Best Picture
1917
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite – WINNER
I was in disbelief when Jane Fonda actually said Parasite had won Best Picture. I had to pause for a second before bursting into excitement. Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece was incredibly deserving and the film I was rooting for. Across the long duration of awards season, Marriage Story and The Irishman had shifted into favouritism before it became a battle between Parasite and 1917. I loved both films, but Parasite is so special. It’s a tense, exciting, thought-provoking and hilarious film which will undoubtedly stand the test of time. It’s also the first non-English language film to win the coveted award which makes this all the more amazing. It’s fair to say that The Academy atoned for their sin of choosing Green Book as last year’s Best Picture recipient. More of this form for the years to come, please!
Best Director
Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite – WINNER
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Sam Mendes, 1917
Todd Phillips, Joker
The Parasite train rolls on, and my raving about it isn’t over yet. Sam Mendes was almost locked in for 1917, but Bong Joon-ho took the upset. While I loved Mendes’s work in 1917 and the way he was able to construct the faux long take, Bong Joon-ho’s directorial work in Parasite was jaw-droppingly good. The way he’s able to harness tone is second to none, and his visual sensibility is that of a master at the top his game. Nominated alongside legends Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino (as well as Todd Phillips), Bong lovingly shouted out Scorsese in his Best Director speech prompting a standing ovation from the auditorium. It was one of the highlights of the night.
Best Actor
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker – WINNER
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
I can’t say that I wasn’t expecting this. Joaquin Phoenix is a brilliant actor and Joker is his biggest performance to date. And by biggest, I don’t mean best. It’s got great elements for sure and dare I say it, some shoddy ones too (his usual subtlety is not his strong suit in Joker), but Phoenix has been snubbed so many times by The Academy that I’m willing to accept this as his career award. His truly masterful work in either Her, The Master, Walk the Line and You Were Never Really Here should’ve netted him an Oscar by this point. Personally, I thought Adam Driver should’ve won this award for his stunning work in Marriage Story, delivering a performance filled with so much nuance and personality.
Best Actress
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Renée Zellweger, Judy – WINNER
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
I have to admit that I haven’t seen Judy and while I’ve heard very mixed things about the film, Zellweger’s work is apparently strong. Echoing the previous category, my choice would’ve been Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story; however, I also would’ve been very happy with Saoirse Ronan getting up for Little Women. Johansson gave one of the best—and most gut-wrenching—performances I’ve seen in years and Ronan was a pure beacon of light in Little Women. While I respect Zellweger for her career renaissance, I wish The Academy would not fixate on biopic performances every year. It was the safe choice.
Best Supporting Actor
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – WINNER
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
It’s hard to believe that this is the first acting Oscar for Brad Pitt. It’s fitting that it’s for the role of Cliff Booth—the platonic ideal of a Brad Pitt role. He’s able to effortlessly combine his movie star persona and his ever-underappreciated acting chops in a role which is tender, heartfelt and hilarious. Al Pacino and Joe Pesci were also fantastic in The Irishmanand I would’ve been happy to see either of them take home the trophy, but Pitt was always my number one. He also shouted out stuntmen in his speech, another standout moment of the ceremony.
Best Supporting Actress
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Laura Dern, Marriage Story – WINNER
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Finally, Marriage Story gets some love in the form of Laura Dern. She’d won every award in the lead up to the Oscars and was maybe the biggest certainty going into the night. It’s also very well deserved. Dern is fierce in the film, stealing every single scene she’s in. If the rare upset occurred, I would’ve loved to have seen Florence Pugh take home the award for her superb work in Little Women. In a film loaded with stars, Pugh is the standout as Amy March. She’s a brilliant young actress who’ll without a doubt receive an Oscar sooner or later. Funnily enough, Pugh and Laura Dern are brilliant on screen together in Little Women so I’m sure the young actress was over the moon with her co-star’s win.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Steven Zaillian, The Irishman
Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit – WINNER
Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Joker
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes
Greta Gerwig was my preferred winner having delivered what is being called the definitive adaptation of Little Women, but I can’t outright disagree with The Academy as Waititi also delivered a fantastic screenplay for Jojo Rabbit. Despite the subject matter being, well, Nazis, it’s loaded with heart, wit and real melancholy. It’s not my favourite Waititi screenplay (that honour goes to Hunt for the Wilderpeople), but it’s great to see him get recognition. Will he be back in the race next year for his film Next Goal Wins? We’ll have to wait and see.
Best Original Screenplay
Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917
Rian Johnson, Knives Out
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-won, Parasite – WINNER
This win for Parasite was one of the bigger surprises of the night, mainly because it was expected that Quentin Tarantino would go home with the award for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. When this happened I was confident Parasite could go home with Best Director and Best Picture. This is not to discredit Tarantino because his screenplay was also fantastic.
Best Film Editing
Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland, Ford v Ferrari – WINNER
Thelma Schoonmaker, The Irishman
Tom Eagles, Jojo Rabbit
Jeff Groth, Joker
Yang Jin-mo, Parasite
Ford v Ferrari was never expected to win the big award for the night, but it was a huge chance for editing and it eventually got up. This was a very strong category which I never had one specific favourite for. I would’ve happily accepted Thelma Schoonmaker getting up for The Irishman or Yang Jin-mo for Parasite but Ford v Ferrari is a fantastically edited film so I can’t complain.
Best Cinematography
Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman
Lawrence Sher, Joker
Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse
Roger Deakins, 1917 – WINNER
Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Look, this was always going to be the winner, and rightfully so. Deakins is a legend within this industry and finally got his first Oscar two years ago for Blade Runner 2049. As soon as I saw 1917’s night-time scene, I knew Deakins was going home with the trophy. He was the star of the film.
Best Original Score
Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker – WINNER
Alexandre Desplat, Little Women
Randy Newman, Marriage Story
Thomas Newman, 1917
John Williams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The auditorium erupted at this victory as Guðnadóttir was crowned the first ever solo female composer to win this award. In a film I wasn’t a fan of, her score was my favourite part of it. This was an incredibly strong category. So strong that I’m willing to declare John Williams’ work on The Rise of Skywalker easily the worst amongst the nominees. Desplat, Thomas Newman and Randy Newman all did brilliant work on their respective films. I couldn’t choose a favourite.
Best International Feature
Corpus Christi
Honeyland
Les Misérables
Pain and Glory
Parasite – WINNER
Obviously. Shout out to Pain and Glory though, I’ve heard spectacular things. Support international cinema!
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4 – WINNER
Pixar always seem to shine through in this category and this year was no different. Toy Story 4 was the only film I’d seen in this category and it’s very good. Definitely not a patch on the first three but it’s still a good film. I’ve heard positive buzz surrounding Klaus and Missing Link who managed to get up at the Globes, but this was always going to be Toy Story 4’s award.
Best Sound Mixing
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917 – WINNER
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
1917 is a beautiful sounding film so I can’t complain about this at all. The gunshots roar and the use of sound is brilliant throughout.
Best Sound Editing
Ford v Ferrari – WINNER
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
For clarification, sound editing is the sounds that are created for the film outside of principal photography. This is also known as foley work. As for this category, Ford v Ferrari was a very deserving winner.
Best Visual Effects
Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
The Lion King
1917 – WINNER
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
1917 had superb visual effects, yet this result angered the Marvel fans coming out of the shadows complaining that their beloved Avengers: Endgame didn’t win an Oscar. Okay, that was mean but this award is Best Visual Effects not MostVisual Effects. Don’t get me wrong, Endgame had great VFX (and I really liked the film), but from what I’ve seen in 1917 VFX videos, superb work was done. And it’s all invisible on screen.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Bombshell – WINNER
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
1917
Bad film, good makeup.
Best Production Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – WINNER
Parasite
The work that was done to turn modern LA into 1969 LA was utterly superb and this was the film I was leaning towards for this category. Little Women would’ve also been a deserving winner.
Best Costume Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women – WINNER
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Absolutely deserving and it meant that Little Women actually walked away with some love, as it should’ve!