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Thank God Oscar season is upon us. Whether you like movies or not, it will help relieve us of the political depression caused by Donald Trump’s run for president. So here it is!
Actor in a leading role
The favorite: Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Lurking in the weeds: Paul Giamatti
My pick: Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”
Actor in a supporting role
The favorite: Ryan Gosling, “Barbie” and Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Lurking in the weeds: Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”
My pick: Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”
Actress in a leading role
The favorite: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Lurking in the weeds: Emma Stone, “Poor Things” and Annette Bening, “NYAD”
My pick: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Actress in a supporting role
The favorite: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Lurking in the weeds: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
My pick: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Best picture
The favorite: “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Lurking in the weeds: “The Holdovers,” “Barbie” and “Poor Things”
My pick: “Oppenheimer”
Writing (adapted screenplay)
The favorite: “Oppenheimer”
Lurking in the weeds: “Barbie” and “Poor Things”
My pick: I’m hoping for Greta Gerwig because she was denied a director nomination for “Barbie,” but I think it goes to Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer.”
Writing (original screenplay)
The favorite: All five nominees
My pick: David Hemingson, “The Holdovers”
Costume design
The favorite: “Barbie”
Lurking in the weeds: “Poor Things” and “Napoleon”
My pick: “Barbie”
Director
The favorite: “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer”
My pick: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer,” over Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Tragically, both films needed editing to shorten their length.
Film editing
The favorite: Despite some poor editing, both “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer”
Lurking in the weeds: “The Holdovers” and “Poor Things”
My pick: “The Holdovers”
Sound
The favorite: “Oppenheimer”
Lurking in the weeds: “Maestro”
My pick: Though it was a disappointing film, I’ll go with “Maestro.” The music saved the film.
Visual effects
The favorite: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and Napoleon”
Lurking in the weeds: “Godzilla Minus One”
My pick: “Godzilla” — I loved that film!
Cinematography
The favorite: “Oppenheimer”
Lurking in the weeds: “Killers of the Flower Moon”
My Pick: “Oppenheimer”
Make-up and hairstyling
The favorite: “Golda” and “Poor Things”
Lurking in the weeds: Kate McKinnon in “Barbie,” and it wasn’t even nominated!
My pick: “Poor Things”
International feature film
The favorite: “Godzilla Minus One,” and it didn’t get nominated!
Lurking in the weeds: “The Zone of Interest,” and I disliked this
overrated film.
My pick: “Society of the Snow”
Animated feature film
The favorite: “The Boy and the Heron” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
My pick: “The Boy and the Heron”
Music (original score)
The favorite: A tough call. All the nominees had great music.
My pick: “Oppenheimer” by Ludwig Göransson
Music (original song)
The favorite: All the songs deserve to win in the category!
My Pick: “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie,” music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.
Production design
The favorite: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”
Lurking in the weeds: “Napoleon”
My pick: “Oppenheimer”
Animated short film
My pick: A guess! “War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko”
Live action short film
My pick: Another guess! “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” by Wes Anderson and Steven Rales
Documentary feature film
My pick: “20 Days in Mariupol”
Documentary short film
Your call, not mine. Sorry!
So there you have my selections. As noted over the years, my friend, Dr. Paul Peterson, sees few films and annoys me with his picks. Tragically, every year he is more accurate than me!•
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Robert Hammerle specializes in criminal law as of counsel with Hackman Hulett LLP. When he is not in the courtroom or the office, Bob can likely be found at one of his favorite movie theaters preparing to review the latest films. To read more of his reviews, visit www.bigmouthbobs.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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