As we enter the final stretch before Oscar season, we firm our predictions up for the inevitable changes that will come out of the Big 3 fall festivals: Telluride, Toronto, and Venice.

KEY:

Introductions

Wesley Lovell: I made no changes to my formal predictions this month, though I did make a handful of updates to my Hopefuls over at Cinema Sight.
Pete Patrick: More than half the year has gone by and we’re still waiting for a critical/commercial success to come close to that of Sinners. The only thing I’m sure of is that there is nothing to be sure of. Today’s predictions and the actual nominees are probably not going to match anywhere near 100%, but that’s where we are. So here are my best guesses at the moment.
Thomas LaTourette: I did not have a lot of changes in my predictions this month. Maybe just one per category. I imagine that will change shortly as the fall festivals arrive and release their awards. We are two thirds through the year, and Sinners remains the only film released that seems a likely nominee in numerous categories. And the trailers that have started dropping for some of the big fall releases (One Battle After Another, The Smashing Machine, and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere) have been underwhelming. It makes me worry a little about the upcoming Oscars..

Best Picture

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Highest 2 Lowest
WLPPTL Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Madden
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Rental Family
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Animated Feature

WLPPTL Animal Farm
WLPPTL Arco
WLPPTL Dog Man
WLPPTL Elio
WLPPTL In Your Dreams
WLPPTL A Magnificent Life
WLPPTL Scarlet
WLPPTL The Twits
WLPPTL Zootopia 2

Best Directing

WLPPTL Noah Baumbach – Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Jon M. Chu – Wicked: For Good
WLPPTL Ryan Coogler – Sinners
WLPPTL Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hikari – Rental Family
WLPPTL Kogonada – A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
WLPPTL Yorgos Lanthimos – Bugonia
WLPPTL Spike Lee – Highest 2 Lowest
WLPPTL Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
WLPPTL Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
WLPPTL Joachim Trier – Sentinmental Value
WLPPTL Chloë Zhao – Hamnet

Best Actor

WLPPTL Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
WLPPTL George Clooney – Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Colin Farrell – The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL Brendan Fraser – Rental Family
WLPPTL Dwayne Johnson – The Smashing Machine
WLPPTL Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
WLPPTL Denzel Washington – Highest 2 Lowest
WLPPTL Jeremy Allen White – Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Best Actress

WLPPTL Cate Blanchett – Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
WLPPTL Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
WLPPTL Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
WLPPTL Jennifer Lawrence – Die, My Love
WLPPTL Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Margot Robbie – A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
WLPPTL Julia Roberts – After the Hunt
WLPPTL Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
WLPPTL Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor

WLPPTL Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Andrew Garfield – After the Hunt
WLPPTL Delroy Lindo – Sinners
WLPPTL Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Jeremy Strong – Deliver Me from Evil
WLPPTL Christoph Waltz – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Jeffrey Wright – Highest 2 Lowest

Best Supporting Actress

WLPPTL Laura Dern – Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Ayo Edibiri – After the Hunt
WLPPTL Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Mia Goth – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
WLPPTL Regina Hall – One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas – Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
WLPPTL Gwyneth Paltrow – Marty Supreme
WLPPTL Charlotte Rampling – Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
WLPPTL Tilda Swinton – The Ballad of a Small Player

Best Original Screenplay

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
WLPPTL It Was Just an Accident
WLPPTL Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay

WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Roses
WLPPTL Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Wake Up Dead Man

Best Casting

WLPPTL Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Wake Up Dead Man
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Original Score

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Sinners

Best Film Editing

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Jay Kelly
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Cinematography

WLPPTL A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Production Design

WLPPTL Avatar: Fire & Ash
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL The Fantastic Four: First Steps
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Costume Design

WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Hedda
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

WLPPTL 28 Days Later
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL The Smashing Machien
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Sound

WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Superman
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Visual Effects

WLPPTL Avatar: Fire and Ash
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL The Fantastic Four: First Steps
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Superman
WLPPTL Tron: Ares
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good