Oscars 2021

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, the Oscars are in full swing! In what can only be described as a unique and crazy year, 2020 has offered up some really great pieces of cinema! I did my best to catch everything, but it was tough! I can say, though, that I have seen just about everything that was nominated. So, after much deliberation and many, many viewings, here are my predictions for this year's winners!  I don't know if there are any clear front runners; there are a lot of choices that I want to see win, choices that I didn't necessarily choose TO win, but who knows! Let's see how many I can get right! Check back Monday for the results!


*UPDATED: The winners are in! Winners are in BLUE and my incorrect guesses are in RED. Got 18 out of 23 this year! Not bad!

BEST PICTURE

THE FATHER, David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers

MANK, Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers

MINARI, Christina Oh, Producer

NOMADLAND, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, Producers

SOUND OF METAL, Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, Producers

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, Producers

OPTIMIST'S PICK: NOMADLAND

BEST DIRECTOR

ANOTHER ROUND, Thomas Vinterberg
MANK, David Fincher
MINARI, Lee Isaac Chung
NOMADLAND, Chloé Zhao
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Emerald Fennell
OPTIMIST'S PICK: NOMADLAND, Chloé Zhao

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

RIZ AHMED, Sound of Metal

CHADWICK BOSEMAN, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

ANTHONY HOPKINS, The Father

GARY OLDMAN, Mank

STEVEN YEUN, Minari

OPTIMIST'S PICK: CHADWICK BOSEMAN, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

VIOLA DAVIS, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

ANDRA DAY, The United States vs. Billie Holiday

VANESSA KIRBY, Pieces of a Woman

FRANCES MCDORMAND, Nomadland

CAREY MULLIGAN, Promising Young Woman

OPTIMIST'S PICK: FRANCES MCDORMAND, Nomadland

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

SACHA BARON COHEN, The Trial of the Chicago 7

DANIEL KALUUYA, Judas and the Black Messiah

LESLIE ODOM, JR., One Night in Miami...

PAUL RACI, Sound of Metal

LAKEITH STANFIELD, Judas and the Black Messiah

OPTIMIST'S PICK: DANIEL KALUUYA, Judas and the Black Messiah

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

MARIA BAKALOVA, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

GLENN CLOSE, Hillbilly Elegy

OLIVIA COLMAN, The Father

AMANDA SEYFRIED, Mank

YUH-JUNG YOUN, Minari

OPTIMIST'S PICK: YUH-JUNG YOUN, Minari

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

ONWARD, Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae

OVER THE MOON, Glen Keane, Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou

A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON, Richard Phelan, Will Becher and Paul Kewley

SOUL, Pete Docter and Dana Murray

WOLFWALKERS, Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young and Stéphan Roelants

OPTIMIST'S PICK: SOUL, Pete Docter and Dana Murray

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, Sean Bobbitt

MANK, Erik Messerschmidt

NEWS OF THE WORLD, Dariusz Wolski

NOMADLAND, Joshua James Richards

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, Phedon Papamichael

OPTIMIST'S PICK: NOMADLAND, Joshua James Richards

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

EMMA, Alexandra Byrne

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, Ann Roth

MANK, Trish Summerville

MULAN, Bina Daigeler

PINOCCHIO, Massimo Cantini Parrini

OPTIMIST'S PICK: MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, Ann Roth

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

COLLECTIVE, Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana

CRIP CAMP, Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder

THE MOLE AGENT, Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibáñez

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER, Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

TIME, Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino and Kellen Quinn

OPTIMIST'S PICK: MY OCTOPUS TEACHER, Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

COLETTE, Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION, Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers

DO NOT SPLIT, Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook

HUNGER WARD, Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA, Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

OPTIMIST'S PICK: COLETTE, Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard

BEST FILM EDITING

THE FATHER, Yorgos Lamprinos

NOMADLAND, Chloé Zhao

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Frédéric Thoraval

SOUND OF METAL, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, Alan Baumgarten

OPTIMIST'S PICK: SOUND OF METAL, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

ANOTHER ROUND, Denmark

BETTER DAYS, Hong Kong

COLLECTIVE, Romania

THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN, Tunisia

QUO VADIS, AIDA?, Bosnia and Herzegovina

OPTIMIST'S PICK: ANOTHER ROUND, Denmark

BEST MAKE UP & HAIRSTYLING

EMMA, Marese Langan, Laura Allen and Claudia Stolze

HILLBILLY ELEGY, Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Patricia Dehaney

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

MANK, Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri and Colleen LaBaff

PINOCCHIO, Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli and Francesco Pegoretti

OPTIMIST'S PICK: MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

DA 5 BLOODS, Terence Blanchard

MANK, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

MINARI, Emile Mosseri

NEWS OF THE WORLD, James Newton Howard

SOUL, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

OPTIMIST'S PICK: SOUL, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

FIGHT FOR YOU, from Judas and the Black Messiah; Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas

HEAR MY VOICE, from The Trial of the Chicago 7; Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite

HUSAVIK, from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga; Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Göransson

IO SÌ (SEEN), from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se); Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini

SPEAK NOW, from One Night in Miami...; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

OPTIMIST'S PICK: SPEAK NOW, from One Night in Miami...; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

THE FATHER, Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone

MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara and Diana Stoughton

MANK, Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale

NEWS OF THE WORLD, Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan

TENET, Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

OPTIMIST'S PICK: MANK, Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

BURROW, Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat

GENIUS LOCI, Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU, Will McCormack and Michael Govier

OPERA, Erick Oh

YES-PEOPLE, Gísli Darri Halldórsson and Arnar Gunnarsson

OPTIMIST'S PICK: IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU, Will McCormack and Michael Govier

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

FEELING THROUGH, Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski

THE LETTER ROOM, Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan

THE PRESENT, Farah Nabulsi and Ossama Bawardi

TWO DISTANT STRANGERS, Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe

WHITE EYE, Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman

OPTIMIST'S PICK: FEELING THROUGH, Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski 

BEST SOUND

GREYHOUND, Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman

MANK, Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin

NEWS OF THE WORLD, Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett

SOUL, Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker

SOUND OF METAL, Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

OPTIMIST'S PICK: SOUND OF METAL, Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

LOVE AND MONSTERS, Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt and Brian Cox

THE MIDNIGHT SKY, Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon and David Watkins

MULAN, Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones and Santiago Colomo Martinez

TENET, Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

OPTIMIST'S PICK: TENET, Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas

MINARI, Written by Lee Isaac Chung

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Written by Emerald Fennell

SOUND OF METAL, Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, Written by Aaron Sorkin

OPTIMIST'S PICK: PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Written by Emerald Fennell

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: DELIVERY OF PRODIGIOUS BRIBE TO AMERICAN REGIME FOR MAKE BENEFIT ONCE GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN, Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern; Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad

THE FATHER, Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller

NOMADLAND, Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI..., Screenplay by Kemp Powers

THE WHITE TIGER, Written for the screen by Ramin Bahrani

OPTIMIST'S PICK: NOMADLAND, Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao