My OSCAR Predictions 2020

The Oscars are here again, and it has been quite a competitive year, with many deserving hopefuls vying only for five nominee slots in each category. Even the much-coveted Best Picture award has a healthy set of nine nominees, above the usual eight films, nearing its limit of ten slots.

Leading the pack is JOKER with eleven nominations, closely followed by a triple tie with THE IRISHMAN, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD and 1917 getting ten nominations each. Next in line with six nominations each are JOJO RABBIT, LITTLE WOMEN, MARRIAGE STORY and PARASITE.

The notable snubs include J-Lo for Best Supporting Actress for HUSTLERS, Greta Gerwig for Best Director for LITTLE WOMEN, Taron Egerton for Best Actor for ROCKETMAN, Awkwafina for Best Actress for THE FAREWELL and FROZEN 2 for Best Animation Feature.

With the actual ceremony happening on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, here are my fearless predictions to win the awards.

BEST PICTURE

“Ford v Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917” – WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite”

BEST LEAD ACTOR

Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” – WINNER
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

BEST LEAD ACTRESS

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Renee Zellweger, “Judy” – WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” – WINNER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” – WINNER
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

BEST DIRECTOR

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Sam Mendes, “1917” – WINNER
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” Dean DeBlois
“I Lost My Body,” Jeremy Clapin
“Klaus,” Sergio Pablos
“Missing Link,” Chris Butler
“Toy Story 4,”  Josh Cooley – WINNER

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian
“Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi
“Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
“Little Women,” Greta Gerwig – WINNER
“The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson
“Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach
“1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino – WINNER
“Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Joker,” Lawrence Sher
“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke
“1917,” Roger Deakins – WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“American Factory,” Julia Rieichert and Steven Bognar – WINNER
“The Cave,” Feras Fayyad
“The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa
“For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
“Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly
“Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar
“Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho  – WINNER

BEST FILM EDITING

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
“The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles
“Joker,” Jeff Groth
“Parasite,” Jinmo Yang – WINNER

BEST SOUND EDITING

“Ad Astra”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Joker”
“1917” – WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

BEST SOUND MIXING

“Ad Astra”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Joker”
“1917” – WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves
“Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova
“1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh – WINNER
“Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir – WINNER
“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat
“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman
“1917,” Thomas Newman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman” – WINNER
“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”
“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”
“Stand Up,” “Harriet”

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR

“Bombshell” – WINNER
“Joker”
“Judy”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
“1917”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson
“Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo
“Joker,” Mark Bridges
“Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran – WINNER
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Avengers Endgame” – WINNER
“The Irishman”
“1917”
“The Lion King”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva
“Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry – WINNER
“Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan
“Memorable,” Bruno Collet
“Sister,” Siqi Song

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger – WINNER
“Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas
“St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
“Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur – WINNER
“Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat
“The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry
“Saria,” Bryan Buckley
“A Sister,” Delphine Girard