Now, I am a strange bird; while I have minimal interest in celebrity gossip, I absolutely love the Academy Awards and have watched them for as long as I can remember. I’ve lived through so many great Oscar moments, but I always remember what a friend said to me years ago: ‘I don’t need the Academy to tell me who I should like!’ I agree with that sentiment. Heat is my favourite movie of all time and never won an Academy Award. Many people adore The Shawshank Redemption, and while it was nominated, it never won.
So why do I care? Because I love movies. Because this is the Super Bowl, the Grey Cup, the pinnacle of the movie season. And while I don’t always agree with the winners, I’m looking forward to the ride.
With that said, I proudly present my predictions for the 94th Academy Awards.
Best Visual Effects
Nominees: Dune, Free Guy, No Time to Die, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home
Who will win? Dune. Coming into 2021, I thought that Christopher Nolan was the Best Director working with IMAX. I no longer do. This was a visually stunning film, and the Academy will recognize that.
Who should win? Dune
Who should have been nominated? It wouldn’t matter; this is Dune’s to lose.
Best Costume Design
Nominees: Cruella, Cyrano, Dune, Nightmare Alley, West Side Story
Who will win? Cruella. The costumes here were well done. Jenny Beavan, the costume designer, already has two Oscars. This Sunday, she will learn great things come in threes.
Who should win? They were all good.
Who should have been nominated? For nostalgic reasons, Licorice Pizza captured the time well.
Best Film Editing
Nominees: Don’t Look Up, Dune, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick….Boom
Who will win? Dune.
Who should win? Dune
Who should have been nominated? Drive My Car
Best Cinematography
Nominees: Dune, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of MacBeth, West Side Story
Who will win? Dune. An absolutely gorgeous movie that was shot with IMAX. This is what the kids call a no-brainer.
Who should win? Dune should win, but I wouldn’t be upset with any of these. If it isn’t Dune, I expect The Power of the Dog to get the call.
Who should have been nominated? To be honest, this category got it right. These films were all beautifully shot.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Nominees: Coming 2 America, Cruella, Dune, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, House of Gucci
Who will win? The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The word is that Jessica Chastain is skipping the red carpet so she can be in her seat for this award to be presented—the lady is classy. She won’t be disappointed. She will get to see her team win the Oscar.
Who should win? The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Who should have been nominated? It wouldn’t matter, The Eyes of Tammy Faye has this sewn up.
Best Sound
Nominees: Belfast, Dune, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story
Who will win? Dune. This, in my opinion, was the only 2021 film that needed to be seen in the theatre, an IMAX theatre to be exact, as the sound was so impressive.
Who should win? Dune
Who should have been nominated? CODA.
Best Production Design
Nominees: Dune, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of MacBeth, West Side Story
Who will win? Dune
Who should win? Dune
Who should have been nominated? N/A
Best Original Score
Nominees: Don’t Look Up, Dune, Encanto, Parallel Mothers, The Power of the Dog
Who will win? Dune. Why would I ever bet against Hans Zimmer?
Who should win? Dune
Who should have been nominated? N/A
Best Original Song
Nominees: King Richard, Encanto, Belfast, No Time to Die, Four Good Days
Who will win? Common sense says No Time to Die and Billie Eilish but I’m going for history on this one. If Encanto wins, Lin Manuel Miranda becomes an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony award winner). I’m going for history.
Who should win? King Richard would be a pleasant surprise. Beyonce’s song coupled with the old Williams sisters was a nice end to King Richard.
Who should have been nominated? Valleys (My Love) by Whitney from We Broke Up. Don’t get me wrong, this song was on nobody’s radar, but it was a perfect tune to end a very sweet film.
Best Live Action Short Film
Nominees: Ala Kachuu-Take and Run, The Dress, The Long Goodbye, On My Mind, Please Hold
Who will win? The Long Goodbye. Do you remember Riz Ahmed? He was nominated last year for his performance in The Sound of Metal. He’s been on the TV show like Girls, The Night of.. and arguably the best prequel of all time, Rogue One. I only tell you this because when he walks up to the Oscar stage to collect his trophy, you will probably be wondering where you remember him from. Now you know. You’re welcome.
Who should win? The Long Goodbye
Who should have been nominated? N/A
Best Animated Short Film
Nominees: Affairs of the Art, Bestia, BoxBallet, Robin Robin, The Windshield Wiper
Who will win? Robin Robin
Who should win? Not necessarily should but could, The Windshield Wiper.
Who should have been nominated? N/A
Best Documentary Feature
Nominees: Ascension, Attica, Flee, Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Writing with Fire
Who will win? Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Very excited to see Questlove win an Academy Award.
Who should win? Summer of Soul.
Who should have been nominated? The Rescue. It was a beautiful film that told the story of the rescue of a football (soccer) team by the same filmmakers that won for Free Solo.
Best Documentary Short Subject
Nominees: Audible, Lead Me Home, The Queen of Basketball, Three Songs for Benazir, When We Were Bullies
Who will win? The Queen of Basketball
Who should win? The Queen of Basketball
Who should have been nominated? N/A
Best Animated Feature Film
Nominees: Encanto, Flee, Luca, The Mitchells vs the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon
Who will win? Encanto
Who should win? Encanto should win but Flee and Raya and the Last Dragon were also well done.
Who should have been nominated? N/A
Best International Feature Film
Nominees: Drive My Car, Flee, The Hand of God, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, The Worst Person in the World
Who will win? Drive My Car. This is legit the best three-hour movie I have seen in years that wasn’t called Avengers EndGame. Drive My Car is such a beautiful film.
Who should win? Drive My Car, but don’t let that make you think this isn’t a stacked category. The other four movies serve to remind us that the best movies aren’t always from North America.
Who should have been nominated? Titane. That film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and served to be in the conversation.
Best Original Screenplay
Nominees: Belfast, Don’t Look Up, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, The Worst Person in the World
Who will win? Belfast. Kenneth Branagh’s love letter to Belfast was a beautiful film and deserves recognition.
Who should win? Belfast
Who should have been nominated? Titane
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominees: CODA, Drive My Car, Dune, The Lost Daughter, The Power of the Dog
Who will win? CODA. Sian Heder, the writer, and director for CODA, has been collecting trophies this award season for her writing. That will continue on Sunday.
Who should win? CODA
Who should have been nominated? N/A
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Ciaran Hinds, Troy Kotsur, Jesse Plemons, J.K. Simmons, Kodi Smit-Mcphee
Who will win? Troy Kotsur. The patriarch of the Rossi family was many things in this film. Humorous, forceful, and sweet, to name a few. Not to mention a little naughty. Kotsur reminds us, as his co-star Marlee Matlin did when she won her Academy Award, that the deaf community has a place on the big screen. I can’t wait to see him accept his Academy Award.
Who should win? Troy Kotsur
Who should have been nominated? Jared Leto was fantastic in House of Gucci. He wouldn’t have won, but the nomination would have been nice.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Jessie Buckley, Ariana DeBose, Judi Dench, Kristen Dunst, Aunjanue Ellis
Who will win? Ariana DeBose will win an Academy Award for the exact same character in the same movie that Rita Moreno did.
Who should win? Jessie Buckley. Stepping away from award season and just based on performance, I was very impressed with Buckley’s performance in this film.
Who should have been nominated? Caitriona Balfe. She was the heartbeat of Belfast, and the fact that she wasn’t nominated blows my mind.
Also, Ann Dowd for Mass. Such an incredible film that reminded us how great she is.
Best Actor
Nominees: Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Garfield, Will Smith, Denzel Washington
Who will win? Will Smith evoked so much of a reaction from me while I watched his performance in King Richard. You can argue that Will Smith should have won before now. I would say it’s his time. From Fresh Prince to the Oscar stage, he always seems to be on the top of his game. Coming into this Saturday, there are four black actors who have won the Best Actor trophy, Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, and Forrest Whittaker. Pull up a chair, Will Smith is about to join them.
Who should win? Will Smith
Who should have been nominated? Simon Rex was incredible in Red Rocket. Again, I don’t think it would have changed the result, but it was a great performance.
Best Actress
Nominees: Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart
Who will win? I find it hard to believe I live in a world where Jessica Chastain doesn’t have an Academy Award. She was nominated for The Help, Zero Dark Thirty and should have been nominated for Molly’s Game but will win for arguably the best performance in her career. I like it when good things happen to good people. I predicted this win at the premiere of The Eyes of Tammy Faye during TIFF; my prediction will come true on Sunday.
Who should win? Jessica Chastain
Who should have been nominated? Most people would probably say Lady Gaga should have been nominated for House of Gucci or Jennifer Hudson for RESPECT but I would say Agathe Rouselle for Titane or Virginie Efira for Benedetta; two European films with very strong female leads.
Best Director
Nominees: Kenneth Branagh, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg
Who will win? Jane Campion
Who should win? Kenneth Branagh
Who should have been nominated? Ok, the Best Picture category has 10 nominees but everything else has five. So let’s start with the obvious, Denis Villeneuve. Dune got 10 nominations . . .10! Did it direct itself??? How about Sian Heder for CODA? How about Sean Baker for Red Rocket? Jeymes Samuel for The Harder They Fall? Ninja Thyberg for Pleasure? Julia Ducournau for Titane?
But if I could pick one . . . Denis Villeneuve. I remember when the nominees came out as excited as I was to see Chastain nominated, I was equally disappointed that Villeneuve was snubbed. Campion will win for The Power of the Dog, but the trophy should be Villeneuve’s.
Best Picture
Nominees: Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story
Who will win? CODA making it the third time in four years my pick for Best Movie of the Year also wins Best Picture.
Who should win? CODA. The Power of the Dog is a strong contender and so is last year’s people's choice winner at the Toronto International Film Festival, Belfast. But, I feel CODA is the movie that is connecting with people right now. It also solidifies what I have been saying for the last two years. You don’t need a big-budget film to connect with people. You need a compelling story and excellent acting and that is CODA.
Who should have been nominated? Titane deserved recognition especially after winning at Cannes. And just to shake things up, Spider-Man: No Way Home.