We have reached the conclusion. I couldn’t do it in one, but we got there in seven. Good enough. And we conclude with everyone’s favorite Oscar category…Best Sound. Nothing like them talkies. Alright, enough of this small talk. Come on in and take a seat, it’ll be brief.

Here’s Part 1. Don’t forget Part 2. Part 3 is magical. I’ve never seen anything quite like Part 4. Part 5 will open your third eye and show you a wondrous universe of the mind unlike any you’ve ever imagined. Actually, Part 6 is too much…its awesome power may be too much to behold, so just forget that one.

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Best Original Song

This is another locked up category for KPop Demon Hunters. There isn’t anything interesting to say about the category beyond that, really, except for the annual tradition of mentioning Diane Warren will remain winless in this category. She is the most nominated individual in Oscar history without a win. Losing for the documentary film about your career in the music industry feels like it would come with a particular sting. She’ll win one day, I would expect.

Will Win: “Golden,” KPop Demon Hunters

Could Win: “I Lied to You,” Sinners

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Best Original Score

The five scores in this category are all very good. If Sinners had not come out last year, I would personally like to see Jonny Greenwood win for One Battle After Another. But Ludwig Goransson’s Sinners score is the best of this crop, and I think the Academy will agree with me. It isn’t a difficult choice.

Will Win: Sinners

Could Win: One Battle After Another

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Best Sound

At face value, this looks like a very competitive category. You have F1 and Sirat, in which sound is a central component of the intended effect of the film. You have One Battle After Another, a Best Picture front-runner with some noteworthy instances of sound design (working along with framing and editing) that voters may have stuck in their mind. Frankenstein, meanwhile, seems quite unlikely to win here. It is Sinners, to my mind, that is most worthy. As with its score, the sound design is so crucial to the film being an effective experience (particularly theatrically, and the Academy is made up of people waiting on the edges of their seat to burst into applause at the mention of preserving the movie theater). F1 has the betting odds edge, it should be noted, so I am taking a chance with this one.

Will Win: Sinners

Could Win: F1

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As always, thanks for reading!

—Alex Brannan (Letterboxd)