Well, unlike last year, unfortunately some of my personal preferences have not been recognised by the Academy in 2020. Most notably, Greta Gerwig for directing LITTLE WOMEN so splendidly, Jessie Buckley for her underrated and outstanding performance in WILD ROSE and THE LION KING for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. Nevertheless, here are my predictions and preferences for this year’s nominees in the numerous acting, writing, directing and best picture categories.

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

FORD V FERRARI (Yet to See)
THE IRISHMAN (4 stars)
JOJO RABBIT (3 ½ stars)
JOKER (4 ½ stars)
LITTLE WOMEN (5 stars)
MARRIAGE STORY (4 stars)
1917 (5 stars)
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD (3 ½ stars)
PARASITE (4 stars)

SHOULD BE NOMINATED, BUT ISN’T

THE FILM I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

It is so rare that I have two films, each given five stars, to choose from. 1917 just slightly edges LITTLE WOMEN for me, even though the latter had much more of an emotional impact. Bad luck for JOKER, which would be a deserving  winner otherwise.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING NOMINEES

Martin Scorsese for THE IRISHMAN
Todd Phillips for JOKER
Sam Mendes for 1917
Quentin Tarantino for ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
Bong Joon Ho for PARASITE

SHOULD BE NOMINATED, BUT ISN’T

Greta Gerwig for LITTLE WOMEN
Rian Johnson for KNIVES OUT

THE DIRECTOR I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

Sam Mendes for 1917

Once you witness the masterful and stunning presentation of Sam Mendes’ 1917, you just know there is no way he will miss out on winning this award. Nor should he. This is one of the best directing efforts I can ever recall seeing. On a side note, it’s wonderful to see Bong Joon Ho nominated in this category.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE NOMINEES

Cynthia Erivo in HARRIET (Yet to See)
Scarlett Johannson in MARRIAGE STORY
Saoirse Ronan in LITTLE WOMEN
Charlize Theron in BOMBSHELL (3 ½ stars)
Renée Zellweger in JUDY (3 ½ stars)

SHOULD BE NOMINATED, BUT ISN’T

Jessie Buckley in WILD ROSE
Natalie Portman in VOX LUX

THE ACTRESS I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

Renée Zellweger in JUDY

I doubt we’ll see another stunning upset like we did last year, when Olivia Colman pipped Glenn Close. But if we do, it will be Saoirse Ronan. Seriously, when it comes to being nominated for Oscars, Saoirse is the new Meryl, and deserving of being so too! A year without an Academy Award nomination for this endlessly talented young woman just wouldn’t feel right.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE NOMINEES

Antonio Banderas in PAIN AND GLORY (3 ½ stars)
Leonardo DiCaprio in ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
Adam Driver in MARRIAGE STORY
Joaquin Phoenix in JOKER
Jonathan Pryce in THE TWO POPES (4 stars)

THE ACTOR I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

Joaquin Phoenix in JOKER

Just as much a certainty and a milestone in cinema as Sam Mendes’ direction of 1917. This award belonged to Joaquin before JOKER was even released. On a side note, it’s wonderful to see Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce among the nominees. Adam Driver gives a career-best performance in MARRIAGE STORY too, so a very strong field overall.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE NOMINEES

Kathy Bates in RICHARD JEWELL (Yet to See)
Laura Dern in MARRIAGE STORY
Scarlett Johannson in JOJO RABBIT
Florence Pugh in LITTLE WOMEN
Margot Robbie in BOMBSHELL

THE ACTRESS I WANT TO WIN IS…

Florence Pugh in LITTLE WOMEN

THE ACTRESS I PREDICT TO WIN IS…

Margot Robbie in BOMBSHELL

This is the first category where I am truly torn. Recent Golden Globe winner Laura Dern plays quite a similar character in HBO series Big Little Lies that she does in MARRIAGE STORY, and plays it very well indeed. Maybe that’s why I have more appreciation for the more subdued work we saw from her in LITTLE WOMEN. Scarlett just gets better and better, which is backed up by two Oscar nominations this year. But she hasn’t done enough in JOJO to surpass Margot in BOMBSHELL. Margot’s character is a powerful voice for the many women who sadly are and have been in these all too common shoes. This, and her admirable performance, is why I think it will beat Laura Dern, and my current crush and personal favourite, Florence Pugh.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE NOMINEES

Tom Hanks in A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD (Yet to See)
Anthony Hopkins in THE TWO POPES
Al Pacino in THE IRISHMAN
Joe Pesci in THE IRISHMAN
Brad Pitt in ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

THE ACTOR I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

Al Pacino in THE IRISHMAN

I’d love to see Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce win in their respective categories, but these cinema stalwarts are up against stiffer competition this year. If only Joe and Al could share this award for THE IRISHMAN, but they won’t. Al Pacino was so ‘in the zone’ in THE IRISHMAN, I could watch an entire movie featuring just his character.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY NOMINEES

KNIVES OUT written by Rian Johnson
MARRIAGE STORY written by Noah Baumbach
1917 written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD written by Quentin Tarantino
PARASITE written by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won

THE SCREENPLAY I WANT TO WIN IS…

KNIVES OUT written by Rian Johnson or
PARASITE written by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won

THE SCREENPLAY I PREDICT TO WIN IS…

PARASITE written by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY NOMINEES

THE IRISHMAN written by Steven Zaillian
JOJO RABBIT written by Taika Waititi
JOKER written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver
LITTLE WOMEN written by Greta Gerwig
THE TWO POPES written by Anthony McCarten

THE SCREENPLAY I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

LITTLE WOMEN written by Greta Gerwig

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEES

Rodrigo Prieto for THE IRISHMAN
Lawrence Sher for JOKER
Jarin Blaschke for THE LIGHTHOUSE
Roger Deakins for 1917
Robert Richardson for ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

THE ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEE I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

Roger Deakins for 1917

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE NOMINEES

AMERICAN FACTORY (4 stars)
THE CAVE (Yet to See)
THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY (Yet to See)
FOR SAMA (4 stars)
HONEYLAND (Yet to See)

SHOULD BE NOMINATED, BUT ISN’T

THE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE I PREDICT TO WIN IS…

THE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE I WANT TO WIN IS…

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD (Yet to See)
I LOST MY BODY (Yet to See)
KLAUS (Yet to See)
MISSING LINK (Yet to See)
TOY STORY 4 (Yet to See)

SHOULD BE NOMINATED, BUT ISN’T

THE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE I PREDICT TO WIN IS…

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

CORPUS CHRISTI (Yet to See)
HONEYLAND (Yet to See)
LES MISÉRABLES (Yet to See)
PAIN AND GLORY (3 ½ stars)
PARASITE (4 stars)

THE INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM I WANT & PREDICT TO WIN IS…

Compiled by Leigh for Moviedoc
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