We’re entering the lean times between the biggest fall festivals and the final year-end critics prizes. October and November are typically a little quiet and allow for a little re-attunement. As such, here are our October predictions.

KEY:

Introductions

Wesley Lovell: The big festivals are over and although there are still some films unseen (Here, Juror #2, Wicked), many have been seen, at least somewhat (Gladiator II was screened but not for film critics, which isn’t a good sign), and others will only benefit from a critics’ prizes boost. I removed several films from the lists and made several changes. I tried to fix some oversights that I hadn’t caught before (I can’t believe I hadn’t gotten Demi Moore listed until now) but for this point in time, I’m feeling good about 80% of these.
Pete Patrick: The critical standouts of the late summer festivals were Conclave and The Brutalist with Saturday Night and Babygirl also earning rave reviews. Others such as The Room Next Door, Hard Truths, Queer, and The Piano Lesson received strong notices for performances but not necessarily for the films themselves. Despite several changes in predictions, the race remains in flux.
Thomas LaTourette: There was not a lot of movement between my September predictions and now. I actually thought there would be more. Most categories only changed by one guess, some by none and a couple by two. Anora, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, and relative newcomer The Brutalist hold steady as the films that will score numerous nominations for picture, directing, acting, and writing. At this point any of them could win big come Oscar night, or perhaps the awards will be spread around. There are some interesting contests occurring over people overdue for Academy love (Amy Adams, Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, who could be up for one, two, or none) and newcomers like Mikey Madison, Karla Sofia Gascon, Kieran Culkin, and Zoe Saldaña vying for their first nominations and hoping for wins. Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Denzel Washington will be trying to add another award to their mantles. The tech categories will pit juggernaut Dune: Part Two against the yet unseen Gladiator II. The earlier films both did well, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Twisters and Wicked will also be in that mix. Gladiator II, A Complete Unknown, Juror #2, Here, and Wicked have yet to screen, so they may change the predictions if impressive or fade away like Joker: Folie à Deux. It’s an interesting time as they trickle out.

Best Picture

WLPPTL September 5
WLPPTL Anora
WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL A Complete Unknown
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Juror #2
WLPPTL Nickel Boys
WLPPTL A Real Pain
WLPPTL Sing Sing
WLPPTL We Live in Time
WLPPTL Wicked

Best Animated Feature

WLPPTL Flow
WLPPTL Inside Out 2
WLPPTL The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
WLPPTL Memoir of a Snail
WLPPTL Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
WLPPTL The Wild Robot

Best Directing

WLPPTL Anora – Sean Baker
WLPPTL Blitz – Steve McQueen
WLPPTL The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
WLPPTL Conclave – Edward Berger
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve
WLPPTL Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
WLPPTL Gladiator II – Ridley Scott

Best Actor

WLPPTL Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
WLPPTL Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
WLPPTL Daniel Craig – Queer
WLPPTL Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
WLPPTL Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
WLPPTL Sebastian Stan – A Different Man

Best Actress

WLPPTL Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
WLPPTL Karla Sofia Gascon – Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL Angelina Jolie – Maria
WLPPTL Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
WLPPTL Mikey Madison – Anora
WLPPTL Demi Moore – The Substance
WLPPTL Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun
WLPPTL Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door

Best Supporting Actor

WLPPTL Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
WLPPTL Willem Dafoe – Nosferatu
WLPPTL Samuel L. Jackson – The Piano Lesson
WLPPTL John Lithgow – Conclave
WLPPTL Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
WLPPTL Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
WLPPTL Stanley Tucci – Conclave
WLPPTL Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Supporting Actress

WLPPTL Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
WLPPTL Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
WLPPTL Selena Gomez – Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
WLPPTL Julianne Moore – The Room Next Door
WLPPTL Saoirse Ronan – Blitz
WLPPTL Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
WLPPTL Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Best Original Screenplay

WLPPTL September 5
WLPPTL Anora
WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL The Fire Inside
WLPPTL Hard Truths
WLPPTL A Real Pain
WLPPTL Saturday Night
WLPPTL The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Adapted Screenplay

WLPPTL A Complete Unknown
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL I’m Still Here
WLPPTL Nickel Boys
WLPPTL The Piano Lesson
WLPPTL The Room Next Door
WLPPTL Sing Sing

Best Original Song

Best Original Score

WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Moana 2
WLPPTL The Room Next Door
WLPPTL The Wild Robot

Best Film Editing

WLPPTL Anora
WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Sing Sing

Best Cinematography

WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Maria

Best Production Design

WLPPTL Anora
WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Megalopolis
WLPPTL Saturday Night
WLPPTL Wicked

Best Costume Design

WLPPTL Anora
WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Maria
WLPPTL Nosferatu
WLPPTL Saturday Night
WLPPTL Wicked

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

WLPPTL Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
WLPPTL Deadpool & Wolverine
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
WLPPTL Joker: Folie á Deux
WLPPTL Longlegs
WLPPTL Nosferatu
WLPPTL The Substance
WLPPTL Wicked

Best Sound

WLPPTL Blitz
WLPPTL The Brutalist
WLPPTL A Complete Unknown
WLPPTL Conclave
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Emilia Pérez
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Nosferatu
WLPPTL Twisters
WLPPTL Wicked

Best Visual Effects

WLPPTL Deadpool & Wolverine
WLPPTL Dune: Part Two
WLPPTL Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
WLPPTL Gladiator II
WLPPTL Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
WLPPTL Mufasa: The Lion King
WLPPTL The Substance
WLPPTL Twisters
WLPPTL Wicked