Oscars 2021

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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

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