Oscar Preview
After a long and controversial few months, award season is coming to an end in Hollywood with the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2nd.
Actors like Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña should have their Oscar speeches ready after numerous wins at other award shows. The people behind movies like “Anora”, “The Brutalist”, and “Emilia Pérez” with 6, 10, and 13 Oscar nominations, respectively, are all expecting several awards, but who will come out as the big winner?
In the category of Best Original Score, “The Brutalist” will likely be the victor; however, there is controversy surrounding this award, as “Dune: Part Two”, the expected winner, and the great Hans Zimmer will not be considered because too many of the film’s songs are shared with the first movie.
Best Original Screenplay is slightly more straightforward than the previous award, but the odds are around 50/50 between the talented Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” and Sean Baker’s “Anora.” Despite “Anora” being the frontrunner in many categories and potentially walking away as the big winner of this year’s awards, “A Real Pain”, the intricate story of two cousins’ journey through Europe in memory of their late grandmother, recently won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay and will likely do the same at the Oscars.
Although not picked to win in the last category, Sean Baker is the favorite to beat Brady Corbet and “The Brutalist” for Best Director on his brilliant film, “Anora.” Baker won this category at the Director’s Guild Awards, and only six times since 1980 has the victor at the DGA not won at the Oscars.
The awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress will likely be landslides and large upsets if not won by Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña, respectively. Culkin gave a stellar performance in “A Real Pain” and has dominated this award season while Saldaña has been similarly commanding. However, watch out for Jeremy Strong from “The Apprentice” and Ariana Grande for “Wicked,” as they both gave great performances and are the most likely competitors to upset the two favorites.
When it comes down to it, each award can be won by any of the great nominees. This is especially true in the categories of Best Actor and Actress. Timothée Chalamet embodied Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” even singing and playing the guitar for every song used in the film; however, Adrien Brody, who is the current youngest Best Actor winner (who would be replaced by Chalamet if he wins), is the frontrunner for this award after his victories at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and BAFTA Awards for his performance in “The Brutalist.” Breakout star Mikey Madison brilliantly portrayed a sex worker who marries a Russian Oligarch in “Anora,” winning the BAFTA for Best Actress, but her odds at the Oscars are still slightly lower than those of Demi Moore for her performance in “The Substance.” Despite the odds, I still have Madison winning Best Actress, as she was just as good if not better than Moore, and in close races, the advantage is usually given to the actor or actress in the better film.
Finally, in the category of Best Picture, the most likely winner is “Anora.” With key victories at the Producers Guild and Directors Guild, “Anora” is the clear-cut winner, and it would be a shocking upset if the award went to another film. Nevertheless, “Conclave” has been making a case for itself as of late, winning at the BAFTA Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards and making itself the only other viable candidate.
Despite these educated predictions, the awards could go to anyone. I did not enjoy “Emilia Pérez” and that likely influenced some predictions, so it would not be surprising if the film wins more awards than predicted. The biggest snub of this year’s nominations goes to “Challengers”, as it was not nominated for any categories including Best Original Score, which it won at the Golden Globes. “Saturday Night” was another film that was not nominated for any awards, and despite it not being considered a snub, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and believe it should have been considered due to its unique style and exceptional writing. The predictions for the remaining Oscar categories are below.
Best Cinematography: “The Brutalist”
Best Production Design: “Wicked”
Best Film Editing: “Conclave”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “Conclave”
Best Original Song: “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
Best Costume Design: “Wicked”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “The Substance”
Best Sound: “Dune: Part Two”
Best Visual Effects: “Dune: Part Two”
Best International Feature Film: “Emilia Pérez” or “I’m Still Here”
Best Animated Feature Film: “The Wild Robot”
Best Animated Short: “Yuck!” or “Wander to Wonder”
Best Live-action Short: “A Lien”
Best Documentary Feature: “No Other Land”
Best Documentary Short: “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
