The 92nd Academy Awards have already garnered plenty of controversy from the large amount of notable nomination snubs. Whether it be ignoring Greta Gerwig for her excellent direction in “Little Women,” or Adam Sandler and Jennifer Lopez for their scene-stealing turns in “Uncut Gems” and “Hustlers,” respectively, this seems to have been one of the biggest years for snubs in Oscars’ history. Regardless, the show must go on and despite the amount of worthy nominees, it seems like there will be few surprises when it comes down to the six major award categories: Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director and Best Picture.
Best Supporting Actress and Actor have all but already been decided. Laura Dern and Brad Pitt will take home the awards for their excellent performances in “Marriage Story” and “Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood,” respectively. Dern has accumulated 11 total awards across different awards shows and critics association votes for her performance in the film, and I don’t think there is another supporting actress nominated who can dethrone her for her stone-cold performance as an ace divorce lawyer. Pitt is in the same boat for his comedic performance as fictional stuntman, Cliff Booth. Both performances have become instant front-runners and stand superior in some of the weaker categories presented for the 92nd Academy Awards.
Best Actor and Actress are also pretty much already decided with Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger expected to take home the awards for their transformative performances in “Joker” and “Judy,” respectively. There is really no dispute from anyone in the case of these two awards because of how powerful each of their performances are. These two performers, like the supporting nominees, are locks for a win.
Where the real competition comes in is with Best Director and Best Picture. Both “1917” and “Parasite” seem to both be the two front-runners for Best Picture, as well as each film’s director, Sam Mendes and Bong Joon-Ho, leading the pack for Best Director. When it comes to who wins, I have a feeling that the winners would have to be different among the two awards. The Academy loves to make headlines with powerful messages from their winners, so giving Bong Joon-Ho, who has been giving profound speeches across the awards circuit, the Best Director award makes the most sense. All signs point to “1917” to be the Best Picture winner with its other big award wins. It was awarded the Best Picture – Drama award at the Golden Globes and was labeled as the American Film Institute’s “Film of the Year.” I would love to see “Parasite,” a Korean film that would normally not have as much traction because of the fact that it isn’t American, win Best Picture. However, “1917” seems to be gaining love and approval from critics and guilds alike to the point where it seems like it will be the newest Best Picture Winner.
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