Year in Advance Oscar Predictions: What the Hell Are We in Store For This Year? (Part Two)

Last week, I debuted my year in advance Oscar predictions piece. In it, I revealed my initial picks, while also more or less setting the stage for an unpredictable season. After all, it does seem like there are less overt contenders at the moment than we’ve had in the past. Still, there are films and performances to consider, so consider them we shall. What I didn’t do, however, was include the technical categories in my predictions. So, the movies that would show up there, they’re getting their moment in the sun now. Then, it’s just our garden variety season updates, ad the year progresses…

Today, I’m just doing some very slight tinkering, mainly a thing or two I might have forgotten about, as well as adding some below the line categories. Those tech fields are going to be unpredictable, though Dune: Part Two seems very safe for a lot of nominations. Everything else will just depend on the year. For example, right now Civil War would seem a likely nominee in Best Sound. Come January? Who knows? That’s the fun of this, to be sure. So, just keep that in mind.

From here on, I’ll be updating my predictions from time to time. Mostly, it’ll be when it seems appropriate to do so. The next one will be likely after the Cannes Film Festival, though we’ll see. Right now, however, my picks in the late April landscape can be seen, for whatever that’s worth…

Here now are my sure to be wrong Year in Advance predictions for the Academy Awards, fully written out for easy access. Behold:

BEST PICTURE

1. Blitz
2. Conclave
3. Maria
4. Dune: Part Two
5. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1
6. Kinds of Kindness
7. His Three Daughters
8. The Nickel Boys
9. SNL 1975
10. Hit Man

Next in Line: 11. Joker: Folie à Deux 12. Sing Sing 13. Queer 14. Bird 15.  Juror No. 2 16. Challengers 17. The End 18. The Apprentice 19. Civil War 20. The Piano Lesson 21. Wicked 22. Anora 23. Gladiator 2 24. A Real Pain 25. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Also Consider: TBD

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Steve McQueen – Blitz
2. Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
3. Edward Berger – Conclave
4. Pablo Larraín – Maria
5. Kevin Costner – Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

Next in Line: 6. Yorgos Lanthimos – Kinds of Kindness 7. Todd Phillips – Joker: Folie à Deux 8. Jason Reitman – SNL 1975 9. Clint Eastwood – Juror No. 2 10. Francis Ford Coppola – Megalopolis

Also Consider: TBD

BEST ACTOR

1. Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
2. Daniel Craig – Queer
3. Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
4. Joaquin Phoenix – Joker: Folie à Deux
5. Glen Powell – Hit Man

Next in Line: 6. John David Washington – The Piano Lesson 7. André Holland – The Actor 8. Andrew Garfield – We Live in Time 9. Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice 10. Gabriel LaBelle – SNL 1975

Also Consider: TBD

BEST ACTRESS

1. Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun
2. Zendaya – Challengers
3. Angelina Jolie – Maria
4. Mickie Madison – Anora
5. Lady Gaga – Joker: Folie à Deux

Next in Line: 6. Florence Pugh – We Live in Time 7. Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters 8. Ryan Destiny – Flint Strong 9. Jenna Ortega – Klara and the Sun 10. Regina King – Shirley

Also Consider: TBD

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Jesse Plemons – Kinds of Kindness
2. Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
3. Stanley Tucci – Conclave
4. Harris Dickinson – Blitz
5. Samuel L. Jackson – The Piano Lesson

Next in Line: 6. Willem Dafoe – Kinds of Kindness 7. Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice 8. Cooper Hoffman – SNL 1975 9. John Lithgow – Conclave 10. Brian Tyree Henry – Flint Strong

Also Consider: TBD

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Isabella Rosselini – Conclave
2. Carrie Coon – His Three Daughters
3. Saoirse Ronan – Blitz
4. Rachel Sennott – SNL 1975
5. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – The Nickel Boys

Next in Line: 6. Elizabeth Olson – His Three Daughters 7. Ariana Grande – Wicked 8. Danielle Deadwyler  – The Piano Lesson 9. Amy Adams – Klara and the Sun 10. Ella Hunt – SNL 1975

Also Consider: TBD

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. SNL 1987
2. Blitz
3. Kinds of Kindness
4. His Three Daughters
5. A Real Pain

Next in Line: 6. The Apprentice 7. We Live in Time 8. Anora 9. The End 10. Juror No. 2

Also Consider: TBD

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. Conclave
2. The Nickel Boys
3. Dune: Part Two
4. Joker: Folie à Deux
5. Hit Man

Next in Line: 6. The Piano Lesson 7. Klara and the Sun 8. Sing Sing 9. Nosferatu 10. Here

Also Consider: TBD

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1. Inside Out 2
2. The Wild Robot
3. Moana 2
4. Spellbound
5. Ultraman: Rising

Next in Line: TBD

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. Conclave
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Blitz
4. Joker: Folie à Deux
5. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

Next in Line: TBD

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Blitz
3. Joker: Folie à Deux
4. Conclave
5. Civil War

Next in Line: TBD

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Joker: Folie à Deux
4. Blitz
5. SNL 1975

Next in Line: TBD

BEST FILM EDITING

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Civil War
3. Blitz
4. Conclave
5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Next in Line: TBD

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Nosferatu
3. Joker: Folie à Deux
4. Blitz
5. Wicked

Next in Line: TBD

BEST SOUND

1. Civil War
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Blitz
4. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
5. Joker: Folie à Deux

Next in Line: TBD

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
3. Civil War
4. Deadpool & Wolverine
5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Next in Line: TBD

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Challengers
3. Blitz
4. Maria
5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Next in Line: TBD

*The rest are TBD…*

Stay tuned for an update to these year in advance Oscar predictions as springtime continues on!