My Predictions for The 2025 Oscar Nominations

This is what I think is getting nominated tomorrow morning

It’s that time of the year again. I’m going to discuss all of my choices for nominations for this years Academy Awards, which will be announced tomorrow morning. I will have more to say about some of the above the line nominations, but will list out my below the line choices as well. This is going to be a long post- so let’s get started!

Live Action Short

1. Beyond Silence

2. The Boy with White Skin

3. Two People Exchanging Saliva

4. Rock, Paper, Scissors

5. The Singers

Animated Short Film

1. Snow Bear

2. Eiru

3. Butterfly

4. Playing God

5. The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Best Documentary Short

1. All the Empty Rooms

2. The Devil Is Busy

3. Perfectly a Strangeness

4. Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

5. Rovina’s Choice

Original Song

1. Golden: Kpop Demon Hunters

2. I Lied to You: Sinners

3. The Girl in the Bubble: Wicked for Good

4. Dear Me: Diane Warren Relentless

5. Train Dreams: Train Dreams

Best Score

A side note- Marty Supreme is my favorite film score of the last ten years, if it gets snubbed you will hear my screams.

1. Sinners: Ludwig Goransson

2. One Battle After Another: Jonny Greenwood

3. Frankenstein: Alexandre Desplat

4. Hamnet: Max Richter

5. Marty Supreme: Daniel Lopatin

Best Sound

1. Sinners

2. F1

3. One Battle After Another

4. Frankenstein

5. Wicked for Good

Best Visual Effects

1. Avatar Fire and Ash

2. F1

3. The Lost Bus

4. Wicked for Good

5. Superman

Makeup and Hairstyling

1. Frankenstein

2. Wicked for Good

3. Sinners

4. The Smashing Machine

5. Nuremberg

Costume Design

1. Wicked for Good

2. Frankenstein

3. Hamnet

4. Sinners

5. Marty Supreme

Production Design

1. Frankenstein

2. Sinners

3. Hamnet

4. Marty Supreme

5. Wicked for Good

Best Editing

Going on a long shot here and predicting Sentimental Value over Hamnet, I might be totally wrong but Sentimental Value is masterfully edited and deserves the nomination and win in all honesty.

1. One Battle After Another

2. Sinners

3. Marty Supreme

4. F1

5. Sentimental Value

Cinematography

1. Sinners

2. Frankenstein

3. One Battle After Another

4. Train Dreams

5. Marty Supreme

Animated Feature

1. Kpop Demon Hunters

2. Zootopia 2

3. Little Amelie or the Character of Rain

4. Arco

5. Elio

Documentary Feature

1. The Perfect Neighbor

2. 2000 Meters to Andriivka

3. Cover-Up

4. The Alabama Solution

5. Mr. Nobody Against Putin

International Feature

1. Sentimental Value

2. The Secret Agent

3. It Was Just An Accident

4. Sirat

5. No Other Choice

Casting

This is a new category, so I’m not sure what to do entirely or even how much of a precursor it is for strong contenders for best picture. I took a swing here and put Weapons as my number five because I believe the casting there was essential to making the film work, especially since they had to recast due to the acting strikes last year.

1. Sinners

2. One Battle After Another

3. Marty Supreme

4. Hamnet

5. Weapons

Adapted Screenplay

I’ve been mulling over this one and I think I’m going to go with the safe five. That being said, I believe Frankenstein and Train Dreams are vulnerable for No Other Choice but since that film has been doing really poorly this season I cannot put my eggs in that basket, I hope it does happen though! I would easily take four out of five if it meant nominating one of the best screenplays of last year.

1. One Battle After Another

2. Hamnet

3. Bugonia

4. Frankenstein

5. Train Dreams

Original Screenplay

Most of these are a slam dunk, but I’m predicting and hoping for a last minute search for debut filmmaker Eva Victor’s film Sorry Baby. A movie I recently rewacthed and really loved, I should have brought it up in my best of the year post but oh well. Here’s hoping to redemption for that wonderful film.

1. Sinners

2. Marty Supreme

3. Sentimental Value

4. It Was Just An Accident

5. Sorry, Baby

Supporting Actor

This category is so locked at this point, I would be dumbfounded if anything else made it’s way in. Only thing I could consider is Andrew Scott in Blue Moon and if that happened, expect Blue Moon to show up in best picture.

1. Stellan Skarsgard: Sentimental Value

2. Benicio del Toro: One Battle After Another

3. Sean Penn: One Battle After Another

4. Jacob Elordi: Frankenstein

5. Paul Mescal: Hamnet

Supporting Actress

There’s more nuance in this category. For one, Ariana Grande could still sneakily make her way into this category after being a front runner last season for the same role. With all of the momentum Wicked for Good has lost however, it seems like betting on a loosing horse. There is also the potential of Elle Fanning for Sentimental Value or Gwyneth Paltrow for Marty Supreme to get in. That being said, contemporaries for both said movies have been getting more attention awards season. Could we see a Helen Mirren in Belfast situation where she gets in over the supporting performance of a lesser known actress? It’s not impossible, but not something I’m going to personally predict.

1. Teyana Taylor: One Battle After Another

2. Amy Madigan: Weapons

3. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas: Sentimental Value

4. Wunmi Mosaku: Sinners

5. Odessa A’zion: Marty Supreme

Actor

This category has six strong contenders and you have to cut one of them to make a five. Sadly, the common cut is Jesse Plemmons, who should easily be getting nominated for his terrific work in Bugonia. While he has been doing well this entire season, his contemporaries have more wins under their belt than he does. However, I wouldn’t be totally shocked if he made it in.

1. Timothee Chalamet: Marty Supreme

2. Leonardo DiCaprio: One Battle After Another

3. Ethan Hawke: Blue Moon

4. Michael B. Jordan: Sinners

5. Wagner Moura: The Secret Agent

Actress

Another category that seems pretty self explanatory. I am afraid of a sneak nomination by Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue, a movie I quite frankly loathed but has been a big commercial hit this holiday season. I think sadly she would get in over Chase Infiniti which would be a devastating snub. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

1. Jessie Buckley: Hamnet

2. Renate Reinsve: Sentimental Value

3. Rose Byrne: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

4. Emma Stone: Bugonia

5. Chase Infiniti: One Battle After Another

Director

The most contested category this season. There’s so many strong options to vote for in this category. I’ve had Jafar Panahi getting in all season long for his excellent film It Was Just An Accident, but that films underperformance this year has made it hard to consider over some heavier hitters. The directors branch does like to throw its bones at international directors, especially Cannes winners like It Was Just An Accident, but, with Sentimental Value here I believe they have that corner filled. It’s hard to contend with what is going to miss, but probably something huge. I’m gonna play my cards safe here and hope for the best.

1. Paul Thomas Anderson: One Battle After Another

2. Ryan Coogler: Sinners

3. Josh Safdie: Marty Supreme

4. Chloe Zhao: Hamnet

5. Joachim Trier: Sentimental Value

Best Picture

This category this year is tough. I have a few things that could happen. Neon getting three movies in and two of them being nine and ten slots is possible, but doesn’t seem that realistic to me. I have a feeling it might not pan out. So then I look at other options. My top seven I believe are best picture locks at this point- so what are eight nine and ten? I believe Train Dreams is the most solid number eight but is more vulnerable than a lot of people believe it is. Then I think you might have to pick a Neon film and a PGA film for the final two slots. The Secret Agent has the most momentum right now with it’s Golden Globe wins. I think that is what will get it the ninth slot. I am going on a whim here and I think Weapons will be the tenth slot. I believe if the film can secure casting and supporting actress nomination from Amy Madigan (and maybe even surprise in screenplay) it could gain enough last minute momentum to secure a tenth slot. That being said, It Was Just An Accident is a strong contender and an important movie. It won the Palme D’or at Cannes and last year best picture winner Anora won that coveted award. Despite it’s lackluster season it could secure that final spot. F1 is also competitive in several tech categories and secured a PGA nomination, which makes it a contender for that final slot. Maybe the Academy simply goes for the blockbuster crowd pleaser and when we all thought the one blockbuster to get in outside Sinners would be Avatar or Wicked, it was F1 the whole time. Sony Pictures Classics is also known to pull some surprises with their nominations and Blue Moon could be it. With Ethan Hawke being competitive in actor and the film potentially surprising in screenplay, you never know what it could pull off. For now, these are my nominations for best picture, taking a swing we will see what happens.

1. One Battle After Another

2. Sinners

3. Marty Supreme

4. Hamnet

5. Frankenstein

6. Sentimental Value

7. Bugonia

8. Train Dreams

9. The Secret Agent

10. Weapons

That’s what I have for you today! Let’s see how wrong I am about this categories tomorrow!