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EYG 2026 Oscar Predictions

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List from Angeline Jane Bernabe and Mason Leib on ABC News.com

These are my thoughts and predictions for Sunday night’s Academy Awards. As I said, these are my predictions for who I think will win. This is not my personal favorites. I will give a second choice as the runner-up in my opinion.

Best picture

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

I am a believer in the Sinner’s momentum. I do think that Sinners will overtake “One Battle After Another” which has been the leading candidate for much of the pre-award season. Sinners is also my personal favorite of the nominated films, so I am cheering for it. If not Sinners, it will be “One Battle After Another.”

Best supporting actress

  • Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”
  • Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
  • Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
  • Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”
  • Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”

This is a strong category, but the performance Amy Madigan gave in “Weapons” was just so special and it made that move more than what it would have been. Sure, it is a genre film and the Academy some times does not favor those, but I do believe this one transcends genre. Second choice: Teyana Taylor (OBAA).

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”

Again, I believe in the momentum of Sinners. Michael B. Jordan’s victory at the Actor Awards was a significant signal that the race had switched. Jordan is a remarkably worthy potential winner as he played two different characters (and one of those he played two different ways when he was changed into a vampire). It brought a lot of energy. Second choice: Timothée Chalamet.

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”

Jessie Buckley. ‘Nuff said. I would have loved to cheer for Kate Hudson because I thought she was exceptional in “Song Sung Blue” but Buckley may have given the best performance I have ever seen. If she does not win this award, there should be investigations. Second choice: NONE. It is Buckley.

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”

I am going with Stellan Skarsgård for his work in “Sentimental Value.” I think Del Toro and Sean Penn may split votes, opening up the large contingent of foreign voters in the Academy to give it to Skarsgård. This is a tough category too because you also have the spoiler floating around in Delroy Lindo. Second choice: Sean Penn, but I could see it being Lindo or Del Toro.

Best director

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

This is the award they will give to this film since Sinners is going to win Best Picture. PTA has been deserving of an Academy Award for years, and this is the one he is going to get. Second Choice: Ryan Coogler.

Best makeup and hairstyling

  • “Frankenstein”
  • “Kokuho”
  • “Sinners”
  • “The Smashing Machine”
  • “The Ugly Stepsister”

The look of Frankenstein was great and it will most likely win this award. I would have liked to see “Smashing Machine” win because the Rock really did transform into Mark Kerr, but that is not going to happen. Second Choice: Sinners.

Best original score

  • “Bugonia” — Jerskin Fendrix
  • “Frankenstein” — Alexandre Desplat
  • “Hamnet” — Max Richter
  • “One Battle After Another” — Jonny Greenwood
  • “Sinners” — Ludwig Göransson

The music of Sinners is almost as important as the characters of the film. The soundtrack brings an authentic feel to this film and Ludwig Göransson will receive another Oscar. Second choice: Max Richter for Hamnet.

Best live action short film

  • “Butcher’s Stain”
  • “Jane Austen’s Period Drama”
  • “A Friend of Dorothy”
  • “The Singers”
  • “Two People Exchanging Saliva”

If I were voting, I would pick “Jane Austen’s Period Drama” because that was by far my favorite short on this list, but the Academy is not giving it an Oscar. “Two People Exchanging Saliva” is weird, wild and builds a fictional world around some of the strangest things. It wins. Second Choice: “A Friend of Dorothy”

Best adapted screenplay

  • “Bugonia” — Will Tracy
  • “Frankenstein” — Guillermo Del Toro
  • “Hamnet” — Maggie O’Farrell and Chloé Zhao
  • “One Battle After Another” — Paul Thomas Anderson
  • “Train Dreams” — Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar

One of the easiest picks to make. The Best Picture is coming down to One Battle vs Sinners so One Battle After Another wins this one. Second Choice: Hamnet.

Best original screenplay

  • “Blue Moon” — Robert Kaplow
  • “It Was Just an Accident” — Jafar Panahi
  • “Marty Supreme” — Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
  • “Sentimental Value” — Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
  • “Sinners” – Ryan Coogler

See above. Same reason “One Battle” wins Best Adapted. Second Choice: Blue Moon

Best animated short film

  • “Butterfly”
  • “Forevergreen”
  • “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
  • “Retirement Plan”
  • “The Three Sisters”

This was my favorite animated short of this list and I do think it is the one with the best animation, a true story involving the Holocaust and an Olympic swimmer. It is far and away the best on this list. Second Choice: “The Girl Who Cried Pearls.”

Best casting

  • “Hamnet” — Nina Gold
  • “Marty Supreme” — Jennifer Venditti
  • “One Battle After Another” — Cassandra Kulukundis
  • “The Secret Agent” — Gabriel Domingues
  • “Sinners” — Francine Maisler

This is a brand new Academy Award this year and I think Sinners is going to get it. The casting of this film is just amazing and the cast brings it throughout. Second Choice: “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”

This song is one of the biggest hits of 2025, worldwide. The Academy is not going to miss this and create a controversy. There are only a couple of shoo-ins. This is one. Second Choice: “I Lied to You” (Sinners)- which would be my personal choice if I had a vote.

Best documentary feature film

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

I have not seen many here. I did see “The Perfect Neighbor” and I loved it. Second Choice: No idea. Probably the Putin one..

Best documentary short film

  • “All the Empty Rooms”
  • “Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud”
  • “Children No More: ‘Were and Are Gone'”
  • “The Devil is Busy”
  • “Perfectly a Strangeness”

I have not seen any of these documentary shorts. I know “All the Empty Rooms” is about school shootings and that is usually Academy fodder, so I will guess that one. Second Choice: How about “The Devil is Busy”?

Best international feature film

  • Brazil, “The Secret Agent”
  • France, “It Was Just an Accident”
  • Norway, “Sentimental Value”
  • Spain, “Sirât”
  • Tunisia, “The Voice of Hind Rajab”

I have only seen two of these, though I am excited about seeing The Secret Agent during this year’s June Swoon. Because I have seen it, Sentimental Value gets my vote. Second Guess: “The Secret Agent.” – Heard good things.

Best animated feature film

  • “Arco”
  • “Elio”
  • “KPop Demon Hunters”
  • “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
  • “Zootopia 2”

K-Pop Demon Hunters is winning this. It would not have been my vote, but it is clearly the biggest cultural animated film of the year. Not sure why Elio is on this list. Second choice: Zootopia 2 (which would have been my vote).

Best production design

  • “Frankenstein”
  • “Hamnet”
  • “Marty Supreme”
  • “One Battle After Another”
  • “Sinners”

I feel like I should have gone with Frankenstein, but I am looking for an upset and Hamnet does have tremendous production design. Second choice: (and most likely winner) Frankenstein

Best film editing

  • “F1” — Stephen Mirrione
  • “Marty Supreme” — Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
  • “One Battle After Another” — Andy Jurgensen
  • “Sentimental Value” — Olivier Bugge Coutté
  • “Sinners” — Michael P. Shawver

I have yet another win for Sinners. This could go to several on this list though. Second Choice: F1

Best sound

  • “F1”
  • “Frankenstein”
  • “One Battle After Another”
  • “Sinners”
  • “Sirât”

F1’s use of sound is a key element to the film. While there are some other good choices, I think the Academy wants to reward F1 with something more than a nomination and this makes sense. Second Choice: Sirât

Best visual effects

  • “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
  • “F1”
  • “Jurassic World Rebirth”
  • “The Lost Bus”
  • “Sinners”

Bah. I don’t want to pick this one because there was nothing new done in this film, but it is going to win anyway. What I wouldn’t give to have “The Lost Bus” get this award. It really does deserve it. I was really happy when it got the nomination. Sadly, Avatar wins again. Second Choice: “The Lost Bus”

Best cinematography

  • “Frankenstein”
  • “Marty Supreme”
  • “One Battle After Another”
  • “Sinners”
  • “Train Dreams”

I think this is another unlikely winner, but I just think that this film deserves the cinematography Oscar. Second choice: “One Battle After Another.”

Best costume design

  • “Avatar: Fire and Ash” — Deborah L. Scott
  • “Frankenstein” — Kate Hawley
  • “Hamnet” — Malgosia Turzanska
  • “Marty Supreme” — Miyako Bellizzi
  • “Sinners” — Ruth E. Carter

Another win for the technical aspect of Frankenstein. It did look great and the costumes are top notch. Second choice: Sinners

There are my picks. As always, I will miss some and get some right. I do hope there is a great ceremony and that Conan O’Brien is a funny host. I have Marty Supreme getting shut out. That doesn’t feel right, but I guess we will have to go with it.

2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts- Live Action & Animated

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Spoilers

Every year, I go down to Cinemark the weekend of the Academy Awards so I can see the Live-Action Short Films and Animated Short Films that had been nominated for Oscars. It is always fun seeing these in their blocks.

It was weird this year because the shows were being produced by Roadside Attractions instead of the company that normally did it. It also said that the show was being presented by Taika Waititi, but I never saw or heard one thing from him. That was strange.

I am going to list my personal favorites from 5-1 here. This is not my Oscar predictions. It was just the ones I liked the best. In fact, i can almost 100% guarantee that my favorite of the Live-Action Shorts will NOT be the Oscar winner. I plan on doing my official predictions either later tonight or some time tomorrow before the ceremony.

Kicking off with the LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILMS

#5. Butcher’s Stain. This was my least favorite of all the shorts I saw today. It is a drama taking place in a supermarket in Tel Aviv. I had a hard time getting into this one. I was not interested and found little to grab my attention.

#4. The Singers. This was a fun short. It was the first one we were shown today and it featured a group of men in a bar, drinking and betting on who had the best singing voice. It had some great singing on it, but, while entertaining, I did not find, much depth in the short.

#3. Two People Exchanging Saliva. Weird. Wild. A strange world where kissing is frowned upon and the people go to the extreme of having terrible breath to ward off the kissers. It is also a society that pays for things by getting slapped in the face. This is such a bizarre short that it was tough to follow, but it fit right in with films like Bugonia.

#2. Friends of Dorothy. A sweet short that featured a young man (Alistair Nwachukwu) who meets an older woman (Miriam Margolyes) and they bond over plays. The young man secretly wishes to be an actor and the older woman is encouraging him to do so. This is such a sentimental flick, but it is very engaging as well.

#1. Jane Austen’s Period Drama. This was, BY FAR, my favorite short of the day. It was hilarious. The title lets you know what type of short this is going to be… and the “period” in the title does not refer to a time frame. The names of these characters were making me laugh every time they were mentioned. We had Estrogenia, Labinia, Mr. James Dickley, Mrs. Bitts,  Dr. Bangley, and my personal favorite… Miss Vagianna. It sticks with these jokes throughout the film and it was amazingly funny. Again, while I would love seeing this as an Oscar winner, I can almost guarantee that it will not win. It is definitely my personal favorite though.

Next… Animated Short Films

#5. Forevergreen. The relationship between a bear cub and a tree. Yes, that is what I said. While this was fine, it felt very heavy-handed in its story and I simply found the story not to my liking. Perhaps it was too saccharin.

#4. Three Sisters. I liked this one. It was the first animated short they showed us, and it had some real funny moments with characters who barely made a sound, let alone speak. Three Sisters is quirky and unique and worked well with the animation that it gave us. There were some laugh out loud moments too.

#3. Retirement Plan. Narrated by Domhnall Gleeson, this short follows the life of a man who has just retired and who has planned on doing all kinds of things. We get a list of these plans as the unnamed man gets older with every one. This is very solid animated film with some strong moments. Gleeson does a tremendous job narrating the short. It takes us right up to the man’s death (and actually beyond it) and it is a good short.

#2. The Girl Who Cried Pearls. If I were talking about story only, this might have been my favorite. However the animation of the short was tough on me the whole time. Not only did the characters suffer from the old uncanny valley, their faces were just not what I wanted to see. While most of the film looked great, none of the characters did and it hurt a film that I think was one of the better ones I saw.

#1. Butterfly (aka Papillon). This was an absolutely beautiful short with a very powerful story of swimmer Alfred Nakache. Not only does the film focus on his swimming, it also has comments on the Holocaust and the cruelty of the Nazis. The animation style felt like we were constantly seeing everything in a water color background and it was gorgeously designed. I thought this was the best animated short we saw by a great distance.

2025 EYG Year in Review: The Liz

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The Liz Award

Previous Winners:  Frances McDormand (3 Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri), Viola Davis (Fences), Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road), Rosemund Pike (Gone Girl), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn),  Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Renee Zellweger (Judy), Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Emma Stone (Poor Things), Mikey Madison (Anora), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)

Our final acting award is for our BEST ACTRESS which we named after Elizabeth Taylor, aka The Liz. We do have one two-time winner of The Liz, that being Viola Davis for her roles in Fences and in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. This year there are two possible actresses who could join her as a two-time winner.

#20. Cate Blanchett (Black Bag)

#19. Terri Apple (Strange Harvest)

#18. Hassie Harrison (Dangerous Animals)

#17. Carey Mulligan (The Ballad of Wallis Island)

#16. Margot Robbie (Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey)

Some newcomers in this first five. Terri Apple and Hassie Harrison were both in movies that surprised me with how awesome they were. The other three actresses in #20-16 are never a surprise.

#15. Elle Fanning (Predator: Badlands)

#14. Olivia Colman (The Roses)

#13. Renate Reinove (Sentimental Journey)

#12. June Squibb (Eleanor the Great)

#11. Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)

Again, some consider Rose Byrne a favorite for the Oscar for her movie. She was good, but I can’t see that happening. Elle Fanning has now appeared on both Supporting Actress and Lead Actress this year. I always LOVE Oliva Colman.

#10. Rachel Brosnahan (Superman)

#9. Emma Stone (Bugonia)

#8. Julia Garner (Weapons)

#7. Sophie Thatcher (Companion)

#6. Sydney Sweeney (Christy)

Rachel Brosnahan was a perfect casting for Lois Lane and she was front and center in that movie. Emma Stone is one of the previous winners of The Liz so there will be no two-time for her. One more possible on this list. Sydney Sweeney got a lot of heat because Christy flopped. Her performance was stunning anyway.

#5. Florence Pugh (Thunderbolts*)

#4. Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)

#3. Vanessa Kirby (Fantastic Four: First Steps)

#2. Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)

Cynthia Erivo won the Liz last year so there will be no one joining Viola Davis as a two-time winner this year. I am sad that I have a feeling that the Academy will be overlooking Kate Hudson’s performance in Song Sung Blue. She is absolutely spectacular and only an all tie performance kept her from winning the Liz this year. Florence Pugh is so charming and engaging as Yelena that I am excited to see her in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday. Vanessa Kirby was a perfect Sus Storm casting.

And #1… winner of 2025 The Liz Award

Jesse Buckley (Hamnet)

Jesse Buckley’s performance in Hamnet is quite literally the BEST performance I have seen this year over any medium or any forum. TV. Movies. Lead. Supporting. Male. Female. Other. YouTube. TikTok. You name it! Anything. It was a generational performance. The first half of Hamnet was not that good, and her work kept that film afloat until the second half of the film when her performance transcended the film into legendary statis. If she does not win the Oscar this year, no one should. She certainly has won The Liz at EYG.

2025 EYG Year in Review: Strangelove

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The Strangelove (Best Actor in Movie)

Previous Winners:  James McAvoy (Split), Denzel Washington (Fences), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Ryan Gosling (Drive), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick…Boom), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown).

We come to the BEST ACTOR award that we have named in honor of EYG Hall of Famer Peter Sellers and his multiple roles in the movie Dr. Strangelove. Again, no actor has won this award more than once. We do have one possible two-timer on the list and we will see if he can reach the top of the list.

#20. Austin Baker (Caught Stealing)

#19. George Clooney (Jay Kelly)

#18. Paul Mescal (Hamnet)

#17. Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)

#16. Cooper Hoffman (The Long Walk)

Our first five on the list all have nice performances. Cooper Hoffman was the biggest surprise of these five as his work on The Long Walk was exceptional.

#15. Brad Pitt (F1: The Movie)

#14. Daniel Craig (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)

#13. Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere)

#12. Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)

#11. Pedro Pascal (Fantastic Four: First Steps)

Big names in this part of the list. Pedro Pascal I expected to be higher until I stated to compile the list. I loved his portray of Reed Richards. Jeremy Allen White did a great job as Springsteen. Daniel Craig was down further than I thought too. His performance as Benoit Blanc is always sensational. Some are saying Joel Edgerton has a chance to be nominated for an Oscar. I am not sure I would go that far, but he was good in Train Dreams.

#10. Channing Tatum (Roofman)

#9. David Jonsson (The Long Walk)

#8. Russell Crowe (Nuremberg)

#7. Matthew McConaughey (The Lost Bus)

#6. Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)

Some think Leonardo is going to win the Oscar this year. I have already said that I was not a fan of One Battle After Another. He was fine there. Heck, he was better than fine as I have him at #6. David Jonsson in The Long Walk was exceptional and extremely moving. Russell Crowe playing Herman Goering is hard to give a lot of affirmations. He was great as the Nazi.

#5. Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)

#4. Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)

#3. Hugh Jackman (Song Sung Blue)

#2. Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine)

Timothee Chalamet won this award last year when he played Bob Dylan, so no two-time winner this year. The Rock gave his best performance of his career. It is a shame it is being overshadowed by the failure at the box office of Smashing Machine. Hugh Jackman is brilliant in Song Sung Blue, a film I just saw yesterday. Josh O’Connor did the impossible… stole the Knives Out movie from Benoit Blanc.

And #1…Strangelove winner for 2025

Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)

Michael B. Jordan played twins in Sinners and he did such a great job, there were times that I wondered if it was actually him playing both roles. Both characters, Smoke and Stack Moore, were individual people and had their own traits and personalities. It was a tour de force performance from a man who has only been getting better every movie.

2025 EYG Year in Review: The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best Supporting Actress

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The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best  Supporting Actress

Previous Winners:  Dafne Keene (Logan), Tilda Swinton (Dr. Strange), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Emma Stone (Birdman), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Sally Field (Lincoln), Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit), Margo Martindale (Blow the Man Down), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Ariana Grande (Wicked)

With Best Supporting Actress, we have two past winners who are up for the award this year. It happened in the Best Director category… could we have the first time 2-Time winner of The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best  Supporting Actress?

Let’s find out…

#12. Erin Kellyman (Eleanor the Great)

#11. Jennifer Lopez (Kiss of the Spider-Woman)

#10. Chase Infiniti (One battle After Another)

So the first three are all roles that were not winning this, but were solid performances. Chase Infiniti has a chance to be nominated for an Oscar, but I think her days are still ahead of her.

#9. America Ferrera (The Lost Bus)

#8. Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)

#7. Laura Dern (Jay Kelly)

#6. Rebecca Ferguson (A House of Dynamite)

Four solid women in this stretch of the list. Rebecca Ferguson, America Ferrera both did underrated work in their movies this year. Elle Fanning stood out in Sentimental Value.

#5. Hailee Seinfeld (Sinners)

#4. Emily Blunt (Smashing Machine)

#3. Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good)

#2. Glenn Close (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)

So no double winners in the supporting actress category this year. Emily Blunt had won previously for A Quiet Place and Ariana Grande won last year for Wicked. We have a new winner this year. Glenn Close nearly snuck up and snatched this away with her amazing performance in Wake Up Dead Man.

And #1…

Amy Madigan (Weapons)

Amy Madigan was thrilling and cruel as the witch who needed to kidnap a group of kids to save herself. She was creepy and eerie. She had the strangest, yet most deserving ending to any villain this year. Her performance made this movie work. It gave us all someone to hate.

2025 EYG Year in Review: “All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director

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“All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director

Previous Winners:  A.G. Inarritu (Birdman), Tim McCarthy (Spotlight), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame), Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), Jon Watt (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Robert Eggers (Nosferatu)

We have some top of the line directors up for this award this year. We have never had a repeat winner in this award before, but we definitely have some possible 2nd time winners among our list.

Honorable Mention: Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great), Jafar Pasnahi (It Was Just an Accident), Rob Reiner (Spinal Tap II: The End Continues), Francis Lawrence (The Long Walk), Joseph Kosinski (F1: The Movie).

#15. Kathryn Bigelow (A House of Dynamite)

#14. Mike Flanagan (Life of Chuck)

#13. Yorgus Lanthimos (Bugonia)

#12. Jon M. Chu (Wicked: For Good)

#11. Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)

Discussion: Many Oscar pundits have PTA leading the pack for Best Director, but I did not love One Battle After Another. There is no argument that he did a great job as the director. Jon Chu and Mike Flanagan had dance and musical numbers to deal with. Kathryn Bigelow had to show multiple POVs in her film and Yorgus had to direct one of the most crazy scenes of the year.

#10. Chloe Zhao (Hamnet)

#9. James Gunn (Superman)

#8. Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)

#7. Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*)

#6. Matt Shakman (Fantastic Four: Final Steps)

I thought Matt Shakman, fresh off WandaVision, created a great tone in FF: First Steps. Thunderbolts was a great ensemble and Schreier managed the group extremely well. James Gunn had a lot of pressure choosing to direct the first DCU film himself and he did a great job. Josh Safdie won the battle of the Safdie brothers this year. Hamnet had a remarkable ending, but the first half was too slow.

#5. Paul Greengrass (The Lost Bus)

#4. Zach Cregger (Weapons)

#3. Guillermo Del Toro (Frankenstein)

#2. Rian Johnson (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)

With this group of directors, Rian Johnson’s brilliant story was presented in a perfect manner. Del Toro brought a stylish version of Frankenstein to Netflix. Zach Cregger’s work on Weapons was great, again with a style of differing POVs. The directing job done by Paul Greengrass with the fire and the stunts in The Lost Bus should not be overlooked, although it does feel as if it has been.

#1…

Ryan Coogler (Sinners)

Here is our first two-time “All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director winner. Coogler won a few years ago for his great work on Wakanda Forever and he absolutely took the next step with Sinners. This movie was such an epic that you can’t help but be impressed by his amazing work. Vampires. Music. Dance routines. Bloody standoffs. Sinners has everything.

Oscar Winners

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Best Picture 
Anora
The Brutalist 
A Complete Unknown 
Conclave
Dune: Part Two 
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance 
Wicked

Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain 
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown 
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist 
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Animated Feature Film
Flow 
Inside Out 2 
Memoir of a Snail 
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 
The Wild Robot

Documentary Feature Film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane

International Feature Film
I’m Still Here
The Girl with the Needle
Emilia Pérez
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Flow

Directing
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet,  The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Cinematography
Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two
Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez
Ed Lachman, Maria
Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anora 
The Brutalist  
A Real Pain   
September 5 
The Substance 

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Film Editing
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked

Music (Original Song)
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight
“Like a Bird” from Sing Sing
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late

Music (Original Score)
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Sound
A Complete Unknown 
Dune: Part Two 
Emilia Pérez
Wicked 
The Wild Robot

Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man 
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance 
Wicked

Costume Design
Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown
Lisy Christl, Conclave
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II
Linda Muir, Nosferatu
Paul Tazewell, Wicked

Best Animated Short
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candles
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!

Best Documentary Short
Death by Numbers
I am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Best Live-Action Short
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

2025 Oscar Live-action and Animated Shorts

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I was able to see the five Academy Award nominated Live-action shorts and the five animated shorts today at Cinemark. I look forward to this every year, getting the chance to see these well deserving films. I was under a time constraint today thanks to the WWE Elimination Chamber, but it was able to fit nicely in.

Live-Action Shorts.

I am going to list these in order of my favorite. I will also give you which one I think will win the Oscar. Spoiler, my favorite animation short is not the one that I am predicting will win the Academy Award.

#5. The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent. From Croatia. Honestly, this was my least favorite of the films I saw today. It felt like it was doing something special, but it just seemed to end and I did not like the conclusion of the film.

#4. Anuja. India. I liked this short. The actress playing Anuja does a great job with the talented young girl, but the ending of this one was left fairly uncertain and I wanted more closure.

#3. I’m Not a Robot. Netherlands/Belgium. This sci-fi short was very clever. Started off with some good humor, but developed into an obsession. I did not know that the CAPTCHA could identify robots in other ways. This was an enjoyable short.

#2. The Last Ranger. South Africa. A remarkably powerful short film detailing poachers targeting rhino horns. There are some really emotional moments in this short and the performance by Liyabona Mroqoza is riveting. I just about put this at number one, but…

#1. A Lien. USA. Man this was a tough short to watch. A young couple and their daughter heads down to have the husband’s green card meeting and ICE is there. The emotion, the fear, the anger and frustration jumps off the screen in this short.

A Lien gets my pick as the winner for the Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short.

Animated Shorts

I did enjoy the Live-Action shorts overall more than the Animated ones, but these were all pretty decent too.

#5. Wander to Wonder. Netherlands/Belgium/France. This was such a bizarre short. Wander to Wonder was a kiddie show at one point but things have become really dark. It was truly disturbing and weird.

#4. Beautiful Men. Netherlands/Belgium/France. Three brothers who were hoping to get a hair transplant surgery, have to face their problems and their insecurities. I thought this was a good short with some solid characteristic development.

#3. Magic Candies. Japan. This one felt like it was just too long. There was a scene in this film, where the young boy had some magic candy and it led to a nice moment with his father. That should have been the end, but then the short continued on. It just went too long for me. The first fifteen minutes or so were really great.

#2. Yuck!. France. This is the sweetest of the animated films as the whole thing was based around a first kiss. This was a nice animated short.

#1. In the Shadow of the Cypress. Iran. This was my favorite animated short. I loved the animation and I thought this story was the deepest. There was a lot of emotion. The father, daughter and a whale. I loved this whole thing.

However, my pick to win the Oscar is Magic Candies. I just have a feeling this is what the Academy will do. I hope In the Shadow of the Cypress wins, but I do not think it will.

Oscar Picks from EYG

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Here are my official Academy Award picks for the Sunday night awards. I am not seeing the short films until tomorrow so I will be skipping that pick as of now.

Best Picture 
Anora
The Brutalist 
A Complete Unknown 
Conclave
Dune: Part Two 
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance 
Wicked

Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain 
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown 
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist 
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Animated Feature Film
Flow 
Inside Out 2 
Memoir of a Snail 
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 
The Wild Robot

Documentary Feature Film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane

International Feature Film
I’m Still Here
The Girl with the Needle
Emilia Pérez
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Flow

Directing
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet,  The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Cinematography
Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two
Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez
Ed Lachman, Maria
Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anora 
The Brutalist  
A Real Pain   
September 5 
The Substance 

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Film Editing
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked

Music (Original Song)
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight
“Like a Bird” from Sing Sing
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late

Music (Original Score)
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Sound
A Complete Unknown 
Dune: Part Two 
Emilia Pérez
Wicked 
The Wild Robot

Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man 
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance 
Wicked

Costume Design
Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown
Lisy Christl, Conclave
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II
Linda Muir, Nosferatu
Paul Tazewell, Wicked

Best Animated Short
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candles
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!

Best Documentary Short
Death by Numbers
I am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Best Live-Action Short
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

I’ll pick the other two tomorrow after I see the live action and animated shorts.

Oscar Nominees

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Best Picture 
Anora
The Brutalist 
A Complete Unknown 
Conclave
Dune: Part Two 
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance 
Wicked

Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain 
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown 
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist 
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Animated Feature Film
Flow 
Inside Out 2 
Memoir of a Snail 
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 
The Wild Robot

Documentary Feature Film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane

International Feature Film
I’m Still Here
The Girl with the Needle
Emilia Pérez
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Flow

Directing
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet,  The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Cinematography
Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two
Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez
Ed Lachman, Maria
Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anora 
The Brutalist  
A Real Pain   
September 5 
The Substance 

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Film Editing
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked

Music (Original Song)
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight
“Like a Bird” from Sing Sing
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late

Music (Original Score)
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Sound
A Complete Unknown 
Dune: Part Two 
Emilia Pérez
Wicked 
The Wild Robot

Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man 
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance 
Wicked

Costume Design
Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown
Lisy Christl, Conclave
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II
Linda Muir, Nosferatu
Paul Tazewell, Wicked

Best Animated Short
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candles
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!

Best Documentary Short
Death by Numbers
I am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Best Live-Action Short
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Top 6 2023 Movies in 2024: 2024 Year in Review

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Every year, EYG watch movies that are released in 2023, but we do not watch it until 2024. These film do not go on the final Best or Worst film list, so I have been giving them their own list. I did not see very many early in January (perhaps only one), but that was because I wanted to save the other films for the June Swoon.

There are six films on this list. As with the year end best and worst lists, star ratings are not the final score. They may help me generalize where they may go on the list, but it does not require me to put them in that numerical order.

Starting off…

#6. Flamin’ Hot. The story of the creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and the man behind them. It was a comedic biopic with some creative adjustment… but hey, it was “based” on a true story. It was a very entertaining film.

#5. Thanksgiving. One of the big surprises in the list was this slasher movie from Eli Roth being a movie that I really enjoyed. Eli Roth has never been my favorite director, but this ne was clever and creative and well worth the watch. We just passed the holiday so it may be a perfect time for you to revisit this movie.

#4. 20 Days in Mariupol. A truly tough documentary following some media individuals through the war tarn land in Ukraine. It was real, too real at times and it was a very difficult watch. It was a very important watch too.

#3. The Zone of Interest. One of the big Oscar nominated International films from last year, The Zone of Interest focused on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig and the life they lived during the Holocaust.

#2. Anatomy of a Fall. Another Oscar nominated international film, Anatomy of a Fall told the story of a woman who was suspected of the murder of her husband, her trial, and what exactly her blind son knows. This is an extremely compelling mystery that keeps you guessing to the end.

#1. American Fiction. This was the film I watched in January because I did not want to wait until June to see it. I had heard a lot of great things about it and I was not disappointed. Jeffrey Wright is an author who, frustrated with his inability to sell a book, writes a “black” book under a pseudonym and suddenly finds a ton of success. That success made Wright all the more frustrated. This is a great movie with stunning performances and Oscar nominations, from not only Wright, but also Sterling K. Brown.

The Last Repair Shop (2023)

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June 5, 2024

It is a busy day today so I had to get the June Swoon 3 going early this morning and I had another Oscar winner on the list. This was the Oscar winner for Best Documentary Short and it was entitled The Last Repair Shop. I watched it on YouTube, but I see that it is available as well on Disney +. This is just over thirty five minutes long and is a joyous expression of love for music and for those for whom music has changed their lives.

The focus was on a instrument repair shop from Los Angeles that provided a service to the schools of the area to repair damaged or broken musical instruments for free. The film profiles four members of the shop: Dana Atkinson, Paty Moreno, Duane Michaels and Steve bagmanyan.

The film also had words from students who gave quick stories about how they wound up playing the instrument they played. The passion and the joy came through each child’s words as it helped us understand how important these musical instruments would be in their lives.

The stories were very emotional and compelling. The stories of the workers at the repair shop ranged from a man who an Armenian refugee from Azerbaijan to a woman who tried to give her children a better life in America only to struggle to a man who played on the same stage as Elvis Presley.

The film ended with a performance of a song called “The Alumni” which featured many of the voices that we heard during the film.

If you love music, or if you ever played an instrument, you will be inspired by this documentary short film. It is a love letter to music and those people who make it or allow other people to make it.

Oscar Winners-How Did I Do?

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So the Oscars were last night, and I wanted to see how well I did. Here was the list of nominees, and my original picks for who should win and who will win. I will add the who did win section with some thoughts.

BEST PICTURE

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

WHO DID WIN: Oppenheimer

Not a surprise.

BEST DIRECTOR

Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

SHOULD WIN: Christopher Nolan

WILL WIN: Christopher Nolan

WHO DID WIN: Christopher Nolan. Nolan was another fairly obvious pick.

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Emma Stone

WILL WIN: Lily Gladstone (I’ve got a feeling on this one. I could see Emma Stone winning easily too)

WHO DID WIN: Emma Stone. I should have stuck with my gut, but I thought Lily Gladstone had the momentum.

BEST ACTOR 

Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

SHOULD WIN: Paul Giamatti

WILL WIN: Cillian Murphy

WHO DID WIN: Cillian Murphy.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

SHOULD WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

WILL WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (LOCK!)

WHO DID WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph. It was a Sure thing lock. She was wonderful with ehr speech too.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Robert Downey Jr.

WILL WIN: Robert Downey Jr. (Almost a LOCK)

WHO DID WIN: RDJ. Downey Jr. deserved his award for his performance and for years of great work.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall
David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro
Samy Burch, May December
Celine Song, Past Lives

SHOULD WIN: The Holdovers

WILL WIN: Anatomy of a Fall (I have not seen this film, waiting for the June Swoon.)

WHO DID WIN: Anatomy of a Fall. Got this one right. I did really well on the films that I have not yet seen.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

SHOULD WIN: American Fiction

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

WHO DID WIN: American Fiction. I did the Should Win here. Too bad I didn’t put it on the Will Win.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society of the Snow, Spain
The Teacher’s Lounge, Germany
The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom

SHOULD WIN: Society of the Snow

WILL WIN: The Zone of Interest

WHO DID WIN: The Zone of Interest. Easy to pick, even if I liked Society of the Snow. I’ll see Zone of Interest in June Swoon 3.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

SHOULD WIN: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

WILL WIN: I’m uncertain for this. I am tempted to say The Boy and the Heron, but I’ll stick with Spider-Man.

WHO DID WIN: The Boy and the Heron. I had this feeling, but I could not pick against Spidey. I was not surprised at this ‘upset.’

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol

Haven’t seen any of these. I’ll guess 20 Days in Mariupol

WHO DID WIN: 20 Days in Mariupol. Good guesser!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

WHO DID WIN: Oppenheimer.

BEST EDITING

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Poor Things

WILL WIN: Poor Things

WHO DID WIN: Oppenheimer. Part of the Oppenheimer rush -7 total wins!

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Barbie

WILL WIN: Poor Things

WHO DID WIN: Poor Things. Very funny with a naked John Cena presenting this award.

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP 

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow

SHOULD WIN: Poor Things

WILL WIN: Poor Things

WHO DID WIN: Poor Things. People were surprised this did not go to Maestro. I was confident in Poor Things.

BEST SOUND

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

WHO DID WIN: The Zone of Interest. This was a surprise for me. Of course, I have not seen the Zone of Interest yet.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

SHOULD WIN: The Creator

WILL WIN: Godzilla Minus One

WHO DID WIN: Godzilla Minus One. I was excited for this win.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Barbie

WILL WIN: Poor Things

WHO DID WIN: Poor Things. I did well with my Poor Things picks.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“What Was I Made For?”, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Barbie
“I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie
“The Fire Inside,” Diane Warren, Flamin’ Hot
“It Never Went Away,” Jon Batiste, American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Osage Tribal Singers, Killers of the Flower Moon

SHOULD WIN: “I’m Just Ken”

WILL WIN: “What Was I Made For?”

WHO DID WIN: “What Was I Made For?” However Ryan Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” was one of the best moments of the night!

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

WHO DID WIN: Oppenheimer

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

SHOULD WIN: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

WILL WIN: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

WHO DID WIN: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Sad that Wes Anderson wasn’t at the ceremony.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

SHOULD WIN: Letter to a Pig

WILL WIN: War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

WHO DID WIN: War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko. Got this right. Letter to a Pig is much better still.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai & Wai Po

Again, have not seen any of these. Guess: The Last Repair Shop

WHO DID WIN: The Last Repair Shop. Another lucky guess!

I was 18/23 and I really came close to picking Emma Stone and The Boy and the Heron.

EYG 2024 Academy Award Picks

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https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/awards-insider-oscar-nominations-2024

Here are the picks from EYG for tonight’s Academy Awards. I am giving the Should Win, Will Win choice for each. These are my picks, the nominees I think are going to win, not necessarily my favorites.

BEST PICTURE

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

BEST DIRECTOR

Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

SHOULD WIN: Christopher Nolan

WILL WIN: Christopher Nolan

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Emma Stone

WILL WIN: Lily Gladstone (I’ve got a feeling on this one. I could see Emma Stone winning easily too)

BEST ACTOR 

Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

SHOULD WIN: Paul Giamatti

WILL WIN: Cillian Murphy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

SHOULD WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

WILL WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (LOCK!)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Robert Downey Jr.

WILL WIN: Robert Downey Jr. (Almost a LOCK)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall
David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro
Samy Burch, May December
Celine Song, Past Lives

SHOULD WIN: The Holdovers

WILL WIN: Anatomy of a Fall (I have not seen this film, waiting for the June Swoon.)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

SHOULD WIN: American Fiction

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society of the Snow, Spain
The Teacher’s Lounge, Germany
The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom

SHOULD WIN: Society of the Snow

WILL WIN: The Zone of Interest

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

SHOULD WIN: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

WILL WIN: I’m uncertain for this. I am tempted to say The Boy and the Heron, but I’ll stick with Spider-Man.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol

Haven’t seen any of these. I’ll guess 20 Days in Mariupol

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

BEST EDITING

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Poor Things

WILL WIN: Poor Things

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Barbie

WILL WIN: Poor Things

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP 

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow

SHOULD WIN: Poor Things

WILL WIN: Poor Things

BEST SOUND

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

SHOULD WIN: The Creator

WILL WIN: Godzilla Minus One

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Barbie

WILL WIN: Poor Things

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“What Was I Made For?”, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Barbie
“I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie
“The Fire Inside,” Diane Warren, Flamin’ Hot
“It Never Went Away,” Jon Batiste, American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Osage Tribal Singers, Killers of the Flower Moon

SHOULD WIN: “I’m Just Ken”

WILL WIN: “What Was I Made For?”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer

WILL WIN: Oppenheimer

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

SHOULD WIN: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

WILL WIN: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

SHOULD WIN: Letter to a Pig

WILL WIN: War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai & Wai Po

Again, have not seen any of these. Guess: The Last Repair Shop

2023 “All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director

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“All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director

Previous Winners:  A.G. Inarritu (Birdman), Tim McCarthy (Spotlight), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame), Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), Jon Watt (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

The director is a vital part of the film. In fact, these days, a lot of times, the director is more of a star of the movie than the lead actors. 

Again, these choices come from the EYG site and may be different than other awards shows. There are some crossover for sure, but there are some on my list than no one else will nominate.

Top 10 directors of 2023

10. Paul King (Wonka)

9. Ben Affleck (Air)

8. Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)

7. Blitz Bazawule (The Color Purple)

6. Alexander Payne (The Holdovers)

5. Sean Durkin (The Iron Claw)

4. James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)

3. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson (Spider-Man: Across teh Spider-Verse)

2. Greta Gerwig (Barbie)

and the winner…

#1: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

I actually have always considered Nolan to be overrated as a director. There have not been that many of Nolan’s films that I loved. Most I felt were somewhat pretentious. Plus, it felt like critics always gave this guy a pass. Even garbage like Tenet had many critics making execuses.

There is no arguing that he has made a masterpiece in Oppenheimer. Every bit of this film is wonderful and, while it may be too long, all scenes feel important to what was happening. 

Then, the film was a massive hit as well, finding a place with Barbie in one of the biggest events of the summer, Barbenheimer.

Christopher Nolan surpassed what I expected and he truly deserves this award and I do think he is probably the front runner for the Oscar.