By John H. Foote
Some major and minor changes this week. This will be the order of things until the big night, because as we keep finding out, there will be changes each week, we really do not have a clue until that envelope is opened. I suppose the biggest news this week is Eddie Murphy being on the rise for Dolemite is My Name, which could win the comic that long elusive Oscar. The Two Popes moves into the Best Picture race, giving Netflix one incredible year if it all happens. The streaming network could land three films in the Best Picture race, an incredible coup.
ALL THE CHANGES ARE IN BOLD FACE.
All are in order of their chance of winning. The categories I did not cover will be listed in the next edition, when there is a bit more chatter and buzz about them.
The breakdown for the lists will be Frontrunners, Potential Nominees and Dark Horses.
BEST PICTURE
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- The Irishman
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Marriage Story
- The Two Popes
- Jo Jo Rabbit
- 1917
- A Hidden Life
- Joker
- The Farewell
- Ford vs. Ferrari
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Little Women
- Parasite
- A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
- Just Mercy
- Rocketman
- Bombshell
- The Ballad of Richard Jewell
- The Avengers: Endgame
BEST DIRECTOR
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
- Noah Baumbach for Marriage Story
- Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Sam Mendes for 1917
- Fernando Merielles for The Two Popes
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Todd Phillips for Joker
- Taiku Waitit for Jo Jo Rabbit
- Terrence Malick for A Hidden Life
- Greta Gerwig for Little Women
- Marielle Heller for A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
- Bong Joon Ho for Parasite
- Lulu Wang for The Farewell
- Clint Eastwood for The Ballad of Richard Jewell
BEST ACTOR
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
- Eddie Murphy in Dolemite is My Name
- Adam Driver in Marriage Story
- Leonardo Di Caprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Taron Egerton in Rocketman
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Robert De Niro in The Irishman
- Adam Sander in Uncut Gems
- Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes
- Christian Bale in Ford vs. Ferrari
- Paul Walter Hauser in The Ballad of Richard Jewell
BEST ACTRESS
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- Renee Zellweger in Judy
- Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story
- Charlize Theron in Bombshell
- Cynthia Erivo in Harriet
- Awkwafina in The Farewell
- Saorise Ronan in LIttle Women
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Jodie Turner Smith in Queen and Slim
- Alfre Woodard in Clemency
- Elisabeth Moss in Her Smell
- Julianne Moore in Gloria Bell
- Beanie Feldstein in Book Smart
- Lupita Nyong’o in Us
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Al Pacino in The Irishman
- Joe Pesci in The Irishman
- Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
- Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Anthony Hopkins in The Two Popes
- Alan Alda in Marriage Story
- Taiku Waititi in Jo Jo Rabbit
- Jamie Foxx in Just Mercy
- Robert Downey Jr. in The Avengers: Endgame
- John Lithgow in Bombshell
- Jamie Bell in Rocketman
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- Scarlett Johansson in Jo Jo Rabbit
- Laura Dern in Marriage Story
- Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers
- Margot Robbie in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Penelope Cruz in Pain and Glory
- Meryl Streep in Little Women
- Shuzhen Zhao in The Farewell
- Jennifer Hudson in Cats
- Florence Pugh in Little Women
- Margot Robbie in Bombshell
- Judi Dench in Cats
- Nicole Kidman in Bombshell
BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTATION
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- The Irishman
- The Two Popes
- Jo Jo Rabbit
- Just Mercy
- Joker
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- The Ballad of Richard Jewell
- Motherless Brooklyn
- Little Women
- Judy
- Hustlers
- Toy Story 4
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Marriage Story
- Parasite
- Pain and Glory
- 1917
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Bombshell
- A HIdden Life
- The Farewell
- Book Smart
- Uncut Gems
- The Lighthouse
- Rocketman
- Midsommar
- Yesterday
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- Toy Story 4
- Abominable
- MIssing Link
- Frozen 2
- Klaus
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
- Weathering With You
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
(FRONTRUNNERS)
- The Irishman
- 1917
- The Lighthouse
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- A Hidden Life
(POTENTIAL NOMINEES)
- Jo Jo Rabbit
- Joker
- Ad Astra
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- The Aeronauts
- Cats
- LIttle Women
John H. Foote is a well-recognized Canadian film critic/historian who has been an active critic for 30 years. His deep love for the movies began at a very young age. He began his career as co-host of the popular TV show Reel to Real where he remained for nine years. While on TV he began dabbling in education, eventually ascending to Director of the Toronto Film School, where he also taught film history. After leaving the college to care for his wife, he returned to teaching at Humber College where he taught both Film History and Method Acting Theory. John has written two books: “Clint Eastwood – Evolution of a Filmmaker” and the upcoming “Spielberg – American Film Visionary”. He is currently working on two books, one about the films of the seventies and another on the films of Martin Scorsese. Through his career he has worked in TV, radio, print and the web. John has interviewed everyone in the industry (more than 300 interviews) except Jack Nicholson, he says sadly. Highlights include Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Francis Ford Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow.
