89th Academy Award Nomination Predictions

The nominations for the 89th Academy Awards are set to be announced on Tuesday via a global live stream from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California at approximately 8:20 A.M. EST. Here are the names I believe you'll hear Brie Larson, Jennifer Hudson and Academy President Cheryl Boone Issacs call tomorrow morning.

Best Picture:
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
Fences
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight 

Locks: Arrival, La La Land, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight
Toss-Ups: Hacksaw Ridge, Hidden Figures, Hell or High Water, Fences, Lion 
Other contenders: 20th Century Women, Florence Foster Jenkins, Jackie, Loving, Nocturnal Animals, Silence, Sully

Best Actor:
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
 
Locks: Casey Affleck, Ryan Gosling, Denzel Washington
Toss-Ups: Andrew Garfield, Viggo Mortensen
Other contenders: Joel Edgerton (Loving), Andrew Garfield (Silence), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nocturnal Animals), Tom Hanks (Sully), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)

Best Actress:
Amy Adams, Arrival
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Emma Stone, La La Land

Locks: Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, Emma Stone
Toss-Ups: Amy Adams, Isabelle Huppert
Other contenders: Annette Benning (20th Century Women), Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train), Jessica Chastain (Miss Sloane), Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures), Ruth Negga (Loving), Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Best Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion 
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals

Locks: Mahershala Ali, Dev Patel
Toss-Ups: Jeff Bridges, Lucas Hedges, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Other contenders: Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins), Simon Helberg (Florence Foster Jenkins), Liam Nesson (Silence), Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Supporting Actress:
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Locks: Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, Michelle Williams
Toss-Ups: Nicole Kidman, Octavia Spencer
Other contenders: Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women), Greta Gerwig (Jackie), Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)

Best Director:
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea 
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

Locks: Damien Chazelle, Barry Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan, Denis Villeneuve
Toss-Ups: Mel Gibson
Other contenders: Garth Davis (Lion), Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals), Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), Martin Scorsese (Silence), Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Original Screenplay:
Captain Fantastic
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea 
Zootopia

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Arrival
Fences 
Hidden Figures
Lion 
Moonlight

Best Animated Feature:
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
The Red Turtle
Zootopia

Best Cinematography:
Arrival
Hell or High Water
La La Land 
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals

Best Foreign Language Film:
It's Only the End of the World
Land of Mine
My Life as a Zucchini  
The Salesman
Toni Erdmann

Best Documentary Feature:
13th
Gleason
I Am Not Your Negro
The Ivory Game
Weiner

Best Editing:
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Silence

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Deadpool
Florence Foster Jenkins
Star Trek Beyond

Best Costume Design:
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land

Best Original Score:
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Original Song:
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Moana
Sing Street
Trolls

Best Visual Effects:
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon 
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Sound Mixing:
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Sound Editing:
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
Hacksaw Ridge
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

88th Annual Academy Award Predictions

There's an unusual amount of suspense surrounding this year's Academy Awards. Unlike most year's where the winners are basically set in stone months before the ceremony, just about every major award this year is completely up in the air. Here are my predictions for who will be walking away with Oscar gold on Sunday night.

Best Picture:
Nominees: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight
And the Winner is....: Spotlight
I can't recall another year in recent memory where the Best Picture race has been so wide open. With an almost complete lack of repeat winners at the major award shows leading up to the Oscars, it appears to be a dead heat between The Big Short, The Revenant and Spotlight for the crown. Ultimately, I think that its timely, awards-friendly subject matter and the old-school feel will give Spotlight the edge in this closely-contested pack.

Best Actor
Nominees: Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) 
And the Winner Is....: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
This is easily the least suspenseful award of the entire night. The immense physical, psychological and emotional pain DiCaprio put himself through to portray fur trapper Hugh Glass paired with the Academy's tendency to reward celebrated actors they've snubbed in the past makes him a lock to take home his first Academy Award on Sunday night.

Best Actress
Nominees: Cate Blanchett (Carol), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Brie Larson (Room), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)
And the Winner Is.....: Brie Larson (Room)
Aside from DiCaprio, this is the safest bet of the entire night. With wins at the Golden Globes, SAG and BAFTA's, Larson has every ounce of momentum heading into the Oscars and I don't see how anyone else in this relatively weak field could possibly beat her at this point in time. 

Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Christian Bale (The Big Short), Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Sylvester Stallone (Creed) 
And the Winner Is....: Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
This is a true toss-up between Stallone and Mark Rylance, but I think the career coming full-circle storyline (he won an Oscar for the first Rocky film in 1976) and the lengths he went to reimagine the character of Rocky Balboa in this film will allow Sly to come out on top.

Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) 
And the Winner Is: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
This is easily the most wide open of all the acting categories. Kate Winslet is the current favorite because of her win at the BAFTA's, but I still think this is Vikander's award to lose. The combination of her more Academy-friendly role and the fact that the Academy often likes to award buzzed-about newcomers over established stars gives her a slight advantage over Winslet.

Best Director
Nominees: Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
And the Winner Is...: Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant)
There's been rumblings that George Miller or Adam McKay could surprise and win this, but I'd be completely shocked if either of them were able to pull off the upset. The amount of obstacles Inarritu had to overcome to get the The Revenant made and the technical wizardry he displays throughout the film should be more than enough to catapult him to a second straight Best Director Oscar.

Predictions for the other awards:
Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul
Best Documentary Feature: Amy    
Best Documentary-Short Subject: Body Team 12
Best Live Action Short Film: Day One
Best Animated Short Film: We Can't Live Without Cosmos
Best Score: The Hateful Eight
Best Original Song: "Writing's on the Wall" (Spectre)
Best Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Production Design: The Revenant
Best Cinematography: The Revenant
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Costume Design: Cinderella
Best Film Editing: The Revenant
Best Visual Effects: Mad Max: Fury Road