All Oscar predictors like to give 2 things: who they think will win, and who they wish would win out of the nominees. Or, you know, your brain vs. your heart.
My Oscar Ballot consists of brain and heart choices as well. The heart wants what it wants!
Onto the ballot and the perpetual war between the brain and the heart…
| Category | Brain’s Choice | Heart’s Want |
| Best Actor | There’s just something about the Joker as a character that wins over everyone, so punch Joaquin Phoenix, as he’s won most of the awards leading to the Oscars. | There’s no bad choices here, thankfully! I’d probably give Joaquin Phoenix the edge too: it’s time. |
| Best Actress | Oscar glory comes from playing other famous people, so Renee Zellweger has been sweeping awards left and right playing Judy Garland. | I like most of the other nominees more: it’s a toss up between ScarJo for Marriage Story, and Charlize “Megyn Kelly” Theron. Seriously, how she do that? |
| Best Supporting Actor | Brad Pitt has played the voters like a fiddle, being funny and letting the narrative of ‘his moment has finally come’…well… finally come. | Joe Pesci unretires and somehow creates a character as intimidating as his Goodfellas one but in a totally different way. Bravo! |
| Best Supporting Actress | Like her cuthroat divorce attorney in Marriage Story, Laura Dern has been sweeping awards left and right. | I’ve never seen a good portrayal of the Amy character in Little Women, that is…until Florence Pugh slayed it. |
| Best Cinematography | War movies win technical categories if they’re good. That being said, Roger Deakins‘s work in 1917 isn’t just good. It’s special. | I can’t believe Deakins never won an Oscar before last year with all the amazing films he’s done, and yet, 1917 might be his best ever. |
| Best Visual Effects | Only 2 movies in this category are nominated for Best Picture (helps to win), and 1917 has some of the best visual effects used all year. | For a final bow, I’d love to see Avengers: Endgame get some sort of Oscar, cementing Marvel’s sterling resume. |
| Best Sound Editing | This award goes to the most technically accomplished movie nominated for Best Picture. This year, that’s 1917. | Ford v Ferrari wasn’t the best film in the field, but in these nominees, it did have some kickass car racing that makes you feel the vibrations. |
| Best Sound Mixing | 1917. See above. | Ford v Ferrari. See above. |
| Best Musical Score | Hello Iceland! Joker‘s Hildur Gudnadóttir swept everything up to the Oscars, making her the frontrunner. | There’s a lot of great scores out there, but my vote would be for Thomas Newman in 1917, helping make that movie 10-15% more dramatic. |
| Best Original Song | Much like last year, a musical biopic song, I’m Gonna Love Me Again, by Elton John will win, because people love Elton John. | Stand Up from Harriet was one of the best parts of that mediocre film, or Into the Unknown, for the kids. |
| Best Costume Design | Period Piece’s win here more often than not, that means Jacqueline Durran for Little Women. | I loved Little Women‘s costumes, but I had more fun with Arianne Phillip‘s 60’s looks in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. |
| Best Film Editing | Momentum vs. Awards leaves this a toss up between Parasite, and Ford v Ferrari. I’d ride the momentum darling, Parasite, to victory here. | Ford v Ferrari is well cut together to make those races compelling though, for sure. |
| Best Makeup & Hairstyling | Best Picture nominees usually win here, and even so, Joker doesn’t work if they don’t get Arthur Fleck looking exactly right. | How Bombshell nailed Fox News’s aesthetic, especially Megyn Kelly, is quite exceptional. |
| Best Production Design | Toss up between 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but safe money is on the sprawling period piece, Tarantino’s film. | I’d be fine with 1917 winning, it’s laid out spectacularly. Also, Parasite doesn’t work without that genius housing situation. |
| Best Live Action Short | The most polished one wins here a lot, so that means The Neighbor’s Window. Brotherhood is close though. | A Sister had me on edge right from the start; it’s tense and very well executed. |
| Best Documentary Short | Learning to Skate in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) has the one two punch of something very important and ultimately uplifting. | Skating in Warzones was great; I’d be fine if that won. The other great one is In the Absence, about the negligence of Korea’s government as a boat sinks. |
| Best Documentary | It’s cleaned up on its way to the Oscars, so give the Obamas that gold for American Factory. | Nothing raises more interesting questions that American Factory did, to the point that it’s only flaw is that it’s too short. |
| Best Animated Short | Toss up between Hair Love and Memorable. Slight edge to Memorable, using animation to explain what dementia looks like efficiently and tragically. | Hair Love was a total delight, and will most certainly have the best reception on stage at the Oscars. |
| Best Animated Film | Pixar’s usually a juggernaut in this category, meaning Forky and Toy Story 4 will come out on top! | As good as Forky was, Netflix’s Klaus up and gave us the best Santa origin story that I have seen so far. |
| Best Foreign Language Film | The surest lock of the night, Bong Joon Ho’s masterpiece, Parasite, has won EVERYTHING so far, and is beloved. | Not only is Parasite the best foreign language film I saw this year in a good year for them, stay tuned to see how good I think it is. |
| Best Original Screenplay | This one’s tough to pick between Parasite and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but a BAFTA win gives Bong Joon Ho the slight edge. | Marriage Story doesn’t work without the lovely dialogue written by Noah Baumbach, who’s never won before. |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | All over Hollywood, apparently people love Taika Waititi, so give his bold Jojo Rabbit the edge here. | I know Little Women will be made again, but it’s hard to imagine a writer besting Greta Gerwig‘s version of that tale: it’s stupendous. |
| Best Director | The Director’s Guild Awards picks this winner correctly 90% of the time, and this year, it was 1917‘s Sam Mendes. | I believe in rewarding a director who finally reached their fullest potential, and Bong Joon Ho did that with Parasite. |
| Best Picture | It’s won most of the big awards this season, so the wonderful war epic 1917 will probably win the big prize. | Even though it was a great movie year, only Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite earned the right to call itself a masterpiece, and should rightfully be chosen. |