2019 Oscar Predictions

Here we are, just one day away from the Academy Awards! Last year was my first year doing Oscar predictions, and I was not very good. All I had was a printed out sheet of the nominees and a 15 minute google search. I’m hoping to do a lot better this year.

NOTE: I’ll include my prediction on each category’s header. I’ll also bold it in the list of nominees. I will also put an asterisk next to the movie I think should win.

Best Picture – Roma

• Black Panther
• BlacKkKlansman (*)
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• The Favourite
• Green Book
• Roma
• A Star Is Born
• Vice
  

In my opinion, it’s a fairly weak year in the Best Picture category. I think it’s between “Roma”, “BlacKkKlansman”, and “Green Book”. I’m rooting for “BlacKkKlansman”, but I expect it to be “Roma”. As long as it’s not “Green Book” that comes out on top, I’ll be happy.

Best Director – Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

• Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
• Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
• Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) (*)
• Adam McKay (Vice)
• Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)

I keep going back and forth between Spike Lee and Alfonso Cuaron.

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

• Christian Bale (Vice)
• Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born) (*)
• Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
• Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
• Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
  

Rami Malek has weathered the storm surrounding “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and I think he will come out on top. I’d love to see Bradley Cooper get some love, but it just doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Glenn Close (The Wife)

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

This category is LOADED. Honestly I’m not sure about this one because I really think any of them could win. I do not expect to get this prediction correct.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Maharshala Ali (Green Book)

• Maharshala Ali (Green Book) (*)
• Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
• Sam Elliot (A Star Is Born)
• Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
• Sam Rockwell (Vice)

I’d love to see Adam Driver or Richard E. Grant pull off an upset, but this one is Mahershala’s to lose.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

• Amy Adams (Vice)
• Marina de Taviro (Roma)
• Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) (*)
• Emma Stone (The Favourite)
• Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Again, this category is LOADED. I think it’s between Regina King and Rachel Weisz, but every nominee in this category is outstanding. I do not expect to get this prediction correct.

Best Animated Feature Film – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

• Incredibles 2
• Isle of Dogs
• Mirai
• Ralph Breaks the Internet
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (*)

When I saw “Incredibles 2” in the summer I thought there was no way it wouldn’t win Best Animated Feature…then along came “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. It is miles better than the other nominees in this category. I honestly think it should have been nominated for Best Picture.

Best Animated Short Film – Bao

• Animal Behaviour
• Bao (*)
• Late Afternoon
• One Small Step
• Weekends

Best Cinematography – Roma

• Cold War
• The Favourite
• Never Look Away
• Roma (*)
• A Star Is Born

Best Costume Design – The Favourite

• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
• Black Panther
• The Favourite (*)
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Mary Queen of Scots

Best Documentary Feature – Free Solo

• Free Solo (*)
• Hale County This Morning, This Evening
• Minding the Gap
• Of Fathers and Sons
• RBG

In a category missing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, the next best option is “Free Solo”.

Best Documentary Short Subject – Period. End of Sentence

• Black Sheep
• End Game
• Lifeboat
• A Night at the Garden
• Period. End of Sentence (*)

Best Film Editing – Vice

• BlacKkKlansman (*)
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• Green Book
• The Favourite
• Vice

It better not go to Bohemian Rhapsody. What an abomination of editing. There were dozens of films more deserving of a nomination in this category.

Best Foreign Language Film – Roma (Mexico)

• Capernaum (Lebanon)
• Cold War (Poland)
• Never Look Away (Germany)
• Roma (Mexico) (*)
• Shoplifters (Japan)

Best Live Action Short – Skin

• Detainment
• Fauve
• Marguerite
• Mother
• Skin (*)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling – Vice

• Border
• Mary Queen of Scots
• Vice (*)

Two words…Christian Bale

Best Original Score – If Beale Street Could Talk

• BlacKkKlansman
• Black Panther
• If Beale Street Could Talk (*)
• Isle of Dogs
• Mary Poppins Returns

Best Original Song – Shallow (A Star Is Born)

• All the Stars (Black Panther)
• I’ll Fight (RBG)
• The Place Where the Lost Things Go (Mary Poppins Returns)
• Shallow (A Star Is Born) (*)
• When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

I predict this will be A Star Is Born’s only Oscar win. It is crazy to think after how much momentum it had upon release that it will most likely walk away with one Academy Award.

Best Production Design – The Favourite

• Black Panther
• The Favourite (*)
• First Man
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Roma

Best Sound Editing – First Man

• Black Panther
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• First Man (*)
• A Quiet Place
• Roma

Best Sound Mixing – Bohemian Rhapsody

• Black Panther
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• First Man
• Roma (*)
• A Star Is Born

I wish I could have seen “Roma” in a theater. Even at home with my 2.1 speaker setup the sound mixing was incredible. the movement of sounds throughout the entire movie is incredible. Unfortunately, I don’t think The Academy feels the same.

Best Visual Effects – Avengers: Infinity War

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Christopher Robin
• First Man (*)
• Ready Player One
• Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Adapted Screenplay – BlacKkKlansman

• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
• BlacKkKlansman (*)
• Can You Ever Forgive Me?
• If Beale Street Could Talk
• A Star Is Born

Best Original Screenplay – The Favourite

• The Favourite (*)
• First Reformed
• Green Book
• Roma
• Vice