The Oscars are only a few days away, and buzz around the awards has only grown. While some categories feel all but decided, others are far less certain. So, with the red carpet nearly rolled out, the arts reporters of the Indiana Daily Student have made their predictions on the Oscar categories that could still go either way.
Best Picture
MATEO FUENTES-ROHWER: It has to be “One Battle After Another.” Paul Thomas Anderson’s film has won most of the precursor awards, most notably the Golden Globe, Critics' Choice Award and British Academy Film Award. It’s also my favorite movie of the year, with some of my favorite performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Chase Infiniti. He’s had to wait a couple decades, but it’s finally Anderson’s time to win that statuette.
SOPHIE ALBERT: This is the first year I’ve been able to watch all of the Best Picture nominees and, while I personally think the movie most deserving is Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” realistically it will probably go to “One Battle After Another.” Though both films are great in their own regard, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film seems to be the talk of the awards season just because it feels like a more traditional best picture movie. However, I am still holding out hope that the Oscars might surprise me, and I would love nothing more than to get my “One Battle After Another” pick wrong if it means “Sinners” can take home the big win.
JOSH BASKIN: Since its release, it’s been clear to me that “One Battle After Another” will be crowned Best Picture on Sunday. I’m a massive Paul Thomas Anderson fan, and “Punch-Drunk Love” is one of my favorite movies of all time, so it would feel wrong for me not to root for the acclaimed director this weekend. Alongside Anderson’s excellent writing and directing in the film, Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro’s performances are some of my favorites of the year. This film was simply firing on all cylinders, and I would be surprised if it didn’t earn the prestigious award.
STEVEN LEATHERWOOD: My personal pick to win Best Picture this year is Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” For one, the horror genre has been extrememly underrepresented when it comes to this category, and the Oscars in general, so having it sweep the historic 16 nominations that it garnered this year would be quite the statement. I loved other movies like “Bugonia” and “Frankenstein” that were nominated for this category as well, but I don’t think either of them have the same cultural impact to sway the academy. I am still furious “Wicked: For Good” got snubbed this year.
Best Supporting Actress
FUENTES-ROHWER: I just watched “Sentimental Value” a week ago, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is a star in the making. Sadly, she won’t win this award. It’s a travesty. Don’t get me wrong — the rest of the nominations produced fantastic performances. I just think Lilleaas rose to a level I wasn’t expecting, stealing the spotlight from her talented co-stars while staying to the side. Her final scene of the movie alongside Renate Reinsve is one of the best I’ve seen in a while, and it’s worthy of the Academy Award alone. With Lilleaas out of the picture, I think Amy Madigan will take the award. As a fan of hers from “Field of Dreams,” I will be more than happy if she does.
ALBERT: This feels to me like the most up in the air category this awards season. I think it will come down to Amy Madigan for “Weapons,” Wunmi Mosaku for “Sinners” or Teyana Taylor for “One Battle Another” as they have been the ones consistently awarded this season. My pick is Taylor for her fantastic performance in “One Battle After Another.” However, I would be happy with any of these women winning as they all did amazing in their respective films.
BASKIN: Best Supporting Actress has been one of the most unpredictable awards this year. While the Academy has given many nominations to horror films in this year’s lineup, a genre notoriously overlooked by voters, I don’t think that Amy Madigan or Wunmi Mosaku’s performances were quite memorable enough to sway the voters. Instead, my pick is Teyana Taylor, whose presence was instantly felt on screen whenever she appeared in “One Battle After Another.” If Taylor does not win, I would love to see the award go to either Elle Fanning or Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who both had beautifully tragic performances in “Sentimental Value,” one of my favorite films of the year.
LEATHERWOOD: Best Supporting Actress is an interesting fight this season, but for me, I think it comes down to Wunmi Mosaku in “Sinners” or Amy Madigan in “Weapons.” Both actresses are nominated for a performance in a horror movie, which is almost unheard of, and both do a great job in their films. Madigan is horrifying in “Weapons,” and I’m surprised her nomination was the only nod to the film in all categories. But Mosaku is realistic and heartbreaking in “Sinners” and I would love to see her get her flowers as well.
Best Score
FUENTES-ROHWER: “Marty Supreme” was robbed. The Daniel Lopatin-composed score was easily my favorite of the year, and ever since hearing it in the theater, I've been using it as study music. I would have been upset if it had not won the award, but to not get nominated is ridiculous. Anyway, Ludwig Göransson should win for “Sinners” because his is the next best. Go get that third Oscar, Göransson.
ALBERT: For me, this category has to go to Ludwig Göransson for “Sinners.” Music is such an integral part to this film, and it really brings it to life in such a powerful way. Göransson did a great job mixing blues, folk and soul with a slight contemporary feel at times to highlight the power music had and continues to have throughout history. I think if “Sinners” is going to take home any award, it should definitely be this one.
BASKIN: In my opinion, no one is putting as much dedication to their craft as Ludwig Göransson. Using authentic guitars from the era in which "Sinners" takes place was an incredible achievement alone, but Göransson went the extra mile and composed nearly the entire score with that instrument. The Academy awarded Göransson the golden statuette before for his work on “Oppenheimer” in 2024, so it would not surprise me to see him be given this honor once more.
LEATHERWOOD: I have my favorite, and it’s not “Sinners.” While I do believe that Ludwig Göransson would absolutely deserve the award and then some, I loved Alexandre Desplat’s “Frankenstein” score. It’s fantastical, dark and enchanting, an absolute perfect fit for the gothic fairy tale. I adored his work in the last two “Harry Potter” movies and “Little Women,” and I would love to see him win a third Oscar after “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Shape of Water.”
Best Casting
FUENTES-ROHWER: I’m going to use this as a platform to say del Toro is one of the best living actors. Therefore, the decision to cast him as Sensei in “One Battle After Another” should automatically give the award to Cassandra Kulukundis. I know most are not in agreement with me, so I also understand “Sinners” as a possible recipient. Yet, even beyond del Toro, I think the sheer number of acting nominations for “One Battle After Another” — DiCaprio, del Toro, Penn, Taylor — as well as the introduction of Infiniti, a high risk choice that generated an even higher reward, makes the film deserving of the award.
ALBERT: Since it’s the newest category added to the Oscars, I don’t really know what to expect. In my predictions, I have chosen “Sinners” to win this category. Not only is the cast very strong, but it feels like an easier award for the movie to win. I’ve found this with the recently added “Box Office Achievement Award” at the Golden Globes too where that award feels like it was made for the popular movies everyone loves but aren’t “prestigious” enough to take home bigger awards like Best Picture. “Sinners” feels like a riskier movie to award in bigger categories, so I worry the Oscars may just give it the casting achievement award as a sort of consolation prize to the cast and crew. I loved the film though, so if “Sinners” ends up winning this award, I hope it is with many other awards, where it is just as deserving.
BASKIN: I love how unclear the outcome is for this award, because it tells me any of the films nominated have a strong chance at winning. To me, I see this award as recognizing the casting director who cast the overall best-fitting actors for their roles, not necessarily the quality of the actors’ performances. With this in mind, “Marty Supreme” is the film I think can bring it home, because its many characters played by non-actors, like Kevin O’Leary and Luke Manley, gave the movie an authentic vibe.
LEATHERWOOD: This is a tricky category to predict since it’s entirely new. However, I think it’s pretty clear which film is taking this one home. I mean, the idea of casting Michael B. Jordan as two twin brothers is pretty genius, so I think casting director Francine Maisler with “Sinners” will be the one to watch. Every single actor is sheer perfection in their role. Not just Jordan and Mosaku, but smaller roles like Hailee Steinfeld and Omar Benson Miller were some of my favorites. And we can’t forget Jack O’Connell as the Irish vampire, Remmick. Overall, I think this cast is incredibly diverse and should easily take this category.
