The Oscars are this Sunday and if you’re in an Oscar pool and not sure who’ll win, don’t worry, I got you covered in the major categories.
The 4 acting awards are forgone conclusions, but let’s go through them anyways.
> Actor- If I had a vote, it would go to Adam Driver, but I don’t. Antonio Banderas, Leo & Jeremy Irons are all deserving, although I would’ve included Eddie Murphy or Adam Sandler instead., but what are you going to do. The winner will Jouquin Phoenix and I’m sure his speech will be interesting and possibly incoherent. Winner- Jouquin Phoenix
> Actress- Renee Zellwegger will win, although I think her performance of Judy Garland was a bit underwhelming. My personal choice would be Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly in Bombshell. She disappeared in that role and i thought I was watching Kelly herself. Can’t say that about Renee’s Garland. Winner- Renee Zellwegger
> Supp Actor- All great actors, but Brad Pitt will win and he deserves it too. If you look at his IMDB, he really hasn’t made very many clunkers and has been pretty terrific for a long time. He’d get my vote for a very breezy performance in a great film. The part was made for him. Winner- Brad Pitt
> Supp Actress- I like all these actresses, but if you’re going to nominate Margot Robbie, I think she was better in “Once Upon a Time” instead of “Bombshell”, but again, I don’t get a vote. The good news is that Laura Dern will win and I can’t wait to see her speech. A great performance in a great film by a great actress. Winner- Laura Dern
>Director- The best bet is Sam Mendes, but don’t be surprised if it goes to Quentin Tarentino. I believe that Sam Mendes will continue his hot streak and win. “1917” was quite a terrific movie and I think voters will appreciate the way it was shot to make it look like one continuous shot. My choice is Q, but the Winner- Sam Mendes
>Screenplays- These are a bit tough. I like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” for original, but “Parasite” is really quite brilliant and is very buzzy now. It’ll be one or the other, but I think “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” will win because “Parasite” didn’t resonate with many. Too tough to call. Adapted will be either “Little Women” or possibly “Jojo Rabbit”. The smart money is for “Little Women”, but it could go to “JoJo” to spread a little wealth around and many thought it’s a very cute film. “The Irishman” has an outside shot too. Quite honestly, I have no idea. If I were betting, Winner- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Little Women”.
>Int’l Feature- 1 choice. The winner will be “Parasite”
>Picture- This is a toss-up between a few pictures. You can eliminate “JoJo”, “Little Women”, “Ford v Ferrari”, “Joker”, and probably “Marriage Story”. The remaining 4 are all good choices. “Parasite” will win foreign film or whatever they call that category now so I don’t see it winning in both. “The Irishman” is loved by many, but i think “Once Upon a Time” and “1917” are the smart choices. The academy loves to award films about the industry and Q’s films have yet to win a best pic Oscar yet, so he’d be a great choice, but “1917” won the PGA and they are a good precursor. Who knows. Winner- I’m going with “1917” because it has momentum and came out the latest and freshest in voters minds, I will be rooting for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Just a little side note: IMO the best film of 2019 was The Avengers: Endgame” and there was 1 slot available. I would have given the Avengers some love.
The award ceremony is Sunday. Good luck everyone!
Eric at the Movies 