2021 Oscars Predictions

As always, these are my predictions to win, not who or what movie I wish would win.

Best Picture: Minari

Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Best Actress: Frances McDormand - Nomadland

Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Supporting Actress: Amanda Seyfried - Mank

Best Director: Chloé Zhao - Nomadland

Best Original Screenplay: Lee Isaac Chung - Minari

Best Adapted Screenplay: Kemp Powers - One Night In Miami...

Best Animated Film: Soul

Best International Feature Film: Another Round

Best Documentary Film: Time

Best Documentary (Short Subject): A Love Song For Latasha

Best Animated Short Film: If Anything Happens I Love You

Best Live Action Short Film: Two Distant Strangers

Best Original Score: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste - Soul

Best Original Song: "Speak Now" - One Night In Miami...

Best Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt - Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Film Editing: Chloé Zhao - Nomadland

Best Production Design: Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale - Mank

Best Costume Design: Ann Roth - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Colleen LaBaff, Kimberley Spiteri and Gigi Williams - Mank

Best Sound: Sound of Metal

Best Visual Effects: Tenet

Oh boy, I can't wait the most unanticipated Oscars of all time, which is sure to net its worst television ratings of all time!

Seriously though, I so don't really care for this year's Oscars even as a diehard fan. The rest of America will be more vicious and not even bother to watch or care.

I really believe that the Academy will want something more uplifting for Best Picture after last year's (justifiable) winner and a year of pure misery for the world and for cinema. Chloé Zhao is going to be fine as the second female winner of Best Director and more than likely recipient of the award for Best Film Editing.

Three of the acting slots are essentially easy locks (though again it's odd how a principal actor in a film is considered a supporting role) which leaves Best Supporting Actress just hanging there. There's absolutely no way the Academy is going to give another award to anything Borat, Coleman already has one, and Youn Yuh-jung is there just to be the designated foreign filler. I and many critics really don't want Glenn Close to finally get her Oscar for a much maligned movie so I'm putting my bet down on the good ole "award the ingénue" ploy with Seyfried.

If Chung gets Best Screenplay, Minari winning Best Picture will be an absolute certain.

It would be really cool if Wolfwalkers took the crown but the Disney machine and their loyal followers in the Academy will most likely give Best Animated Feature to Soul.

Considering it got a Best Director nomination and the other four nominees deal with very depressing subjects, Another Round is sure to win Best International Feature Film.

Maybe it's because I'm still reeling from the Derek Chauvin verdict. Maybe it's because of all of the tragedies and hateful rhetoric we Americans have gone through for the past four years (and sadly even beyond that). But I really do believe that the Academy is gonna hand out a lot of its secondary awards to the ones about black lives and gun violence. Both because they want to pat themselves on their back for doing a good job but also justifiable giving attention and praise to some stellar work. I can certainly vouch for If Anything Happens I Love You for Best Animated Short and Time is just too big of a critical darling to fail at winning Best Documentary Film.

Soul just has to win Best Score. Reznor and Ross are going to pull a Holly Hunter, not a Sigourney Weaver. Similarly, Sound of Metal has to win Best Sound. It has it in its name!

I really want "Husavik" to win Best Song, and I'll be cheering for Molly Sandén, but again, the Academy is in a mood and would rather go for Leslie Odom Jr. than some Swede. Though, to be honest, I think a lot of people will say the same thing.

I feel pretty bad about leaving the tech awards to just rot. I usually really like to pick these. I went with Bobbitt for Best Cinematography mainly for my love of his previous work. I could see Mank nabbing all three aesthetic awards but something tells me Ma Rainey's Black Bottom will be a spoiler. And I went with it but I won't lie: I will laugh if Tenet loses out.

See you on Monday with my reaction to the awards and the ceremony itself.