And the 2026 Oscar Goes To...

I must say, I'm hard-pressed to feel much excitement for most of the Oscar-nominated movies this year. They were a showcase of immense talent and technical expertise, but my heart simply couldn't get emotionally invested in a lot of these films. But, as is tradition, below are my thoughts on what I would pick if I were an Academy voter. If you disagree, let's fight about it in the comments!

Best Picture: Obviously, I'm going with Sinners here. Of the ten nominated films, this is the only movie that was technically brilliant, but also weird, original, and a cinematic treat from start to finish. It was a reminder of what moviemaking is supposed to be all about and why people go to the movies. It was a genre-defying crowdpleaser that still had extremely deep and impactful things to say, and shouldn't that earn a Best Picture Oscar? Unfortunately, the favorite is probably One Battle After Another, a movie that has some grand moments, but was an absolute slog as far as I was concerned. My difficulty with Paul Thomas Anderson's movies has been long documented on this blog, so let's not belabor the point any further. If I had to pick a runner-up for the award, I would go with Hamnet, a beautiful and lush adaptation that features some exquisite acting, but still managed to leave me a little cold at the end. I know I'm in the minority there, and I'd love nothing more for this little film about a strong, grieving mother to beat out the bombastic movie about an incompetent father, but sadly, the world does not revolve around my desires. Of the two foreign movies nominated in this category, I certainly would pick Sentimental Value over The Secret Agent, but I don't have much love lost over either of those films. Honestly, the Foreign Film I loved most this year was It Was Just an Accident, and I highly recommend you watch that before you watch these other two films. Of the weirder films, we've got Frankenstein and Bugonia, directed by men who certainly have a very distinctive vision. I loved Frankenstein, but not enough to give it an Oscar, while Bugonia was a fun time at the theater, but again, just a little too bizarre towards the end to warrant an award. Train Dreams is quiet, beautiful, but ultimately dull, while Marty Supreme is loud, brash, and ultimately overstays its welcome. And finally, we have F1, the obligatory, "let's nominate something people actually watched!" pick. It was a fun time, and I felt like I was racing along the track with the drivers, but did I give this movie another thought after I left the theater? Nope. So, what would I have nominated instead? Sorry, Baby and Rental Family. Now those are movies that made me tear up and chuckle and were genuinely surprising and unique and wonderful. And how about Wake Up Dead Man or Highest 2 Lowest instead of F1 if we're awarding brilliantly directed audience favorites that promise a great time at the movies? Basically, I've established that I'm starved for original screenplays that tug at my heartstrings. Hopefully 2026 will have better offerings!

Best Director: Can we please give this to Ryan Coogler for Sinners? The DGA award was unfortunately given to my arch nemesis Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, so my hopes are low, but I shall continue to hope, because that's how I roll. And if Coogler doesn't get it, I would give it to the only woman nominated, Chloe Zhao for Hamnet. Joachim Trier is on my list of "auteurs" who make indulgent movies I don't vibe with, so I'm not awarding him for Sentimental Value. And Josh Safdie did a fine job with Marty Supreme, but he needs to get better with the editing and less precious with his material if he doesn't want to fall into my over-indulgent auteurs hit list.

Best Actress: This seems to be Jessie Buckley's to lose, and her powerful performance in Hamnet certainly deserves it; I don't begrudge her after all the phenomenal work she has put in over the years. Emma Stone already has two Oscars, so she doesn't need another for going bald in Bugonia. Kate Hudson did some wonderful work in Song Sung Blue but this is a "she's just lucky to be nominated" performance considering her competition. Renate Reinsve is an Academy darling who will probably win an Oscar soon, but this year she should just be happy to be nominated for Sentimental Value. Which leaves me with my sentimental favorite, Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. That is a harrowing movie I will never watch again, but my God she delivers a performance of a lifetime. I hope she gets the chance to showcase her talent like this again so she can be the one walking away with an Oscar in another year. 

Best Actor: Now this category presents a bit of a challenge for me. Michael B. Jordan played twins in Sinners, so surely, he deserves an award for doing double the work of the other nominees and looking fine while he was doing it? I like Wagner Moura, but I did not like The Secret Agent so I'm not giving him an Oscar for that performance. And Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't need another Oscar, and certainly not for One Battle After Another. Which leaves us with Timothee Chalamet for his visceral performance in Marty Supreme, and Ethan Hawke for his impeccably commanding performance in Blue Moon. Listen, I can't begrudge Timmy C. who has been chasing this Oscar for years (though his frontrunner status has certainly faded in recent weeks after Jordan won the Actor Award and Timmy is being derided for his unfortunate comments about ballet and opera), but how on earth does Hawke not have an Oscar already?! I have such a soft spot for Ethan Hawke, who has been delivering standout performances for years, so he's the one I would secretly give an award to. But c'mon Michael B. Let's give you your award at last!

Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas are both nominated for Sentimental Value. Both actresses are great, but they're not going to win the award. Amy Madigan was so brilliant and creepy in Weapons that a little part of my heart wants to secretly root for her. But Wunmi Mosaku was so fantastic in Sinners that I am more openly rooting for her. And I love Teyana Taylor with all my heart, but I don't think she had enough to do in One Battle After Another for me to give her an Oscar here. So again, rooting for Sinners, and against One Battle After Another or Sentimental Value. Are we sensing a theme?

Best Supporting Actor: Delroy Lindo's nomination for Sinners is finally his chance to win an Oscar after decades of delivering incredible performances. So, I'm wholeheartedly in the tank for him. Am I rooting for Sean Penn or Benicio del Toro's performances in One Battle After Another? Nope. How about Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value? Nope! Which leaves us with Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein, a performance I did really love. But Elordi will have plenty of chances to win an Oscar later in his career, so he needs to sit down and let Lindo take the stage. 

Best Original Screenplay: This is a really interesting one because original stories are so few and far between these days that I genuinely would root for all of these scripts to win (except Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt for Sentimental Value, of course). The WGA just awarded Ryan Coogler for Sinners, so that seems to be the likely favorite. I'm rooting for him, for writing the truly genre-bending original script of Sinners. But I did love Robert Kaplow's tour-de-force script for Blue Moon, as well as the very surprising It Was Just an Accident, where writer-director Jafar Panahi manages to walk this delicate tightrope of comedy and drama that was a real joy to watch. Given everything Iran is going through right now, would it be wonderful to give Panahi this award? Yes. But does Coogler deserve his flowers? Of course.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson won the WGA award for One Battle After Another...blergh. I'm rooting for Chloe Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell for Hamnet, who managed to turn that very literary novel into a dazzling cinematic spectacle. Frankenstein was gorgeous, but the script was not particularly novel, Bugonia was too odd, Train Dreams was too boring. Fin.

Apart from these categories, I will be rooting for Ludwig Goransson to win Best Original Score for Sinners, and KPop Demon Hunters for Best Animated Film, with "Golden" winning Best Original Song. This will be the first year there will be an Oscar for Best Casting, so I'll root for Sinners to set a precedent for excellence in that category. Frankly, I might be most excited for Best Live Action Short Film, where a VERY silly and hilarious movie named Jane Austen's Period Drama is nominated. But boy I hope there are some upsets or incredible speeches during the ceremony. Otherwise, I'm not going to be very invested in any of it this year.