92nd Academy Awards: Final Predictions

Here I am with my second Oscars post . . . well, on this website. I’ve published an Oscars post every year since 2017. Two years ago, I got 72% on my predictions for the nominations. Last year, it was 66%, which bummed me out since I wanted to beat the year before.

Well, here comes my DELICIOUS MOMENT!

Ooh . . . that looks good, but it’s not what I meant by my DELICIOUS MOMENT!

Well, the dessert served tonight is that I just calculated my stats for this year’s nomination predictions that I came up with. And the result is . . . drumroll, please.

It’s

Okay, am I getting wound up over nothing?

NO, I’m not! THIS IS HISTORY!

So this year I got 79.7% on my nomination predictions, which thankfully beats the last two years. However, I didn’t include any of the three shorts, foreign language film, or documentary feature, because I’m not great at predicting the nominations in those categories. So, maybe I should lower my score down to 73%, right ahead of 72%. 😉

Before we get to my final predictions for the 92nd Academy Awards, let’s check in with Paul the Box Office Guy.

Whiz Kid: I have Paul right here on the phone.  How are you, Paul?
Paul the Box Office Guy: I'm great.
Whiz Kid: So, what can you tell us about how the box office is doing as of this week?
[pause]
Paul: I'm great, thanks.
Whiz Kid: Perfect.  So what movies are making the most money?
Paul: You know what, you remind me of a pet turtle that I had when I was back in college.  That was a long time ago.  It was . . . one, two, three, four, five, twenty-nine years ago.
Whiz Kid: Well, that's interesting, but what's going on with the films at the box office right now?
Paul: What was that?
Whiz Kid: WHAT IS THE UPDATE ON THE BOX OFFICE?!
[pause]
Paul: Huh?
Whiz Kid: Oh, never mind.  Forget it.

There’s really nothing much going on movie-wise at the box office currently, so let’s just skip this section and move onto more Oscars talk!

Before we move onto my actual predictions, I calculated the percentage of my correct predictions from last year, and ironically, it’s the same as the nominations: 66%. That’s a bit unusual for me, so here are the categories that I predicted correctly:

• Best Documentary Short (Period. End of Sentence.)
• Best Live Action Short (Skin)
• Best Animated Short (Bao)
• Best Sound Editing (Bohemian Rhapsody)
• Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Vice)
• Best Costume Design (Black Panther)
• Best Cinematography (Roma)
• Best Film Editing (Bohemian Rhapsody)
• Best Original Song (“Shallow” from A Star is Born)
• Best Foreign Language Film (Roma)
• Best Animated Feature (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
• Best Adapted Screenplay (BlacKkKlansman)
• Best Supporting Actress (Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk)
• Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali, Green Book)
• Best Actor (Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody)
• Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón, Roma)

There were two major upsets that nobody (except the people that did) expected last year. The first was Best Actress, which Glenn Close from The Wife was thought to win (by me, as well). When you do the math, she had a 65.2% chance, while the real winner Olivia Colman had only 15.4%!

And then, of course, Best Picture. I (along with most other people) chose Roma, which had a 32.6 percentage of winning, while BlacKkKlansman came in second with 17.5% and Green Book in third with 16.3%. GREEN BOOK WON! I was really glad that it won, but NOT glad that I hadn’t picked it! With that surprise along with the Moonlight Best Picture surprise (and the envelope mix-up/embarrassment) in 2017, it’s tough to say what’ll win this year.

So, without further ado, I will now present my predictions for the 92nd Academy “Oscars” Awards that includes who will win, who should win, who could win, who won’t win, and who was snubbed.

Computer, keyboard, action!

Best Documentary Short

• Nominees: In the Absence; Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl); Life Overtakes Me; St. Louis Superman; Walk Run Cha-Cha
• Who Will Win: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
• Who Should Win: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
• Who Could Win: I Have No Idea
• Who Won’t Win: I Have No Idea
• Who Was Snubbed: I Have No Idea

As said before, I know nothing about the shorts, so thanks to everyone who said that Learning to Skateboard would win (i.e. The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, and others).

Best Live Action Short

• Nominees: Brotherhood; Nefta Football Club; The Neighbors’ Window; Saria; A Sister
• Who Will Win: The Neighbors’ Window
• Who Should Win: I Have No Idea
• Who Could Win: Brotherhood
• Who Won’t Win: I Have No Idea
• Who Was Snubbed: I Have No Idea

Again, thanks to everyone who said this would win. And kids, do not look this short up. I did and it is INAPPROPRIATE! Dangit, I shouldn’t have said anything. Now you are going to look it up, aren’t you? Don’t do it!

Best Animated Short

• Nominees: Dcera (Daughter); Hair Love, Kitbull; Memorable; Sister
• Who Will Win: Hair Love
• Who Should Win: Hair Love
• Who Could Win: Kitbull
• Who Won’t Win: I Have No Idea
• Who Was Snubbed: I Have No Idea

I just watched both Hair Love and Kitbull, and they’re both great! I loved both of them equally, although, if I had to pick one of the two, I’d pick Hair Love. I might have liked it more if I was a girl, but it was cute, funny, and sweet enough to win me over.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• Nominees: Bombshell; Joker; Judy; Maleficent: Mistress of Evil; 1917
• Who Will Win: Bombshell
• Who Should Win: Bombshell
• Who Could Win: Joker
• Who Won’t Win: 1917
• Who Was Snubbed: Hmm . . . if I had to pick one, it would be Rocketman

Alright, now we’re past the shorts, which are a pain for me to write about since I know very little about them. For this category, Bombshell is the projected winner, in my opinion. There could be a very surprising upset that includes either Joker or Judy winning, but Bombshell has it pretty much in the bag for this one. After all, it didn’t just transform one person into another, like Joaquin Phoenix into the Joker or Renée Zellweger into Judy Garland, but three people: Charlize Theron into Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman into Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie into Kayla Pospisil.

Best Sound Mixing

• Nominees: Ad Astra; Ford v Ferrari; Joker; 1917; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Who Will Win: Ford v Ferrari
• Who Should Win: Ford v Ferrari
• Who Could Win: 1917
• Who Won’t Win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Who Was Snubbed: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; Avengers: Endgame

Oh, gosh. This may be the closest race (no pun intended, with F v F nominated) this year. But Ford v Ferrari may just barely make it. I’m definitely still not 100% sure that it’ll win, so I might change my mind and go with 1917 in the end. I DON’T KNOW!

Best Sound Editing

• Nominees: Ford v Ferrari; Joker; 1917; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• Who Will Win: Ford v Ferrari . . . ?
• Who Should Win: Ford v Ferrari
• Who Could Win: 1917
• Who Won’t Win: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• Who Was Snubbed: Avengers: Endgame; Ad Astra

This category is just as tough as the previous one. Last year, I picked the mistake of saying Bohemian Rhapsody for editing and A Star is Born for mixing, when BR ended up winning both of them. Well, I believe that Ford v Ferrari will win both sound categories! . . . maybe. Either that or 1917. It’s two wins or two losses. Oh, boy.

I agree with the idea brought up by a New York journalist that both categories should be merged into one Best Sound category. It would make things a lot easier for the predictors, especially me.

Best Visual Effects

• Nominees: Avengers: Endgame; The Irishman; The Lion King; 1917; Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• Who Will Win: 1917
• Who Should Win: The Lion King or Avengers: Endgame
• Who Could Win: Avengers: Endgame
• Who Won’t Win: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• Who Was Snubbed: Aladdin or Spider-Man: Far From Home

This is a tight race. The mathematics predict by 0.1 percent that Avengers: Endgame will take home the Oscar, but 1917 has won a BAFTA award for its visual effects and seems to be the favorite everywhere else. I just don’t possibly see how it could ever win any award for its visual effects . . . at least if The Lion King and/or Avengers: Endgame is nominated in the same category. 1917 seems to be the weakest link in this category to me. Just watch Endgame or The Lion King and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Especially for The Lion King. EVERYTHING IN THAT FILM IS CGI (Computer Generated Image)!!!! This is an odd category this year, because anyone could win. The Irishman‘s visual effects are really good, as well, so anything can happen. And Star Wars is . . . Star Wars. Its visual effects are great and all, but it just can’t seem to be recognized by the Academy. I may change my mind at the last second to Endgame, but it’s a tight race (again).

Best Production Design

• Nominees: The Irishman (Bob Shaw and Regina Graves); Jojo Rabbit (Ra Vincent and Nora Sopková); 1917 (Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales); Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh); Parasite (Lee Ha-jun and Cho Won-woo)
• Who Will Win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Who Should Win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Who Could Win: Jojo Rabbit
• Who Won’t Win: Parasite
• Who Was Snubbed: Joker

I really shouldn’t say that Joker was snubbed from this category, as it has the most nominations this year at eleven. Anyway, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will and should win this category. It’s at least partially set in 1969, so it’s a tough one to design. It’s unlikely but possible that Jojo Rabbit could grab this one, but I highly doubt it.

Best Costume Design

• Nominees: The Irishman (Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson); Jojo Rabbit (Mayes C. Rubeo); Joker (Mark Bridges); Little Women (Jacqueline Durran); Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Arianne Phillips)
• Who Will Win: Little Women
• Who Should Win: Little Women
• Who Could Win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Who Won’t Win: Joker
• Who Was Snubbed: The Two Popes

Little Women will definitely win this category. It’s set after the Civil War, and just look at the picture above. It’ll win. There could be a big shocker in which Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or even Jojo Rabbit nab it, but I’m pretty set on Little Women.

Best Cinematography

• Nominees: The Irishman (Rodrigo Prieto); Joker (Lawrence Sher); The Lighthouse (Jarin Blaschke); 1917 (Roger Deakins); Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Robert Richardson)
• Who Will Win: 1917
• Who Should Win: 1917
• Who Could Win: Joker
• Who Won’t Win: The Lighthouse
• Who Was Snubbed: Ford v Ferrari (Phedon Papamichael)

I am 99.9 percent sure that 1917 will win this category. It’s shot to look like it’s filmed all in one take! Plus, Roger Deakins is one of the best cinematographers (A.K.A. directors of photography) of all time! He won two years ago in 2018 for shooting Blade Runner 2049, and has been nominated thirteen other times since 1995. If Joker took this category, it may be the biggest surprise of the night, but 1917 has FOR SURE got the Oscar in the bag.

Best Film Editing

• Nominees: Ford v Ferrari (Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker); The Irishman (Thelma Schoonmaker); Jojo Rabbit (Tom Eagles); Joker (Jeff Groth); Parasite (Yang Jin-mo)
• Who Will Win: Ford v Ferrari
• Who Should Win: Ford v Ferrari
• Who Could Win: Parasite
• Who Won’t Win: Jojo Rabbit
• Who Was Snubbed: Rocketman (Chris Dickens)

Jeez, why are all of the categories that include Ford v Ferrari SO DANG HARD to predict?! This is a really close race between F v F and Parasite. I think F v F should win, but will it in the end? I think so, but Parasite might sweep in instead. It’s highly unlikely, but Joker could resolve the dispute between Parasite and F v F by taking the category itself . . . but that won’t happen. So I’m going with Ford v Ferrari, because that’s the one that’ll win. Right?

Best Original Song

• Nominees: “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4 (Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman, Sung by Randy Newman); “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman (Music by Elton John and Lyrics by Bernie Taupin, Sung by Taron Egerton and Elton John); “I’m Standing with You” from Breakthrough (Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren, Sung by Chrissy Metz); “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II (Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, Sung by Idina Menzel); “Stand Up” from Harriet (Music and Lyrics by Joshuah Brian Campbell & Cynthia Erivo, Sung by Cynthia Erivo)
• Who Will Win: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman
• Who Should Win: “Stand Up” from Harriet or “Love Me Again”
• Who Could Win: “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II
• Who Won’t Win: “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4
• Who Was Snubbed: “Speechless” from Aladdin; “Never Too Late” from The Lion King

It looks like Rocketman will be the winner for Best Original Song. It’s not really a surprise — after all, Rocketman is about the incredible Elton John. It’s possible that “Into the Unknown” or “Stand Up” could beat Reginald Dwight (Elton’s actual name), but then again, ANYTHING is possible. I just listened to the Rocketman, Frozen II, and Harriet songs, and they’re all really good, so any of them could really go. I don’t have much to say for this one, except that “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” is a great song and deserves to win, which it most likely will.

P.S. All of the songs will be sung by their performers during the show yet again. Yay!

Best Original Score

• Nominees: Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir); Little Women (Alexandre Desplat); Marriage Story (Randy Newman); 1917 (Thomas Newman); Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (John Williams)
• Who Will Win: Joker
• Who Should Win: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• Who Could Win: 1917
• Who Won’t Win: Marriage Story
• Who Was Snubbed: Avengers: Endgame (Alan Silvestri)

Every year that John Williams is nominated for composing a Star Wars film, I get so mad that he doesn’t win! I think that he definitely should win, and for this year especially, as The Rise of Skywalker is the last Star Wars film he’ll ever compose. Oh, well. Joker will probably take this category, as the music in it is also pretty good and key to the film itself — it is a movie about a crazed and demented man who dresses up like a clown and kills people. 1917‘s music is also “key” to the war-set picture. There’s not a ton of dialogue, I’ve heard, so it would also make sense if it won. But Joker will probably win. Also, I knew that it wouldn’t be nominated, but I think that Avengers: Endgame deserves a nod for its awesome score. That “Portals” theme is the best!

Best Documentary Feature

• Nominees: American Factory; The Cave; The Edge of Democracy; For Sama; Honeyland
• Who Will Win: American Factory
• Who Should Win: American Factory
• Who Could Win: Honeyland
• Who Won’t Win: The Edge of Democracy
• Who Was Snubbed: Apollo 11

Wow, I don’t remember the Oscars being this tough. Probably because this year is tougher than most. Well, with that being said, I literally couldn’t decide between American Factory and Honeyland, so I just tapped a key on my keyboard, and if that key was closer to the letter H, I’d go with Honeyland, and if it was closer to A, I’d go with American Factory. It was closer to A, so my guess is American Factory. I read about it, and it sounds very interesting. Michelle and Barack Obama’s new company actually produced it, so that’s kinda cool. Like the shorts, I don’t know a ton about documentaries, just like this next category coming up.

Best International Feature Film

• Nominees: Corpus Christi (Poland); Honeyland (North Macedonia); Les Misérables (France); Pain and Glory (Spain); Parasite (South Korea)
• Who Will Win: Parasite
• Who Should Win: Parasite
• Who Could Win: Pain and Glory
• Who Won’t Win: Corpus Christi
• Who Was Snubbed: The Farewell (China)

I shouldn’t have even put a Who Could Win on this category. It’s pretty obvious that Parasite will win this. It is nominated for five other awards, while Pain and Glory and Honeyland are only nominated for one more, and the others zero. There’s no doubt about this one. In fact, the mathematics have it at a 92.9 percent chance of winning this. I do think that The Farewell should’ve been nominated. It got high reviews, and Awkwafina even won a Golden Globe for her performance in it (more on that later)! Well, I would say that this category may be the easiest one . . . for me, at least.

Oh, and by the way, the Academy changed the name of this category from Foreign Language Film to International Feature Film.

Best Animated Feature Film

• Nominees: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World; I Lost My Body; Klaus; Missing Link; Toy Story 4
• Who Will Win: Toy Story 4
• Who Should Win: Toy Story 4 or How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
• Who Could Win: Missing Link
• Who Won’t Win: I Lost My Body
• Who Was Snubbed: Frozen II

Another relatively tight race, though I think Toy Story 4 has the upper hand here. However, it didn’t win at the Golden Globes or the BAFTAs. Missing Link took the Golden Globes while Klaus won at the British Academy Film and Television Awards. Surprisingly, according to the mathematics, that doesn’t really lower Toy Story 4‘s chances too much. Now, as for who should win, I didn’t care very much for Toy Story 4 when I first saw it in the theater, but I liked it a little bit more when I just watched it again last night on Disney+ (which I’m loving, by the way). There are definitely some parts and characters that I don’t care for (e.g. Bo Peep and Gabby Gabby — their characters don’t interest me), but it’s a good film overall. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is also really good, but if I had to choose one of them, it would be Toy Story 4.

And now we’re moving on up to the big ones! Not to say any of the previous categories aren’t important. 🙂

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Nominees: The Irishman (Steven Zaillian, based on the book “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt); Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi, based on the novel “Caging Skies” by Christine Leunens); Joker (Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, based on characters created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson); Little Women (Greta Gerwig, based on the novel “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott); The Two Popes (Anthony McCarten, based on the play The Pope by Anthony McCarten)
• Who Will Win: Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi)
• Who Should Win: Jojo Rabbit
• Who Could Win: Little Women (Greta Gerwig)
• Who Won’t Win: The Two Popes (Anthony McCarten)
• Who Was Snubbed: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster, based on the Esquire Magazine article “Can You Say . . . Hero?” by Tom Junod)

This is a fairly easy one. I think Taika Waititi (one of my favorite directors and writers, by the way) deserves the win for this. He took the novel “Caging Skies” and turned it into a comedic twist on a very serious issue. Of course, Greta Gerwig could win for her work on Little Women, but it wasn’t the absolute best version of the book, while Taika Waititi’s film was imperfect yet satisfyingly funny and unoffensive. It should be very offensive if you just hear the plot, but Taika wrote and directed it so that it somehow wasn’t, and for that he should win an Oscar.

Best Original Screenplay

• Nominees: Knives Out (Rian Johnson); Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach); 1917 (Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns); Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino); Parasite (Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-won)
• Who Will Win: Parasite (Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-won)
• Who Should Win: Knives Out (Rian Johnson)
• Who Could Win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)
• Who Won’t Win: Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach)
• Who Was Snubbed: Bombshell (Charles Randolph); Rocketman (Lee Hall)

Another somewhat close one, but I think Parasite will take this one. It does have an interesting story about class discrimination, and the Oscars love that. Also, the Academy in and of itself has been trying not to discriminate after the whole #OscarsSoWhite campaign. However, I think that Rian Johnson’s Knives Out should win for many reasons. It’s a murder mystery, so it has a lot of twists and turns (which we know Johnson is good at — just watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi), so those are relatively hard to write. As for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it’s not out of the question that it won’t win, but it’s just not as likely. That’s basically what Who Could Win means most of the time.

Best Supporting Actor

• Nominees: Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood as Mr. Fred Rogers; Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes as Pope Benedict XVI; Al Pacino, The Irishman as Jimmy Hoffa; Joe Pesci, The Irishman as Russell Bufalino; Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Cliff Booth
• Who Will Win: Brad Pitt
• Who Should Win: Brad Pitt or Tom Hanks
• Who Could Win: Joe Pesci
• Who Won’t Win: Anthony Hopkins
• Who Was Snubbed: Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit as Adolf Hitler

OK, now it’s getting easier. Brad Pitt has taken home a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award for his supporting performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and he undoubtedly will add an Oscar to his collection. Well, he actually won as a producer for 12 Years a Slave in 2014, which won Best Picture. However, this would be his first acting Oscar, which I think he deserves. There’s an incredibly small, tiny chance that Joe Pesci could win, but Al Pacino is also nominated for The Irishman, and almost NEVER does a nominee win an Oscar when there’s another cast member nominated in the same category. Is that a stereotype, or am I right? I’m probably not. I’m just judging from last year after Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone didn’t win for The Favourite. Anyway, Pitt has got it in the . . . bit? I’m trying to think of words that rhyme with Pitt. . . .

Best Supporting Actress

• Nominees: Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell as Barbara “Bobi” Jewell; Laura Dern, Marriage Story as Nora Fanshaw; Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit as Rosie Betzler; Florence Pugh, Little Women as Amy March; Margot Robbie, Bombshell as Kayla Pospisil
• Who Will Win: Laura Dern
• Who Should Win: Laura Dern or Scarlett Johansson
• Who Could Win: Scarlett Johansson
• Who Won’t Win: Kathy Bates
• Who Was Snubbed: Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers as Ramona Vega

Note to Kids: Yet again, don’t look something up. This time: Hustlers. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

Perfect, now we can move on. Laura Dern is a very safe bet for this category. She, like Brad Pitt, has won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA award for this, and will likely be grabbing Mr. Oscar to be her roommate. Ooh, I just looked up her house and it looks awesome! Well, Oscar will be her mansion-mate. That works! However, I believe Dern is just a little bit less likely to win than Pitt. She’ll still win, but it’s possible that Scarlett Johansson could be a surprise win. ScarJo looks really good in the Jojo Rabbit trailer, so anything can happen.

Best Actress

• Nominees: Cynthia Erivo, Harriet as Harriet Tubman; Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story as Nicole Barber; Saoirse Ronan, Little Women as Josephine “Jo” March; Charlize Theron, Bombshell as Megyn Kelly; Renée Zellweger, Judy as Judy Garland
• Who Will Win: Renée Zellweger
• Who Should Win: Renée Zellweger
• Who Could Win: Scarlett Johansson
• Who Won’t Win: Saoirse Ronan
• Who Was Snubbed: Awkwafina, The Farewell as Billi Wang; Lupita Nyong’o, Us as Adelaide Wilson/Red

It seems like all the acting categories are fairly easy this time. Renée Zellweger definitely will and should win Best Actress for her role as Judy Garland in Judy. Just watch the trailer and you’ll see what I mean. Transformed by makeup and acting, Zellweger is the Wizard of Oz actress. She somehow captures the likability, drug-obsessedness (I don’t know if that’s a word, but I’ll go with it), and fame of Miss Garland that makes her deserve an Oscar, which she’ll presumably receive. ScarJo, even though she technically could win, doesn’t have a chance against this star! . . . am I right? Or am I wrong? Let me know. I need to win!

Also, Awkwafina really should’ve been nominated! She won a Golden Globe, and she wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar?!

Best Actor

• Nominees: Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory as Salvador Mallo; Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Rick Dalton; Adam Driver, Marriage Story as Charlie Barber; Joaquin Phoenix, Joker as Arthur Fleck/Joker; Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
• Who Will Win: Joaquin Phoenix
• Who Should Win: Joaquin Phoenix or Adam Driver
• Who Could Win: Adam Driver
• Who Won’t Win: Jonathan Pryce
• Who Was Snubbed: Taron Egerton, Rocketman as Elton John; Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems as Howard Ratner; Robert De Niro, The Irishman as Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran

First off, I am very mad that Taron Egerton wasn’t nominated for playing Elton John in Rocketman! He, like Awkwafina, won a Golden Globe, but he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar! I think, from the trailers at least, that he perfectly paid tribute to Elton while still being creative, especially with his awesome singing voice! I’ve also heard that Adam Sandler’s performance in Uncut Gems was redefining for the actor, so I’ll count that as a snub. Bobby De Niro wasn’t really snubbed, but I put him on the list anyway. Who I didn’t put on the list was Mr. Robert Downey Jr., who I think had an incredible last hurrah in Avengers: Endgame playing Tony Stark/Iron Man for possibly the last time (*spoiler alert* — well, if you haven’t heard the news, you must have been living under a rock since May). I didn’t expect the Academy to nominate him, but I think he definitely deserves a nod.

Now, moving onto Joaquin Phoenix versus Adam Driver. Joaquin will definitely win this, no doubt about it. But does he deserve the win? I say yes, but some disagree and think Adam Driver does instead. Well, I obviously can’t see either Joker or Marriage Story since they’re R-rated, but I’ve seen the trailer for both, and both actors look fabulous. So I can’t really say, but I can say who will win, and that’s a phoenix that can walk. It’s a walking phoenix. Joaquin Phoenix. Bad joke.

Best Director

• Nominees: Martin Scorsese, The Irishman; Todd Phillips, Joker; Sam Mendes, 1917; Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
• Who Will Win: Sam Mendes
• Who Should Win: Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese
• Who Could Win: Bong Joon-ho
• Who Won’t Win: Todd Phillips
• Who Was Snubbed: Greta Gerwig, Little Women

This is a category that’s a little tougher than the acting categories, but I’m still somewhat certain that Sam Mendes, director of 1917 will win this. Bong Joon-ho could definitely surprise, but I would pick Mendes between the two. Playing it safe! However, I think that Tarantino or Scorsese should win because . . . they’re Tarantino and Scorsese. They’re amazing pro directors, plus Scorsese is seventy-seven-years-old and still directing. That’s awesome! Both of them would make my list of favorite directors for sure, and I think they should win. As for Todd Phillips, he 100% won’t win. Sorry, Toddie. And also, I think that Greta Gerwig should’ve been nominated! I’m not a person that thinks the Academy is sexist or anything, but I really wish that she would’ve been nominated; after all, she’s earned it! Oh, well. Maybe next year.

And now, moving onto the big one!

Best Picture

• Nominees: 1917; Ford v Ferrari; The Irishman; Jojo Rabbit; Joker; Little Women; Marriage Story; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; Parasite
• Who Will Win: 1917
• Who Should Win: It’s really a matter of opinion, but I have a soft spot for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood even though I’ve never seen it
• Who Could Win: Parasite
• Who Won’t Win: Ford v Ferrari
• Who Was Snubbed: Rocketman; Knives Out

This is a real big fight between 1917 and Parasite for champion. Some people have really taken the Moonlight and Green Book shockers to heart, want to take a risk, and say the latter will win, even though it’s projected not to. Even though I made the mistake of not risking it last year, I’m not learning from my mistake. I say that 1917 will win! Is it possible, you may be asking yourself, that some film like Ford v Ferrari could win? As stated above, that will not win. Period. What about Little Women? No. Even Jojo Rabbit? Probably not.

Well, Marriage Story is a strong contender, isn’t it? That film may be more debatable than Little Women, but still zip. Surely Joker will win; it does have the most nominations. With only 68% on Rotten Tomatoes and no comic book film in history ever winning Best Picture, that would be a no. And don’t call me Shirley.

Oh, I see what you’re getting at. It’ll either be The Irishman or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I would put those in fourth and third place, respectively. It’s possible, but it’s going to be Parasite and 1917 in the top two, unrespectively. Wow, I’m really making a lot of new words up tonight.

Well, there ya have it. That’s my 2020 Oscars post. I might end up changing my mind in a few categories (maybe film editing or sound), but otherwise, I’m pretty set on my predictions.

Before I go, here’s how many nominations each film that received more than one has (credit to Wikipedia for my research).

• Honeyland — 2
• Pain and Glory — 2
• Toy Story 4 — 2
• Harriet — 2
• Judy — 2
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — 3
• Bombshell — 3
• The Two Popes — 3
• Ford v Ferrari — 4
• Jojo Rabbit — 6
• Little Women — 6
• Parasite — 6
• Marriage Story — 6
• 1917 — 10
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — 10
• The Irishman — 10
• Joker — 11

Well, be sure to tune in for the 92nd Academy Awards on ABC at 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time. I will be attending to present the Whiz Kid Award of the Year, so don’t miss my whole section! 😉

And be sure to comment down below on what your predictions are for the Oscars and check out my YouTube channel Whiz Kid Reviews — which I haven’t posted anything on since November. See you at the red carpet!

Whiz Kid out