My latest Oscar forecast follows the reveals for shortlists earlier this week where we now know the 15 finalists in International Feature Film, Documentary Feature, and Original Song. We were also given the 20 hopefuls in Original Score and ten pictures standing in Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, and Visual Effects. I covered my reaction to the shortlists here:
Best Sound is the category most altered by the announcement of ten finalists. The Brutalist, which clings to my #1 ranking in Best Picture, falls out of Sound altogether while A Complete Unknown rises two spots to third position. That’s not the only significant development for the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet. Three days before its opening, I have Unknown in my BP ten for the first time and that’s at the expense of A Real Pain. That’s not all. Edward Norton’s performance as Pete Seeger in the movie enters the Supporting Actor quintet with Yura Borisov (Anora) now on the outside looking in.
In Best Actress, that pesky fifth slot goes back to Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) over Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Hard Truths.
You can read all the movement below as I now have Emilia Pérez leading all nominees with 11 to The Brutalist‘s 10. I’ll have another update up post Christmas and pre-New Year’s!
Best Picture
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Brutalist (Previous Ranking: 1) (Even)
2. Conclave (PR: 2) (E)
3. Anora (PR: 3) (E)
4. Emilia Pérez (PR: 4) (E)
5. Wicked (PR: 6) (+1)
6. Dune: Part Two (PR: 5) (-1)
7. The Substance (PR: 7) (E)
8. Sing Sing (PR: 9) (+1)
9. A Complete Unknown (PR: 11) (+2)
10. Nickel Boys (PR: 8) (-2)
Other Possibilities:
11. A Real Pain (PR: 10) (-1)
12. September 5 (PR: 13) (+1)
13. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (PR: 12) (-1)
14. All We Imagine as Light (PR: 14) (E)
15. Nosferatu (PR: 15) (E)
Best Director
Predicted Nominees:
1. Brady Corbet, The Brutalist (PR: 1) (E)
2. Sean Baker, Anora (PR: 2) (E)
3. Edward Berger, Conclave (PR: 3) (E)
4. Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez (PR: 4) (E)
5. Coralie Fargeat, The Substance (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two (PR: 6) (E)
7. RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys (PR: 7) (E)
8. Mohammad Rasoulof, The Seed of the Sacred Fig (PR: 10) (+2)
9. Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine as Light (PR: 9) (E)
10. Jon M. Chu, Wicked (PR: 8) (-2)
Best Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Mikey Madison, Anora (PR: 1) (E)
2. Demi Moore, The Substance (PR: 4) (+2)
3. Karla Sofia Gascón, Emilia Pérez (PR: 3) (E)
4. Angelina Jolie, Maria (PR: 2) (-2)
5. Cynthia Erivo, Wicked (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here (PR: 9) (+2)
8. Nicole Kidman, Babygirl (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Kate Winslet, Lee (PR: 10) (+1)
10. Saoirse Ronan, The Outrun (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Amy Adams, Nightbitch
Best Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Adrien Brody, The Brutalist (PR: 1) (E)
2. Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown (PR: 2) (E)
3. Ralph Fiennes, Conclave (PR: 3) (E)
4. Colman Domingo, Sing Sing (PR: 4) (E)
5. Daniel Craig, Queer (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice (PR; 6) (E)
7. Hugh Grant, Heretic (PR: 8) (+1)
8. Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Sebastian Stan, A Different Man (PR: 9) (E)
10. Glen Powell, Hit Man (PR: 10) (E)
Best Supporting Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez (PR: 1) (E)
2. Ariana Grande, Wicked (PR: 2) (E)
3. Isabella Rossellini, Conclave (PR: 5) (+2)
4. Felicity Jones, The Brutalist (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Margaret Qualley, The Substance (PR: 7) (+1)
7. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez (PR: 8) (E)
9. Joan Chen, Dídi (PR: Not Ranked)
10. Saoirse Ronan, Blitz (PR: 9) (-1)
Dropped Out:
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Best Supporting Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain (PR: 1) (E)
2. Guy Pearce, The Brutalist (PR: 2) (E)
3. Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing (PR: 3) (E)
4. Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown (PR: 6) (+2)
5. Denzel Washington, Gladiator II (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Yura Borisov, Anora (PR: 4) (-2)
7. Stanley Tucci, Conclave (PR: 8) (+1)
8. Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Adam Pearson, A Different Man (PR: 9) (E)
10. Brian Tyree Henry, The Fire Inside (PR: 10) (E)
Best Original Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. Anora (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Brutalist (PR: 2) (E)
3. A Real Pain (PR: 3) (E)
4. The Substance (PR: 4) (E)
5. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. September 5 (PR: 6) (E)
7. Hard Truths (PR: 7) (E)
8. All We Imagine as Light (PR: 8) (E)
9. Saturday Night (PR: 9) (E)
10. Challengers (PR: 10) (E)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. Conclave (PR: 1) (E)
2. Nickel Boys (PR: 2) (E)
3. Sing Sing (PR: 3) (E)
4. Emilia Pérez (PR: 4) (E)
5. Dune: Part Two (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. A Complete Unknown (PR: 9) (+3)
7. The Room Next Door (PR: 6) (-1)
8. I’m Still Here (PR: 8) (E)
9. Wicked (PR: 7) (-2)
10. Hit Man (PR: 10) (E)
Best International Feature Film
Predicted Nominees:
1. Emilia Pérez (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (PR: 2) (E)
3. I’m Still Here (PR: 3) (E)
4. The Girl with the Needle (PR: 4) (E)
5. Vermiglio (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Dahomey (PR: 8) (+2)
7. Kneecap (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Flow (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Universal Language (PR: 9) (E)
10. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (PR: 10) (E)
Best Animated Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Wild Robot (PR: 1) (E)
2. Flow (PR: 2) (E)
3. Inside Out 2 (PR: 3) (E)
4. Memoir of a Snail (PR: 4) (E)
5. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Piece by Piece (PR: 8) (+2)
7. Moana 2 (PR: 7) (E)
8. Chicken for Linda! (PR: 6) (-2)
9. Transformers One (PR: 9) (E)
10. Spellbound (PR: 10) (E)
Best Documentary Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. No Other Land (PR: 1) (E)
2. Sugarcane (PR: 4) (+2)
3. Daughters (PR: 2) (-1)
4. Will & Harper (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Dahomey (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Black Box Diaries (PR: 6) (E)
7. Union (PR: 7) (E)
8. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (PR: 8) (E)
9. Porcelain War (PR: Not Ranked)
10. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (PR: 10) (E)
Dropped Out:
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Best Cinematography
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Brutalist (PR: 1) (E)
2. Dune: Part Two (PR: 2) (E)
3. Nickel Boys (PR: 3) (E)
4. Maria (PR: 8) (+4)
5. The Girl with the Needle (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Conclave (PR: 6) (E)
7. Nosferatu (PR: 4) (-3)
8. Emilia Pérez (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Anora (PR: Not Ranked)
10. A Complete Unknown (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Challengers
Wicked
Best Costume Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. Wicked (PR: 1) (E)
2. Dune: Part Two (PR: 2) (E)
3. Gladiator II (PR: 5) (+2)
4. Nosferatu (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Maria (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Conclave (PR: 8) (+2)
7. Blitz (PR: 10) (+3)
8. A Complete Unknown (PR: 7) (-1)
9. The Brutalist (PR: 9) (E)
10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (PR: 6) (-4)
Best Film Editing
Predicted Nominees:
1. Conclave (PR: 3) (+2)
2. Anora (PR: 2) (E)
3. The Brutalist (PR: 1) (-2)
4. Emilia Pérez (PR: 7) (+3)
5. September 5 (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Dune: Part Two (PR: 4) (-2)
7. Challengers (PR: 8) (+1)
8. The Substance (PR: 5) (-3)
9. Wicked (PR: 10) (+1)
10. Nickel Boys (PR: 9) (-1)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Substance (PR: 1) (E)
2. Wicked (PR: 3) (+1)
3. Dune: Part Two (PR: 2) (-1)
4. A Different Man (PR: 4 (E)
5. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (PR: 7) (+2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Nosferatu (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Emila Pérez (PR: 10) (+3)
8. Maria (PR: 6) (-2)
9. Waltzing with Brando (PR: Not Ranked)
10. The Apprentice (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Sasquatch Sunset
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Best Original Score
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Brutalist (PR: 1) (E)
2. Conclave (PR: 2) (E)
3. Emilia Pérez (PR: 5) (+2)
4. The Wild Robot (PR: 4) (E)
5. Challengers (PR: 3) (-2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Wicked (PR: 10) (+4)
7. Sing Sing (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Nosferatu (PR: 7) (-1)
9. The Room Next Door (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Blitz (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Nickel Boys
Best Original Song
Predicted Nominees:
1. “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez (PR: 1) (E)
2. “Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot (PR: 3) (+1)
3. “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez (PR: 2) (-1)
4. “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight (PR: 4) (E)
5. “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing (PR: 9) (+4)
Other Possibilities:
6. “Compress/Repress” from Challengers (PR: 8) (+2)
7. “Harper and Will Go West” from Will & Harper (PR: 7) (E)
8. “Tell Me It’s You” from Mufasa: The Lion King (PR: Not Ranked)
9. “Piece by Piece” from Piece by Piece (PR: Not Ranked)
10. “Sick in the Head” from Kneecap (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
“Forbidden Road” from Better Man
“Beautiful That Way” from The Last Showgirl
“Better Way to Live” from Kneecap
Best Production Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. Wicked (PR: 1) (E)
2. Dune: Part Two (PR: 2) (E)
3. The Brutalist (PR: 5) (+2)
4. Gladiator II (PR: 4) (E)
5. Nosferatu (PR: 3) (-2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Maria (PR: 9) (+3)
7. Conclave (PR: 7) (E)
8. Blitz (PR: 8) (E)
9. A Complete Unknown (PR: 10) (+1)
10. Emilia Pérez (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
The Substance
Best Sound
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune: Part Two (PR: 1) (E)
2. Wicked (PR: 2) (E)
3. A Complete Unknown (PR: 5) (+2)
4. Emilia Pérez (PR: 6) (+2)
5. Blitz (PR: 7) (+2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Gladiator II (PR: 3) (-3)
7. The Wild Robot (PR: Not Ranked)
8. Alien: Romulus (PR: Not Ranked)
9. Deadpool & Wolverine (PR: Not Ranked)
10. Joker: Folie à Deux (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
The Brutalist
Nosferatu
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
The Substance
Best Visual Effects
Predicted Nominees:
1. Dune: Part Two (PR: 1) (E)
2. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (PR: 2) (E)
3. Wicked (PR: 3) (E)
4. Gladiator II (PR: 6) (+2)
5. Better Man (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Twisters (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Mufasa: The Lion King (PR: 8) (+1)
8. Alien: Romulus (PR: Not Ranked)
9. Deadpool & Wolverine (PR: 9) (E)
10. Civil War (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
The Substance
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
And that works out to the following numbers of nominations for these films:
11 Nominations
Emilia Pérez
10 Nominations
The Brutalist
8 Nominations
Dune: Part Two, Wicked
7 Nominations
Conclave
5 Nominations
Anora, Sing Sing, The Substance
4 Nominations
A Complete Unknown, Gladiator II
3 Nominations
Maria, Nickel Boys, The Wild Robot
2 Nominations
The Girl with the Needle, Nosferatu, A Real Pain, The Seed of the Sacred Fig
1 Nomination
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Better Man, Blitz, Challengers, Dahomey, Daughters, A Different Man, Flow, I’m Still Here, Inside Out 2, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Memoir of a Snail, No Other Land, The Piano Lesson, Queer, September 5, The Six Triple Eight, Sugarcane, Vermiglio, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Will & Harper