Last year’s Oscar season was compressed into the last few weeks. This year’s was compressed similarly with more of the major precursors coming out earlier in the season making it feel like a more measured pace. It was no less busy, especially this past weekend with so many groups announcing, but it certainly seemed to have a more leisurely pace.
With almost everything now behind us, let’s look at Sunday’s Oscars and see if we can make any final sense of what’s going on. Several races have gone back and forth all season but many of them seem to have settled going into the final weeks thanks to the guilds and BAFTA largely agreeing.
The categories below are sorted in order from least competitive to most competitive. Best Picture, whether competitive or not, is last. While these are currently my final predictions, I reserve the right to change my mind at the last minute. That said, doing that has often been my undoing, so it will likely stay the same.
Best Directing
Who Will Win: Christopher Nolan (58.33% of precursors). There is no more far-gone conclusion this year than Christopher Nolan winning an Oscar. Nolan has been chasing an Oscar for years and had to delve into historical biopic territory to finally win. He probably should have won for The Dark Knight had he been nominated. That said, he’s knocked down almost every major competitor he’s had. While 58% isn’t a huge majority, he swept the televised awards for which he was nominated.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Martin Scorsese (8.33% of precursors). If there’s anyone who could upset, it’s industry vet Martin Scorsese. He’s won an undeserved award before, so they clearly support his candidacy but he had the misfortune of going up against Nolan this year.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I’ve griped about Greta Gerwig’s exclusion plenty, so I’m going to leave that as the one wish that can never happen: a write-in victory. Nolan’s past work and his work on Oppenheimer are deserving of collective praise even if I didn’t think his direction here was that revolutionary.
Best Supporting Actress
Who Will Win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (87.93% of precursors). The most dominant nominee this year. The closest competitor was Barbie‘s production design. It’s not difficult to see why, Randolph gives one of the most down-to-earth, human performances of the year and that personality resonates with voters.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Emily Blunt (0% of precursors). There’s really no one who can challenge Randolph but the closest might be first-time nominee Emily Blunt. It’s taken too long for the Academy to recognize her and that might bolster her chances. That said, she didn’t win any precursors and, while Oppenheimer‘s going to be a behemoth, voters will want to spread some love around.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I would be happy for Randolph to win. Of the performances I’ve seen, hers is a pure pleasure to watch, a master class.
Best Supporting Actor
Who Will Win: Robert Downey Jr. (42.11% of precursors). There was a potential for this to be a real nail-biter but as the televised awards began to show, Robert Downey Jr. was unstoppable. Being an industry veteran for more than 40 years and turning his life around after nearly destroying it with his drug addiction, his is the kind of biopic future Oscar winners might star in. He not only helped launch the successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, he proved in Oppenheimer that he wasn’t just capable of portraying wholesome, flawed individuals.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Ryan Gosling (24.56% of precursors). It’s surprising that Ryan Gosling doesn’t have more nominations under his belt. Sure, he’s capable of starring in some rather off-the-wall movies but he’s also one of his generations greatest actors. Ken is an iconic role, one that will long outlive Downey’s. Yet, his chances at winning are almost nil.
What I Would Like to See Happen: Not to slight Downey’s work, but Gosling does quite a lot of work with Ken, making him a loveable idiot who falls prey to the patriarchal nature of the real world but ultimately finds his way out of it. It’s a fearless performance that lesser actors (some of his film’s fellow stars for example) couldn’t have delivered. I would love to see him win one simply because he’s been deserving before without any victories.
Best International Film
Who Will Win: The Zone of Interest (30.91% of precursors). The most cited foreign language film was not nominated. Anatomy of a Fall wasn’t submitted to the Academy by France. Their reason was that it was insufficiently in a foreign language and would have been disqualified. Still, it was a missed opportunity. The Zone of Interest was nominated and as the only Best Picture nominee of the bunch, it should have no problem winning.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Society of the Snow (0% of precursors). Of the remainder, it’s hard to see any of them effectively competing but if there’s a film that could upset, it’s Society of the Snow.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I haven’t seen any of these nominees yet, so I’m afraid I have no opinion on what should happen.
Best Original Score
Who Will Win: Oppenheimer (66.67% of precursors). Oppenheimer has dominated the precursors and has come out the undisputed leader. It carried all the major precursors and that should be enough for it to win.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Killers of the Flower Moon (23.08% of precursors). Robbie Robertson was a well regarded composer who finally got an Oscar nomination. Posthumously. There might be some small measure of support for a tribute win and Killers had the second-most precursors under its belt but there’s no chance that it wins.
What I Would Like to See Happen: My personal favorite (so far) was Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and it wasn’t nominated. I preferred Poor Things‘s score to Oppenheimer‘s, but I’m generally ambivalent about this category’s winner.
Best Cinematography
Who Will Win: Oppenheimer (68.75% of precursors). Oppenheimer is far and away the frontrunner here. The blending of black-and-white and color photography is catnip for Oscar voters. That said, four of this year’s film feature black-and-white photography either in full (El Conde) or in part (everything else except Killers of the Flower Moon).
Who Could Potentially Upset: Poor Things (10.42% of precursors). Poor Things has the most obvious cinematography of the bunch and that could impress some voters but it was sometimes visually a turn-off, so that might hurt. Killers also has the same number of precursors but neither of them seem poised to upset.
What I Would Like to See Happen: Oppenheimer has some solid camera movements and framing, which is enough to make it an easy winner. I really hope it’s not Poor Things, which was distracting, and not in a way that improved the film.
Best Film Editing
Who Will Win: Oppenheimer (67.74% of precursors). Some precursors split but BAFTA and ACE both went with Oppenheimer, so this category should bolster its total Oscar haul.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Anatomy of a Fall (6.45% of precursors). Anatomy of a Fall has only two places it could win a spread-the-wealth Oscar and this is one of those places. It didn’t do well with the precursors, which makes one wary of forecasting an upset but if they don’t want to give it the screenplay Oscar, this is the only other place to effectively recognize it.
What I Would Like to See Happen: None of this year’s nominees were exceptional but Oppenheimer deserves credit for making a 3-hour film feel like it moved quickly and effectively.
Best Documentary Feature
Who Will Win: 20 Days in Mariupol (16.95% of precursors). The Academy can make odd choices and there’s always the potential for an upset but other than Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which the Academy didn’t nominate, 20 Days in Mariupol is the most honored documentary of the year. That BAFTA win is probably its best sign of potential Oscar success.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Bobi Wine: The People’s President (0% of precursors). If Academy voters don’t want to recognize a film about Ukraine (and why wouldn’t they?), then Four Daughters seems like a solid runner-up. That said, it mixes fiction and non-fiction together, which might be a bridge too far for Oscar voters believing this should be a category all about facts effectively presented. I landed on Bobi Wine: The People’s President as spoiler. If anything could upset, it seems to be one of those films that plugs away and wins accolades that no one expects. That said, it’s a rather bold choice for me since it’s the only one of the five nominees that hasn’t won a single precursor but that’s where I stand now.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I haven’t seen any of these nominees yet, so I’m afraid I have no opinion on what should happen.
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Who Will Win: Poor Things (50% of precursors). With just over half of the small number of precursors available to it, Poor Things would seem to be the frontrunner. Its BAFTA win is the determining factor even though it didn’t win at the MUAHS awards where three films won and only one was an Oscar nominee, Maestro.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Maestro (20% of precursors). There’s a case to be made that all of the nominees could win. They have showy, obvious, single-character makeup to broadly applied aging make up to combinations there of. Any one of the other four nominees could win and the reason I’m coming down on the side of Maestro is that it has the broadest set of characters in makeup and passes over several years. This could also be said of Oppenheimer, but Oppenheimer‘s makeup is less obvious, going for subtle reflections instead. Still, Poor Things has the most obvious makeup outside of Maestro and Golda, so it should still win. Maestro is also looking at a possible goose-egg in Oscar wins and this might be the one category voters could throw their weight to give it a prize.
What I Would Like to See Happen: Maestro‘s makeup work seems the most broadly appealing, though I was impressed by that subtlety in Oppenheimer‘s work. Of course, Society of the Snow also looks to have some exemplary work, so that might also be a fitting selection.
Best Animated Feature
Who Will Win: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (62.26% of precursors). Looking at the precursor numbers, you would think Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse is a slam dunk winner. It won the major prizes at the Annie Awards and PGA, as well as a slew of critics awards. Even though it would seem like the sure thing, it’s competing against a venerable selection that could stop it in its tracks.
Who Could Potentially Upset: The Boy and the Heron (30.19% of precursors). The Boy and the Heron is the second-most honored animated film of the year but is pretty far behind in tally. That said, it has two very big wins that could bolster its chances. The Golden Globe and the BAFTA. BAFTA’s the one you want to look at as the potential canary in the coal mine. BAFTA has a closer representation to Oscar voters than most of these other groups, which could signal an upset. That said, anyone who watched the Annies knows that the producer of the film has declaimed the notion that Hayao Miyazaki’s last film will be this one. He’s hard at work on another. Not everyone watches the Annies, so the narrative that it’s his last film might stick with enough voters to carry the day. I doubt that. Its victory may come down more to Spider-Man being a two-part film more than anything else.
What I Would Like to See Happen: Having seen both of the frontrunners, unequivocally Spider-Man deserves to win. While both it and Boy and the Heron are wonderful films, Spider-Man is great. It’s a fitting sequel, explores thorny subjects elegantly, and doesn’t feel like a rehash of its predecessor. The same is not true of Miyazaki’s film.
Best Sound
Who Will Win: Oppenheimer (70% of precursors). When both the CAS and MPSE agree on a winner (or a series of winners in MPSE’s case), it’s hard not to believe a film is in the lead. That’s Oppenheimer.
Who Could Potentially Upset: The Zone of Interest (20% of precursors). Once again, the deviation is coming from the BAFTA victory. The Zone of Interest picked up an unexpected win there and that’s thanks to its ambient noise used to great effect. It’s possible the film rides that sentiment to a win, though it would still be a bit surprising if Oppenheimer didn’t win out in the end.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I have no opinion of Zone‘s sound as yet, so I have to pick Oppenheimer by default. That said, I have no vested interest in its victory.
Best Original Screenplay
Who Will Win: Anatomy of a Fall (14% of precursors). Anatomy of a Fall might well be the most over-awarded film of the year compared to its performance in the precursors. The film and director Justine Triet have only been cited in breadth as international film. In Original Screenplay, Directing, Editing, and Picture, it’s been almost avoided. This is the category where its best performance outside of foreign language films has occurred and thanks to the BAFTA and Globe wins, Anatomy has moved into the lead, though it’s a sliver of a lead.
Who Could Potentially Upset: The Holdovers (32% of precursors). The frontrunner in the category, in terms of precursors, are The Holdovers and Past Lives. The former is nominated in several categories while the latter is nominated only in Picture. This is the fact that gives Holdovers an edge. That said, Anatomy isn’t likely to win anywhere other than this category, which may give it a leg-up on The Holdovers, which has at least Best Supporting Actress as a prize. This is a tough race and I wouldn’t be surprised if Holdovers eked out a victory but based on BAFTA alone, I’d say Anatomy still has the edge.
What I Would Like to See Happen: With Barbie out of the way, my support (based on what I’ve seen so far) falls to The Holdovers.
Best Live Action Short Film
Who Will Win: Red, White and Blue (0% of precursors). You can never be certain with the short film categories what will hit voters the right way. This is one of those categories where it feels like there’s an obvious choice but they might just not go for it. Red, White and Blue has that emotional punch voters like with the keen political observations that can win awards.
Who Could Potentially Upset: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (0% of precursors). That said, there are ambitious projects that could win even if they aren’t politically motivated. That’s why a film like Henry Sugar could win. The Academy likes to reward comedies and that could bolster this film’s chances but it could also help others in the list. In the end, my certainty is based entirely on a gut feeling rather than any empirical evidence. Ultimately, I expect the best of the bunch to lose but we’ll see how things go.
What I Would Like to See Happen: Red, White and Blue is easily the best of this year’s batch. There’s really no other option here. If they go with something else, then I question the necessity of this category.
Best Actress
Who Will Win: Lily Gladstone (51.67% of precursors). When the year began, everyone thought Lily Gladstone would be competing in support and would easily win over weak competition. She decided she wouldn’t take a supporting role and went for lead instead although there’s plenty of commentary on her being a supporting player in the film. It was then thought that the decision would doom her to fail. And yet throughout Oscar season, she has been dominant, winning most of the awards for Best Actress from everywhere. Then she hit a roadblock at BAFTA. She wasn’t nominated. That caused many of us to shift our predictions to Emma Stone thinking Gladstone couldn’t come back from that but she did. She won at SAG and the rest is history. I say that because the standing ovation she received was unexpected and impressive. Clearly, there’s a desire to recognize a Native American actor after years of Hollywood neglect and we’re here for the ride. The vibe was distinctly of CODA, which went on to upset in Best Picture. That’s why Gladstone is back on the top of the heap.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Emma Stone (36.67% of precursors). Stone hasn’t been sitting dormant all season, she’s collected quite a few prizes herself, including BAFTA. However, that BAFTA win doesn’t tell us anything because she wasn’t against her main threat: Gladstone. In the end, Stone already has an Oscar and, if she didn’t, then she might have been favored but she does and there’s little chance of an upset victory at this point.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I haven’t seen Gladstone, so I can’t comment on the race between Stone and Gladstone from a quality perspective but Stone did impressive work and it would be a shame if she weren’t to become one of the most honored actors in cinema history.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Who Will Win: American Fiction (28.89% of precursors). BAFTA and USC Scripter gave their blessings to American Fiction. The Globes went with an original. With the WGA announcing too late, we’re left to guess what could win. Until the televised awards, Oppenheimer had largely been dominating precursors. In the last month, American Fiction has picked up several more awards and moved into a dead-heat in the precursor race with Oppenheimer. As a Best Picture nominee with few other categories in which it could win, generous Academy members may be willing to give Fiction the win.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Oppenheimer (31.11% of precursors). Juggernauts can’t be underestimated. Oppenheimer still has quite an array of precursors and its well researched narrative is something Academy members may appreciate. Of course, it doesn’t feel like a writer’s movie, so it has that going against it.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I would love to see Barbie win this because it’s really a fun, inventive, potent, and engaging narrative. It also has been treated poorly by “industry” types who want to celebrate its resurrection of the box office but don’t want to give it anything for doing so.
Best Animated Short Film
Who Will Win: War Is Over! (0% of precursors). The two strongest contenders of this year are War Is Over and Letter to a Pig. The plot and the anti-war message that is at the heart of War Is Over is likely what will carry it to victory. Something else could sneak by because some of the shorts are creative enough to win votes even if not terribly good narratively.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Letter to a Pig (0% of precursors). Never bet against a Holocaust-related drama. This one is about a survivor telling his story to uninterested youths. The point of the film is ephemeral enough that some voters might just not get it and that might cost it some votes.
What I Would Like to See Happen: War Is Over is easily my favorite of this bunch. I loved the animation and the story hit me in the feels in multiple ways.
Best Production Design
Who Will Win: Poor Things (12% of precursors). After winning BAFTA and the two related guilds (ADG & SDSA), Poor Things would appear to have the momentum. It beat Barbie at ADG though they were in separate categories at SDSA. Still, the one-two punch of the ADG and BAFTA suggest Poor Things is poised for victory even though Barbie is, far and away, the precursor leader.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Barbie (84% of precursors). In the end, voters might prefer the originality of Barbie to the familiarity of Poor Things. Sure, Poor Things is steampunk but we’ve seen it many many times before, we haven’t seen an entire Barbie world conceptualized on film, which is why the film has been winning so much. That said, it doesn’t have the traditional pretty designs that win this award, so it won’t likely be enough.
What I Would Like to See Happen: For the exact reasons I said above, this is a unique world created entirely within the cinematic space. There is nothing more creative in any of the nominated films to overcome this.
Best Documentary Short Subject
Who Will Win: The Last Repair Shop (50% of precursors). There are three shorts that would seem to have the edge in this competition: The Last Repair Shop, The ABCs of Book Banning, and The Barber of Little Rock. All have crucial messages and all try to appeal to our better selves. The reason I think The Last Repair Shop will come out on top is because it’s a one-stop shop for pro-immigrant, pro-education, and pro-LGBTQ ideas. Not only that but it has an important story to tell that most don’t know about, had plenty of impact, and that final orchestral performance really gets you in the feels.
Who Could Potentially Upset: The ABCs of Book Banning (0% of precursors). Sure, book bans have been a hot item this year but they’ve been an issue for decades, so the salience isn’t as hefty as it once might have been. Further, the short doesn’t bring much new to the discussion other than the wise-beyond-their-years kids they found to give interviews. It feels cherry-picked and overbearing at times. However, most viewers won’t feel the same way. It’s an important topic and their recognition of it would be a major statement and that’s why it could win.
What I Would Like to See Happen: The Last Repair Shop is just too uncommon a topic and too well made a production not to win this and the only one I would grudgingly accept for a win is The Barber of Little Rock. Any of the others would be insulting.
Best Costume Design
Who Will Win: Poor Things (38.89% of precursors). Once again, it’s a case of the BAFTA determining the choice. Poor Things hasn’t done well in the costume contest but it managed to overcome Barbie at BAFTA and perception is everything. That said, Poor Things may have had a steampunk vibe in its production design, but it’s decidedly period in its costume design, which makes it weaker.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Barbie (66.67% of precursors). And that’s what Barbie needs to take back the crown. The vibrant, pink, pastel, and neon color scheme required a lot of effort and putting a costume designer on screen as a crucial plot element will at least win over some costume designers. That said, the sometimes garish designs in the film aren’t likely to please most of the men in the Academy and maybe not some of the older women. If the film is to win a second Oscar, it most likely will be in this category.
What I Would Like to See Happen: No question that Barbie gave us something we’ve never seen before. Sure, we’ve seen the designs on the dolls themselves, but dolls aren’t realistic and this movie is and it managed to adapt those elements for the big screen and succeed and that is why it’s most deserving.
Best Visual Effects
Who Will Win: The Creator (30.43% of precursors). The reason this category is so far down on the list is that the BAFTA winner isn’t nominated at the Oscars. Poor Things won at BAFTA and it wasn’t nominated here. Nor was the obvious other winner, Oppenheimer. That leaves this category open to be the only category where a Best Picture nominee can’t win. The Creator has the VES trophy but Godzilla Minus One is ahead in the visual effects precursors, but only barely. This will be a real barn-burner and could go either way. In the end, The Creator, for all its flaws, is the more traditional science fiction film and that might be just enough to win it the prize.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Godzilla Minus One (34.78% of precursors). Godzilla (the monster) has changed a lot since he was first released. The monster tropes are still there but the drama is more palpable and this film is more like a traditional narrative than a monster one. Still, that opening sequence is bad visual effects and if that’s the first thing voters see, they might just turn it off and go to something else in spite of its critical acclaim. I think that one scene could be what dooms the film to a loss. That said, this is the most acclaimed of the films and while it was never really in the competition for Best Picture, some voters might want to recognize it over the more mediocrely-reviewed Creator.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I’m not enamored with Godzilla Minus One in terms of visual effects but the alternatives remain on my to-see list. Essentially, I’ll abstain on this one.
Best Actor
Who Will Win: Cillian Murphy (41.82% of precursors). For the longest time, Cillian Murphy was the cheese that stood alone in the precursor race. Then Paul Giamatti started picking up speed by winning the Critics Choice award. He remained in the hunt all season until BAFTA. While we all thought BAFTA would go Murphy because of the home field advantage, Giamatti really needed that prize to stay in the race. He didn’t get it. Then Murphy won at SAG and that sealed the deal. Murphy has been a character actor of some acclaim for years and everyone genuinely seems to like him and his self-effacing personality. There’s also the unfortunate likelihood that Murphy will never be back but Giamatti probably will. Therefore, it’s more likely Academy voters recognize someone who may never have a chance again than one who does and that would mirror what happened last year almost perfectly.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Paul Giamatti (30.91% of precursors). If The Holdovers were the frontrunner for Best Picture, Giamatti might be a stronger candidate but Oppenheimer‘s an Oscar juggernaut and it would be surprising if they didn’t go Murphy in the end. That said, this is really still a neck-and-neck race simply because Giamatti has the kind of career that has been marginalized and forgotten by some and Oscar voters don’t like to see that (even if they were responsible for it), so it could help boost him across the finish line.
What I Would Like to See Happen: I admire both Giamatti’s and Murphy’s work and wouldn’t object to either. That said, Murphy gives the more nuanced and challenging performance. Giamatti gives a performance that he could deliver in his sleep. For that reason, I land on Murphy as my choice.
Best Original Song
Who Will Win: What Was I Made For? (44.44% of precursors). This has to be the tightest competition of the night and it can be won by only one film: Barbie. It’s between “What Was I Made For?” and “I’m Just Ken.” Based on the precursors, “What Was I Made For?” has the most important ones: Globe, SCL, and Grammy. It even won the Grammy for Song of the Year, which is not easy to do for a song from a film. That is the power of the song’s songwriting. That’s why I’m giving it the edge.
Who Could Potentially Upset: I’m Just Ken (55.56% of precursors). That said, the Academy does love to recognize its frivolous efforts. Think “Under the Sea” and “Naatu Naatu.” It has the edge on total precursor prizes simply because it’s fun. “I’m Just Ken” has an important message but doesn’t feel as significant to the plot. “What Was I Made For?” on the other hand is contemplative and mournful yet hopeful at the same time.
What I Would Like to See Happen: Hands-down, “What Was I Made For?” Is the best of the choices. Every time the song starts playing, the musical arrangement just gets to me. It’s the most affecting song I’ve heard in a really long time and that’s why I really want it to win. That might be impacting my choice of it for the win. That said, it’s going to be close and either one will pull it off in the end and while I’m predicting one, I suspect it will be the other and that will be a shame.
Best Picture
Who Will Win: Oppenheimer (35.94% of precursors). And here we are, the final award of the night. Other than Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Christopher Nolan, this is the most assured victory of the night and it will be Oppenheimer. We seem to be shifting out of the era where small films can win. Sure, we’ve had CODA and Green Book, but both have also been lambasted as two of the weakest winners since Crash and that’s genuinely saying something. The nominations leader used to win regularly and that wasn’t true for most of the 2010s and 2020s so far. We’ll see if the trend continues but this seems like a solid stepping stone back to that era. Oppenheimer is, essentially, running unopposed.
Who Could Potentially Upset: Killers of the Flower Moon (17.19% of precursors). If there’s an upset, and that’s not terribly likely, Killers of the Flower Moon could be the victor. It’s a film from a directing legend and tackles a very challenging subject matter, exposing an event that many audiences aren’t familiar with. Oppenheimer also does to an extent, but kids are taught about the atomic bomb in school, they aren’t taught about the Oklahoma Native American killings and wanting to recognize a film that tells us something new could be enough to bolster Killers to a win, though I doubt it. Another surprise could be Past Lives or Barbie or The Zone of Interest, each for different reasons. Past Lives is a genuinely well liked film, one of the most celebrated of the year. It has the third-most number of precursor awards and it’s an affecting film in the same way that CODA was, though it doesn’t have the added benefit of being about the deaf community. Barbie could win in a groundswell of support for a film that many feel was ill-treated. It’s the kind of movie women could rally behind and with enough first-place votes, it could pull from behind for a win. The Zone of Interest benefits from being a Holocaust film. Only one such film has won Best Picture and it’s certainly been well regarded by many. There’s also Poor Things, which is unique and that could be enough. Anatomy of a Fall is also acclaimed and that could win. The only titles I would be shocked to see win (other than anything but Oppenheimer) are either American Fiction or Maestro. Neither has the profile of a film that comes from behind for victory, so both are out.
What I Would Like to See Happen: Personally, I would like to see Barbie win. It isn’t the best film of the year but neither are the other films. They all have serious flaws that I can’t get past in spite of being very well made movies. That attitude could change when I finally catch the ones I haven’t seen but, for now, Barbie is my choice and a victory for it in Best Picture would be icing on the cake and have the added benefit of making so many incels spitting mad. That alone would be worth the price of admission.
And that’s the 96th Academy Awards. As much as I love Oscar season, I will be taking a break after I do my post-Oscars write-up. Our first predictions for the 96th will be coming out sometime in April. So enjoy the run-up to the big night and, hopefully, we’ll all be pleasantly surprised at least more than a few times.
