Written By: Brad Williamson

Topic: 2020 Academy Awards

 

The Oscars have been exceedingly frustrating in recent years, and with many of the nominees, they seemed primed to continue this tradition in 2020. But this year, in the end, turned out to be one of the Academy’s most accurate set of results in my memory. Here we will present a summary of the nominees, winners, and brief commentary:

 

Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

• Definitely the safe and expected choice, but a good one. Much as I enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 4 was a satisfying and heartfelt conclusion to an all-time favorite series.

Best Animated Short
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Dcera (Daughter)
Hair Love
Kitbull
Memorable
Sister

• Created by an ex-athlete, this win displays an acceptance of diversity and continues the tradition of sports figures winning this trophy.

Best Original Screenplay
Knives Out
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite

• The best movie of the year won best screenplay. This is the correct pick, but there was concern that the Academy would snub Parasite due to it being a foreign production. Good thing this didn’t come to pass.

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes

• I would have selected Two Popes, but so long as Irishman didn’t win I was going to be happy, so I’m okay with this slight difference in opinion.

Best Live Action Short
Brotherhood
Nefta Football Club
The Neighbors’ Window
Saria
A Sister

 

Best Production Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite

• Parasite was the only competition here and either film would have been a great choice. 

Best Costume Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

• This was the only logical choice among the given nominees.

Best Documentary
American Factory
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland

 

Best Documentary Short
In the Absence
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
Life Overtakes Me
St Louis Superman
Walk Run Cha-Cha

 

Best Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell

• Nothing against Laura Dern, but Pugh and Bates both would have been better choices.

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

• Pitt was phenomenal in this movie, and this was the correct choice despite Hanks’s greatness and Hopkins’s amazing performance.

Best Cinematography
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

• This is probably the winner I most disagree with among this year’s recipients. How Hoyte Van Hoytema’s work for Ad Astra wasn’t even nominated is a total mystery to me, but it should have won this award. One of the biggest snubs I can remember.

Best Sound Editing
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Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

• Obvious choice.

Best Sound Mixing
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

• Ad Astra got snubbed so hard, they should have at least granted the film this.

Best Film Editing
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite

• Joker and Parasite were both cleaner movies, but this is a difficult choice to disagree with too fervently.

Best Visual Effects
Avengers Endgame
The Irishman
1917
The Lion King
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

• Where’s Ad Astra?

Best Makeup and Hair
Bombshell
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
1917

• I would think Maleficent here, no?

Best International Feature Film
Corpus Christi
Honeyland
Les Misérables
Pain and Glory
Parasite

• This was a slam dunk choice.

Best Original Score
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

 

Best Original Song
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I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away, Toy Story 4
I’m Gonna Love Me Again, Rocketman
I’m Standing With You, Breakthrough
Into the Unknown, Frozen II
Stand Up, Harriet

 

Best Actor
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

• This feels like when DiCaprio won for The Revenant; Phoenix didn’t deserve the Oscar for this role, but he definitely should have had one by now for other films, so they gave it to him for a role that can be defended. DiCaprio, Pryce, or Pitt in Ad Astra were probably better performances, but it’s hard to argue against Phoenix earning his first.

Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy

• I liked Florence Pugh in Midsommar here, but somehow she wasn’t even nominated.

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Todd Phillips, Joker
Sam Mendes, 1917
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

• No argument here.

Best Picture
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite

• This was not only the best movie of the year, it is one of the best movies ever. I was worried it would get snubbed, and am thrilled it was not. Wonderful victory and anyone with any problem with this film winning just doesn’t appreciate cinema.