It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The Oscars! Get out your film critic caps, red carpet fashion critiques, a healthy cynicism for the newly acquitted president, a bowl of popcorn, and a glass of milk. Get ready for the Academy Awards this Sunday night. Who’s ready for an Oscar?
As you’re placing your bets, here are InQua’s predictions for the 2020 Oscars winners.
Best Supporting Actor
Emily: Brad, Brad, Brad. It’s high time Brad Pitt won an Oscar for acting. Finally, I think this is the year for it. Unless one of The Irishman legends Al Pacino or Joe Pesci scoop it up from him, but it’s not looking likely.
Tristan: Brad Pitt makes the awards sweep with an Oscar, I’m with you Emily. Like you, I could see a Pesci win as a nod to his return for this one picture. My money’s on Brad though.
Best Supporting Actress
Emily: All the Oscar nominees for Best Supporting Actresses this year are phenomenal, but I don’t think there’s much competition against Laura Dern. She will not NOT be rich, so back off.
Tristan: While I think Scarlett Johansson did a great job in Jojo Rabbit, I’m with you in thinking Dern has this in the bag. Florence Pugh could be the dark horse newcomer…but still not convinced stern-Dern loses.
Best Actor
Emily: If Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t win Best Actor there will be anarchy. That being said, I’m secretly hoping that Antonio Banderas snatches it up from him for a stellar performance that didn’t receive the same popular attention that Joker did, but was still just as powerful.
Tristan: Joaquin Phoenix does and Joaquin Phoenix does. I see an upset here much like Keaton five years ago with his loss to Eddie Redmayne. My bet is, Phoenix loses to Adam Driver for actor.
Best Actress
Emily: It’s hard to believe that anyone but Renée Zellwegner is going to win Best Actress this year. But dang it, I’m hoping Scarlett Johansson pulls out the upset. I mean, Glenn Close didn’t win last year for her shoe-in performance, so anything can happen, right?
Tristan: I think Saoirse Ronan takes this one narrowly. I loved ScarJo in Marriage Story, but I think both she and Renée Zellwegner had much less chatter surrounding their performances. Greta got the Director nom snub, Ronan will take Best Actress.
Best Director
Emily: Sam Mendes seems like the obvious choice here (which is a pretty amazing feat given that legends like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino are also in the running). But my bet’s on Bong Joon Ho. He’s created a masterpiece that has made powerful waves for Korean cinema and has become a surprisingly popular flick. I don’t think his genius will go unrewarded.
Tristan: No matter who I want to win, I think it’s a battle between Mendes, Tarantino, and Scorsese. The least likely is Scorsese, and Mendes won Globes, so Tarantino? And the dark horse is definitely Bong Joon-Ho. Would the win be a political move to prove the Oscars are diverse? Del Toro, Cuaron, Joon-Ho? Would it just be calling a great director a great director? Sunday can’t come soon enough.
Best Picture
Emily: 1917 is the most likely nominee to win. It’s killing it this awards season, but I agree with some critics that if anyone can take it down its biggest competitors are Parasite and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I would love to see Parasite make history with a best picture win, but I’m thinking it will follow Roma‘s footsteps and leave with the Best International Film. Although, can I throw in Little Women as a contender, too? It’s sadly lacking a Best Director nom (one of these days, Greta), but I could see it being a film that resonates well with conservative Academy voters and the radicals. It’s a crowd-pleaser and a masterfully created story for our day. Will it win? Probably not. But wouldn’t that be a satisfying upset?
Tristan: The track record says 1917 takes the Oscar as well. In my book, it’s a toss up between Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or Irishmen though. Ultra-conservative bet though? Ford v. Ferrari pulls a Green Book and there’s a riot in Hollywood. I doubt Joker takes it, and though I loved Jojo Rabbit and Little Women, I think they’ll receive their awards in other categories.
Other Notable Oscar Noms and Predictions
Tristan: Avengers: Endgame wins Visual Effects, only upset would be Irishmen for the de-aging (and yes, it was that good). This year, no one’s taking Cinematography from Roger Deakins and his work on 1917. Parasite has to win International Feature…unless it doesn’t. I have a screener for Corpus Christi sitting on my table, and I’m hearing it’s all the rage right now. I want John Williams to take home the Oscar for Music, but I think Hildur Guðnadóttir will win it for Joker like she did at the Globes. Rocketman gets its one win with Best Original Song, and JoJo Rabbit wins best Adapted Screenplay. Best Original Screenplay is gonna be Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, QT has called it into existence.
Check out our other Oscar pieces for 2020:
Why Endgame Was Never an Oscar Contender
Op-Ed: Endgame Was Robbed