Oscars 2021 - Year in Advance Predictions

I realize that it is far too soon to start discussing this, and I honestly couldn't care less since this constitutes at least 50% of my life. Let's jump into the action, here are my insanely early Oscars 2021 predictions.

Best Picture

1. Mank
2. Annette
3. Dune
4. The French Dispatch
5. Blonde
6. Ammonite
7. Tenet
8. Soul
9. Fonzo

Netflix is still getting the cold shoulder from the Academy, but a Hollywood set, black and white biography about Citizen Kane's co-writer is sure to strike their fancy. Close behind I'd say is Annette, which I feel is going to be a big hit, given the musical genre's luck as of late, and with an already acclaimed director helming it and Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in the lead roles, it's difficult to overlook this one. Then there's Dune, from Denis Villeneuve who's already had his last two films win Oscars, and anticipation for his latest film is building up fast. It could easily sweep some technical awards if campaigned properly.

Best Director

1. David Fincher - Mank
2. Leos Carax - Annette
3. Denis Villeneuve - Dune
4. Wes Anderson - The French Dispatch
5. Andrew Dominik - Blonde

Best Lead Actor

1. Tom Hardy - Fonzo
2. Gary Oldman - Mank
3. Adam Driver - Annette
4. Anthony Hopkins - The Father
5. John David Washington - Tenet

Taking a risk here, as Fonzo still has no release date/distributor, but perhaps it will find luck this year, as film with Tom Hardy in the lead with a makeup transformation that's bound to be divisive seems like a very possible win here.

Best Lead Actress

1. Ana de Armas - Blonde
2. Marion Cotillard - Annette
3. Kate Winslet - Ammonite
4. Jessie Buckley - I'm Thinking of Ending Things
5. Jennifer Hudson - Respect

Armas has already built up a devout following after her excellent performances in both Blade Runner 2049 and last year's Knives Out, and role as a character very much inspired by Marylin Monroe could be her Oscar ticket.

Best Supporting Actor

1. Tom Burke - Mank
2. Benicio Del Toro - The French Dispatch
3. Paul Walter Hauser - Da 5 Bloods
4. Bill Murray - On the Rocks
5. Chadwick Boseman - Da 5 Bloods

Playing Orson Welles gives Burke a major advantage here from the get-go. Also worth looking at is Bill Murray in On the Rocks, where he plays an estranged father which seems perfect for Oscar chances.

Best Supporting Actress

1. Saoirse Ronan - Ammonite
2. Glenn Close - Hillbilly Elegy
3. Amanda Seyfried - Mank
4. Meryl Streep - The Prom
5. Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

With 4 nominations already at such a young age, Ronan's appeal is clear, and her role as a unhappy spouse who starts a relationship with Kate Winslet's character in Ammonite seems like just what she needs to finally win.

Best Original Screenplay

1. Mank
2. The French Dispatch
3. Annette
4. Soul
5. Last Night in Soho

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Blonde
2. Hillbilly Elegy
3. Da 5 Bloods
4. Dune
5. Nomadland

This category seems pretty sparse this year, so for now I'll place my bets on Blonde, with Armas already seeming like a possible Oscar winner and the film's director/writer Andrew Dominik seeming overdue for a nomination.

Best Film Editing

1. Dune
2. Annette
3. The French Dispatch
4. Mank
5. Fonzo

Best Cinematography

1. Dune
2. Annette
3. The French Dispatch
4. Tenet
5. Mank

As mentioned already, Dune will surely be a heavy tech-category contender, given Villeneuve's past two films finding love there. If not, then Annette will likely take it home, similarly to how La La Land did.

Best Original Score

1. Annette
2. The French Dispatch
3. Dune
4. Tenet
5. Mank

Best Original Song

1. Annette
2. No Time to Die
3. Soul
4. West Side Story
5. In the Heights

Annette being a musical pretty much guarantees it spots in the two categories above. Nothing more to say there.

Best Production Design

1. Dune
2. The French Dispatch
3. Mank
4. Tenet
5. West Side Story

Best Costume Design

1. The French Dispatch
2. Blonde
3. West Side Story
4. Fonzo
5. Respect

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

1. Fonzo
2. Blonde
3. The Witches
4. Hillbilly Elegy
5. The French Dispatch

The makeup transformation of Hardy alone should win over Academy voters, given recent wins as seen with Darkest Hour and Bombshell.

Best Visual Effects

1. Dune
2. Tenet
3. Eternals
4. Godzilla vs. Kong
5. BIOS

Best Sound Mixing

1. Dune
2. Annette
3. Tenet
4. Soul
5. West Side Story

Best Sound Editing

1. Tenet
2. Dune
3. Annette
4. The Invisible Man
5. Greyhound

Best Animated Feature

1. Soul
2. Raya and the Last Dragon
3. Over the Moon
4. How Do You Live?
5. Scoob!

Pixar with another film asking about life? There's another Oscar for them. Onward I doubt will get in, though, because although reviews are good, it isn't the hit the company's past few winners have been. Not to mention that it had a weaker opening than The Good Dinosaur, not a great sign.