As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.
It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our fifth filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Justine Triet in Anatomy of a Fall. Let’s get to it!
Previous Oscar Directing Nominations:
None
The Case for Justine Triet:
The buzz for French legal drama Anatomy of a Fall started building when it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last summer and culminated with five nominations, including BP. Triet nabbed a BAFTA nod as well.
The Case Against Justine Triet:
No DGA, Globe, or Critics Choice nomination. France also dropped the ball by not submitting Anatomy of a Fall as their International Film Feature pick (voters might’ve wanted to make up for that by honoring Triet with a slot in this race). As with any of the other four contenders in Director, they’re not named Christopher Nolan. He’s taken every precursor that counts for Oppenheimer.
The Verdict:
Triet could be an Oscar recipient a week from now… in Original Screenplay alongside her cowriter Arthur Harari.
My Case Of posts have concluded! Whew. That means my FINAL Oscar predictions are coming to the blog in short order…
As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.
It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five big races. Today we arrive at our fourth filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Martin Scorsese in Killers of the Flower Moon. Let’s get to it!
Previous Directing Oscar Nominations:
Raging Bull (1980); The Last Temptation of Christ (1988); GoodFellas (1990); Gangs of New York (2002); The Aviator (2004); The Departed (2006, WON); Hugo (2011); The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); The Irishman (2019)
The Case for Martin Scorsese:
Being one of the most celebrated directors in the history of the medium helps. For this epic historical drama, Scorsese nabs a 10th nod for his behind the camera work (moving ahead of Steven Spielberg’s 9). That’s second only to William Wyler’s 12. DGA, Globe, and Critics Choice mentions preceded this.
The Case Against Martin Scorsese:
It’s Christopher Nolan’s year as Oppenheimer glides to a BP crowning. That should easily correlate to this race. Scorsese also missed the BAFTA cut.
The Verdict:
The stats will be 1 for 10 for Marty when it comes to victories as Nolan is taking this.
My Case Of posts will continue with Emma Stone in Poor Things…
As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.
It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our third filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer. Let’s get to it!
Previous Oscar Directing Nominations:
Dunkirk (2017)
The Case for Christopher Nolan:
Where to begin? Oppenheimer is easily the frontrunner for BP and leads all nominees with 13 overall. Nolan, one of the most visible and well-known filmmakers of the 21st century, has won all significant precursors. That includes the DGA (which has a sterling track record of matching with Oscar), the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA.
The Case Against Christopher Nolan:
There’s not much of one honestly. However, the Academy does have a history of snubbing Nolan. He missed the cut for Memento, The Dark Knight and Inception even though he picked up DGA nods for all three.
The Verdict:
If Nolan were to lose, it would be a jaw dropper. This is one of the easiest races to forecast. For someone whose pictures consistently deal with the concept of time… it’s his time with the Academy.
My Case Of posts will continue with Carey Mulligan in Maestro…
As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.
It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our second filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things. Let’s get to it!
Previous Directing Nominations:
The Favourite (2018)
The Case for Yorgos Lanthimos:
From his 2009 Greek psychological drama Dogtooth to the 2015 pitch black satire The Lobster and 2017 medical thriller The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos has emerged as one of the most acclaimed directors of the 21st century (with some comparisons to Kubrick). Absurdist costume period piece The Favourite was his awards breakout with 10 nods and an Actress victory for Olivia Colman. His follow-up absurdist costume period piece Poor Things did that one better with 11 and it has its hardcore supporters. He’s picked up DGA, Critics Choice, and Globe mentions.
The Case Against Yorgos Lanthimos:
That all important DGA precursor went to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer and he also received the Globe and Critics Choice. It looks like it’s simply his year. Lanthimos was also snubbed for BAFTA.
The Verdict:
Actress for Emma Stone and Production Design are Oscar things his film could get. Not this category.
My Case Of posts will continue with Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall…
How reliable is the Director Guild top prize when it comes to correlating with the Oscar winner? In the previous 75 ceremonies, the DGA victor has matched the Academy’s 67 times. The most recent example of a diversion is 2o19 when Sam Mendes (1917) took DGA while Bong Joon-ho was your Oscar recipient.
Despite that fairly fresh example, the thinking going into last night’s show was that Christopher Nolan could effectively sow up his Oscar if he got the DGA. He did. The fifth time was the charm for the Oppenheimer maker as he had previously been nominated for Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception, and Dunkirk without a trophy to show for it. The Academy has been less generous as he’s in contention for only the second time (his other nom there was with Dunkirk). With victories now at DGA, Critics Choice, and the Globes (with BAFTA seemingly next) – Nolan appears well on his way to Oscar glory.
I went 3 for 3 on my picks covering feature films. Celine Song (Past Lives) made the podium trip for First-Time Feature Film. There was slightly more intrigue in that contest as Cord Jefferson (American Fiction) provide some competition. While Fiction had a better showing in terms of mentions at the Oscars (5 noms to 2 for Past Lives), Song seemed more probable for this race and that went according to script.
20 Days in Mariupol appears to be the frontrunner for Documentary Feature at the big show. Its maker Mstyslav Chernov is the winner at DGA for Documentaries. It’s worth noting that, unlike Feature Film, there isn’t a strong correlation between DGA/Oscar recipients for Documentary Feature. The last match (ironically) is 2019 with Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert for American Factory. This stands an excellent shot at being the next one.
We are now less than a month away from the Oscars. Keep checking out the blog for all the coverage!
As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.
It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at the Director quintet and it starts with Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest. Let’s get to it!
Previous Directing Nominations:
None
The Case for Jonathan Glazer:
The English filmmaker’s fourth feature comes after three acclaimed predecessors: 2001’s Sexy Beast, 2004’s Birth, and 2014’s Under the Skin. The Holocaust drama is the frontrunner for Best International Feature Film and had a solid showing with five nominations. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of other directors in recent years who took the prize along with IFF like Alfonso Cuaròn (Roma) and Bong Joon-ho (Parasite).
The Case Against Jonathan Glazer:
Cuaròn and Joon-ho didn’t have to compete against the juggernaut that is Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer. He is the far and away favorite. Glazer managed a BAFTA mention, but didn’t make the cut for Critics Choice, the Globes, or DGA.
The Verdict:
Barring a massive upset, Nolan towers over all competitors.
My Case Of posts will continue with Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon…
The 76th DGA Awards take place this Saturday and it’s a key indication to which filmmaker will emerge with the Oscar for direction. How much so? 9 out of the previous 10 DGA recipients have taken the Academy’s gold. The only deviation in the last ten years is Sam Mendes (1917) winning DGA while Bong Joon-Ho was victorious on Oscar night.
There is usually a 4 out of 5 match between DGA and Oscar nominees in the big race. 2023 diverted from that. There are just 3 DGA contenders vying for the Academy prize: Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), and Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon). Greta Gerwig (Barbie) and Alexander Payne (The Holdovers) are up for DGA while Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest) and Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall) look for Academy love.
Let’s walk through that contest as well as the ones for Documentaries and First-Time Feature Film with predictions for the winner and a runner-up selection.
Feature Film
Nominees: Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Alexander Payne (The Holdovers), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Even if Oppenheimer doesn’t win BP at the Oscars (and that seems unlikely right now), Nolan appears to be in the driver’s seat for the Academy statue. If he doesn’t take DGA, it would frankly be a shocker. Don’t count on it.
Predicted Winner: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Runner-Up: Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
First-Time Feature Film
Nominees: Cord Jefferson (American Fiction), Manuela Martelli (Chile ’76), Noora Niasari (Shayda), A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One), Celine Song (Past Lives)
This is clearly a showdown between the makers of the two BP nominees in Jefferson and Song. Fiction actually had a stronger showing than Lives from the Academy – 5 nominations to 2. Yet I think Song gets this by a nose.
Predicted Winner: Celine Song, Past Lives
Runner-Up: Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Documentaries
Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp, Bobi Wine: The People’s President, Mstyslav Chernov, 20 Days in Mariupol, Madeleine Gavin, Beyond Utopia, Davis Guggenheim, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, D. Smith, Kokomo City
Even though it wasn’t nominated for Doc Feature at the Academy Awards, Guggenheim’s work in Still could score the hardware (the editing alone could earn it the win). However, I’ll go with Chernov and his likely Oscar frontrunner.
Predicted Winner: Mstyslav Chernov, 20 Days in Mariupol
Runner-Up: Davis Guggenheim, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Starting about 365 days ago with the Sundance Film Festival, my speculation of the nominees for the 96th Academy Awards kicked off. As it does each year, dozens of predictions posts followed.
And now… after clues from the Golden Globes, SAG, PGA, DGA, Critics Choice, BAFTA, regional critics groups, and good ole fashioned gut feelings, my FINAL projections are here! They will be out Tuesday and I’ll have a recap up that evening.
The speculations ends here. With each race, I’m giving you my selections along with a runner-up and a second runner-up. Let’s get to it!
Best Picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
1st Alternate: The Color Purple
2nd Alternate: Saltburn
Best Director
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
1st Alternate: Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
2nd Alternate: Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Best Actress
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
1st Alternate: Greta Lee, Past Lives
2nd Alternate: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Origin
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
1st Alternate: Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon
2nd Alternate: Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Best Cinematography
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
1st Alternate: Barbie
2nd Alternate: El Conde
Best Costume Design
Barbie
The Color Purple
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
1st Alternate: Napoleon
2nd Alternate: Maestro
Best Film Editing
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
1st Alternate: Poor Things
2nd Alternate: Barbie
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Golda
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
1st Alternate: Society of the Snow
2nd Alternate: The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Best Original Score
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest
1st Alternate: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2nd Alternate: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Best Original Song
“The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot
“I’m Just Ken” from Barbie
“Road to Freedom” from Rustin
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie
1st Alternate: “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony
2nd Alternate: “Quiet Eyes” from Past Lives
Best Production Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
1st Alternate: The Zone of Interest
2nd Alternate: Asteroid City
Best Sound
Ferrari
Maestro
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest
1st Alternate: Killers of the Flower Moon
2nd Alternate: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
Best Visual Effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
1st Alternate: Poor Things
2nd Alternate: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
And that means I’m predicting these movies generate these numbers in terms of nominations:
13 Nominations
Oppenheimer
12 Nominations
Killers of the Flower Moon
10 Nominations
Poor Things
9 Nominations
Barbie
7 Nominations
Maestro, The Zone of Interest
5 Nominations
The Holdovers
4 Nominations
American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall
2 Nominations
The Color Purple, Ferrari, Napoleon, Past Lives, Rustin, Society of the Snow, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
1 Nomination
20 Days in Mariupol, Beyond Utopia, The Boy and the Heron, The Creator, Elemental, The Eternal Memory, Fallen Leaves, Flamin’ Hot, Four Daughters, Godzilla Minus One, Golda, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, May December, Nimona, Perfect Days, Saltburn, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, Suzume, Tótem
Bobi Wine: The People’s President from directors Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo chronicles the Ugandan presidential campaign of the title character. Having originally debuted at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, it received distribution stateside last year via Disney+/National Geographic. It’s one of 15 shortlisted features for Best Documentary Feature.
Sporting a 100% RT score, Bobi‘s filmmakers are freshly nominated for the DGA prize for directing for documentary alongside 20 Days in Mariupol, Beyond Utopia, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. Only Kokomo is not eligible for Academy consideration.
This was under my radar for the majority of speculating season. However, it has sat at #9 in my last two rounds of predictions. I doubt it vaults into the top five when I make final picks later this week, but it’s certainly a viable contender for inclusion. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
As if today’s SAG nominations weren’t enough to ponder, the Directors Guild of America announced its five nominees in their three races this afternoon.
I went 11 for 15 in my picks. As I did with SAG in my previous post, let’s break it down with some initial thoughts.
Feature Film
Nominees: Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Alexander Payne (The Holdovers), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)
How I Did: 4/5
No surprises as Payne was my alternate pick over Bradley Cooper (Maestro). The DGA and the Academy usually match on a 4 for 5 basis and Payne is indeed the most vulnerable to nab Oscar attention. Nolan is absolutely the favorite for the victory.
First-Time Feature Film
Nominees: Cord Jefferson (American Fiction), Manuela Martelli (Chile ’76), Noora Niasari (Shayda), A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One), Celine Song (Past Lives)
How I Did: 3/5
Jefferson, Rockwell, and Song all seemed safe and that’s how it turned out. Martelli and Niasari are in over my calls of Raine Allen Miller (Rye Lane) and Juel Taylor (They Cloned Tyrone). There’s a major frontrunner in this competition as well and it’s Song.
Documentaries
Nominees: Moses Bwayo & Christopher Sharp (Bobi Wine: The People’s President), Mstyslav Chernov (20 Days in Mariupol), Madeleine Gavin (Beyond Utopia), Davis Guggenheim (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), D. Smith (Kokomo City)
How I Did: 4/5
The Bobi Wine team makes the quintet over Kaouther Ben Hania for Four Daughters. This race is a little trickier to make a quick pick and I’ll sit on it until I make that prediction shortly before the February 10th event.
All My Life... I Wanted To Be A Blogster 