PLAY-AT-HOME OSCAR BALLOT
Before you fill it out, consider the advice from Glenn Whipp.
BEST PICTURE
❏ “Ford v Ferrari”
❏ “The Irishman”
❏ “Jojo Rabbit”
❏ “Joker”
❏ “Little Women”
❏ “Marriage Story”
❏ “1917"
❏ “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood”
❏ “Parasite”
Winner: “1917" won the top prizes from the producers and directors guilds, making it the clear favorite.
DIRECTOR
❏ Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
❏ Todd Phillips, “Joker”
❏ Sam Mendes, “1917"
❏ Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood”
❏ Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”
Winner: 64 of 71 Directors Guild winners have gone on to take the Oscar, so play the percentages and go with Mendes.
LEAD ACTOR
❏ Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
❏ Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood”
❏ Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
❏ Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
❏ Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Winner: Awards voters love to reward big performances that show the actors’ effort and exertion, one of many reasons Phoenix keeps prevailing.
LEAD ACTRESS
❏ Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
❏ Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
❏ Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
❏ Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
❏ Renée Zellweger, “Judy”
Winner: Zellweger wins her second Oscar, this time for an empathetic portrayal of a showbiz legend.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
❏ Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
❏ Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
❏ Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
❏ Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
❏ Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Winner: Dern finally adds an Oscar to a résumé that includes an Emmy and five Golden Globes.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
❏ Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
❏ Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
❏ Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
❏ Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
❏ Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood”
Winner: After the SAG Awards, who doesn’t want to hear Pitt deliver another stand-up set?
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
❏ “The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian
❏ “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi
❏ “Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
❏ “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig
❏ “The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten
Winner: “Little Women” won the USC Scripter prize, and there’s strong sentiment to reward Gerwig’s beautiful, inventive film here.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
❏ “Knives Out,” Rian Johnson
❏ “Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach
❏ “1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
❏ “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino
❏ “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, Jin Won Han
Winner: “Parasite” has a slight edge over “Hollywood,” though Tarantino could well win for a third time.
ANIMATED FEATURE
❏ “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
❏ “I Lost My Body”
❏ “Klaus”
❏ “Missing Link”
❏ “Toy Story 4"
Winner: “Toy Story 4" prevails for what should be the last roundup for Woody and the gang.
FILM EDITING
❏ “Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
❏ “The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker
❏ “Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles
❏ “Joker,” Jeff Groth
❏ “Parasite,” Jinmo Yang
Winner: “Ford v Ferrari” possesses the flash that voters like to reward in this category.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
❏ “The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves
❏ “Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopková
❏ “1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales
❏ “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh
❏ “Parasite,” Lee Ha Jun and Cho Won Woo
Winner: “Hollywood’s” time capsule ekes out a victory over the cratered trenches of “1917.”
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
❏ “Corpus Christi” ❏ “Honeyland” ❏ “Les Misérables” ❏ “Pain and Glory” ❏ “Parasite”
Winner: “Parasite” triumphs, probably diminishing its chances to win best picture as well.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
❏ “American Factory” ❏ “The Cave” ❏ “The Edge of Democracy” ❏ “For Sama” ❏ “Honeyland”
Winner: The superb “American Factory” is the most widely seen and taps into election year themes.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
❏ “The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto
❏ “Joker,” Lawrence Sher
❏ “The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke
❏ “1917,” Roger Deakins
❏ “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson Winner: Deakins takes his second Oscar for his astounding, ambitious effort.
MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
❏ “Bombshell,” Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker
❏ “Joker,” Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou
❏ “Judy,” Jeremy Woodhead
❏ “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White
❏ “1917,” Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis and Rebecca Cole
Winner: “Bombshell” continues the recent trend of rewarding movies that transform their actors into famous figures.
ORIGINAL SCORE
❏ “Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir
❏ “Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat
❏ “Marriage Story,” Randy Newman
❏ “1917,” Thomas Newman
❏ “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams Winner: The Icelandic Guðnadóttir’s sensitive score takes another award, the latest in a series of historic victories.
ORIGINAL SONG
❏ “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” from “Toy Story 4"; music and lyric by Randy Newman
❏ “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” from “Rocketman”; music by Elton John, lyric by Bernie Taupin
❏ “I’m Standing with You,” from “Breakthrough”; music and lyric by Diane Warren
❏ “Into the Unknown,” from “Frozen 2"; music and lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
❏ “Stand Up,” from “Harriet”; music and lyric by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo Winner: Twenty-five years after “The Lion King,” Sir Elton earns another Oscar.
SOUND MIXING
❏ “Ad Astra,” Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano
❏ “Ford v Ferrari,” Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow
❏ “Joker,” Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland
❏ “1917,” Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson
❏ “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler and Mark Ulano Winner: Boom-boom. “1917.”
ANIMATED SHORT
❏ “Dcera (Daughter)” ❏ “Hair Love” ❏ “Kitbull” ❏ “Memorable” ❏ “Sister”
Winner: The charming “Hair Love” is the best-known of the nominees, though Pixar’s “Kitbull” is right there too.
VISUAL EFFECTS
❏ “Avengers: Endgame,” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken and Dan Sudick
❏ “The Irishman,” Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson SepulvedaFauser and Stephane Grabli
❏ “The Lion King,” Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Elliot Newman
❏ “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy
❏ “1917,” Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy Winner: That “1917" clip of the German plane crashing into the barn has been burned into voters’ brains.
COSTUME DESIGN
❏ “The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson
❏ “Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo
❏ “Joker,” Mark Bridges
❏ “Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran
❏ “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips Winner: All those hippies and cowboys and actors in “Hollywood” looked, to use the film’s parlance, as real as a doughnut.
SOUND EDITING
❏ “Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester
❏ “Joker,” Alan Robert Murray
❏ “1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate
❏ “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman
❏ “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord Winner: The sound categories come down to the boom-boom of “1917" versus the vroom-vroom of “Ford.” Give this one to “Ford.”
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
❏ “In the Absence” ❏ “Learning to Skateboard in a W arzone (If You’re a Girl)”
❏ “Life Overtakes Me”
❏ “St. Louis Superman”
❏ “Walk Run Cha-Cha” Winner: The story of a Kabul school teaching girls to skateboard (and challenge the patriarchy), should prevail.
LIVE ACTION SHORT
❏ “Brotherhood” ❏ “Nefta Football Club”
❏ “The Neighbors’ Window” ❏ “Saria” ❏ “A Sister”
Winner: “Brotherhood,” the beautifully photographed story of a Tunisian family dealing with ideological divisions, seems to be the favorite.