FINAL 2019 Oscar Nomination Predictions

Welp, here we go!

Back in September, I had the likes of The Good Liar, Waves, John Lithgow and Maggie Smith (and yes, a little Cats here and there) gracing my Oscar predictions. Now, those wannabe-contenders have faded and I have settled on my final, yes final, set of predictions for the year.

Even with the Golden Globes ceremony and, far more importantly, DGA/PGA/SAG/WGA nominations behind us, no shortage of question marks remain heading into Oscar noms morning.

Will, for instance, Little Women, despite never quite soaring during precursors season, suddenly take off at the 11 o’clock hour?

Is Bombshell, not exactly a critical or commercial smash, poised for a mere duo or trio of nominations - or is that quartet of SAG noms indicative of robust-enough industry support to land it in Best Picture?

Pedro Almodovar - can he earn not one but two nominations for Pain and Glory? And how about double noms for Cynthia Erivo (not only leading lady of Harriet but also composer on its original tune) and/or Scarlett Johansson?

Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks - they’ve surfaced just about everywhere but are they really shoo-ins for Oscar love? And what about the folks who haven’t left a dent at all this season - can we unequivocally count out past nominees like Alan Alda and Alfre Woodard?

And then there are those contenders - the likes of The Farewell, Knives Out, Rocketman, The Two Popes and perhaps even Uncut Gems - that could go either way, making a nice, albeit modest splash in nominations or landing mostly DOA.

All that said, here are they are - my final 2019 Oscar predictions, ranked from most to least likely score recognition. In parentheses you’ll see how many slots a contender has moved up or down since my December rankings. In some cases, I have dropped a film or performer entirely (later, Richard Jewell). For the first time, I’ve also tackled all of the shorts, so no ranking changes there.

Happy reading… :)

Best Picture

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)

2. 1917 (+3)

3. The Irishman (-2)

4. Marriage Story (-1)

5. Parasite (-1)

6. Little Women (+4)

7. Jojo Rabbit (+1)

8. Joker (-2)

9. Ford v Ferrari (-2)
   —

10. The Farewell (+1)

11. Knives Out (+4)

12. Rocketman (+2)

13. Bombshell (-4)

14. The Two Popes (-1)

15. Uncut Gems (NEW)

DROPPED
Richard Jewell (-4)

Best Director

1. Sam Mendes, 1917 (+3)

2. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite (+1)

3. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-1)

4. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman (-3)

5. Greta Gerwig, Little Women (+5)
   —

6. Todd Phillips, Joker (-)

7. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit (+2)

8. Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (-1)

9. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (-4)

10. Josh and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems (NEW)

DROPPED
Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell (-3)

Best Actress

1. Renee Zellweger, Judy (-)

2. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story (-)

3. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women (+2)

4. Charlize Theron, Bombshell (-1)

5. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet (-1)
   —

6. Awkwafina, The Farewell (+1)

7. Lupita Nyong’o, Us (-1)

8. Mary Kay Place, Diane (-)

9. Alfre Woodard, Clemency (-)

10. Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose (NEW)

DROPPED
Ana de Armas, Knives Out (-1)

Best Actor

1. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker (+1)

2. Adam Driver, Marriage Story (-1)

3. Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari (-)

4. Taron Egerton, Rocketman (+1)

5. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory (-1)
   —

6. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+3)

7. Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes (-)

8. Robert De Niro, The Irishman (-2)

9. Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (+1)

10. Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name (-2)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Laura Dern, Marriage Story (-)

2. Margot Robbie, Bombshell (-)

3. Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit (+3)

4. Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers (-1)

5. Florence Pugh, Little Women (+4)
   —

6. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell (-1)

7. Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell (-3)

8. Nicole Kidman, Bombshell (-1)

9. Annette Bening, The Report (-1)

10. Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (NEW)

DROPPED
Cho Yeo-jeong, Parasite (-1)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

2. Joe Pesci, The Irishman (-)

3. Al Pacino, The Irishman (-)

4. Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes (-)

5. Song Kang-ho, Parasite (-)
   —

6. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (-)

7. Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy (-)

8. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse (+2)

9. Alan Alda, Marriage Story (-)

10. Sam Rockwell, Richard Jewell (-2)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)

2. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (-1)

3. Bong Joon-ho and Jin Won Han, Parasite (-)

4. Lulu Wang, The Farewell (-)

5. Rian Johnson, Knives Out (+1)
   —

6. Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917 (NEW)

7. Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (-2)

8. Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems (+1)

9. Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman, Booksmart (NEW)

10. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, Dolemite Is My Name (-3)

DROPPED
Charles Randolph, Bombshell (-3)
Trey Edward Schults, Waves (-1)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Steven Zaiillian, The Irishman (-)

2. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit (+2)

3. Greta Gerwig, Little Women (-)

4. Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes (-2)

5. Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, Joker (-)
   —

6. Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (-)

7. Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham, Just Mercy (+2)

8. Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers (-)

9. Billy Ray, Richard Jewell (-2)

10. Matthew Michael Carnahan and Mario Correa, Dark Waters (-)

Best Animated Feature

1. Frozen II (+1)

2. Toy Story 4 (-1)

3. Missing Link (+1)

4. I Lost My Body (+1)

5. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (-2)
   —

6. Okko’s Inn (-)

7. Weathering with You (-)

8. Abominable (-)

9. Funan (-)

10. Children of the Sea (-)

Best Documentary Feature

1. Maiden (-)

2. Aquarela (-)

3. One Child Nation (-)

4. Apollo 11 (-)

5. American Factory (+2)
   —

6. The Biggest Little Farm (-)

7. Knock Down the House (+2)

8. The Edge of Democracy (NEW)

9. The Great Hack (NEW)

10. Midnight Family (NEW)

DROPPED
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (-6)
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (-3)
Pavarotti (-1)

Best International Feature

1. Parasite (South Korea) (-)

2. Pain and Glory (Spain) (-)

3. Les Misérables (France) (-)

4. The Painted Bird (Czech Republic) (+4)

5. Honeyland (North Macedonia) (+4)
   —

6. Atlantics (Senegal) (+1)

7. Corpus Christi (Poland) (NEW)

8. Truth and Justice (Estonia) (NEW)

9. Those Who Remained (Hungary) (NEW)

10. Beanpole (Russia) (NEW)

DROPPED
Monos (Colombia) (-7)
Our Mothers (Belgium) (-5)
Queen of Hearts (Denmark) (-2)
Dear Ex (Taiwan) (NEW)

Best Animated Short Film

1. He Can’t Live Without Cosmos

2. Sister

3. Daughter

4. Hors Piste

5. Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days
   —

6. Hair Love

7. Memorable

8. The Physics of Sorrow

9. Mind My Mind

10. Kitbull

Best Documentary Short Subject

1. Ghosts of Sugar Land

2. St. Louis Superman

3. Fire in Paradise

4. Walk Run Cha-Cha

5. After Maria
   —

6. Stay Close

7. The Nightcrawlers

8. Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)

9. Life Overtakes Me

10. In the Absence

Best Live Action Short Film

1. Refugee

2. Saria

3. The Neighbors’ Window

4. Miller & Son

5. Brotherhood
   —

6. A Sister

7. The Christmas Gift

8. Little Hands

9. Sometimes, I Think About Dying

10. Nefta Football Club

Best Cinematography

1. Roger Deakins, 1917 (-)

2. Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

3. Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman (-)

4. Lawrence Sher, Joker (-)

5. Phedon Papamichael, Ford v Ferrari (-)
   —

6. Kyung-Pyo Hong, Parasite (-)

7. Claire Mathon, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (-)

8. Jörg Widmer, A Hidden Life (-)

9. Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse (-)

10. Mihai Mălaimare Jr., Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

DROPPED
Drew Daniels, Waves (-1)

Best Costume Design

1. Arianne Phillips, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

2. Jacqueline Durran, Little Women (+1)

3. Julian Day, Rocketman (+1)

4. Ruth E. Carter, Dolemite Is My Name (-2)

5. Jany Temime, Judy (-)
   —

6. Mayes C. Rubeo, Jojo Rabbit (-)

7. Anna Mary Scott Robbins, Downton Abbey (-)

8. Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell, The Irishman (-)

9. Ellen Mirojnick, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (NEW)

10. Jacqueline Durran, 1917 (-)

DROPPED
Paco Delgado, Cats (-2)

Best Film Editing

1. Lee Smith, 1917 (+3)

2. Thelma Schoonmaker, The Irishman (-1)

3. Fred Raskin, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

4. Michael McCusker, Ford v Ferrari (-2)

5. Jeff Groth, Joker (-)
   —

6. Jinmo Yang, Parasite (-)

7. Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems (+1)

8. Jennifer Lame, Marriage Story (+2)

9. Tom Eagles, Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

10. Nick Huoy, Little Women (NEW)

DROPPED
Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-4)
John Poll, Bombshell (-2)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro and Anne Morgan, Bombshell (-)

2. Barrie Gower, Lizzie Yianni Georgiou and Tapio Salmi, Rocketman (+5)

3. Jeremy Woodhead, Judy (-1)

4. Kay Georgiou and Nicki Ledermann, Joker (-1)

5. Fríða Aradóttir and Jennifer Bell, Little Women (-1)
   —

6. Debra Denson, Carla Farmer, Stacey Morris and Vera Steimberg Moder, Dolemite Is My Name (-)

7. The team from Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (NEW)

8. Elaine Browne and Anne Nosh Oldham, Downton Abbey (NEW)

9. Janine Rath and Heba Thorisdottir, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-1)

10. Naomi Donne and Tristan Versluis, 1917 (NEW)

DROPPED
Belinda Anderson and Angie Wells, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-6)
Jorge Palacios, The Two Popes (-2)
Uxue Laguardia and Niamh O’Loan, Cats (-1)

Best Original Score

1. John Williams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

2. Thomas Newman, 1917 (-)

3. Alexandre Desplat, Little Women (+1)

4. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker (+2)

5. Randy Newman, Marriage Story (-2)
   —

6. Michael Giacchino, Jojo Rabbit (+1)

7. Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, Ford v Ferrari (-2)

8. Alberto Iglesias, Pain and Glory (NEW)

9. Daniel Pemberton, Motherless Brooklyn (+1)

10. Alex Weston, The Farewell (NEW)

DROPPED
Nate Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (-3)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Waves (-2)

Best Original Song

1. “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman (+1)

2. “Into the Unknown,” Frozen II (-1)

3. “Stand Up,” Harriet (-)

4. “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4 (-)

5. “I’m Standing with You,” Breakthrough (-)
   —

6. “Spirit,” The Lion King (+1)

7. “A Glass of Soju,” Parasite (NEW)

8. “Glasgow,” Wild Rose (NEW)

9. “Letter to My Godfather,” The Black Godfather (NEW)

10. “Speechless,” Aladdin (-2)

DROPPED
“Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats (-5)
“Control,” Her Smell (-2)
“Daily Battles,” Motherless Brooklyn (-1)

Best Production Design

1. Nancy Haigh and Barbara Ling, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

2. Dennis Gassner, 1917 (-)

3. Regina Graves and Bob Shaw, The Irishman (+1)

4. Ha-Jun Lee, Parasite (+1)

5. Mark Friedberg and Kris Moran, Joker (+2)
   —

6. Claire Kaufman, Little Women (+3)

7. Judy Farr and Marcus Rowland, Rocketman (NEW)

8. Nora Sopková and Ra Vincent, Jojo Rabbit (-)

9. Rick Carter and Kevin Jenkins, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-6)

10. David Crank and David Schlesinger, Knives Out (-)

DROPPED
Eve Stewart, Cats (-5)

Best Sound Editing

1. The team from 1917 (-)

2. Eric A. Norris and Donald Sylvester, Ford v Ferrari (-)

3. Shannon Mills and Samson Neslund, Avengers: Endgame (-)

4. Alan Robert Murray, Joker (+1)

5. Harry Cohen and Leo Marcil, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)
   —

6. Matthew Collinge and Danny Sheehan, Rocketman (NEW)

7. David Acord and Matthew Wood, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-3)

8. Philip Stockton, The Irishman (-)

9. Ai-Ling Lee and Tobias Poppe, Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

10. Davide Anselmi and Frank E. Eulner, The Lion King (-)

DROPPED
Grant Elder, Ad Astra (-3)
The team from Cats (-2)

Best Sound Mixing

1. Scott Millan, Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson, 1917 (-)

2. Richard Bullock, Jr., Paul Massey and Steven Morrow, Ford v Ferrari (-)

3. Christian P. Minkler, Michael Minkler and Mark Ulano, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

4. Tod A. Maitland, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic, Joker (+3)

5. Tom Johnson, Juan Peralta and John Pritchett, Avengers: Endgame (-1)
   —

6. Matthew Collinge, John Hayes and Mike Prestwood Smith, Rocketman (-)

7. Tom Fleischman, Eugene Gearty and Tod A. Maitland, The Irishman (+1)

8. Tae-young Choi, Eun Hee-soo and Young Kang Hye, Parasite (NEW)

9. Ben Burtt and Andy Nelson, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-4)

10. Petr Forejt, Ai-Ling Lee and Andy Nelson, Jojo Rabbit (-)

DROPPED
Simon Hayes, Cats (-2)

Best Visual Effects

1. Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Kelly Port and Daniel Sudick, Avengers: Endgame (-)

2. Roger Guyett and Dominic Tuohy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

3. Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron and Dominic Tuohy, 1917 (+4)

4. Robert Legato, Elliot Newman and Adam Valdez, The Lion King (-)

5. Mark Hawker, Bryan Hirota and Bill Westenhofer, Gemini Man (+1)
   —

6. The team from Alita: Battle Angel (NEW)

7. Pablo Helman and Jiwoong Kim, The Irishman (-4)

8. Christopher Townsend and Daniel Sudick, Captain Marvel (NEW)

9. The team from Terminator: Dark Fate (NEW)

10. The team from Cats (-1)

DROPPED
Christopher Downs, Jiwoong Kim and Bradley Parker, Ad Astra (-6)
The team from Ford v Ferrari (-3)
Romain Arnoux, Louis Morin and Jean-François Ferland, The Aeronauts (-1)

2019 Golden Globe Winner Predictions

I have a bad feeling about this - that maybe, just maybe, Joaquin Phoenix isn’t the only Joker nominee emerging triumphant at the Golden Globes.

With a Best Director nom for Todd Phillips, it’s painfully plausible that Best Picture and Best Original Score wins also come to fruition. Hell, even Phillips himself could perhaps prevail, leading to a Joker sweep. My head says this remains an unlikely scenario - and that it is Parasite that actually makes the most significant splash on the big night - but I am feeling a tad queasy.

Joker fears aside, I suspect the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will be inclined to spread the love among this year’s awards season contenders. The Irishman, Marriage Story and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood should pick up a prize or two each but a commanding sweep from any of them seems like a stretch.

There are several legit barn burners in the acting races - Taron Egerton vs. Eddie Murphy is all but a coin flip, as is Scarlett Johansson vs. Renee Zellweger. And don’t you dare think anyone is a lock. Laura Dern and Brad Pitt, for instance, may be the front-runners in their respective categories but are hardly shoo-ins for victory. It’s plausible to imagine an upset like Margot Robbie or even, looking at the race in Best Screenplay, Anthony McCarten for The Two Popes.

All that said, here are my two cents on how the Globes will probably go down, from most to least likely to triumph…

Best Motion Picture - Drama

1. The Irishman

2. Joker

3. Marriage Story

4. 1917

5. The Two Popes

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. Jojo Rabbit

3. Knives Out

4. Rocketman

5. Dolemite Is My Name

Best Director

1. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

2. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

3. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman

4. Todd Phillips, Joker

5. Sam Mendes, 1917

Best Screenplay

1. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

2. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

3. Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes

4. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story

5. Steven Zaillian, The Irishman

Best Actress - Drama

1. Renee Zellweger, Judy

2. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

3. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

4. Charlize Theron, Bombshell

5. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet

Best Actor - Drama

1. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

2. Adam Driver, Marriage Story

3. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory

4. Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

5. Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari

Best Actress - Musical/Comedy

1. Awkwafina, The Farewell

2. Ana de Armas, Knives Out

3. Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart

4. Emma Thompson, Late Night

5. Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Best Actor - Musical/Comedy

1. Taron Egerton, Rocketman

2. Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name

3. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

4. Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit

5. Daniel Craig, Knives Out

Best Supporting Actress

1. Laura Dern, Marriage Story

2. Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers

3. Margot Robbie, Bombshell

4. Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell

5. Annette Bening, The Report

Best Supporting Actor

1. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. Joe Pesci, The Irishman

3. Al Pacino, The Irishman

4. Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes

5. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Best Animated Feature

1. Frozen II

2. Missing Link

3. Toy Story 4

4. The Lion King

5. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Parasite

2. The Farewell

3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

4. Pain and Glory

5. Les Miserables

Best Original Score

1. Thomas Newman, 1917

2. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker

3. Alexandre Desplat, Little Women

4. Randy Newman, Marriage Story

5. Daniel Pemberton, Motherless Brooklyn

Best Original Song

1. “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” Rocketman

2. “Into the Unknown,” Frozen II

3. “Spirit,” The Lion King

4. “Stand Up,” Harriet

5. “Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats

2019 Oscar Nomination Predictions (December)

Funny how precursor season at once adds clarity and question marks to the Oscar race.

A few things seem certain - The Irishman, Marriage Story (even with its SAG Ensemble snub), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Parasite are poised for heaps of love come nominations morning, including Best Picture noms. Among actors, the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Renee Zellweger, Adam Driver, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern, Brad Pitt and the two Irishman fellas (Al Pacino & Joe Pesci) appear awfully secure for recognition - their absence would prove a true jaw-dropper.

Beyond these contenders, however, I feel at least some sense of doubt.

1917, for instance, seems on paper like the sort of war picture that should earn at least half a dozen Oscar noms, including Best Picture and a pile of tech prizes, but hasn’t exactly set the awards season ablaze thus far - nor has Little Women, which has fabulous reviews and should prove a grand commercial success, but mostly floundered at the Globes and outright flatlined with SAG. And then there are the polarizing Jojo Rabbit and Joker, which seem to have enough passion to land some major noms but could just as easily fall short of the finish line for a Best Picture nom. Contenders like Bombshell and Richard Jewell have seen rather lukewarm responses but shouldn’t be underestimated.

For Best Director, don’t count out a dark horse like Pedro Almodovar, even if he’s largely been a no-show thus far. Clint Eastwood is, per usual, lurking around the corner, as is Joker’s Todd Phillips, whose film could make anywhere from a rather modest to quite major splash in nominations. The screenwriting categories too could offer some surprises, though I’m feeling reasonably confident about my quintet in Adapted Screenplay.

And then there are the actors. I have to say, I’m not even all that confident the likes of Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lopez are necessarily the shoo-ins they’re generally being labeled as. In Best Actress, I think we could still see the brilliant Alfre Woodard come out of nowhere for a nom and also ought to keep an eye on LAFCA Best Actress winner Mary Kay Place, a beloved character actor at last having her moment in the awards season spotlight.

Best Actor is an outright shitshow and Best Supporting Actress/Actor are also packed with uncertainty. We’ll never know if Kathy Bates would’ve been a SAG nominee had she not been inexplicably placed in Lead there. Likewise, we can’t entirely count out a contender like Alan Alda, who so far hasn’t emerged anywhere…but also didn’t see much precursor affection for The Aviator, which ultimately landed him his first career Oscar nom.

That said, here are my updated Oscar predictions for the month of December. In parentheses you’ll see how many slots a contender has moved up or down since my November rankings. In many cases, I have dropped a film or performer entirely (see ya, Dame Maggie). While I won’t yet tackle the shorts, I have for the first time taken a stab at Best Original Song…not exactly a zoo of a category but also not a cinch to narrow down to five.

Enjoy! :)

Best Picture

1. The Irishman (+1)

2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-1)

3. Marriage Story (-)

4. Parasite (-)

5. 1917 (+2)

6. Joker (+7)

7. Ford v Ferrari (-1)

8. Jojo Rabbit (+3)
   —

9. Bombshell (-4)

10. Little Women (-1)

11. The Farewell (-3)

12. Richard Jewell (NEW)

13. The Two Popes (-4)

14. Rocketman (-3)

15. Knives Out (NEW)

DROPPED
Waves (-2)
Cats (-1)

Best Director

1. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman (-)

2. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

3. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite (+1)

4. Sam Mendes, 1917 (+2)

5. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (-2)
   —

6. Todd Phillips, Joker (NEW)

7. Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (-2)

8. Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell (NEW)

9. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit (-)

10. Greta Gerwig, Little Women (-1)

DROPPED
Jay Roach, Bombshell (-4)
Lulu Wang, The Farewell (-1)

Best Actress

1. Renee Zellweger, Judy (-)

2. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story (+1)

3. Charlize Theron, Bombshell (-1)

4. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet (+2)

5. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women (-1)
   —

6. Lupita Nyong’o, Us (+1)

7. Awkwafina, The Farewell (+1)

8. Mary Kay Place, Diane (+2)

9. Alfre Woodard, Clemency (-4)

10. Ana de Armas, Knives Out (NEW)

DROPPED
Jodie Turner-Smith, Queen & Slim (-2)

Best Actor

1. Adam Driver, Marriage Story (-)

2. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker (+3)

3. Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

4. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory (-1)

5. Taron Egerton, Rocketman (+4)
   —

6. Robert De Niro, The Irishman (-)

7. Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes (-5)

8. Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name (-)

9. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-2)

10. Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (-)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Laura Dern, Marriage Story (-)

2. Margot Robbie, Bombshell (+4)

3. Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers (+4)

4. Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell (NEW)

5. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell (+5)
   —

6. Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

7. Nicole Kidman, Bombshell (-4)

8. Annette Bening, The Report (-6)

9. Florence Pugh, Little Women (-)

10. Cho Yeo-jeong, Parasite (NEW)

DROPPED
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (-7)
Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-5)
Jennifer Hudson, Cats (-3)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)

2. Joe Pesci, The Irishman (+2)

3. Al Pacino, The Irishman (-1)

4. Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes (-1)

5. Song Kang-ho, Parasite (+4)
   —

6. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (+1)

7. Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy (+3)

8. Sam Rockwell, Richard Jewell (NEW)

9. Alan Alda, Marriage Story (-4)

10. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse (NEW)

DROPPED
John Lithgow, Bombshell (-5)
Sterling K. Brown, Waves (-3)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (-)

2. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

3. Bong Joon-ho and Jin Won Han, Parasite (+1)

4. Lulu Wang, The Farewell (+1)

5. Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (-2)
   —

6. Rian Johnson, Knives Out (NEW)

7. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, Dolemite Is My Name (+1)

8. Charles Randolph, Bombshell (-2)

9. Ronald Brownstein, Ben Safdie and Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems (NEW)

10. Trey Edward Schults, Waves (-3)

DROPPED
Scott Z. Burns, The Report (-2)
Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller and James Mangold, Ford v Ferrari (-1)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Steven Zaiillian, The Irishman (-)

2. Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes (-)

3. Greta Gerwig, Little Women (-)

4. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit (+1)

5. Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, Joker (+3)
   —

6. Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (-2)

7. Billy Ray, Richard Jewell (NEW)

8. Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers (-2)

9. Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham, Just Mercy (-)

10. Matthew Michael Carnahan and Mario Correa, Dark Waters (-3)

DROPPED
Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey (-1)

Best Animated Feature

1. Toy Story 4 (-)

2. Frozen II (-)

3. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (-)

4. Missing Link (-)

5. I Lost My Body (+1)
   —

6. Okko’s Inn (-1)

7. Weathering with You (NEW)

8. Abominable (-)

9. Funan (-2)

10. Children of the Sea (-1)

DROPPED
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (-1)

Best Documentary Feature

1. Maiden (-)

2. Aquarela (-)

3. One Child Nation (-)

4. Apollo 11 (-)

5. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (-)
   —

6. The Biggest Little Farm (+2)

7. American Factory (-)

8. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (+1)

9. Knock Down the House (-3)

10. Pavarotti (-)

Best International Feature

1. Parasite (South Korea) (-)

2. Pain and Glory (Spain) (-)

3. Les Misérables (France) (-)

4. Monos (Colombia) (+1)

5. The Painted Bird (Czech Republic) (-1)
   —

6. Our Mothers (Belgium) (-)

7. Atlantics (Senegal) (+2)

8. Honeyland (Macedonia) (-1)

9. Queen of Hearts (Denmark) (-1)

10. Dear Ex (Taiwan) (NEW)

DROPPED
Joy (Austria) (-1)

Best Cinematography

1. Roger Deakins, 1917 (+2)

2. Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-1)

3. Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman (-1)

4. Lawrence Sher, Joker (+3)

5. Phedon Papamichael, Ford v Ferrari (-1)
   —

6. Kyung-Pyo Hong, Parasite (+3)

7. Claire Mathon, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (NEW)

8. Jörg Widmer, A Hidden Life (-3)

9. Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse (-3)

10. Drew Daniels, Waves (-2)

DROPPED
Christopher Ross, Cats (-1)

Best Costume Design

1. Arianne Phillips, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

2. Ruth E. Carter, Dolemite Is My Name (+2)

3. Jacqueline Durran, Little Women (-)

4. Julian Day, Rocketman (+1)

5. Jany Temime, Judy (-3)
   —

6. Mayes C. Rubeo, Jojo Rabbit (+3)

7. Anna Mary Scott Robbins, Downton Abbey (+1)

8. Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell, The Irishman (-2)

9. Paco Delgado, Cats (-1)

10. Jacqueline Durran, 1917 (-)

Best Film Editing

1. Thelma Schoonmaker, The Irishman (-)

2. Michael McCusker, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

3. Fred Raskin, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-1)

4. Lee Smith, 1917 (-)

5. Jeff Groth, Joker (+4)
   —

6. Jinmo Yang, Parasite (+1)

7. Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (+1)

8. Ronald Bronstein and Ben Safdie, Uncut Gems (NEW)

9. John Poll, Bombshell (-4)

10. Jennifer Lame, Marriage Story (-4)

DROPPED
Melanie Oliver, Cats (-1)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro and Anne Morgan, Bombshell (-)

2. Jeremy Woodhead, Judy (-)

3. Kay Georgiou and Nicki Ledermann, Joker (+3)

4. Fríða Aradóttir and Jennifer Bell, Little Women (+5)

5. Belinda Anderson and Angie Wells, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-2)
   —

6. Debra Denson, Carla Farmer, Stacey Morris and Vera Steimberg Moder, Dolemite Is My Name (-1)

7. Barrie Gower, Lizzie Yianni Georgiou and Tapio Salmi, Rocketman (-)

8. Janine Rath and Heba Thorisdottir, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

9. Jorge Palacios, The Two Popes (+1)

10. Uxue Laguardia and Niamh O’Loan, Cats (-6)

Best Original Score

1. John Williams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

2. Thomas Newman, 1917 (+3)

3. Randy Newman, Marriage Story (+1)

4. Alexandre Desplat, Little Women (-1)

5. Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, Ford v Ferrari (-3)
   —

6. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker (+3)

7. Michael Giacchino, Jojo Rabbit (+1)

8. Nate Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (-1)

9. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Waves (-3)

10. Daniel Pemberton, Motherless Brooklyn (NEW)

DROPPED
Scott Bomar, Dolemite Is My Name (-1)

Best Original Song

1. “Into the Unknown,” Frozen II

2. “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman

3. “Stand Up,” Harriet

4. “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4

5. “I’m Standing with You,” Breakthrough
   —

6. “Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats

7. “Spirit,” The Lion King

8. “Speechless,” Aladdin

9. “Control,” Her Smell

10. “Daily Battles,” Motherless Brooklyn

Best Production Design

1. Nancy Haigh and Barbara Ling, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

2. Dennis Gassner, 1917 (+1)

3. Rick Carter and Kevin Jenkins, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-1)

4. Regina Graves and Bob Shaw, The Irishman (-)

5. Ha-Jun Lee, Parasite (-)
   —

6. Eve Stewart, Cats (-)

7. Mark Friedberg and Kris Moran, Joker (NEW)

8. Nora Sopková and Ra Vincent, Jojo Rabbit (-)

9. Claire Kaufman, Little Women (-2)

10. David Crank and David Schlesinger, Knives Out (NEW)

DROPPED
François Audouy and Peter Lando, Ford v Ferrari (-2)
David Hindle and Christian Huband, The Aeronauts (-1)

Best Sound Editing

1. The team from 1917 (+2)

2. Eric A. Norris and Donald Sylvester, Ford v Ferrari (-)

3. Shannon Mills and Samson Neslund, Avengers: Endgame (+1)

4. David Acord and Matthew Wood, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-3)

5. Alan Robert Murray, Joker (NEW)
   —

6. Harry Cohen and Leo Marcil, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-1)

7. Philip Stockton, The Irishman (-)

8. Grant Elder, Ad Astra (-)

9. The team from Cats (-3)

10. Davide Anselmi and Frank E. Eulner, The Lion King (NEW)

DROPPED
Saoirse Christopherson and Lee Walpole, The Aeronauts (-2)
Teresa Eckton, J.R. Grubbs, Kimberly Patrick and Dee Selby, Captain Marvel (-1)

Best Sound Mixing

1. Scott Millan, Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson, 1917 (+3)

2. Richard Bullock, Jr., Paul Massey and Steven Morrow, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

3. Christian P. Minkler, Michael Minkler and Mark Ulano, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-1)

4. Tom Johnson, Juan Peralta and John Pritchett, Avengers: Endgame (+2)

5. Ben Burtt and Andy Nelson, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-4)
   —

6. Matthew Collinge, John Hayes and Mike Prestwood Smith, Rocketman (+2)

7. Tod A. Maitland, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic, Joker (NEW)

8. Tom Fleischman, Eugene Gearty and Tod A. Maitland, The Irishman (-1)

9. Simon Hayes, Cats (-4)

10. Petr Forejt, Ai-Ling Lee and Andy Nelson, Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

DROPPED
Stuart Hilliker and Lee Walpole, The Aeronauts (-2)
Paul Cotterell and Johnathan Rush, Judy (-1)

Best Visual Effects

1. Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Kelly Port and Daniel Sudick, Avengers: Endgame (+1)

2. Roger Guyett and Dominic Tuohy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-1)

3. Pablo Helman and Jiwoong Kim, The Irishman (+1)

4. Robert Legato, Elliot Newman and Adam Valdez, The Lion King (-1)

5. Christopher Downs, Jiwoong Kim and Bradley Parker, Ad Astra (+3)
   —

6. Mark Hawker, Bryan Hirota and Bill Westenhofer, Gemini Man (-)

7. The team from 1917 (-)

8. The team from Ford v Ferrari (NEW)

9. The team from Cats (-4)

10. Romain Arnoux, Louis Morin and Jean-François Ferland, The Aeronauts (-1)

DROPPED
Daniel Sudick and Christopher Townsend, Captain Marvel (-2)

2019 Golden Globe/SAG Nomination Predictions

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Yes, I sure do love the Golden Globes and SAG Awards - what human being, after all, wouldn’t be enamored with precursors that once gave Jodie Foster, Shirley MacLaine and Sigourney Weaver a Best Actress three-way tie or awards that bestowed recognition upon not only Nathan Lane but Hank Azaria too for The Birdcage?

Especially in a season this chaotic, expect no shortage of jaw-droppers, both on nominations morning and awards night.

At the Globes, beyond the expected showering of nominations on The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, prepare for heaps of affection toward the likes of Jojo Rabbit and Joker too - even if they don’t make as heavy a splash later on with the Oscars. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is liable to go gaga for the starry Little Women and generally goes bananas for a movie musical…even if it isn’t a good one (hello, Best Picture nominees The Phantom of the Opera and The Producers). Hence, even if Cats is a stinker, it could still make a nice showing here.

Don’t be surprised if the SAG nominations look considerably different than what the Globes serve up.

I’m keeping an especially close eye on Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, where it’s so easy to see veterans like Alan Alda, John Lithgow and Maggie Smith emerge at SAG after Globe snubs.

Speaking of Dame Maggie, the SAG Awards used to eat up Downton Abbey in a huge way when it competed for television prizes, including three victories in the top Best Drama Ensemble category. If this at all translates to the film awards, it is completely plausible the film earns a Film Ensemble nom here. Keep an eye out too for real stunners like Elisabeth Moss (Her Smell) and Mary Kay Place (Diane), who could perhaps flabbergast awards season followers on a Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back)-level.

Oh, and Helen Mirren, GG/SAG/BAFTA nominee for Hitchcock, could easily land at either or both of these for The Good Liar.

Happy predicting! :)

Golden Globes:

Best Motion Picture - Drama

1. The Irishman

2. Marriage Story

3. 1917

4. Joker

5. Little Women
   —

6. Bombshell

7. The Two Popes

8. Richard Jewell

9. Ford v Ferrari

10. Avengers: Endgame

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. Jojo Rabbit

3. Rocketman

4. Hustlers

5. Cats
   —

6. Knives Out

7. The Peanut Butter Falcon

8. Dolemite Is My Name

9. Booksmart

10. Yesterday

Best Director

1. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman

2. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

3. Sam Mendes, 1917

4. Greta Gerwig, Little Women

5. Todd Phillips, Joker
   —

6. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit

7. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story

8. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

9. Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell

10. Tom Hooper, Cats

Best Screenplay

1. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story

3. Steven Zaillian, The Irishman

4. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit

5. Greta Gerwig, Little Women
   —

6. Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes

7. Bong Joon-ho and Jin Won Han, Parasite

8. Rian Johnson, Knives Out

9. Lulu Wang, The Farewell

10. Charles Randolph, Bombshell

Best Actress - Drama

1. Renee Zellweger, Judy

2. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

3. Charlize Theron, Bombshell

4. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

5. Helen Mirren, The Good Liar
   —

6. Lupita Nyong’o, Us

7. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet

8. Felicity Jones, The Aeronauts

9. Alfre Woodard, Clemency

10. Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell

Best Actor - Drama

1. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

2. Adam Driver, Marriage Story

3. Robert De Niro, The Irishman

4. Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

5. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
   —

6. Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems

7. Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari

8. George MacKay, 1917

9. Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell

10. Mark Ruffalo, Dark Waters

Best Actress - Musical/Comedy

1. Awkwafina, The Farewell

2. Constance Wu, Hustlers

3. Emma Thompson, Late Night

4. Ana de Armas, Knives Out

5. Francesca Hayward, Cats
   —

6. Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

7. Dakota Johnson, The Peanut Butter Falcon

8. Charlize Theron, Long Shot

9. Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart

10. Angelina Jolie, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Best Actor - Musical/Comedy

1. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. Taron Egerton, Rocketman

3. Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name

4. Daniel Craig, Knives Out

5. Shia LaBeouf, The Peanut Butter Falcon
   —

6. Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit

7. Himesh Patel, Yesterday

8. Will Smith, Aladdin

9. Bryan Cranston, The Upside

10. Zachary Levi, Shazam!

Best Supporting Actress

1. Laura Dern, Marriage Story

2. Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers

3. Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit

4. Margot Robbie, Bombshell

5. Florence Pugh, Little Women
   —

6. Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

7. Penelope Cruz, Pain and Glory

8. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell

9. Nicole Kidman, Bombshell

10. Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell

Best Supporting Actor

1. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. Al Pacino, The Irishman

3. Joe Pesci, The Irishman

4. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

5. Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
   —

6. Timothee Chalamet, Little Women

7. Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy

8. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse

9. Jamie Bell, Rocketman

10. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit

Best Animated Feature

1. Toy Story 4

2. Frozen II

3. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

4. Missing Link

5. Abominable
   —

6. The Addams Family

7. Spies in Disguise

8. Weathering with You

9. Okko’s Inn

10. I Lost My Body

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Parasite

2. The Farewell

3. Pain and Glory

4. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

5. Les Miserables
   —

6. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

7. Monos

8. Atlantics

9. The Painted Bird

10. Dear Ex

Best Original Score

1. Thomas Newman, 1917

2. Alexandre Desplat, Little Women

3. Michael Giacchino, Jojo Rabbit

4. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker

5. Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, Ford v Ferrari
   —

6. Randy Newman, Marriage Story

7. Steven Price, The Aeronauts

8. Nate Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

9. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Waves

10. Alan Silvestri, Avengers: Endgame

Best Original Song

1. “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” Rocketman

2. “Into the Unknown,” Frozen II

3. “Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats

4. “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4

5. “Speechless,” Aladdin
   —

6. “Stand Up,” Harriet

7. “I’m Standing with You,” Breakthrough

8. “Don’t Call Me (Angel),” Charlie’s Angels

9. “One Little Soldier,” Bombshell

10. “Spirit,” The Lion King

Screen Actors Guild Awards:

Best Motion Picture Ensemble

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. The Irishman

3. Marriage Story

4. Bombshell

5. Hustlers
   —

6. Little Women

7. Knives Out

8. Downton Abbey

9. Avengers: Endgame

10. Jojo Rabbit

Best Female Actor in a Leading Role

1. Renee Zellweger, Judy

2. Charlize Theron, Bombshell

3. Awkwafina, The Farewell

4. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

5. Alfre Woodard, Clemency
   —

6. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

7. Helen Mirren, The Good Liar

8. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet

9. Lupita Nyong’o, Us

10. Mary Kay Place, Diane

Best Male Actor in a Leading Role

1. Adam Driver, Marriage Story

2. Robert De Niro, The Irishman

3. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

4. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory

5. Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
   —

6. Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name

7. Taron Egerton, Rocketman

8. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

9. Mark Ruffalo, Dark Waters

10. Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role

1. Laura Dern, Marriage Story

2. Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers

3. Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

4. Penelope Cruz, Pain and Glory

5. Nicole Kidman, Bombshell
   —

6. Annette Bening, The Report

7. Margot Robbie, Bombshell

8. Florence Pugh, Little Women

9. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell

10. Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role

1. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2. Al Pacino, The Irishman

3. Joe Pesci, The Irishman

4. Alan Alda, Marriage Story

5. John Lithgow, Bombshell
   —

6. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

7. Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes

8. Sterling K. Brown, Waves

9. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse

10. Song Kang-ho, Parasite

2019 Oscar Nomination Predictions (November)

After a rather uneventful October, November at last finds me shaking up some of these Oscar rankings.

A clear top tier has emerged, at least for the time being - Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. A valid case, for my money at least, could be made for any of these four films scoring the Best Picture prize. I am unconvinced, barring Sam Mendes’ 1917 emerging both a critical and commercial juggernaut (at least the latter of which seems unlikely), that any other film can take top honors.

While the likes of Parasite and Bombshell are moving up in my rankings, I’m increasingly losing faith in contenders like The Report and Waves, which remain modestly in the mix but may have peaked in Oscar chatter months ago. Jojo Rabbit, Joker and Rocketman are all splashing around here and there - and entering my Best Picture top 15 for the first time, albeit outside the top 10 - and yes, despite word that it’s destined to miss some precursor deadlines, I still believe Cats is liable to make a showing, even if it’s only down in the tech races.

All that said, here are my updated Oscar predictions for the month of November. In parentheses you’ll see how many slots a contender has moved up or down since my October rankings. In some cases, I have dropped a film or performer entirely (sorry, The Good Liar and Terminator: Dark Fate). I remain hesitant to tackle the shorts, ditto Best Original Song, but will hopefully be able to give those a go in December.

Best Picture

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)

2. The Irishman (+1)

3. Marriage Story (-2)

4. Parasite (+8)

5. Bombshell (+1)

6. Ford v Ferrari (-1)

7. 1917 (-3)

8. The Farewell (-)

9. The Two Popes (+1)
   —

10. Little Women (-1)

11. Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

12. Rocketman (NEW)

13. Joker (NEW)

14. Waves (-7)

15. Cats (-)

DROPPED
The Report (-5)
Dolemite Is My Name (-3)
Dark Waters (-2)

Best Director

1. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman (-)

2. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

3. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (-)

4. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite (+2)

5. Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (-)
   —

6. Sam Mendes, 1917 (-2)

7. Jay Roach, Bombshell (-)

8. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

9. Greta Gerwig, Little Women (-1)

10. Lulu Wang, The Farewell (-)

DROPPED
Trey Edward Schults, Waves (-2)

Best Actress

1. Renee Zellweger, Judy (-)

2. Charlize Theron, Bombshell (+2)

3. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story (-1)

4. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women (+1)

5. Alfre Woodard, Clemency (-2)
   —

6. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet (+1)

7. Lupita Nyong’o, Us (+1)

8. Awkwafina, The Farewell (-2)

9. Jodie Turner-Smith, Queen & Slim (+1)

10. Mary Kay Place, Diane (NEW)

DROPPED
Helen Mirren, The Good Liar (-2)

Best Actor

1. Adam Driver, Marriage Story (-)

2. Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes (-)

3. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory (+1)

4. Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

5. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker (+2)
   —

6. Robert De Niro, The Irishman (-)

7. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)

8. Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name (-5)

9. Taron Egerton, Rocketman (NEW)

10. Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (NEW)

DROPPED
Ian McKellen, The Good Liar (-2)
Mark Ruffalo, Dark Waters (-1)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Laura Dern, Marriage Story (-)

2. Annette Bening, The Report (-)

3. Nicole Kidman, Bombshell (+7)

4. Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (-)

5. Margot Robbie, Bombshell (NEW)
   —

6. Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-3)

7. Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers (-)

8. Jennifer Hudson, Cats (-3)

9. Florence Pugh, Little Women (NEW)

10. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell (-4)

DROPPED
Julie Hagerty, Marriage Story (-3)
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell (-2)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Al Pacino, The Irishman (-)

2. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

3. Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes (-)

4. Joe Pesci, The Irishman (+5)

5. Alan Alda, Marriage Story (-1)
   —

6. John Lithgow, Bombshell (-1)

7. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (-)

8. Sterling K. Brown, Waves (-2)

9. Song Kang-ho, Parasite (NEW)

10. Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy (-2)

DROPPED
Ian McKellen, Cats (-1)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (-)

2. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

3. Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (-)

4. Bong Joon-ho and Jin Won Han, Parasite (-)

5. Lulu Wang, The Farewell (+1)
   —

6. Charles Randolph, Bombshell (+3)

7. Trey Edward Schults, Waves (-2)

8. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, Dolemite Is My Name (-)

9. Scott Z. Burns, The Report (-2)

10. Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller and James Mangold, Ford v Ferrari (-)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Steven Zaiillian, The Irishman (-)

2. Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes (-)

3. Greta Gerwig, Little Women (-)

4. Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (-)

5. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit (+2)
   —

6. Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers (+2)

7. Matthew Michael Carnahan and Mario Correa, Dark Waters (-2)

8. Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, Joker (NEW)

9. Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham, Just Mercy (-)

10. Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey (-4)

DROPPED
Jeffrey Hatcher, The Good Liar (-1)

Best Animated Feature

1. Toy Story 4 (-)

2. Frozen II (-)

3. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (-)

4. Missing Link (-)

5. Okko’s Inn (-)
   —

6. I Lost My Body (-)

7. Funan (+2)

8. Abominable (-1)

9. Children of the Sea (NEW)

10. A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (-2)

DROPPED
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (-1)

Best Documentary Feature

1. Maiden (-)

2. Aquarela (+1)

3. One Child Nation (+1)

4. Apollo 11 (-2)

5. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story (-)
   —

6. Knock Down the House (+4)

7. American Factory (NEW)

8. The Biggest Little Farm (NEW)

9. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (NEW)

10. Pavarotti (-3)

DROPPED
Amazing Grace (-5)
Mike Wallace Is Here (-3)
Untouchable (-2)

Best International Feature

1. Parasite (South Korea) (+1)

2. Pain and Glory (Spain) (-1)

3. Les Misérables (France) (+4)

4. The Painted Bird (Czech Republic) (+1)

5. Monos (Colombia) (+5)
   —

6. Our Mothers (Belgium) (-3)

7. Honeyland (Macedonia) (-4)

8. Queen of Hearts (Denmark) (-4)

9. Atlantics (Senegal) (NEW)

10. Joy (Austria) (NEW)

DROPPED
The Delegation (Albania) (-5)
Heroic Losers (Argentina) (-3)

Best Cinematography

1. Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)

2. Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman (-1)

3. Roger Deakins, 1917 (-)

4. Phedon Papamichael, Ford v Ferrari (-)

5. Jörg Widmer, A Hidden Life (-)
   —

6. Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse (+3)

7. Lawrence Sher, Joker (NEW)

8. Drew Daniels, Waves (-3)

9. Kyung-Pyo Hong, Parasite (NEW)

10. Christopher Ross, Cats (-2)

DROPPED
Edward Lachmann, Dark Waters (-4)
George Steel, The Aeronauts (-1)

Best Costume Design

1. Arianne Phillips, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

2. Jany Temime, Judy (+2)

3. Jacqueline Durran, Little Women (+2)

4. Ruth E. Carter, Dolemite Is My Name (-2)

5. Julian Day, Rocketman (NEW)
   —

6. Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell, The Irishman (-3)

7. Paco Delgado, Cats (-1)

8. Anna Mary Scott Robbins, Downton Abbey (-1)

9. Mayes C. Rubeo, Jojo Rabbit (+1)

10. Jacqueline Durran, 1917 (-1)

DROPPED
Ellen Mirojnick, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (-3)

Best Film Editing

1. Thelma Schoonmaker, The Irishman (-)

2. Fred Raskin, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

3. Michael McCusker, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

4. Lee Smith, 1917 (-1)

5. John Poll, Bombshell (-)
   —

6. Jennifer Lame, Marriage Story (-)

7. Jinmo Yang, Parasite (NEW)

8. Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-1)

9. Jeff Groth, Joker (NEW)

10. Melanie Oliver, Cats (-1)

DROPPED
Trey Edward Shults and Isaac Hagy, Waves (-3)
Greg O’Bryant, The Report (-1)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Vivian Baker, Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Anne Morgan and Cristina Waltz, Bombshell (+1)

2. Jeremy Woodhead, Judy (-1)

3. Belinda Anderson and Angie Wells, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

4. Uxue Laguardia and Niamh O’Loan, Cats (-1)

5. Debra Denson, Carla Farmer, Stacey Morris and Vera Steimberg Moder, Dolemite Is My Name (-)
   —

6. Kay Georgiou and Nicki Ledermann, Joker (+1)

7. Lizzie Georglou and Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou, Rocketman (+3)

8. Janine Rath and Heba Thorisdottir, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

9. Fríða Aradóttir and Jennifer Bell, Little Women (-)

10. Jorge Palacios, The Two Popes (NEW)

DROPPED
Sacha Carter, Paul Gooch and David White, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (-5)

Best Original Score

1. John Williams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

2. Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

3. Alexandre Desplat, Little Women (+2)

4. Randy Newman, Marriage Story (-1)

5. Thomas Newman, 1917 (-3)
   —

6. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Waves (-)

7. Nate Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (+1)

8. Michael Giacchino, Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

9. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker (NEW)

10. Scott Bomar, Dolemite Is My Name (-3)

DROPPED
Carter Burwell, The Good Liar (-2)
Danny Elfman, Dumbo (-1)

Best Production Design

1. Nancy Haigh and Barbara Ling, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)

2. Rick Carter and Kevin Jenkins, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (+2)

3. Dennis Gassner, 1917 (-1)

4. Regina Graves and Bob Shaw, The Irishman (-1)

5. Ha-Jun Lee, Parasite (NEW)
   —

6. Eve Stewart, Cats (-1)

7. Claire Kaufman, Little Women (-)

8. Nora Sopková and Ra Vincent, Jojo Rabbit (NEW)

9. François Audouy and Peter Lando, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

10. David Hindle and Christian Huband, The Aeronauts (-4)

DROPPED
Clay A. Griffith and Lisa K. Sessions, Dolemite Is My Name (-3)
Dominic Capon and Patrick Tatopoulos, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (-2)

Best Sound Editing

1. David Acord and Matthew Wood, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

2. Eric A. Norris and Donald Sylvester, Ford v Ferrari (+2)

3. The team from 1917 (-1)

4. Shannon Mills and Samson Neslund, Avengers: Endgame (-1)

5. Harry Cohen and Leo Marcil, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (-)
   —

6. The team from Cats (-)

7. Philip Stockton, The Irishman (+1)

8. Grant Elder, Ad Astra (NEW)

9. Saoirse Christopherson and Lee Walpole, The Aeronauts (-)

10. Teresa Eckton, J.R. Grubbs, Kimberly Patrick and Dee Selby, Captain Marvel (-)

DROPPED
Craig Henighan, Terminator: Dark Fate (-1)

Best Sound Mixing

1. Ben Burtt and Andy Nelson, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

2. Michael Minkler, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+1)

3. Richard Bullock, Jr., Paul Massey and Steven Morrow, Ford v Ferrari (+1)

4. Scott Millan, 1917 (-2)

5. Simon Hayes, Cats (-)
   —

6. Tom Johnson, Juan Peralta and Douglas Parker, Avengers: Endgame (-)

7. Tod A. Maitland, The Irishman (-)

8. John Hayes, Rocketman (+2)

9. Stuart Hilliker and Lee Walpole, The Aeronauts (-1)

10. Paul Cotterell and Johnathan Rush, Judy (-1)

Best Visual Effects

1. Roger Guyett and Dominic Tuohy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (-)

2. Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Kelly Port and Daniel Sudick, Avengers: Endgame (-)

3. Robert Legato, Elliot Newman and Adam Valdez, The Lion King (+3)

4. Pablo Helman and Jiwoong Kim, The Irishman (-1)

5. The team from Cats (-1)
   —

6. Mark Hawker, Bryan Hirota and Bill Westenhofer, Gemini Man (+4)

7. The team from 1917 (-)

8. Christopher Downs, Jiwoong Kim and Bradley Parker, Ad Astra (NEW)

9. Romain Arnoux, Louis Morin and Jean-François Ferland, The Aeronauts (-3)

10. Daniel Sudick and Christopher Townsend, Captain Marvel (-2)

DROPPED
The team from Terminator: Dark Fate (-2)