Tonight will be the 93rd Annual Oscars and there are plenty of quality movies, actors, directors, producers and there will be an in-person audience. But most of us watching on TV or our favorite streaming service and it is always fun seeing if we can beat our friends at picking the Oscars winners.
So here is a printable ballot that you can have and share with your family and friends.
THE NOMINATIONS BY FILM
(2 or more)
Mank (Netflix) ā 10
The Father (Sony Pictures Classics) ā 6
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.) ā 6
Minari (A24) ā 6
Nomadland (Searchlight) ā 6
Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios) ā 6
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) ā 6
Ma Raineyās Black Bottom (Netflix) ā 5
Promising Young Woman (Focus Features) ā 5
News of the World (Universal) ā 4
One Night In Miami (Amazon Studios) ā 3
Soul (Walt Disney) ā 3
Another Round (Samuel Goldwyn Films) ā 2
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios) ā 2
Collective (Magnolia Pictures/Participant) ā 2
Emma (Focus Features) ā 2
Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix) ā 2
Mulan (Walt Disney) ā 2
Pinocchio (Roadside Attractions) ā 2
Tenet (Warner Bros.) ā 2
Ahead of Sundayās 93rdĀ Academy Awards, Associated Press Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr share their predictions for a ceremony that is forging on in the midst of the pandemic.
BEST PICTURE
The Nominees:Ā āThe Father,āāJudas and the Black Messiah,āāMank,āāMinari,āāNomadland,āāPromising Young Woman,āāSound of Metal,āāThe Trial of the Chicago 7.ā
COYLE: A contemplative character study made for $5 million and populated by non-professional actors,Ā ChloĆ© Zhaoās āNomadlandāĀ is not your typical Oscar heavyweight. And yet itās overwhelming the favorite, a roundly acclaimed movie from an exciting auteur that has already ruled at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and, most crucially, the producers and directorsā guilds. The weirdness of this unending pandemic awards season adds a drop of uncertainty to everything. But as much as Iād like to seeĀ āSound of Metal,āāPromising Young WomanāĀ orĀ āMinariāĀ sneak in for an upset, āNomadlandā is a near-lock, and an eminently worthy winner. But itās udder madness thatĀ Kelly Reichardtās lyrical āFirst CowāĀ never contended here. And how much better would the season have been ifĀ Steve McQueenās explosive āSmall Axeā film anthologyĀ (which instead will vie at the Emmys) had somehow been in the mix? Old Oscar traditions are eroding, but not quickly enough.
BAHR: You had to bring up āSmall Axe,ā didnāt you? I would have liked to seeĀ āNever Rarely Sometimes AlwaysāĀ go the distance too, but I guess this year there was only room for one contemplative character study made for under $5 million ā and the one about the rural Pennsylvania teens on a bleak road trip wasnāt it. But it would still be āNomadlandāsā year and thatās only cause for celebration.
BEST ACTRESS
The Nominees: Carey Mulligan, āPromising Young Womanā; Frances McDormand, āNomadlandā; Viola Davis, āMa Raineyās Black Bottomā; Vanessa Kirby, āPieces of a Womanā; Andra Day, āThe United States vs. Billie Holiday.ā
BAHR: The best actress race is perhaps the biggest wild card of the night. Viola Davis won the Screen Actors Guild Award, Andra Day won the Golden Globe and Frances McDormand won the BAFTA. Itās chaos! Day still seems like a long shot and McDormandās last win still seems fresh enough that it might push voters who wouldāve otherwise went for her Fern elsewhere. This year Iām inclined to believe that Davis will walk away with the trophy for her raw portrayal of blues singer Ma Rainey, but I canāt help but think that perhaps Mulligan should win for āPromising Young Woman.ā As for who shouldāve been a contender, there are so many but two of my favorites include Aubrey Plaza in the criminally underseen āBlack Bearā and Han Ye-ri, who gave my favorite performance in āMinariā as the long-suffering, steadfast mother Monica.
COYLE: Chaos indeed! I think this is a toss up between Davis and Mulligan, with the edge going to Davis after her SAG win. Davis has won before, for her titanic performance in āFences.ā But that came (somewhat debatably) as supporting actress. And there is justice in Davis ā very possibly the greatest actor alive ā taking the top award, especially when you factor in the categoryās history. Just once before has a Black woman (Halle Berry in 2002 for āMonsterās Ballā) won best actress. Still, the race would have been all the more interesting if it hadnāt overlooked two of the yearās best performances:Ā Radha Blank (āThe Forty-Year-Old Versionā)Ā andĀ Carrie Coon (āThe Nestā).
BEST ACTOR
The nominees: Riz Ahmed, āSound of Metalā; Chadwick Boseman, āMa Raineyās Black Bottomā; Anthony Hopkins, āThe Fatherā; Gary Oldman, āMankā; Steven Yeun, āMinari.ā
COYLE: After some ho-hum years, the best actor category is really strong this time around. I loved all of these performances. Still, this award has ā rightly āĀ belonged to Boseman throughout an award seasonĀ that has doubled as tribute and wake for the late āMa Raineyā actor.Ā His greatest performance was his last. Some see a chance of Hopkins (who won at the BAFTAs) pulling off an upset for his devastating portrait of a man stricken with dementia. But I donāt. Expect Boseman to become the third actor to win an Oscar posthumously, following Heath Ledger (āThe Dark Knightā) and Peter Finch (āNetworkā). I wouldnāt swap any of these nominees out, but Sacha Baron Cohenās high-wire guerilla performance in āBorat Subsequent Moviefilmā is in a category by itself.
BAHR: Could you imagine if Boseman didnāt win? The grit and commitment in all these performances are worth singing about, though. There were so many others that could have fit in here too, likeĀ Delroy Lindo for āDa 5 Bloods,āĀ Mads Mikkelsen for āAnother Roundā or, while weāre bending categories, even Hugh Jackman for āBad Education.ā
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSFull Coverage:Ā Academy Awards
The Nominees: Maria Bakalova, āBorat Subsequent Moviefilmā; Glenn Close, āHillbilly Elegyā; Olivia Colman, āThe Fatherā; Amanda Seyfried, āMankā; Yuh-Jung Youn, āMinari.ā
BAHR: In a category whereĀ Amanda Seyfried started out seeming like a lock, it certainly seems like the tide has shifted towardĀ Yuh-Jung Youn for her performance as the unconventional grandmother Soonja in āMinari.āĀ Itās a difficult task to be both the comic relief and the heart of a film, but she pulls it off effortlessly which is why she probably will and should win (although Maria Bakalova could sweep in with a possible upset). Both women elevated their respective films and deserve all the attention theyāre getting. And Seyfried will absolutely get her Oscar somewhere down the line. I would have also liked to see Talia Ryder advance to this stage for āNever Rarely Sometimes Always.ā
COYLE: This has been a shape-shifting race but Youn is definitely in the lead. Iād like to see more love all around for āMinari,ā but itās kind of fitting that Lee Isaac Chungās film be celebrated through the minari-growing matriarch of the movie. Two other names that I wish were here, both for disarmingly funny, natural performances: Cristin Milioti, MVP of āPalm Springs,ā and Dylan Gelula of the indie college romance āSā-house.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
The Nominees: Sacha Baron Cohen, āThe Trial of the Chicago 7ā; Daniel Kaluuya, āJudas and the Black Messiahā; Leslie Odom Jr., āOne Night in Miamiā; Paul Raci, āSound of Metalā; LaKeith Stanfield, āJudas and the Black Messiah.ā
COYLE: This seems certain to go to Daniel Kaluuya. For his mighty performance as Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, Kaluuya (a nominee for āGet Outā) has racked up wins at the SAGs, Globes and BAFTAs. A little wrinkle came when Stanfield was unexpectedly nominated here despite being campaigned for as a leading actor ā and that could split some of the vote between the two āJudas and the Black Messiahā stars. Stanfield, for me, is the best actor in this bunch. But this is Kaluuyaās year. Stanfield will be back, as will some of the performers who missed out, likeĀ Kingsley Ben-Adir, terrific as Malcolm X in āOne Night in Miami.ā
BAHR: Oh, Kingsley Ben-Adir! If Iām being perfectly honest, I would have been happy if the supporting slate was simply the cast of āOne Night in Miami,ā plus Kaluuya. I do think Paul Raci has a shot as the Cinderella story of awards season, but it also feels like itās time to get Kaluuya up on that stage.
DIRECTORMORE OSCARS 2021 COVERAGE:
- āĀ 12-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren hopes for ‘awesome’ win
- āĀ Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt join Oscars starry presenting cast
- āĀ Small Icelandic town rallies behind Oscar-nominated song
The Nominees: ChloĆ© Zhao, āNomadlandā; Lee Isaac Chung, āMinariā; David Fincher, āMankā; Emerald Fennell, āPromising Young Womanā; Thomas Vinterberg, āAnother Round.ā
BAHR:Ā The directing category is ChloĆ© Zhaoās to lose and I think she both will win and should win for the transcendent āNomadland,āĀ even if itās become a forgone conclusion at this point. In an awards season as endless as this one itās hard not to be skeptical of any film and filmmaker that has thus far swept most awards. But that this tiny movie has had such an ascent is something of a miracle and well deserved. The bonus is that (hopefully) weāll finally have more than one best director-winner who is a woman. That said, it would have been nice hadĀ Miranda July (āKajillionaireā) been among the contendersĀ as well.
COYLE: I like imaging the Dynes of āKajillionaireā getting all dressed up and taking multiple bus transfers to the Oscars. But Zhao will win, and it should be a great moment. Not just because sheāll be only the second woman to ever win the award but because sheās an exceptional ā and exceptionally humble ā filmmaker with a lot of movies ahead of her. More often this award goes to someone whoās been around a while. Pretty soon, weāll be wondering how itās possible thatĀ David FincherĀ ā maybe the very best Hollywood director of his era ā hasnāt ever won.
DOCUMENTARY
The Nominees: āCollective,ā āCrip Camp,ā āThe Mole Agent,ā āMy Octopus Teacher,ā āTimeā
COYLE: With increasing frequency, this is the best Oscar category, and itās the one with the most snubs. Some of the very best movies of the year ā includingĀ āDick Johnson Is DeadāĀ andĀ āThe Truffle HuntersāĀ ā didnāt make it through the crowded shortlist stage. And still the films that did get nominated are sensational. Probably the only one that I wouldnāt pick ā āMy Octopus Teacherā ā is going to win. Little noticed at its debut last fall, the filmās audience swelled on Netflix, turning it into an out-of-the-blue Academy Awards contender. I would cheer loudest, though, ifĀ āCrip Campā were to win. It would be a triumph for a warm-hearted film, and for the disability community.
BAHR: Even the shortlist itself was brutal, leaving outĀ āThe DissidentāĀ andĀ āAcasa, My HomeāĀ but the documentary category has long left out some of the mediumās best work (hi āHoop Dreamsā). It is odd that a late-game Netflix sensation like āMy Octopus Teacherā somehow became the frontrunner, but Iām trying not to judge what people connect to this year even if I would prefer anĀ urgent piece like āCollectiveā take the prize.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
The Nominees: āQuo Vadis, Aida?ā, Bosnia and Herzegovina; āAnother Round,ā Denmark; āBetter Days,ā Hong Kong; āCollective,ā Romania; āThe Man Who Sold His Skin,ā Tunisia.
BAHR: This category seems to be a race between Denmarkās āAnother Roundā andĀ Romaniaās āCollective,āĀ both of which were nominated in other prominent categories (director and documentary, respectively). I think this one will veer towards āAnother Roundā simply because its directing nod gave it a brighter spotlight and a bigger audience and voters have a chance to honor āCollectiveā in another category. Another film that would have been a worthy contender here is Italyās āMartin Eden.ā
COYLE: āAnother Roundā is a lock. But āQuo Vadis, Aida?ā is really good, too. Jasmila ŽbaniÄ dramatizes the lead-up to the 1995 massacre of Bosnian Muslim men and boys by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica. Following a fictional translator (Jasna ÄuriÄiÄ) working for the United Nations, the film devastatingly probes a human rights tragedy.
ANIMATED FEATURE
The Nominees: āOnward,ā āOver the Moon,ā āA Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,ā āSoul,ā āWolfwalkers.ā
COYLE: Pixar, like always, seems to have this in the bag. The studioās āSoulā is the clear favorite. Thereās so much thatās wondrous inĀ Pete Docterās film that its Oscar victory is hardly something to lament. But you couldnāt find a better underdog than the plucky Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which last year released their most enchanting and ambitious film yet. Tomm Moore and Ross StewartāsĀ āWolfwalkers,ā the culmination of a triptych of Irish folklore, is impossibly stunning. Every hand-drawn frame is a work of art. Itās the Kilkenny-based studioās fifth Oscar nomination, and itās time they won one.
BAHR: Disney and Pixar are so hard to beat. Since 2010, theyāve won eight times and the other two were not exactly indie underdogs (āRangoā and āSpider-Verseā). Iām rooting for āWolfwalkersā but Iām betting on āSoul.
Washington based CEO & Founder of LJC. Media covering politics, sports, & entertainment A seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director, and podcast host. Digital Director and Washington Bureau Chief at News Talk Florida & The Daily Cable