“Sinners,” the popular Ryan Coogler vampire epic, set a record for Academy Award nominations this year with 16 nominations. Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” came in second with 13 nominations.
The highly contested Oscar race is anybody’s game at this point, since the 98th edition of the Oscars hit the ABC airwaves March 15 from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
Here are my picks for the winners in the six major categories.
Best Supporting Actress
The Best Supporting Actress category usually takes the stage early in the evening.
Don’t be surprised if Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas cancel each other out despite fine performances in “Sentimental Value.”
I’ll be surprised if Amy Madigan takes home Oscar for the horror-drama “Weapons.”
I think Wunmi Mosaku will walk away with the golden statuette for her outstanding turn in “Sinners.”
Best Supporting Actor
This looks like Sean Penn’s year once again for his performance as a stern, decorated military officer in “One Battle After Another.”
He’s won Best Actor twice before in “Mystic River” and “Milk.”
His unforgiving authoritarian character, Steven J. Lockjaw, is likely to beat out the competition this year over even Frankenstein himself (Jacob Elordi). When you know, you know.
Best Actress
Here’s another category that I think is locked in. Rose Byrne’s performance in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” is just an amazing, finely nuanced turn. Usually she does comedies like “Bridesmaids.”
This time she’s serious as a woman dealing with a mental midlife crisis. Byrne should come out on top over perennial Oscar nominee Emma Stone (“Bugonia”) in the Meryl Streep vein and other nominees.
Best Actor
Look for the dark horse, Wagner Moura of “The Secret Agent,” to pull off a surprise win over Timothée Chalamet of “Marty Supreme,” Leonardo DiCaprio in “One Battle After Another,” and Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners.” “The Secret Agent” wasn’t a huge hit, but Moura will win because he had a distinct character arc to play.
Best Director
It looks like Paul Thomas Anderson, who called the shots on “One Battle After Another,” will finally grab the golden statuette over Ryan Coogler of “Sinners” and Josh Safdie of “Marty Supreme.”
After 14 Oscar nominations for films such as “Magnolia,” “Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood” and others, if there was ever a director past due for an Oscar, it’s Anderson.
Best Picture
It’s kind of weird that there have been 10 nominees instead of five in this category for the past few years. Despite the stiff competition and crowded race,
I think “One Battle After Another” will take the grand prize over films like “Sinners,” “Bugonia” “Marty Supreme” and others. I can see the possibility of “Hamnet” and nominee leader “Sinners” pulling of an upset, however.
