Oscars 2021 predictions

Hey guys, Hannah Taylor here with The Film Magic. Today I'm going to be talking about Oscar nominations as well as predicting who I think will walk home with the gold statue at the end of the night. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more movie content. As far as nominations go, Mank, directed by David Fincher, currently leads the pack with a total of 10 nominations across all categories. This was a really great year for diversity, representation, inclusion in terms of nominations really across all categories, but more specifically in the acting and directing categories. This was actually the third time in history that two films directed by women were nominated in the best picture category. Today I'll be focusing on the six biggest categories of the show, so I'll be focusing on directing, the acting categories, and then best picture. Now as far as best picture goes, I think the top contenders right now are Nomadland, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Promising Young Woman. I am predicting Nomadland to win and I have a couple of reasons for this. For one, this is the film that has really generated the most Oscar pre-buzz prior to the season. Secondly, I think the narrative of the film is really timely. You know, there's this scene towards the end of the film where Frances McDormand's character is talking to this guy named Bob and he's talking about losing his son and there's this line that goes something kind of like, you know, you never really say goodbye to the ones that you love. You'll always see them again later in life and obviously we all know that 2020 with the past year with COVID has been a really hard year for humanity and it's really been tested so and I think that this film really speaks to that and that the perseverance of humanity and so that coupled with the amazing direction I think is really going to help push it to a win. Now I will say that I think Promising Young Woman might be a close second, namely because just in terms of nominations, it's the only other film that has nominations across acting, directing, writing, and editing. So the nominees for Best Director are David Fincher for Mank, Emerald Finnell for Promising Young Woman, Lea Isaac Chung for Minari, Chloe Zhao for Nomadland, and then finally Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round. Now I am heavily favoring Chloe Zhao to take home the win on this one. You know, when I was watching Nomadland, I couldn't help but be reminded of Terrence Malick's directing style who directed Badlands, which is another great film that journeys its characters throughout the Midwest. You know, I think Zhao has a really simple, beautiful way of capturing the authenticity yet simplistic beauty of the Midwest. One way that she would do this is that the non-professional actors that she worked with, she would actually incorporate their real-life stories and experiences into the script as they went along and I think that really adds to the genuine heartfelt emotion that's the beating life of that film. And you know, for that I think she has a really strong chance of winning this award. Moving on to Best Actor, the nominees in this category are Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal, Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Steven Yeun for Minari, Gary Oldman for Mank, and then finally Anthony Hopkins for The Father. Now Yeun is actually the first Asian American to be nominated in the Lead Actor category, which I think is an amazing step forward. All that to say, I do think that Boseman will end up taking home the win on this one. You know, it was the last performance of his career before he died of cancer and I think it was arguably his best performance and I think a lot of people would agree with me on that one. I think the heart and the emotion, the emotional side of voting of the Academy will also really be on his side for this one. All that to say, I do think Riz Ahmed's performance as this metal drummer who loses his hearing is extremely authentic and genuine and I think he could be a close contender behind Boseman. In the Best Actress category, the nominees are Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman, Frances McDormand for Nomadland, Andra Day for The United States vs. Bitly Holiday, Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman, and finally Viola Davis for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. I'm predicting and also really hoping that Carey Mulligan takes home the win in this category. You know, Cassie was a very difficult role and I think any other actress might not have been able to show this full emotional arc that she has while also remembering this underlying trauma that is driving her throughout the film. In terms of tone, this film really has it all. So we have, you know, the comedy, we have a scene where they're singing Paris Hilton, but then we also have very dramatic tragedy and it's a thriller and it's a romance but it's also a comedy and, you know, her performance is really pretty much a perfect balancing act and for that I think she's more than deserving of this award. Now as far as nominations go, I have to say that I think the category of Best Supporting Actor is the most interesting in terms of nominations and kind of could be considered a toss-up. Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield were both nominated in this category for their roles in Judas and the Black Messiah and, you know, when this happened, when they were both nominated as supporting roles, people were going, okay, well then if they're both supporting, who's the lead in this film? And I think they were both nominated in this category because voters were kind of looking at this film as more of an ensemble piece, but I do have to say that I am favoring Daniel to take home the win on this one, but a small part of me is rooting for Paul Racey for his role in Sound of Metal. He played the deaf mentor to Riz Ahmed's character and, you know, Racey has been the upset of the season. You know, he has had this kind of Cinderella story happen to him. He's 72 years old. He's a Chicago theater and war veteran and, you know, he actually grew up with deaf parents and as much as I think that Daniel deserves to win, a small part of me would love to see Racey take home the award. Now last but certainly not least, we have the Best Supporting Actress category. The nominees in this category are Olivia Colman, Glenn Close, Amanda Seyfried, Maria Baklava, and Yoon Hee Jung. Now, Glenn Close, this is her eighth time being nominated and, you know, if she doesn't win then she will actually join the ranks of one other person, I believe, as being one of the longest running people to be nominated without ever having won. Now, I think that we are going to see Yoon Hee Jung take home the win. You know, she has done amazing on the awards circuit thus far and I really hope that we can see that momentum carry her through to the Oscars night. I do have to say that Olivia Colman, she's loved by the awards circuit but I really think this is Yoon Hee Jung's year. I don't think that Amanda Seyfried has a super huge chance of winning just because that she hasn't really won any of the awards previously that she's been nominated for this season, but I am really glad that she's finally getting this wider critical acclaim for her performance in Mank. This has been a really hard year for everyone and, you know, it's no different for the people in the entertainment industry. You know, this industry has taken a lot of really hard blows this year because of COVID-19 and I'm so excited that the Oscars are getting to move forward although, you know, a little differently and a little bit later than as usual, but I think it's great that we're going to get to have this basically magical night that celebrates the best and the greatest in filmmaking and, you know, as Moira Rose would say, my favorite season has been and always will be awards season. So, I hope you enjoyed watching this prediction video for the Oscars and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments below. Bye y'all!