ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick...BOOM!
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Who I Want to Win: Andrew Garfield
Who Will Win: Will Smith
What Lauren Wants: Benedict Cumberbatch
Lauren's Guess: Benedict Cumberbatch
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Claran Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Who I Want to Win: J.K. Simmons
Who Will Win: Troy Kotsur
What Lauren Wants: Troy Kotsur
Lauren's Guess: Kodi Smit-McPhee
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Who I Want to Win: Jessica Chastain
Who Will Win: Jessica Chastain
Who Lauren Wants: Jessica Chastain
Lauren's Guess: Jessica Chastain
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Who I Want to Win: Jessie Buckley
Who Will Win: Judi Dench
Who Lauren Wants: Jessie Buckley
Lauren's Guess: Ariana DeBose
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Who I Want to Win: Luca
Who Will Win: Encanto
What Lauren Wants: Luca
Lauren's Guess: Encanto
What Olivia Wants: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Olivia's Guess: Encanto
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Who I Want to Win: Dune
Who Will Win: West Side Story
What Lauren Wants: West Side Story
Lauren's Guess: Dune
COSTUME DESIGN
Cruella, Jenny Beavan
Cyrano, Massimo Cantini Parrini & Jacqueline Durran
Dune, Jacqueline West & Robert Morgan
Nightmare Alley, Luis Sequeira
West Side Story, Paul Tazewell
Who I Want to Win: Cruella
Who Will Win: Dune
What Lauren Wants: Cruella
Lauren's Guess: Dune
DIRECTING
Belfast, Kenneth Branagh
Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson
The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion
West Side Story, Steven Spielberg
Who I Want to Win: Paul Thomas Anderson
Who Will Win: Jane Campion
Who Lauren Wants to Win: Kenneth Branagh
Lauren's Guess: Jane Campion
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Writing with Fire
Who I Want to Win: Attica
Who Will Win: Summer of Soul
What Lauren Wants: Ascension
Lauren's Guess: Flee
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Audible" -For a guy who doesn't really like sports stuff, this was fascinating. I mean, even I could appreciate the athletic impressiveness of this. But I adored that the filmmakers focused on the relationships at the core of this team. It was less about the sport and more about finding a sense of self.
"Lead Me Home" -Oh my goodness. If you make a documentary about refugees or the homeless, I'm going to lose my mind. I hurt. I hurt watching this. I hurt that I may have contributed to any of this, but I also hurt that we as a society have allowed things to get to this point.
"The Queen of Basketball" -Two! Two sports documentaries and I found both of them fascinating. I ended up showing my film class this one and we all wondered what professional sports would look like if Lucy had decided to play for the Jazz.
"Three Songs for Benazir" -Is this movie unfinished? Did the subject's life take such a wrong turn that they didn't know what to do with the piece? There's something romantic about the premise to begin with, but reality may have forced the storytellers to promptly cut out anything that would have given the documentary a sense of finality.
"When We Were Bullies"
Who I Want to Win: "Lead Me Home"
Who Will Win: "Audible"
What Lauren Wants: N/A
Lauren's Guess: "Audible"
Actual Winner: "The Queen of Basketball"
FILM EDITING
Don't Look Up, Hank Corwin
Dune, Joe Walker
King Richard, Pamela Martin
The Power of the Dog, Peter Sciberras
tick, tick...BOOM!, Myron Kerstein & Andrew Weisblum
Who I Want to Win: Dune
Who Will Win: Dune
What Lauren Wants: Dune
Lauren's Guess: Dune
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Drive My Car
Flee
The Hand of God
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
The Worst Person in the World
Who I Want to Win: The Hand of God
Who Will Win: Drive My Car
What Lauren Wants: The Hand of God
Lauren's Guess: Drive My Car
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Who I Want to Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Who Will Win: House of Gucci
What Lauren Wants: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ORIGINAL SCORE
Don't Look Up, Nicholas Britell
Dune, Hans Zimmer
Encanto, Germaine Franco
Parallel Mothers, Alberto Iglesias (REVIEW PENDING)
The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood
Who I Want to Win: Parallel Mothers
Who Will Win: The Power of the Dog
What Lauren Wants: Parallel Mothers
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ORIGINAL SONG
"Be Alive" from King Richard
"Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto
"Down to Joy" from Belfast
"No Time to Die" from No Time to Die
"Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days
Who I Want to Win: "Dos Oruguitas"
Who Will Win: "Dos Oruguitas"
What Lauren Wants: "Dos Oruguitas"
Lauren's Guess: "Dos Oruguitas"
ACTUAL WINNER: "No Time to Die"
BEST PICTURE
Belfast
CODA
Don't Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Who I Want to Win: Licorice Pizza
Who Will Win: CODA
What Lauren Wants: Belfast
Lauren's Guess: The Power of the Dog
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
What I Want to Win: Dune
What Will Win: West Side Story
What Lauren Wants: Dune
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"Affairs of the Art" -Man alive, this felt forced. My wife sometimes wonders if short films are simply made to grab the attention of the Academy Awards. This one tried to be vulgar without being that vulnerable. It's old people shock humor.
"Bestia" -Do they all have to be bleak? How are we supposed to relate to this? This is "Affairs of the Art", only taken to the next level. Perhaps the people behind "Bestia" wanted that Se7en vibe, but that's not always the most exciting thing either.
"Boxballet" -I can't believe I found a copy of this one. It's good, but it screams Russian animation. There's nothing really pretty about the animation style, but I do want to point out how darned fluid it is. It's cute, but I probably won't remember this one in the long run.
"Robin Robin" - And that was adorable. This is something that is tonally perfect. Maybe I just needed something affirming in my life, but "Robin Robin" comes across like a full length motion picture in terms of commitment to scope. It's a sweet film that I hope wins.
"The Windshield Wiper" -I hear that the animation in Flee isn't that good, but the story will knock you on your butt. Let's flip that. This is one of the most gorgeous looking bits of animation out there (which my wife will disagree with). But the story is practically nothing. I don't even get the emotional resonance it's shooting for. It's also vulgar for vulgarity's sake, despite being on YouTube.
What I Want to Win: "Robin Robin"
What Will Win: "Robin Robin"
What Lauren Wants: "Robin Robin"
Lauren's Guess: "Robin Robin"
ACTUAL WINNER: "The Windshield Wiper"
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Ala Kachuu --Take and Run" -I found it. I found a way to watch it and it couldn't come at a closer time. Oh my goodness, I can't even imagine if I had to take a guess without this one on the list. At first, I thought it was an extremely immature movie, but when the drop happens, it crushes. I think the director didn't know what to do when the stakes weren't high. But once the story happens, it becomes moving as all get out.
"The Dress" -Congrats. I'm now the most depressed human being in the world. My daughter has dwarfism. Apparently, so do I. But I don't want to live in a world thinking that my daughter will be unloved because of her looks. It's bleak and raw. To a certain extent, I see the message of humanity behind it. But the film ends on such a dark spot that I don't know what I can take away and I have no hope for humanity.
"The Long Goodbye" -I really wanted to love this. Riz Ahmed clearly made this as a passion project. He's sick of the racism in the UK and the idea that it is somewhere else. The first part of the film is solid, if not a little confusing about the specifics of the attack. But the spoken word piece at the end, which are Ahmed's lyrics, completely unravel the emotional moment.
"On My Mind" -If I've ever seen a movie that is meant to feel like it was made to be an Academy Award nominee, it's this one. I feel like I've seen this movie a dozen times. It's not like anything is actively bad in the movie. It's just another short. From moment one, you know what's going on and the acting is a bit stilted because of that "shock revelation" that is actually pretty apparent.
"Please Hold" -Oh my goodness. While I've seen me some Black Mirror episodes, I haven't seen anything like this get the attention of the Academy Awards. Do you know how much I want this to win? It is poignant. Like good genre storytelling, it comments on the flaws of our society. This one is damning.
What I Want to Win: "Please Hold"
What Will Win: "Ala Kachuu -Take and Run"
What Lauren Wants: "Please Hold"
Lauren's Guess: "The Long Goodbye"
SOUND
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
What I Want to Win: Dune
What Will Win: West Side Story
What Lauren Wants: West Side Story
Lauren's Guess: Dune
VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
What I Want to Win: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
What Will Win: Dune
What Lauren Wants: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
What I Want to Win: Dune
What Will Win: The Power of the Dog
What Lauren Wants: CODA
Lauren's Guess: Drive My Car
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast
Don't Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World
What I Want to Win: Licorice Pizza
What Will Win: King Richard
What Lauren Wants: Licorice Pizza
Lauren's Guess: Belfast
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick...BOOM!
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Who I Want to Win: Andrew Garfield
Who Will Win: Will Smith
What Lauren Wants: Benedict Cumberbatch
Lauren's Guess: Benedict Cumberbatch
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Claran Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Who I Want to Win: J.K. Simmons
Who Will Win: Troy Kotsur
What Lauren Wants: Troy Kotsur
Lauren's Guess: Kodi Smit-McPhee
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Who I Want to Win: Jessica Chastain
Who Will Win: Jessica Chastain
Who Lauren Wants: Jessica Chastain
Lauren's Guess: Jessica Chastain
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Who I Want to Win: Jessie Buckley
Who Will Win: Judi Dench
Who Lauren Wants: Jessie Buckley
Lauren's Guess: Ariana DeBose
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Who I Want to Win: Luca
Who Will Win: Encanto
What Lauren Wants: Luca
Lauren's Guess: Encanto
What Olivia Wants: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Olivia's Guess: Encanto
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Who I Want to Win: Dune
Who Will Win: West Side Story
What Lauren Wants: West Side Story
Lauren's Guess: Dune
COSTUME DESIGN
Cruella, Jenny Beavan
Cyrano, Massimo Cantini Parrini & Jacqueline Durran
Dune, Jacqueline West & Robert Morgan
Nightmare Alley, Luis Sequeira
West Side Story, Paul Tazewell
Who I Want to Win: Cruella
Who Will Win: Dune
What Lauren Wants: Cruella
Lauren's Guess: Dune
DIRECTING
Belfast, Kenneth Branagh
Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson
The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion
West Side Story, Steven Spielberg
Who I Want to Win: Paul Thomas Anderson
Who Will Win: Jane Campion
Who Lauren Wants to Win: Kenneth Branagh
Lauren's Guess: Jane Campion
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Writing with Fire
Who I Want to Win: Attica
Who Will Win: Summer of Soul
What Lauren Wants: Ascension
Lauren's Guess: Flee
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Audible" -For a guy who doesn't really like sports stuff, this was fascinating. I mean, even I could appreciate the athletic impressiveness of this. But I adored that the filmmakers focused on the relationships at the core of this team. It was less about the sport and more about finding a sense of self.
"Lead Me Home" -Oh my goodness. If you make a documentary about refugees or the homeless, I'm going to lose my mind. I hurt. I hurt watching this. I hurt that I may have contributed to any of this, but I also hurt that we as a society have allowed things to get to this point.
"The Queen of Basketball" -Two! Two sports documentaries and I found both of them fascinating. I ended up showing my film class this one and we all wondered what professional sports would look like if Lucy had decided to play for the Jazz.
"Three Songs for Benazir" -Is this movie unfinished? Did the subject's life take such a wrong turn that they didn't know what to do with the piece? There's something romantic about the premise to begin with, but reality may have forced the storytellers to promptly cut out anything that would have given the documentary a sense of finality.
"When We Were Bullies"
Who I Want to Win: "Lead Me Home"
Who Will Win: "Audible"
What Lauren Wants: N/A
Lauren's Guess: "Audible"
Actual Winner: "The Queen of Basketball"
FILM EDITING
Don't Look Up, Hank Corwin
Dune, Joe Walker
King Richard, Pamela Martin
The Power of the Dog, Peter Sciberras
tick, tick...BOOM!, Myron Kerstein & Andrew Weisblum
Who I Want to Win: Dune
Who Will Win: Dune
What Lauren Wants: Dune
Lauren's Guess: Dune
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Drive My Car
Flee
The Hand of God
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
The Worst Person in the World
Who I Want to Win: The Hand of God
Who Will Win: Drive My Car
What Lauren Wants: The Hand of God
Lauren's Guess: Drive My Car
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Who I Want to Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Who Will Win: House of Gucci
What Lauren Wants: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ORIGINAL SCORE
Don't Look Up, Nicholas Britell
Dune, Hans Zimmer
Encanto, Germaine Franco
Parallel Mothers, Alberto Iglesias (REVIEW PENDING)
The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood
Who I Want to Win: Parallel Mothers
Who Will Win: The Power of the Dog
What Lauren Wants: Parallel Mothers
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ORIGINAL SONG
"Be Alive" from King Richard
"Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto
"Down to Joy" from Belfast
"No Time to Die" from No Time to Die
"Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days
Who I Want to Win: "Dos Oruguitas"
Who Will Win: "Dos Oruguitas"
What Lauren Wants: "Dos Oruguitas"
Lauren's Guess: "Dos Oruguitas"
ACTUAL WINNER: "No Time to Die"
BEST PICTURE
Belfast
CODA
Don't Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Who I Want to Win: Licorice Pizza
Who Will Win: CODA
What Lauren Wants: Belfast
Lauren's Guess: The Power of the Dog
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
What I Want to Win: Dune
What Will Win: West Side Story
What Lauren Wants: Dune
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"Affairs of the Art" -Man alive, this felt forced. My wife sometimes wonders if short films are simply made to grab the attention of the Academy Awards. This one tried to be vulgar without being that vulnerable. It's old people shock humor.
"Bestia" -Do they all have to be bleak? How are we supposed to relate to this? This is "Affairs of the Art", only taken to the next level. Perhaps the people behind "Bestia" wanted that Se7en vibe, but that's not always the most exciting thing either.
"Boxballet" -I can't believe I found a copy of this one. It's good, but it screams Russian animation. There's nothing really pretty about the animation style, but I do want to point out how darned fluid it is. It's cute, but I probably won't remember this one in the long run.
"Robin Robin" - And that was adorable. This is something that is tonally perfect. Maybe I just needed something affirming in my life, but "Robin Robin" comes across like a full length motion picture in terms of commitment to scope. It's a sweet film that I hope wins.
"The Windshield Wiper" -I hear that the animation in Flee isn't that good, but the story will knock you on your butt. Let's flip that. This is one of the most gorgeous looking bits of animation out there (which my wife will disagree with). But the story is practically nothing. I don't even get the emotional resonance it's shooting for. It's also vulgar for vulgarity's sake, despite being on YouTube.
What I Want to Win: "Robin Robin"
What Will Win: "Robin Robin"
What Lauren Wants: "Robin Robin"
Lauren's Guess: "Robin Robin"
ACTUAL WINNER: "The Windshield Wiper"
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Ala Kachuu --Take and Run" -I found it. I found a way to watch it and it couldn't come at a closer time. Oh my goodness, I can't even imagine if I had to take a guess without this one on the list. At first, I thought it was an extremely immature movie, but when the drop happens, it crushes. I think the director didn't know what to do when the stakes weren't high. But once the story happens, it becomes moving as all get out.
"The Dress" -Congrats. I'm now the most depressed human being in the world. My daughter has dwarfism. Apparently, so do I. But I don't want to live in a world thinking that my daughter will be unloved because of her looks. It's bleak and raw. To a certain extent, I see the message of humanity behind it. But the film ends on such a dark spot that I don't know what I can take away and I have no hope for humanity.
"The Long Goodbye" -I really wanted to love this. Riz Ahmed clearly made this as a passion project. He's sick of the racism in the UK and the idea that it is somewhere else. The first part of the film is solid, if not a little confusing about the specifics of the attack. But the spoken word piece at the end, which are Ahmed's lyrics, completely unravel the emotional moment.
"On My Mind" -If I've ever seen a movie that is meant to feel like it was made to be an Academy Award nominee, it's this one. I feel like I've seen this movie a dozen times. It's not like anything is actively bad in the movie. It's just another short. From moment one, you know what's going on and the acting is a bit stilted because of that "shock revelation" that is actually pretty apparent.
"Please Hold" -Oh my goodness. While I've seen me some Black Mirror episodes, I haven't seen anything like this get the attention of the Academy Awards. Do you know how much I want this to win? It is poignant. Like good genre storytelling, it comments on the flaws of our society. This one is damning.
What I Want to Win: "Please Hold"
What Will Win: "Ala Kachuu -Take and Run"
What Lauren Wants: "Please Hold"
Lauren's Guess: "The Long Goodbye"
SOUND
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
What I Want to Win: Dune
What Will Win: West Side Story
What Lauren Wants: West Side Story
Lauren's Guess: Dune
VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
What I Want to Win: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
What Will Win: Dune
What Lauren Wants: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Lauren's Guess: Dune
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
What I Want to Win: Dune
What Will Win: The Power of the Dog
What Lauren Wants: CODA
Lauren's Guess: Drive My Car
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast
Don't Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World
What I Want to Win: Licorice Pizza
What Will Win: King Richard
What Lauren Wants: Licorice Pizza
Lauren's Guess: Belfast
