Having no hosts makes the ceremony chug along nicely, with the gap between award presentations not seeming too long even with breaks. However, there’s a certain lack of grandness in the ceremony that makes it seem like just any other award show. Or maybe it was just the fact that there were not any funny moments (Chris Rock & Steve Martin and Kristen Wiig & Maya Rudolph were alright) nor were there any standout musical performances. Eminem seemed to have technical troubles and seemed to struggle with ‘Lose Yourself’ otherwise one of my favourite songs and there didn’t seem to be much point in bringing all the translators out for the Frozen 2 song. Still, as I said the ceremony went by fast and if I was a bit iffy about the event itself I was more than happy with the winners. And now to see how well I did.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
Winner: (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again from Rocketman
My prediction: (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again from Rocketman
Figured it would. None of the songs, now that I heard them, really stood out actually.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Winner: Joker
My prediction: Joker
All these women on the stage made for a great girl-power moment and Hildur Guðnadóttir gave one of the most authentic speeches of the night.
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
Winner: Bombshell
My prediction: Bombshell
Having not seen the film, from the clips alone the Makeup looked fantastic.
Achievement in costume design
Winner: Little Women
My prediction: Little Women
Poor Little Women only went with one award for the night, although I am glad it at least won this one. Look at The Irishman, which went home empty-handed just like me and everyone else predicted.
Achievement in sound editing
Winner: Ford v Ferrari
My prediction: Ford v Ferrari
Achievement in sound mixing
Winner: 1917
My prediction: 1917
I am super pumped that I got this double right.
Achievement in visual effects
Winner: 1917
My prediction: Avengers: Endgame
It seems despite world-class visual effects artists working on them, the members seem reluctant to give awards to MCU films, Black Panther not withstanding. It seems Scorsese was just voicing an opinion many in the industry hold, albeit not as extreme as his. 1917 winning is mostly because of Best Picture momentum.
Achievement in production design
Winner: Once upon a Time…in Hollywood
My prediction: 1917
I guess I didn’t think of Hollywood because my favourite scenes in the film happened in sparse locations while the production design of 1917 is much more visual. In retrospect though, it’s a period piece where the set building is important and I should have thought of that while making my predictions.
Achievement in film editing
Winner: Ford v Ferrari
My prediction: Ford v Ferrari
Alright I was a bit harsh when I said this had workmanlike editing but there were still plenty of better options here.
Achievement in cinematography
Winner: 1917
My prediction: 1917
Nothing else was winning this. Happy for the Deak.
Best animated feature film of the year
Winner: Toy Story 4
My prediction: Toy Story 4
Some people went a little overboard predicting the Netflix titles but it’s worth remembering surprises mostly happen in this category only when a strong Disney or Pixar film isn’t involved.
Best international feature film of the year
Winner: Parasite
My prediction: Parasite
Bong Joon Ho could have won only this one category some other day. Instead………
Adapted screenplay
Winner: Jojo Rabbit
My prediction: Little Women
This one confuses me. I like Jojo enough but Little Women is like a masterclass in how to adapt a classic and make it relevant to modern audiences. Jojo has great comedy in it but it’s the dramatic moments where the film falters and those come straight from the script.
Original screenplay
Winner: Parasite
My Prediction: Parasite
I thought Knives Out was just slightly better than Parasite but I am happy for it. It’s a really clever script with a lot of singular ideas.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Winner: Laura Dern in Marriage Story
My prediction: Laura Dern in Marriage Story
Some say this is a career achievement award and certainly Dern has better performances but she is absolutely incredible in Marriage Story too.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Winner: Brad Pitt in Once upon a Time…in Hollywood
My prediction: Brad Pitt in Once upon a Time…in Hollywood
It was really weird when that rapper asked Brad Pitt for a World War Z sequel. I mean is that really something people want? His speech was great though, with him giving a shout-out to the stunt collaborators.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Winner: Renée Zellweger in Judy
My prediction: Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story
Alright this was me just pining for an upset. Plus, the fact that I really liked Johansson’s performance too. But God, did Renee drag on, I was honestly glad my stream was playing with a five minute lag so I could fast-forward.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Winner: Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
My prediction: Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
Phoenix touched on some very heavy issues with his speech but he did it with sincerity and that’s honourable.
Achievement in directing
Winner: Parasite-Bong Joon Ho
My prediction: 1917-Sam Mendes
The biggest upset of the night and one which portended to whom Best Picture is going to go. Bong Joon Ho also delivered the funniest and best speech of the night, honouring Scorsese and Tarantino and getting laughs by saying he will drink till next morning. I hope that’s going well.
Best motion picture of the year
Winner: Parasite
My prediction: Parasite
Despite winning Director, I was still afraid this was going to 1917. I am genuinely happy for the whole team of Parasite though they deserve it and Tom Hanks helping with the speech was an all-time great moment.
So I got 15 out of 20 right which I consider about average. This number gets worse though if the shorts and Documentary film is included because I got all of those wrong.
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