It's that time of year again! The red carpet is rolled out and the Oscars are here! Which can only mean one thing, it's time for my annual Oscar Picks!
Conan O'Brien is hosting for the first time, and I could not be more excited!
This year's nominees are one of a kind and I had pleasure as always speaking with a number of them. "Anora" has been quite the powerhouse this award season, and I expect that to continue tonight. Last week's SAG Awards shook some things up with Conclave winning for ensemble and Timothee Chalamet winning best actor. Some of these races are so tight that I may as well have just flipped a coin to decide them. All three of the short film categories are as tight as I've ever seen them. Of course the shorts program holds a special place in my heart as I talk with almost all of these filmmakers every year and I honestly feel bad about picking any one of them. But it's my job to do so!
Without further ado, here's my picks for the 97th Oscars.
BEST PICTURE
Anora
BEST ACTOR
Timothee Chalamet
I'm picking Chalamet as an upset. I have fully expected this to go to Adrian Brody all award season, but after Chalamet's SAG win, it really shook things up. While Brody has won pretty much every major award, SAG members represents one of the largest voting bodies which is why the SAG Awards typically predicts the winner. While it's not perfect, sometimes the BAFTA winner is who takes it, statistically speaking, the majority of times it goes to the SAG winner.
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kieran Culkin
BEST ACTRESS
Demi Moore
While Moore feels like the heavy favorite here, we can't ignore Mikey Madison for "Anora" as she's had a little bit of resurgence in the award landscape and could easily sneak in with a win. This has been a huge year though for Demi Moore and I fully expect her to win.
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Zoe Saldana
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist
BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Wild Robot
I really wouldn't be surprised to see "Flow" sneak in here with a win, but I think this is a lock for "The Wild Robot".
BEST EDITING
Conclave
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora
As much as I love Anora ,and they won the WGA award here, I would love to see an upset by "A Real Pain" here. I loved that movie and think Jessie Eisenberg not only wrote a brilliant script, but is also very beloved by the industry and many people would love to see him win an Oscar. I still think it's going to go to "Anora", but I'd love to see this particular upset here.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Conclave
While "Nickel Boys" did with the WGA Award here, "Conclave" was not eligible for the WGA Awards, making this race a little different. Nothing against "Nickel Boys" as it is a beautiful and well written film, but I think had "Conclave" been eligible for the WGA we would have seen it go to them.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Porcelain War
Another one that I feel could go two ways. I think "No Other Land" is a good contender in here, however, it feels little bleak and heavy, where as "Porcelain War" comes from a bleak setting offering hope. I think this will give it the edge.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Magic Candies
One of the hardest categories to select. I could see any one of these winning. "Magic Candies" was the one that spoke to me the most, but I could also really see "Yuck!" coming in here with a potential win. We of course had "Yuck!" filmmaker Loic Espuche on the show last week and would love to see him win. "Wander to Wonder" also won the BAFTA. I think this is anybodies race.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Anuja
Another insanely difficult category to pick. This one is such a toss up. "A Lien" is very of the moment, and frankly broke me while watching it. "The Last Ranger" is also such a beautiful film that I could really see sneak in a win here.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
I Am Ready, Warden
Another short that absolutely broke me, but it wasn't the only in the category that destroyed me. "Incident" is another top contender that is so of the moment and will just break your heart. I think "I Am Ready, Warden" has the upper hand by it being more narrative, but I cannot suggest "Incident" more. It's an incredibly important film.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Wicked
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
The Substance
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
"I'm Still Here"
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Brutalist
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
The Journey, The Six Triple Eight
This makes Diane Warrens 16th Oscar nomination without a win. I think the legend takes it home tonight. I know a lot are picking one of the songs from Emelia Perez here, but I think that vote will be split and Warren finally gets her Oscar gold!
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Wicked
Don't count out "The Brutalist" here. The stunning simplicity of "The Brutalist" gave it such powerful production design but I think the loud powerful design of "Wicked" will over power the powerful simplicity here.
BEST SOUND
Dune: Part Two
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune: Part Two
Don't miss the 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O'Brien on ABC and streaming on Hulu. This year's show starts an hour earlier at 4PM PST.
