The future is looking golden: our predictions for the 2020 Oscars
On Monday, Jan. 13, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released their nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards. This year’s selections gave us plenty to talk about, so let’s dive straight in and see which films deserve their Oscar buzz and which don’t.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Antonio Banderas: “Pain and Glory”
Leonardo DiCaprio: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Adam Driver: “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix: “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce: “The Two Popes”
2019 was full of great performances worth celebrating. Banderas and Pryce surprised many with their turns in their respective films and DiCaprio brought his usual charming energy to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
The obvious rivalry this awards season, however, has undeniably been between Joaquin Phoenix and Adam Driver. Both delivered what many consider to be some of the best work of each actor’s respective careers, with Phoenix bringing the iconic DC villain to life like never before and Driver going to some very intense places to bring on the harsh brutality and nuance of “Marriage Story.” While both have strong chances of winning, there’s a good chance that Phoenix may nab the gold for this category, having an edge on his competitor this award season, winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actor in the Drama category.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo: “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson: “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan: “Little Women”
Charlize Theron: “Bombshell”
Renée Zellweger: “Judy”
This year’s league of ladies have all received considerable praise for their show-stopping performances for one reason or another. Erivo’s turn as the iconic Harriet Tubman brought the intensity needed for such an iconic historical figure while Charlize Theron crafted an easy-to-cheer-for protagonist in “Bombshell.”
The gold this year for the category is a a little harder to decide than for the male actors, but it is down between Johansson, Ronan and Zellweger, all of whom have been pretty neck-to-neck this award season. It is hard to say, as all three gave fantastic performances, some of which were the highlight of their respective film. If you had to twist our arm, however, we’d say that Johansson truly deserves the gold more than anyone this year, whether for “Marriage Story” or “Jojo Rabbit,” in which she has been nominated for Supporting Actress. ScarJo broke our hearts and brought us to tears with her unbelievable performance in “Marriage Story,” taking the actress to places of raw vulnerability we have yet to see. At the same time, Zellweger, who took the Golden Globe over Johansson for her portrayal of tragic Hollywood figure Judy Garland, could just as easily take home the gold, and we wouldn’t be shocked.
Best Director
Martin Scorsese: “The Irishman”
Todd Phillips: “Joker”
Sam Mendes: “1917”
Quentin Tarantino: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Bong Joon-ho: “Parasite”
The director’s chair this year is certainly a stacked one, with industry legends going head-to-head with first-time nominees who are notable talents in their own right. Outside of Todd Phillips, who is somewhat of an outlier this award season, the rest of the directorial talent show almost equal chance of winning.
Scorsese winning would not be a surprise to say the least, with the industry legend now being the most nominated living director in Oscar history, and for good reason, as “The Irishman” is living proof of the director’s never-ending strong streak. Tarantino has a shot as well, with “Once Upon a Time…” feeling very reminiscent of the director’s earlier works that may win over Academy members. Sam Mendes, who hasn’t seen an Academy Award since his 1999 film “American Beauty,” could also very well take the award, given the Golden Globe win. Boon Joon-ho has also been racking up the awards for his pitch perfect work on “Parasite” and seeing the director nab the prize would be rewarding. While it really is anyone’s game, the award will likely fall into either Scorsese’s or Mendes’s hand by the end.
Best Picture
“Ford v. Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite”
The big award of the night certainly has some big nominees. Each of the films from this list deserve their praise for one reason or another, but which will snag the award?
It’s probably safe to say that neither “Ford v. Ferrari” nor “Jojo Rabbit” will be winning the big award, simply due to Academy voter taste and their award season run thusfar proving drier than the competition. “Little Women” has had a pretty stellar award season, but has seen more awards going towards its fantastic cast and screenplay more than anything. “Joker” just might surprise as well, having the most nominations of the evening with a total of 11, but the Academy is notoriously stubborn with even the best of comic book cinema, so we’re not going to hold our breath on it.
With all this said, it’ll likely be a toss up between “Parasite,” “The Irishman,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Marriage Story,” and “1917,” with the latter being the most likely to win. The likeliness of “Marriage Story,” “The Irishman” and “Once Upon a Time…” winnings are more or less equally likely, but “Parasite” may just surprise us and take the award.
Other Nominees
Supporting actor is likely to go to Brad Pitt, but Al Pacino and Joe Pesci might get it for their show-stopping performances for “The Irishman.” Supporting actress could go in any direction, but Laura Dern is the most likely to take the prize. Original screenplay is an interesting category this year, with plenty of strong contenders, with “Once Upon a Time…,” “Parasite,” or “Marriage Story” being the hottest options.
The technical categories are more than likely to lean towards “1917.” At the very least, it seems that Best Cinematography, Visual Effects and both Sound categories are in the bag for the film. Production design could also go to the film, but “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Jojo Rabbit” also have a shot, as well as for Best Costume Design. Editing could go to “Joker,” but “The Irishman” deserves the prize more than anything for Thelma Schoonmaker’s tense and atmospheric work.
The animated feature category may be more or less what was expected, with a solid number of larger studio films, a few indie projects and a stop motion film, but determining the winner may not be so easy. While its almost a guarantee that “I Lost My Body” and “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” won’t be getting anything, “Toy Story 4” and, shockingly, “Missing Link” may just have a shot at getting the gold. The latter film shocked everyone with its Golden Globe win over the much heftier studios, but will it be enough for the Academy to turn a new leaf? “Klaus” winning would be a long shot to say the least also, but seeing it succeed would feel fitting for such an arduous project.
Snubs
While the Oscars has its fair share of rightful nominees this year, there are still a large number of films and filmmakers not given the recognition they deserve, even for categories we expected to see them nominated for. They include:
“The Farewell”: Best Picture, Best Director (Lulu Wang), Best Original Screenplay, Best Lead Actress (Awkwafina)
“Knives Out”: Best Picture, Best Director (Rian Johnson), Best Lead Actor (Daniel Craig), Best Lead Actress (Ana De Armas), Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography
“Dolemite is my Name”: Best Lead Actor (Eddie Murphy), Best Costume Design
“Marriage Story”: Best Editing
“Us”: Best Lead Actress (Lupita Nyong’o), Best Original Score
“Midsommar”: Best Cinematography, Best Editing
“The Lighthouse”: Best Lead Actor (Willem Dafoe), Best Supporting Actor (Rober Pattinson)
“Uncut Gems”: Best Lead Actor (Adam Sandler)
“Little Women”: Best Director (Greta Gerwig)
“The Irishman”: Best Lead Actor (Robert De Niro)
Regardless of any missed opportunities, this is nevertheless shaping up to be another exciting night. Be sure to check out the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9.
