Tag Archives: Academy Awards

2026 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Original Song, Original Score, Sound (Part 7)

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.

Best Original Song

This is another locked up category for KPop Demon Hunters. There isn’t anything Continue reading 2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Original Song, Original Score, Sound (Part 7) →

2026 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Live Action, Documentary, and Animated Short (Part 6)

Part 6. I’m almost out of this numeric hellscape. So many numbers…all I see is numbers…I can’t even remember how I started down this path. Let us count the ways, but how? All I can think is “six.” Has it always just been 6?

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.

Best Animated Short Film

There is one animated short that I have not been able to locate (most of the others are available on YouTube), so of course that will be the one that wins. The Three Sisters—look out for it. Of the four I have seen, this race could go a number of ways. I don’t think Continue reading 2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Live Action, Documentary, and Animated Short (Part 6) →

2026 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Documentary, Animated Feature, International Film (Part 5)

What can one say about Part 5? I’m being non-rhetorical…I’m running out of numerical-based banter. We’re still doing Oscars predictions.

Here’s Part 1. Don’t forget Part 2. Part 3 is magical. I’ve never seen anything quite like Part 4.

Best Documentary Feature

I honestly don’t get the The Perfect Neighbor buzz, but it has won all over the place in doc categories. It is far and away Continue reading 2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Documentary, Animated Feature, International Film (Part 5) →

2026 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup (Part 4)

Academy Awards predictions. Part 4. Trust me when I say that these are the most important predictions for your Oscar ballot. You will lose your office pool if you don’t pay careful attention to the next few paragraphs. They will seriously up your game.

Nah, I’m just kidding. This is mostly just a prolonged conversation about Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein. Enjoy. (Or don’t. It’s up to you.)

Here’s Part 1. Don’t forget Part 2. Part 3 is magical.

Best Costume Design

Frankenstein is the heavy favorite in this category, and for good reason. It has a type of period costuming that the Academy adores. And, frankly, Continue reading 2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup (Part 4) →

Award Ceremonies, 2026 Academy Awards

2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Casting, Cinematography, Editing, VFX (Part 3)

Ah yes, Part 3. It’s kind of like a trilogy…except we aren’t halfway through yet. So it’s like a trilogy, if…you don’t understand prefixes. Getting technical with this one, so bust out your kinetograph, your Rolodex, your splicing tape, and your 3D rendering software of choice.

Here’s Part 1. Don’t forget Part 2.

Best Casting

The inaugural Best Casting field is a very good one. This race mostly replicates the Best Picture race, in that Sinners and One Battle After Another are the two obvious choices. The most comparable major award to this is Continue reading 2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Casting, Cinematography, Editing, VFX (Part 3) →

2026 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Supporting Acting and Screenplay (Part 2)

It’s Part 2 time. It’s like a Part 1, but a second one. We’re in the second half of the “above the line” categories. So keep your eye out for the line. It’s arbitrary and antiquated, so it’s easy to miss. But from what I understand, there is a line, and we’re about to pass it.

Here’s Part 1.

Best Supporting Actor

I don’t fully understand the Sean Penn aspect of One Battle After Another. I don’t personally dislike him in the film, but on a performance level I find him the least interesting of the principle characters. Benicio Del Toro, meanwhile, is the best performance in the film, some (and I) argue. While Penn is the favorite to win Continue reading 2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Supporting Acting and Screenplay (Part 2) →

2026 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Picture and More (Part 1)

Having arrived very late to the Oscar prediction party this year, I am splitting up my ballot into 4-5 articles, just to get them out in the most timely possible fashion. Currently, you are in the sweet spot of the headliner categories (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress). The big categories are usually among the easier to predict, but not this year!

Best Picture

Sinners could very well walk away from Oscar Sunday with the most awards, and it has a real shot at winning Continue reading 2026 Academy Awards Predictions — Best Picture and More (Part 1) →

2025 Academy Awards, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

2025 Academy Award Predictions — My Oscar Ballot

In previous years, I have taken the time to break down every Oscar race, assess each nominee’s odds, and ultimately give a prediction in each category. This year, time is short, so here we are. Last second predictions.

Here is one film critic’s ballot of Oscar predictions, full of hedged bets, personal opinions, the occasional bold swing, and pauses for halfhearted explanation.

Best Picture

Will Win: Anora
Could Win: The Brutalist
Biased Opinion: The Substance or Nickel Boys should win

I mulled over the possibilities of Continue reading 2025 Academy Award Predictions — My Oscar Ballot →

2025 Academy Awards, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Academy Awards 2025: Oscar Race Changes Direction after Critics, DGA, and PGA Announce Winners

Heading into this weekend, the 2025 Oscar season was already a complicated conversation. Embroiled in controversy, the one-time favorite from Netflix, Emilia Pérez, found its awards chances slipping through its fingers. The film was already a controversial film when it left Oscar nomination morning with the most nominations (13). The ensuing discovery of not-so-old social media posts from actress Karla Sofia Gascon has added significant baggage to the film’s campaign.

In an attempt to cut Gascon out of the film’s broader Oscar campaign, director Jacques Audiard has distanced himself from the actress and denounced her posts (Audiard himself has received his own share of criticism for some interview faux pas). And Gascon has stopped campaigning alongside the film’s other nominees.

Still, a meaningful rebound for Emilia Pérez will be difficult, and frankly there is not a lot of time left for Netflix and the film’s stable of nominees to convince Academy voters to stick with the film that they gave a baker’s dozen nominations.

The frontrunner status for Emilia Pérez was Continue reading Academy Awards 2025: Oscar Race Changes Direction after Critics, DGA, and PGA Announce Winners →

2025 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Surprises from the 2025 Oscar Nominations

Spoiler alert: There aren’t many.

The 2025 Academy Awards nominations have been announced, officially solidifying the Oscar campaigns of a number of awards hopefuls.

Many of the films nominated were the ones prognosticators were expecting. Truly, the most shocked I was watching Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott announce the nominees was seeing the Elton John song get a Best Original Song nomination. Even with this, after thinking about it for a moment, it made reasonable sense as a nomination.

As much as we can talk about surprises, these are the snubs and unexpected noms from this morning’s announcement.

Best Picture Snubs

Given the Academy’s recent track record of nominating a buzzy non-American production in Best Picture (this year there are two), it is not a total shock to see Continue reading Surprises from the 2025 Oscar Nominations →