations were announced, and I've listed them all below for your convenience. Like always, there were plenty of snubs and odd surprises. But there were also plenty of nominations that I'm delighted to see. Yesterday, I published My 2020 Oscar Nominee Picks & Predictions, where I put forth my hypothetical ballots and predictions for what would be announced this morning. I've put the nominees I correctly predicted in bold, gold text, and the ones I picked in my ballot that were actually nominated in red text. For those curious, I predicted 7 categories accurately, and all but one or two of the nominees in 12 different categories.

My Thoughts

I'll begin by saying this year's nominees are a substantial improvement over last year. I don't agree with everything, of course, but that rarely happens anyway. There were plenty of films I was unsure would land a nomination in specific categories that did. So I'm pleased by those inclusions. Were there some snubs I was disappointed by? Absolutely. But again, there were pleasant surprises for every misstep. Namely, Rian Johnson scoring an Original Screenplay nod for Knives Out and Parasite landing a Production Design mention. This year, I'm going to make an effort to watch everything I haven't seen already before the ceremony. Thankfully, I've seen a vast majority of the nominees, so I'll mostly be focusing on the shorts, documentaries, and international films. All in all, I'm pleased with the nominations.

Surprises: Joker leading the nominations with 11 total mentions, Scarlett Johansson landing double acting nominations, The Lighthouse for Cinematography, Frozen II missing Animated Feature in favor of animated films I preferred, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil for Makeup and Hairstyling, and Ad Astra for Sound Mixing.

Snubs: Marriage Story for Best Film Editing, Adam Sandler, Taron Egerton, and Robert DeNiro for Best Actor, Awkwafina and Lupita Nyong'o for Best Actress, Jennifer Lopez and Zhao Shuzen for Best Supporting Actress, the Parasite cast for any of the acting categories, Apollo 11 for Best Documentary Feature, Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig, Marielle Heller, Lulu Wang, and Céline Sciamma for Best Director, and lastly A Hidden Life, Booksmart, The Farewell, Honey Boy, Hustlers, Luce, Portrait of A Lady On Fire, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Uncut Gems, Us, and Waves across the board for netting 0 nominations (There are probably others I forgot).

Nominations

*Best Picture*

"1917"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

Best Director

Bong Joon-Ho, "Parasite"
Martin Scorsese, "The Irishman"
Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Sam Mendes, "1917"

Todd Phillips, "Joker"

Best Actor

Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"
Antonio Banderas, "Pain and Glory"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Jonathan Pryce, "The Two Popes"

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo, "Harriet"
Charlize Theron, "Bombshell"

Renée Zellweger, "Judy"
Saoirse Ronan, "Little Women"

Scarlett Johansson, "Marriage Story"

*Best Supporting Actor*

Al Pacino, "The Irishman"
Anthony Hopkins, "The Two Popes"
Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"
Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood"

Best Supporting Actress

Florence Pugh, "Little Women"
Kathy Bates, "Richard Jewell"
Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"
Margot Robbie, "Bombshell"
Scarlett Johansson, "Jojo Rabbit"

*Best Original Screenplay*

"1917"
"Knives Out"
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

*Best Adapted Screenplay*

"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"The Two Popes" 

Best Film Editing

"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"
"Parasite"

Best Cinematography

"1917"
"The Irishman"
"Joker"
"The Lighthouse"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

Best Costume Design

"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"1917"
"Bombshell"
"Joker"
"Judy"

"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil"

*Best Production Design*

"1917"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

*Best Visual Effects*

"1917"
"Avengers: Endgame"
"The Irishman"
"The Lion King"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Best Sound Editing

"1917"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Joker"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Best Sound Mixing

"1917"
"Ad Astra"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Joker"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

Best Original Song

"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from "Toy Story 4"
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from "Rocketman"
"I'm Standing With You" from "Breakthrough"
"Into The Unknown" from "Frozen II"
"Stand Up" from "Harriet"

*Best Original Score*

"1917"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"Marriage Story"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Best Animated Feature

"How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"
"I Lost My Body"
"Klaus"
"Missing Link"
"Toy Story 4"

Best Short Film, Live Action 

"Brotherhood"
"Nefta Football Club"
"The Neighbors' Window"
"Saria"
"A Sister"

Best Short Film, Animated

"Dcera (Daughter)"
"Hair Love"
"Kitbull"
"Memorable"
"Sister"

Best Documentary Feature

"American Factory"
"The Cave"
"The Edge of Democracy"
"For Sama"
"Honeyland"

Best 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"

Best International Feature Film

"Corpus Christi"
"Honeyland"
"Les Misérables"
"Pain and Glory"
"Parasite"

My 2020 Oscar Nominee Picks & Predictions

Annually, I share a series of posts revolving around the Oscars. These include my predictions for the nominees, a post about the nominations, final predictions, and the results with commentary. Typically, my picks consist of long shots and likely nominees. If something's not listed, it probably barely missed the cut and there were many categories that were especially difficult to whittle down such as Director, Cinematography, Film Editing, Original Score, and the four acting categories. As for my predictions, I looked to the precursor award show nominees, shortlists, and patterns I've noticed in recent years. It's very unlikely all of these predictions will pan out since there are always surprises and snubs. Nevertheless, I'm going to give it my best shot and see how close I am tomorrow. You'll also probably notice that a few of the more obscure categories are missing and that's because I haven't seen enough documentaries, shorts, or foreign films this year. However, I did watch more foreign films than I did last season, so I'm making progress!

My 2020 Oscar Nominee Picks and Predictions

Best Picture

My Personal Picks:

"1917"
"Ad Astra"
"The Farewell"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Knives Out"
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

**The Academy has a sliding scale of Best Picture nominees every year, so I'm listing nine in my predictions**

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

Best Director

My Personal Picks:

Bong Joon-Ho, "Parasite"
Céline Sciamma, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"
Martin Scorsese, "The Irishman"
Noah Baumbauch, "Marriage Story"
Sam Mendes, "1917"

My Predictions:

Bong Joon-Ho, "Parasite"
Greta Gerwig, "Little Women"
Martin Scorsese, "The Irishman"
Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Sam Mendes, "1917"

Best Actor

My Personal Picks:

Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"
Brad Pitt, "Ad Astra"
George MacKay, "1917"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker"
Robert DeNiro, "The Irishman"

My Predictions:

Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"
Christian Bale, "Ford v Ferrari"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Taron Egerton, "Rocketman"

Best Actress

My Personal Picks:

Ana De Armas, "Knives Out"
Awkwafina, "The Farewell"
Lupita Nyong'o, "Us"
Scarlett Johansson, "Marriage Story"
Noémie Merlant, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

My Predictions:

Awkwafina, "The Farewell"
Charlize Theron, "Bombshell"
Lupita Nyong'o, "Us"

Renée Zellweger, "Judy"

Scarlett Johansson, "Marriage Story"

Best Supporting Actor

My Personal Picks:

Al Pacino, "The Irishman"
Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"
Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood"
Song Kang-Ho, "Parasite"

My Predictions:

Al Pacino, "The Irishman"
Anthony Hopkins, "The Two Popes"
Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"
Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood"

Best Supporting Actress

My Personal Picks:

Jennifer Lopez, "Hustlers"
Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"
Margot Robbie, "Bombshell/Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" (can't choose)
Park So Dam, "Parasite"
Zhao Shuzen, "The Farewell"

My Predictions:

Florence Pugh, "Little Women"
Jennifer Lopez, "Hustlers"
Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"
Margot Robbie, "Bombshell"
Zhao Shuzen, "The Farewell"

Best Original Screenplay

My Personal Picks:
"The Farewell"
"Knives Out"
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Knives Out"
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

Best Adapted Screenplay

My Personal Picks:
"A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood"
"Dark Waters"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Little Women"

My Predictions:

"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"The Two Popes" 

Best Film Editing

My Personal Picks:
"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Marriage Story"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"The Irishman"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

Best Cinematography

My Personal Picks:
"1917"
"Joker"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"The Irishman"
"Joker"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

Best Costume Design

My Personal Picks:
"Dolemite Is My Name"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Rocketman"

My Predictions:

"Dolemite Is My Name"
"The Irishman"
"Little Women"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Rocketman"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

My Personal Picks:
"1917"
"Bombshell"
"Joker"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Rocketman"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Bombshell"
"Joker"
"Judy"

"Rocketman"

Best Production Design

My Personal Picks:
"1917"
"The Irishman"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"The Irishman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Parasite"

Best Visual Effects

My Personal Picks:
"1917"
"Ad Astra"
"Avengers: Endgame"
"The Irishman"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Avengers: Endgame"
"The Irishman"
"The Lion King"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Best Sound Editing

My Personal Picks:
"1917"
"Ad Astra"
"Avengers: Endgame"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Avengers: Endgame"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Best Sound Mixing

My Personal Picks:

"1917"
"Ad Astra"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Rocketman"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Ford v Ferrari"
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
"Rocketman"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Best Original Song

My Personal Picks:

"Daily Battles" from "Motherless Brooklyn"
"Glasgow (No Place Like Home)" from "Wild Rose"
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from "Rocketman"
"Into The Unknown" from "Frozen II"
"Show Yourself" from "Frozen II"

My Predictions:
"Glasgow (No Place Like Home)" from "Wild Rose"
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from "Rocketman"
"Into The Unknown" from "Frozen II"
"Spirit" from "The Lion King"
"Stand Up" from "Harriet"

Best Original Score

My Personal Picks: (The one category where I couldn't possibly narrow down to five nominees)
"1917"
"Avengers: Endgame"
"How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"
"Joker"
"Marriage Story"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

My Predictions:

"1917"
"Joker"
"Little Women"
"Marriage Story"
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Best Animated Feature

My Personal Picks:
"How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"
"Klaus"
"The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part"
"Missing Link"

"Toy Story 4"

My Predictions:

"Frozen II"
"How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"
"I Lost My Body"
"Missing Link"
"Toy Story 4"

My Thoughts on the 2019 Oscar Nominations

In case you weren't aware, the 91st annual Oscar Nominations were announced this morning and I've listed them all below for your convenience. Last night I published My 2019 Oscar Nominee Picks & Predictions where I put forth my hypothetical ballots and predictions for what would be announced this morning. I've put the nominees I correctly predicted in bold, gold text and the ones I picked in my ballot that were actually nominated in red text. For those curious, I predicted 3 categories exactly, and all but one of the nominees in 12 different categories.

My Thoughts

Whew... That was a peculiar bunch of nominees. For every frustrating inclusion of Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book, there was a pleasant mention of something unexpected. A very welcome surprise was seeing Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira recognized for their outstanding work in Roma. Well deserved nominations I wasn't necessarily expecting, but am overjoyed to see. I'll detail what I believe to be the major snubs and surprises in a moment, but the glaring omission of First Man's score from Justin Hurwitz is a travesty... Not to mention First Man or If Beale Street Could Talk missing Best Picture in favor of Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book... On a positive note, I'm honestly happy to see Black Panther secure a Best Picture nomination. I know that seems to be an unpopular opinion, but it's had a substantial impact on pop-culture and will pave the way for more blockbuster recognition. All in all, I've had a lukewarm reaction to the nominations, but still hope my favorites emerge triumphant.

Surprises: Love for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in Roma, Willem Dafoe for Best Actor in At Eternity's Gate, Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor in Vice, Never Look Away for Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film, and Green Book for Editing?

Snubs: First Man in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score, If Beale Street Could Talk in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography, Won't You Be My Neighbor? for Best Documentary Feature, Suspiria (2018) for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Original Song, and lastly Annihilation, Eighth Grade, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Paddington 2, and Widows across the board for netting 0 nominations.

Nominations

*Best Picture*

"Black Panther"
"BlackKklansman"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"The Favourite"
"Green Book"
"Roma"
"A Star Is Born"
"Vice"

Best Director

Adam McKay, "Vice"
Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma"
Pawel Pawlikowski, "Cold War"
Spike Lee, "BlackKklansman"
Yorgos Lanthimos, "The Favourite"

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born"
Christian Bale, "Vice"
Willem Dafoe, "At Eternity's Gate"
Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book"

Best Actress

Glenn Close, "The Wife"
Lady Gaga, "A Star Is Born"
Melissa McCarthy, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Olivia Colman, "The Favourite"
Yalitza Aparicio, "Roma"

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali, "Green Book"
Adam Driver, BlackKklansman"
Sam Elliott, "A Star Is Born"
Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"

Sam Rockwell, "Vice"

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, "Vice"
Emma Stone, "The Favourite"
Marina de Tavira, "Roma"
Rachel Weisz, "The Favourite"
Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"

Best Original Screenplay

"The Favourite"
"First Reformed"
"Green Book"
"Roma" 
"Vice"

Best Adapted Screenplay

"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
"BlackKklansman"
"Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
"A Star Is Born"

Best Film Editing

"BlackKklansman"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"The Favourite"
"Green Book"
"Vice"

Best Cinematography

"Cold War"
"The Favourite"
"Never Look Away"
"Roma"
"A Star Is Born"

Best Costume Design

"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
"Black Panther"
"The Favourite"
"Mary Poppins Returns"
"Mary Queen of Scots"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Border"
"Mary Queen of Scots"
"Vice"

*Best Production Design*

"Black Panther"
"The Favourite"
"First Man"
"Mary Poppins Returns"
"Roma"

Best Visual Effects

"Avengers: Infinity War"
"Christopher Robin"
"First Man"
"Ready Player One"
"Solo: A Star Wars Story"

Best Sound Editing

"Black Panther"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"First Man"
"A Quiet Place"
"Roma"

Best Sound Mixing

"Black Panther"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"First Man"
"Roma"
"A Star Is Born"

Best Original Song

"All The Stars" from "Black Panther"
"I'll Fight" from "RBG"
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" from "Mary Poppins Returns"
"Shallow" from "A Star Is Born"
"When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" from "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"

Best Original Score

"Black Panther"
"BlackKklansman"
"If Beale Street Could Talk" 
"Isle of Dogs"
"Mary Poppins Returns"

*Best Animated Feature*

"Isle of Dogs"
"Incredibles 2"
"Mirai"
"Ralph Breaks the Internet"
"Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse"

Best Short Film, Live Action

"Detainment"
"Fauve"
"Marguerite"
"Mother"
"Skin"

Best Short Film, Animated

"Animal Behavior"
"Bao"
"Late Afternoon"
"One Small Step"
"Weekends"

Best Documentary Feature

"Free Solo"
"Hale County This Morning, This Evening"
"Minding the Gap"
"Of Fathers and Sons"
"RBG"

Best Documentary, Short Subject

"Black Sheep"
"End Game"
"Lifeboat"
"A Night at the Garden"
"Period. End of Sentence."

Best Foreign Language Film

"Capernaum"
"Cold War"
"Never Look Away"
"Roma" 
"Shoplifters"