Our 2020 Oscar Picks
It’s Oscar time, people! It’s the Super Bowl of movies, and what kind of website would we be if we didn’t weigh in on this prestigious event? Not only do we give you our picks for who we think will win the most coveted awards in the industry tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, we give you our picks for who we think should win! (And isn’t that what’s most important, anyway?)
Best Picture:
Martin: 1917 wins, and 1917 should win.
Zack: 1917 wins, but Jojo Rabbit should win.
Best Actor:
Martin: Joaquin Phoenix in Joker will and should win
Zack: Ditto
Best Actress:
Martin: Renee Zellweger from Judy will and should win.
Zack: Same.
Best Supporting Actor:
Martin: Brad Pitt gets his first Oscar for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, but Tom Hanks should win for his performance as Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Zack: Agreed.
Best Supporting Actress:
Martin: Laura Dern wins for Marriage Story, but Scarlett Johansson deserves it for Jojo Rabbit.
Zack: ScarJo nabs her first Oscar, and she damn well earned it.
Best Director:
Martin: Bong Joon Ho takes the grand prize for Parasite, but Sam Mendes deserves it for 1917.
Zack: Bong Joon Ho wins it, as well he should.
Best Original Screenplay:
Martin: The Parasite scribes (Bong Joon Ho & Han Jin Wong) take the statue, but Rian Johnson should get it for Knives Out.
Zack: Quentin Tarantino brings it home for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, but I agree with Martin that Knives Out deserves the trophy.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Martin: Taika Waititi wins for Jojo Rabbit, and he should.
Zack: Couldn't agree more!
Cinematography:
Martin: The legendary Roger Deakins gets only his second Oscar, for 1917, and it’s more than earned.
Zack: Can’t argue with that!
Film Editing:
Martin: The team of Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker that cut Ford v Ferrari both will and should win.
Zack: Ford v Ferrari wins, but Jojo Rabbit deserves it more.
Production Design:
Martin: Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood wins, but Parasite should win.
Zack: 1917 wins, but I’d like to see Jojo Rabbit win this one.
Costume Design:
Martin: Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood wins another one, but Jojo Rabbit is more deserving in this category.
Zack: Little Women wins here, and it’s well-earned.
Makeup and Hairstyling:
Martin: Judy wins, and should.
Zack: Bombshell wins, but Judy should.
Original Score:
Martin: 1917’s composer, Thomas Newman, wins, but Joker’s Hildur Gudnadottir should win.
Zack: Hildur Gudnadottir’s haunting score for Joker will and should win.
Original Song:
Martin: The iconic songwriting duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin take the gold, and earn it, with “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman.
Zack: Yup.
Sound Mixing:
Martin: 1917 will and should win.
Zack: Absolutely.
Sound Editing:
Martin: Ford v Ferrari will and should win.
Zack: 1917 will and should win.
Visual Effects:
Martin: The de-aging of The Irishman will win, but the sheer scope of Avengers: Endgame deserves it.
Zack: The Irishman gets it, but The Lion King deserves it.
Animated Feature:
Martin: Pixar’s most stalwart franchise wins again with Toy Story 4, but How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, was a better and more deserving movie.
Zack: My thoughts exactly.
International Feature Film:
Martin: It’s too easy. It’s Parasite. It’ll win, and it should.
Yeah. It’s a runaway for Parasite.
* Note * We intentionally left out some major categories (shorts and documentaries specifically) because, quite honestly, we didn’t see them. It would be dishonest, dishonorable, and disingenuous of us here at Unsolicited Film Reviews to pick from a field of films we haven’t seen. That’s more than can be said for a large number of the actual voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They’d have you believe that they actually sat down and watched every second of every film that’s nominated in every category, but whenever there’s an interview conducted with a voter under the cloak of anonymity, that’s never the case. We may be unprofessional, unpolished, and uncensored, but at least we’re fucking honest. Enjoy the Oscars!
