AWARDS ACE’s Oscars 2020 Picks

The following are AWARDS ACE Editor-in-Chief Erick Weber’s picks for all 24 Oscar categories,

categories featuring the 🔒 symbol are the night’s largest locks.

BEST PICTURE

Winner: 1917

If not then: PARASITE

Not dead yet: JOJO RABBIT, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): THE IRISHMAN,

JOKER, MARRIAGE STORY, LITTLE WOMEN, FORD V FERRARI

EW analysis: Most signs point to 1917 winning here after picking up PGA & BAFTA titles

but PARASITE has that SAG ensemble win which proves it resonates far beyond the international film category.

Really tough pick here but we’ll roll the dice, picking 1917 to win the night’s biggest crown but projecting a split at the top,

as you’ll see with our next category.

BEST DIRECTOR

Winner: Bong Joon-ho PARASITE

If not then: Sam Mendes 1917

Not dead yet: Quentin Tarantino ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): Todd Phillips JOKER,

Martin Scorsese THE IRISHMAN

EW analysis: As we’re predicting a picture/director split, give us Bong here over Mendes even if all the precursors suggest

Mendes will win director. PARASITE has proven to be no joke over the course of this awards season

and love for it is strong enough to win one of the night’s biggest categories but which one will it ultimately be?

Could it actually win both? Or will it be neither?

BEST ACTOR🔒

Winner: Joaquin Phoenix JOKER

If not then: Adam Driver MARRIAGE STORY

Not dead yet: Leonardo DiCaprio ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): Antonio Banderas PAIN AND GLORY,

Jonathan Pryce THE TWO POPES

EW analysis: This Oscar has been Joaquin’s since we first got eyes on JOKER back in late August.

With wins at every single major precursor on the way to Oscars Sunday,

Phoenix finally walks off with his first Oscar.

BEST ACTRESS🔒

Winner: Renee Zellweger JUDY

If not then: Scarlett Johansson MARRIAGE STORY

Not dead yet: Charlize Theron BOMBSHELL

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): Saoirse Ronan LITTLE WOMEN,

Cynthia Erivo HARRIET

EW analysis: The tightly contested race we anticipated between Zellweger and Theron never materialized

with Zellweger - like Phoenix - winning all the big Oscar precursors

en route to Renee’s second Oscar.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR🔒

Winner: Brad Pitt ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

If not then: Al Pacino THE IRISHMAN

Not dead yet: Joe Pesci THE IRISHMAN

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): Tom Hanks A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD,

Anthony Hopkins THE TWO POPES

EW analysis: Like Phoenix, Pitt’s been in the driver’s seat for his Oscars acting category since summer,

Brad’s Cliff Booth one of cinema’s most badass badasses, walking off with his first acting Oscar

after far too long a wait.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS🔒

Winner: Laura Dern MARRIAGE STORY

If not then: Scarlett Johansson JOJO RABBIT

Not dead yet: Florence Pugh LITTLE WOMEN

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): Kathy Bates RICHARD JEWELL,

Margot Robbie BOMBSHELL

EW analysis: With J-Lo criminally out of the picture, this is Dern’s to waltz off with,

anything that resembled competition ended at the BAFTAs.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Winner: PARASITE

If not then: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Not dead yet: MARRIAGE STORY

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): 1917, KNIVES OUT

EW analysis: After winning both WGA (with ONCE sidelined) and BAFTA, PARASITE springs to the top of the board, vaulting over

ONCE just ahead of the Oscars voting deadline. While we expect this to be really close between those two films,

PARASITE with that massive momentum is our pick.

BEST APAPTED SCREENPLAY

Winner: LITTLE WOMEN

If not then: JOJO RABBIT

Not dead yet: THE IRISHMAN

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): JOKER, THE TWO POPES

EW analysis: Another of the night’s closest contests with any of the top three films listed capable of winning Oscar.

JOJO has some serious mojo after winning WGA but LITTLE WOMEN has to win something, right?

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Winner: TOY STORY 4

If not then: MISSING LINK

Not dead yet: KLAUS

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): I LOST MY BODY,

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

EW analysis: One of the most wide-open animated races we can recall with no nominee completely

out of it but we’ll take the film with the biggest box office profile to win.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE🔒

Winner: AMERICAN FACTORY

If not then: THE CAVE

Not dead yet: FOR SAMA

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): HONEYLAND, THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY

EW analysis: Another year, another egregious snub in this category with APOLLO 11 nowhere to be found.

As such, it’s hard to pick against any project with ties to the Obamas like AMERICAN FACTORY has,

Netflix’s backing doesn’t hurt either.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM🔒

Winner: PARASITE

If not then: PARASITE

In third: PAIN AND GLORY

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): CORPUS CHRISTI,

LES MISERABLES, HONEYLAND

EW analysis: We could know something is really up should PARASITE not win this category as it might

point to bigger things later in the ceremony but we think it’ll win here

no matter what happens with best picture.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY🔒

Winner: 1917

If not then: JOKER

Not dead yet: THE IRISHMAN

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, THE LIGHTHOUSE

EW analysis: Bet against Roger Deakins? What are we, numbskulls?

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Winner: JOKER

If not then: STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Not dead yet: 1917

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): MARRIAGE STORY, LITTLE WOMEN

EW analysis: While this appears to be a lock for Hildur, don’t forget that this is likely

John Williams last STAR WARS film, you don’t think some in the Academy

want to finally give him an Oscar?

BEST original song

Winner: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” ROCKETMAN

If not then: “Into The Unknown” FROZEN II

Not dead yet: “Stand Up” HARRIET

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): “I’m Standing With You” BREAKTHROUGH,

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” TOY STORY 4

EW analysis: After Paramount royally messed up ROCKETMAN’s release date, dropping it in May versus November,

the least the Academy can do is award it one Oscar. Lord knows it deserved a far better fate.

BEST Costume design

Winner: JOJO RABBIT

If not then: LITTLE WOMEN

Not dead yet: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): JOKER, THE IRISHMAN

EW analysis: Another super-tight race in this category with JOJO winning Costume Designers Guild but LITTLE WOMEN just took BAFTA.

Flip a coin, lands on JOJO.

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING🔒

Winner: BOMBSHELL

If not then: JOKER

Not dead yet: JUDY

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): 1917, MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL

EW analysis: For making Charlize look virtually identical to Megyn Kelly, the makeup & hair team

from BOMBSHELL have proven to be unstoppable this awards season and it

continues with an Oscar.

BEST production design

Winner: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

If not then: 1917

In third: PARASITE

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): THE IRISHMAN, JOJO RABBIT

EW analysis: Razor-close yet again at the top of this category which could end up being

ONCE’s best shot beyond Pitt, especially if it loses to PARASITE in screenplay as we’re picking.

1917 wouldn’t be the least bit shocking with its BAFTA win, PARASITE’s very much alive too; toss that three-sided dice.

BEST film editing

Winner: PARASITE

If not then: THE IRISHMAN

Not dead yet: JOJO RABBIT

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): FORD V FERRARI, JOKER

EW analysis: PARASITE won ACE which showed Bong has plenty of industry love for his tech team

but JOJO was the other ACE winner. Those two will duke it out with THE IRISHMAN

for another three-way cage match to determine our winner.

BEST sound editing

Winner: 1917

If not then: FORD V FERRARI

Not dead yet: JOKER

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

EW analysis: Both sound categories seemed to be pared down to 1917 vs FORD V FERRARI,

so we’ll go with a split, whichever way it goes.

BEST sound mixing

Winner: FORD V FERRARI

If not then: 1917

Not dead yet: JOKER

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, AD ASTRA

EW analysis: We’re taking whichever film doesn’t win sound editing to win here.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Winner: THE IRISHMAN

If not then: THE LION KING

Not dead yet: AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): 1917, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

EW analysis: We could be looking at THE IRISHMAN’s only real shot at Oscar here.

Netflix’s plans for Oscars domination never materialized as they hoped but this category’s anything

but a lock with everything but STAR WARS in the winning mix.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Winner: HAIR LOVE

If not then: SISTER

Not dead yet: DCERA (DAUGHTER)

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): MEMORABLE, KITBULL

EW analysis: With no Pixar short in 2019, Sony Animation looks to be the beneficiary

of that sizable void in competition.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Winner: ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN

If not then: WALK RUN CHA-CHA

Not dead yet: IN THE ABSENCE

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL), LIFE OVERTAKES ME

EW analysis: Shorts are always some of the harder categories to pick

but SUPERMAN’s tale of social activism is undeniably fierce and unforgettable.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Winner: NEFTA FOOTBALL CLUB

If not then: BROTHERHOOD

In third: THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW

Other contenders (listed in descending order of strength): A SISTER, SARIA

EW analysis: Another tough call here but NEFTA’s charming story

of newly found things won us over.

PROJECTED OSCARS totals (BY FILM)

PARASITE 🏆🏆🏆🏆

1917 🏆🏆🏆

JOKER 🏆🏆

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD 🏆🏆

LITTLE WOMEN 🏆

JOJO RABBIT 🏆

MARRIAGE STORY 🏆

THE IRISHMAN 🏆

FORD V FERRARI 🏆

BOMBSHELL 🏆

ROCKETMAN 🏆

JUDY 🏆

TOY STORY 4 🏆

AMERICAN FACTORY 🏆