Tag: Netflix

98th Academy Awards: FINAL Winner Predictions

It is time to make my final predictions for the 98th Academy Awards airing Sunday evening with Conan O’Brien returning as host. The first word that comes to mind… ugh. This is tough. Not every category. Some are quite easy to forecast as is normally the case.

The ones that aren’t? I would say five of the top six competitions could go in different directions and that’s unique. As readers of my blog know, there are scores of individual write-ups talking about the Oscar chances of various films. There are multiple posts ranking the possibilities of pics, performers, directors, writers, and all kinds of crew members. It’s now time to put pencils down and write down my selections in pen for the 21 (now that Best Casting has joined the lineup) feature-length races.

Let’s get to it as I’ll select a winner and runner-up in each! And you can bet I’ll have a recap up Sunday night with reaction and how I did!

Best Picture

Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, Train Dreams

This is a head vs. gut call. The head says One Battle After Another which has taken PGA, the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy, Critics Choice, and BAFTA. That kind of combo would normally be undeniable in BP. Yet Sinners is more of the gut prediction. Having just won Best Ensemble at SAG Actor, Ryan Coogler’s vampire tale seems to be peaking at the right time as voters finalize ballots. The record haul of 16 noms is an obvious bonus.

I cannot stress enough how much of a coin flip this is. I may look foolish on Sunday by betting against the kind of hardware that Battle has achieved in the precursors. However, for several days, the momentum of Sinners has me leaning in its direction.

WINNER: Sinners

Runner-Up: One Battle After Another

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)

2021 was the last year where there was a BP/Director split with CODA taking the grand prize and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) winning Director. Mr. Anderson has swept the precursors including the Directors Guild of America (DGA) which rarely differs from Oscar. A better night for Sinners than even I’m projecting could cause Ryan Coogler to become the first African-American to make this particular podium trip. In this case, my head and gut say PTA.

WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Runner-Up: Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Emma Stone (Bugonia)

Someone other than Jessie Buckley had to win Actress in a Musical or Comedy at the Globes. That was Rose Byrne. Therefore she gets runner-up status. Make no mistake. Of the major categories, this is by far the easiest as Buckley has won everything else.

WINNER: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Runner-Up: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)

For a while, Critics Choice and Globe winner Timothée Chalamet was looking almost as certain as Buckley. BAFTA and SAG changed that dynamic and they are the last two precursors heading into Oscar voting. At the British ceremony, the not Academy nominated Robert Aramayo (I Swear) was triumphant. At SAG, it was Michael B. Jordan. There’s also Golden Globe Best Drama in a Drama recipient Wagner Moura. All three are viable. Heck there’s even prognosticators making arguments for DiCaprio and Hawke. This is an example where I’m ultimately buying the Sinners mojo though Chalamet still has a stronger shot than some are giving him credit for.

WINNER: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Runner-Up: Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleass (Sentimental Value), Amy Madigan (Weapons), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)

This one has been all over the place. The Globe went to Teyana Taylor, Amy Madigan took Critics Choice and SAG Actor, and Wunmi Mosaku grabbed BAFTA. Madigan’s performance is so singularly memorable that a win makes plenty of sense. Like Actor, I’m going with where I think the winds are blowing.

WINNER: Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Runner-Up: Amy Madigan, Weapons

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), Sean Penn (One Battle After Another), Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)

Like Supporting Actress, a head scratcher. Critics Choice went to Jacob Elordi with Stellan Skarsgård getting the Globe. The latter seems more probable and, yes, Sinners love could extend to Lindo. BAFTA and SAG flipped the script by going with Sean Penn who would be picking up the rare third Oscar. This is a case where Battle has the late breaking momentum.

WINNER: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Runner-Up: Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

Best Original Screenplay

Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, Sinners

While most of the races above are tricky, the screenplay ones are not. Value stands the best chance at an upset but Sinners is the easy pick.

WINNER: Sinners

Runner-Up: Sentimental Value

Best Adapted Screenplay

Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Train Dreams

Repeat everything I said for Original Screenplay and replace Battle for Sinners and Hamnet for Value.

WINNER: One Battle After Another

Runner-Up: Hamnet

Best International Feature Film

It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sirāt, The Voice of Hind Rajab

At one time, Accident was seen as a potential frontrunner. The competition has morphed to a showdown between Value and Agent. This could definitely go either way, but I’ll give the edge to Value achieving something with its nine nominations.

WINNER: Sentimental Value

Runner-Up: The Secret Agent

Best Animated Feature

Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Zootopia 2

Zootopia 2 becoming 2025’s largest grossing blockbuster right as voting was occurring cannot hurt. It’s just hard to ignore the cultural juggernaut that KPop is.

WINNER: KPop Demon Hunters

Runner-Up: Zootopia 2

Best Documentary Feature

The Alabama Solution, Come See Me in the Good Light, Cutting Through Rocks, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, The Perfect Neighbor

This is a category capable of surprises and I could see Alabama, Good Light, and especially BAFTA winner Putin getting called up. Neighbor got lots of attention via its Netflix release and I’ll say the true crime doc squeaks through.

WINNER: The Perfect Neighbor

Runner-Up: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Best Casting

Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sinners

The inaugural year of the Casting contest is consists of five BP nominees and I’m going with the one I’m seledting as the winner.

WINNER: Sinners

Runner-Up: One Battle After Another

Best Cinematography

Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams

Train Dreams has notched some precursors and is a real threat and the same logic certainly applies to Battle. Either could win. So could Sinners with that BP momentum. This is one I think Battle could manage to get and I’ll give it a slight edge over my BP selection

WINNER: One Battle After Another

Runner-Up: Sinners

Best Costume Design

Avatar: Fire and Ash, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sinners

While we’re still wondering what Avatar is doing here, this is one of three races that Frankenstein is likely to collect.

WINNER: Frankenstein

Runner-Up: Sinners

Best Film Editing

F1, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Sinners

F1 could zoom past the competition and Battle might be the safer bet. I’ll go with my BP pick for this one.

WINNER: Sinners

Runner-Up: One Battle After Another

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Frankenstein, Kokuho, Sinners, The Smashing Machine, The Ugly Stepsister

This is the second Frankenstein victory unless Sinners has a truly amazing evening.

WINNER: Frankenstein

Runner-Up: Sinners

Best Original Score

Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Sinners

Sinners is anticipated to emerge here rather easily.

WINNER: Sinners

Runner-Up: One Battle After Another

Best Original Song

“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless; “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters; “I Lied to You” from Sinners; “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!; “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams

The Sinners tune could score the upset though “Golden” should be just that.

WINNER: “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters

Runner-Up: “I Lied to You” from Sinners

Best Production Design

Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners

Frankenstein Oscar #3 expected with Sinners looming.

WINNER: Frankenstein

Runner-Up: Sinners

Best Sound

F1, Frankenstein, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Sirāt

One of the trickiest down the line categories as Sinners could absolutely prevail and a Sirāt upset is feasible. I do think the autotunes of F1 gets it by a nose.

WINNER: F1

Runner-Up: Sinners

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, Sinners

The first two Avatar flicks nabbed VE as should the third.

WINNER: Avatar: Fire and Ash

Runner-Up: F1

That equates to these movies generating these numbers in terms of victories:

7 Wins

Sinners

4 Wins

One Battle After Another

3 Wins

Frankenstein

2 Wins

KPop Demon Hunters

1 Win

Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, Hamnet, The Perfect Neighbor, Sentimental Value

March 6-8 Box Office Predictions

Disney/Pixar looks to jump to the top of the box office charts with Hoppers while Warner Bros hopes moviegoers RSVP for The Bride!, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s take on The Bride of Frankenstein starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newcomers here:

Hoppers Box Office Prediction
The Bride! Box Office Prediction

Recent original Pixar titles (Elemental, Elio) have struggled out of the gate with openings below $30 million. With encouraging reviews, I suspect that won’t be the case with Hoppers and I’m going with a start in the mid 40s.

As for The Bride!, I am forecasting a subpar premiere barely topping $10 million. As I mentioned in my post, the second weekend of Scream 7 and especially similar subject matter being covered in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix could hinder this.

Speaking of Scream 7, it had a terrific debut (more on that below) that easily set a franchise record. The horror genre usually sees substantial declines in their second frames and I envision a mid to high 60s plummet for the latest adventures of Ghostface. Goat and Wuthering Heights should round out the top five.

Here’s I how I envision it shaking out:

1. Hoppers

Predicted Gross: $43.6 million

2. Scream 7

Predicted Gross: $19.5 million

3. The Bride!

Predicted Gross: $10.3 million

4. Goat

Predicted Gross: $5.8 million

5. Wuthering Heights

Predicted Gross: $3.4 million

Box Office Results (February 27-March 1)

As mentioned, Scream 7 had no trouble making loud noises at multiplexes with a series best $63.6 million, trouncing the $44 million that 2023 predecessor Scream VI pulled in. It also eclipsed my meager $47.6 million prediction for the best start yet in 2026.

Goat dropped to second with $12 million, down only 29% for a three-week tally of $73 million. I went a little lower at $10.8 million.

Wuthering Heights was third with $6.7 million (I said $6.9 million) and its three-week total is $72 million. The Margot Robbie-Jacob Elordi romance should fall a bit short of nine digits.

I did not have the rest of the high five being populated with music docs, but that was the result. Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined was fourth with $3.7 million. The King was fifth as EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert made $3.5 million to bring its earnings to nearly $8 million. Crime 101 was sixth with $3.7 million. I didn’t do a prediction for it and it’s made $30 million after three weeks.

I Can Only Imagine 2 fell a sharp 59% after a disappointing debut to $3.1 million in seventh. I forecasted a bit more at $4 million. The faith-based sequel stands at $13 million after ten days.

Send Help was eighth with $2.8 million (I went with $2.6 million) for a five-week gross of $59 million.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…

Oscar Predictions: Hoppers

We are less than two weeks away from KPop Demon Hunters likely giving Netflix a Best Animated Feature victory at the Oscars for the 98th Academy Awards. This Friday, Disney/Pixar is releasing a sci-fi comedy that could easily make the quintet at the 99th. Daniel Chong’s Hoppers features a voice cast including Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, and Dave Franco.

With 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77 Metacritic, reviews are strong enough that it should become the 21st Pixar title to nab a spot among the contending five. It should have competition from its own studio in the form of this summer’s Toy Story 4. Parts 3 and 4 won the prize and the first two probably would’ve had the category existed when they were released.

Hoppers also features an original song titled “Save the Day” from SZA and the Mouse House will probably mount a campaign for it in Original Song. Besides the fifth edition of Woody and Buzz, there will be other animated fare vying for the votes of Academy members in the coming months. Pixar’s first 2026 offering has already staked its claim for attention. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

32nd Actor Awards Reaction

Some Oscar categories may have become more solidified (Supporting Actor) while others remain unsettled (Actor and Supporting Actor and perhaps Best Picture) courtesy of tonight’s 32nd Actor Awards. Formerly known as SAG, Kristen Bell returned to host the Netflix aired ceremony where Sinners remained a viable alternative to One Battle After Another for Best Picture in two weeks.

It was the only film to take 2 prizes as I correctly called it for Best Ensemble. Ryan Coogler’s vampire tale did take an acting honor, but not the one I forecasted. In Best Actor, Michael B. Jordan is the winner over Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) and this opens up the real possibility of him grabbing the Oscar. After Robert Aramayo (I Swear) took BAFTA, Chalamet is looking truly vulnerable.

On a night where I went 4 for 6, the other miss was projecting BAFTA victor Wunmi Mosaku’s work in Sinners for Supporting Actress. Instead the Screen Actors Guild went with Critics Choice winner Amy Madigan in Weapons. That race is legit looking like an open contest between Madigan (who now has 2 key precursors) and Mosaku and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).

Battle‘s Sean Penn is your Supporting Actor honoree and he’s grabbed 2 trophies in a row (BAFTA). I wouldn’t want to bet against him on Oscar night for what would be a third gold statue.

Jessie Buckley’s sweep continued in Best Actress for Hamnet. With all preceding ceremonies going her way, she is unquestionably the easiest acting derby to predict for the Academy.

In the Stunt Ensemble race, the voters predictably went with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

From a pure precursor standpoint, Battle has won top honors at the Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTA, and PGA. That mix is hard to deny. Yet late breaking momentum certainly makes Sinners the easy runner-up and a threat to be the Academy’s BP.

Stay tuned to the blog for final Oscar predictions in a few days!

The Producers Pick Their Battle

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) followed the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA and bestowed their best picture honors to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another last night. It occurred during a weekend where Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has two shots to interrupt Battle‘s momentum. The second comes tonight at the Actor Awards (formerly known as SAG) where Sinners has a stronger chance to win the top Ensemble prize.

Even if it does, Battle‘s road to Oscar glory could be undeniable at this point with victories at the aforementioned precursors. A reminder that PGA and the Academy’s BP have matched five times in a row. I correctly called the biggest category and did the same in the animated race with KPop Demon Hunters. That Netflix phenomenon has also landed trophies at earlier ceremonies including the Globes and Critics Choice. The only place it didn’t was BAFTA where it wasn’t eligible and Zootopia 2 emerged. Yet that Disney sequel will likely be #2 to KPop in Academy tabulations.

The only surprise at PGA came in documentary where My Mom Jayne, Mariska Hargitay’s exploration of her relationship with mother Jayne Mansfield, was the winner. I went with another Netflix hit The Perfect Neighbor. Jayne is not among the doc quintet at the Oscars. Neighbor, seen as the Academy favorite, definitely looks vulnerable and I wouldn’t discount BAFTA recipient Mr. Nobody Against Putin or The Alabama Solution.

Keep an eye on the blog for my recap of the Actor Awards later tonight!

The Bride! Box Office Prediction

Warner Bros is counting on moviegoers to walk down multiplex aisles when The Bride! opens March 6th. Maggie Gyllenhaal directs the gothic thriller based on The Bride of Frankenstein. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale headline the odd romance. Costars include Peter Sarsgaard (Maggie’s husband), Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal (Maggie’s brother), and Penélope Cruz.

With a reported $80 million budget, the studio is seeking lots of RSVPs. Buckley is likely on the precipice of an Oscar win for Hamnet with Bale as the monstrous “Frank”. I’m not convinced their star power equals an impressive gross. The Bride! faces challenges. Scream 7 will be in its sophomore weekend and still posting solid figures. I question the mainstream appeal of this based on trailers and TV spots. Most importantly, plenty of potential viewers might feel like they got their Frankenstein fix via Guillermo del Toro’s Best Picture nominated Netflix version just four months ago.

Familiarity with the source material could still propel this to a premiere in the low to mid teen. My gut says to take the under and that means a disappointing result just over $10 million.

The Bride! opening weekend prediction: $10.3 million

For my Hoppers prediction, click here:

Hoppers Box Office Prediction

Oscar Nominations: The Case of Train Dreams

As we do every year on the 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 begins with the ten Best Picture contenders and then alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. We have arrived at the final film in BP and that’s Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams. If you missed my posts covering the previous nominees, you can find them here:

Oscar Nominations: The Case of Bugonia
Oscar Nominations: The Case of F1
Oscar Nominations: The Case of Frankenstein
Oscar Nominations: The Case of Hamnet
Oscar Nominations: The Case of Marty Supreme
Oscar Nominations: The Case of One Battle After Another
Oscar Nominations: The Case of The Secret Agent
Oscar Nominations: The Case of Sentimental Value
Oscar Nominations: The Case of Sinners

The Case for Train Dreams:

Since premiering at Sundance over a year ago, the period drama has been seen an awards player. In addition to the BP nod, it’s up for Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Original Song. Precursor BP nominations for the Netflix release include the Globes and PGA.

The Case Against Train Dreams:

Note the noms it didn’t get including directing and or any mentions for its cast (Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, or William H. Macy). BAFTA almost completely ignored it where it received a sole cinematography nom and it was blanked at SAG Actor.

The Verdict:

Of the two Netflix entries up in the biggest race, Dreams is below Frankenstein as far as victory chances and Frankenstein is definitely not going to win.

My Case Of posts will continue with the first Best Actress write-up and that’s Jessie Buckley in Hamnet…

78th DGA Awards Predictions

The 78th Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards occur on Saturday evening and there’s some genuine intrigue in the biggest race of all. Their honoree for Feature Film has correlated with the Academy’s Best Director recipient 22 out of 25 times in the 21st century. The exceptions are 2002 when the DGA victor was Rob Marshall (Chicago) and the Oscar winner was Roman Polanski (The Pianist), 2012 – Ben Affleck, Argo (DGA) and Ang Lee, Life of Pi (Oscar), and 2019 – Sam Mendes, 1917 (DGA) and Bong Joon-ho (Parasite).

Why the drama? This DGA ceremony could provide a major clue as to what will be taking Best Picture in a few weeks. There are three film related competitions at DGA. Let’s walk through them one by one with a winner projection and a runner-up.

Feature Film

Nominees: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)

Per usual, 4 of the 5 DGA hopefuls are included the Oscar quintet. The Academy nominated Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) over del Toro. This is a two-man showdown between Anderson and Coogler. The thought process for some time is that Battle is a safe(ish) bet for Best Picture. However, the record shattering 16 nods that Sinners nabbed has shifted the narrative and it is seen as a legit possibility. That momentum could be kicked into a higher gear if Coogler emerges at DGA. It’s tempting to pick him. Yet Sinners has another shot at precursor love via the SAG Actor Awards where a Best Ensemble win seems even more realistic. I’m still going with the Directors Guild favoring PTA – not just for Battle but for a highly celebrated body of work over the past three decades. The Golden Globes and Critics Choice did the same. That said, if Coogler achieves the upset, Sinners will immediately become the frontrunner for BP at the Oscars.

Predicted Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Runner-Up: Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Documentary Film

Nominees: Mstyslav Chernov (2000 Meters to Andrivka), Geeta Gandbhir (The Perfect Neighbor), Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni (Cutting Through Rocks), Elizabeth Lo (Mistress Dispeller), Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus (Cover-Up)

While I wouldn’t totally discount Chernov or the team behind Cover-Up, The Perfect Neighbor is the most visible of the five docs thanks to widespread Netflix exposure. That should be enough for the W. It is worthy of mention that the DGA’s recipient often doesn’t match the Academy Documentary Feature Film awardee so this is more of a question mark than Feature Film.

Predicted Winner: Geeta Ghandbhir, The Perfect Neighbor

Runner-Up: Mstyslav Chernov (2000 Meters to Andrivka)

First-Time Feature Film

Nominees: Hasan Hadi (The President’s Cake), Harry Lighton (Pillion), Charlie Polinger (The Plague), Alex Russell (Lurker), Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)

None of the pics here received any Academy attention though Sorry, Baby probably came closest. Many had it pegged for an Original Screenplay nom. While Lighton and Polinger are viable, I’d stick with Sorry.

Predicted Winner: Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby

Runner-Up: Harry Lighton, Pillion

Wuthering Heights Box Office Prediction

Wuthering Heights (stylized as “Wuthering Heights”) looks to have a commanding #1 debut over a crowded President’s Day weekend beginning February 13th. Loosely adapting Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, the tawdry romantic drama marks the third directorial of Emerald Fennel behind Promising Young Woman and Saltburn. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi headline with a supporting cast including Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell.

This could be seen as Robbie’s first majorly visible role since her 2023 phenomenon Barbie. Last year’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey was barely marketed by Sony with poor word-of-mouth and reviews. Elordi has been on viewers’ radar with his Oscar-nominated turn in Netflix’s Frankenstein.

With that star power, familiar source material, and encouraging buzz, I suspect Heights could climb above current forecasts which are already rosy. The shrewdly timed release with Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday could guarantee a large female turnout and plenty may bring their mates along for the journey. I’m going with a three-day in the mid to high 50s and a low 60s four-day

Wuthering Heights opening weekend prediction: $55 million (Friday to Sunday); $62.1 million (Friday to Monday)

For my Goat prediction, click here:

Goat Box Office Prediction

For my Crime 101 prediction, click here:

Crime 101 Box Office Prediction

For my Cold Storage prediction, click here:

Cold Storage Box Office Prediction

For my Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die prediction, click here:

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die Box Office Prediction

Oscar Nominations: The Case of Frankenstein

As we do every year on the 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 begins with the ten BP contenders and then alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. We have arrived at the third nominee in the biggest race of all and that’s Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. If you missed my posts covering Bugonia and F1, you can find them here:

Oscar Nominations: The Case of Bugonia
Oscar Nominations: The Case of F1

The Case for Frankenstein:

Del Toro’s dream project, arriving eight years after The Shape of Water won BP and director, amassed an impressive nine nominations. Those additional 8 mentions are Supporting Actor (Jacob Elordi), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, and Sound. The Netflix production has shown up in significant precursors including SAG Actor ensemble, Critics Choice, PGA, and the Globes. Del Toro is up at DGA and Elordi won Supporting Actor at Critics Choice.

The Case Against Frankenstein:

There are no Picture wins at the aforementioned precursors and it missed the Best Film quintet at BAFTA. The omission from the Brits confirms that Frankenstein is probably 6th among the contending ten. While the nine nominations are noteworthy, Del Toro missing Director and no nod in Film Editing are significant.

The Verdict:

It’s alive in races such as Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Production Design. Not in Best Picture.

My Case Of posts will continue with Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet…