Summer is typically a month of contemplation and reflection on the first half of the year and the rest is holding out until the all important triple threat of Venice, Toronto, and Telluride.

KEY:

Introductions

Wesley Lovell: Not a lot has changed in the last month. Other than a few upkeep items, I didn’t make very many changes. A lot of contenders haven’t released yet so I don’t know how they will play with audiences or critics.
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.
Thomas LaTourette: There are definitely changes this month. There was a little help from Cannes, though most of the winners there will probably not play out at the Oscars though Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident and Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value should rack up a number of nominations each, not just for International Feature. The Secret Agent could pull off nominations for International Feature and perhaps actor but seems less likely to get a directing nod. The upcoming Venice and Toronto film festivals should shed more light on the races. It is looking to be a star-studded array of actors with repeat nominations from George Clooney, Timothée Chalamet, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, and Laura Dern among many others. It will be interesting to see if Wicked does as well the second year. At this point it seems poised to repeat nominations in various categories, but I do not know if the second half will be as good, or perhaps it could be better. Or will it be looked at as last year’s film. One big question is whether director Jon M. Chu will get a nomination this year, having been overlooked last year. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere could perhaps be this year’s biopic that scores well. Some movies are still enigmas, but the Oscar race is in better focus now.

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 It Was Just an Accident
WLPPTL Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Madden
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Animated Feature

WLPPTL Arco
WLPPTL Dog Man
WLPPTL Elio
WLPPTL Endless Cookie
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 Scott Cooper – Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
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 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 Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
WLPPTL Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
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 Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor

WLPPTL Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Andrew Garfield – After the Hunt
WLPPTL Delroy Lindo – Sinners
WLPPTL Paul Mescal – Hamnet
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 Jennifer Lopez – Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Gwyneth Paltrow – Marty Supreme
WLPPTL Charlotte Rampling – Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
WLPPTL Hailee Steinfeld – Sinners
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
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

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 The Collaboration
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL In the Blink of an Eye
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 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 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 Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

WLPPTL 28 Days Later
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Mother Mary
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 How to Train Your Dragon
WLPPTL Superman
WLPPTL Tron: Ares
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good