Oscar nominations 2020: ‘Joker’ leads with 11; Greta Gerwig snubbed for best director; complete list of nominees

Steve Williams

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“Joker,” the controversial drama about the mentally ill Batman villain that sparked backlash with its realistic depictions of extreme violence, triumphed at the 92nd annual Academy Awards nominations on Monday morning, earning 11 nods, the most of any film.

Three films were close behind with 10 nominations: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino’s fictional ode to 1960s Hollywood; “The Irishman,” Martin Scorsese’s mob drama starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci that clocks in at three and a half hours; and “1917,” the World War I epic that centers on two British soldiers on a dangerous trip to deliver a critical message that could save 1,600 troops.

All four of those movies also earned best picture nominations. Rounding out the prestigious category is “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig’s version of Louisa May Alcott’s tale of four sisters growing up in Massachusetts during the Civil War; “Marriage Story,” which centers on an excruciating divorce and custody battle; “Parasite,” the South Korean psychological thriller-slash-dark comedy; “Jojo Rabbit,” about a young German boy who counts Hitler as an imaginary friend; and “Ford v Ferrari,” based on the true story of Ford’s goal to make a faster car than the Ferrari.

For the second year in a row, there were no women nominated in the best director category: Nominees included Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Bong Joon-ho, Sam Mendes and Todd Phillips, with the notable snub of Gerwig.

Once again, the Oscars ceremony will be host-free — after the debacle over Kevin Hart’s tweets in 2019, the show’s producers aren’t taking any chances. “There was a lot of conversation about which way to go and there may be a day when we decide to have a host again, but the focus has been on the most entertaining show and not on the host,” ABC entertainment president Karey Burke told reporters last week.

The nominations were announced Monday morning, hosted by actress Issa Rae and John Cho. The Academy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 9 — with no host — on ABC. Read our analysis of each category below:
 

Steve Williams

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Oscar nominations by movie:
“Joker” — 11
“Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” — 10
“The Irishman” — 10
“1917” — 10
“Parasite” — 6
“Marriage Story” 6
“Little Women” — 6
“Jojo Rabbit” — 6
“Bombshell” — 3
This post will continually update with instant analysis of the nominees.

The nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards:
Best picture
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“The Irishman”
“Parasite”
“1917”
“Marriage Story”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Ford v Ferrari”
Immediate analysis: The best predictors for the Oscar nominations are often the respective category’s guild awards, and this year’s best picture nominees almost mirror those for the Producers Guild Awards’ top prize. The exception would be “Knives Out,” which the PGAs nominated but which only landed a best original screenplay nomination here. None of these titles are a shock, though it’s worth noting that “Parasite” has picked up enough steam in the past few weeks to land major nominations outside of the international feature film category.


Best actress in a leading role
Renée Zellweger, “Judy”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Immediate analysis: There are no major surprises here, though one could surely take issue with the lack of nods for Awkwafina, a Golden Globe winner for her dramatic turn in “The Farewell” and Cho Yeo-jeong, a scene-stealer in Bong Joon-ho’s heavily nominated “Parasite.” Unlike BAFTA, the voting body overseeing Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars, the academy also gave a nod to Erivo’s performance in the long-awaited “Harriet.” It’s worth noting that Johansson is nominated for her first Oscar (make that two, since she also got a supporting actress nod for “JoJo Rabbit.”) She has solid contenders in Zellweger, Theron and Ronan, so the outcome for this category is anyone’s guess.
 

Steve Williams

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Best actor in a leading role
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Immediate analysis: Joaquin Phoenix, the clear front-runner; Adam Driver; and Leonardo DiCaprio have consistently landed best actor nominations throughout award season, but those last two slots have been in flux. Critics’ favorite Antonio Banderas was always in the running for his emotional performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory,” while Jonathan Pryce also earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role in “The Two Popes.” Potential snubs include Christian Bale for “Ford v Ferrari” and Robert De Niro for “The Irishman,” two films that fared well in other categories.

The season of Adam Driver has been a decade in the making
Best director
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”

Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Immediate analysis: “Congratulations to those men,” Oscars announcer Issa Rae joked after the nominations were read. Indeed, the lack of Greta Gerwig’s inclusion for “Little Women” is a snub, though sadly not an unexpected one. The director to watch here is Tarantino, who has been twice nominated for the award to no avail. A wave of goodwill has swelled around Joon-ho’s film “Parasite,” and a foreign-language director winning the statue would certainly be a welcome breath of fresh air for the Oscars. But let’s not forget that though Phillips’s “Joker” might be the year’s most divisive film, it’s also the one with the most Oscar nods. One thing’s for certain: a dude will be bringing this trophy home … again.


Best actor in a supporting role
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Immediate analysis: This race has long been Pitt’s to lose, especially if Pacino and Pesci split voters fond of Scorsese’s mob epic. If Pitt does emerge victorious, it’ll be his first Oscar win for acting, despite three nominations. However, the academy always enjoys an actor’s soulful transformation into a real person, so Hank’s turn as Mister Rogers stands a strong change. But no one should sleep on Hopkins — voter buzz around “The Two Popes” has been strong during the past few months. One thing’s for certain: Netflix did well here; three of the five performances were in films produced by the streaming service.


The glorious, quiet return of Joe Pesci
Best actress in a supporting role
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Immediate analysis: If any race has a clear front-runner, it’s here. Dern has spent most of the year as a favorite, and nothing here suggests she won’t win — expect, maybe, Johansson’s nomination. The actress, who has never before been nominated, appears both here and in best actress (for “Marriage Story”). There’s clearly a wave of support of Johnasson, which suggests she just might upset Dern. And speaking of upset, though she was a long shot, many “Hustlers” fans are decrying the lack of Jennifer Lopez — some even calling it a snub.

Best animated feature film
“Toy Story 4”
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

“Missing Link”
“I Lost My Body”
“Klaus”
Immediate analysis: Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” is the clear front-runner here, though don’t discount the category’s other offerings — particularly “I Lost My Body,” a dark French drama that stunned at Cannes, and “Klaus,” a tender Christmas story from Netflix. We are surprised to see “Frozen II” left out of the mix — an omission that’s getting a rather chilly reception on social media.

Best international feature film
South Korea, “Parasite
Spain, “Pain and Glory”
France, “Les Misérables”
North Macedonia, “Honeyland”
Poland, “Corpus Christi”
Immediate analysis: “Parasite,” which landed five other nominations, is somehow the first South Korean film to ever appear in this category. It’s the obvious front-runner, with Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory,” a drama about the life of an aging film director, and Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables,” a film inspired by the 2005 Paris riots, perhaps tied for second.
The category, recently renamed from “best foreign language film,” drummed up quite a bit of controversy when the academy disqualified two entries, Nigeria’s “Lionheart” and Austria’s “Joy,” for featuring too much dialogue in English — an issue many thought would be resolved by the change in name. But the category’s requirement that each film feature a “predominantly non-English dialogue track” remained the same.

Best original screenplay
“Marriage Story”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite”
“Knives Out”
“1917”
Immediate analysis: As mainstream films rely more and more heavily on preexisting intellectual property with each passing year, it’s certainly refreshing to be reminded that original stories can capture the imagination of both moviegoers and industry insiders alike. That’s certainly what this category suggests, as four of the five films nominated here also received best picture nods. Tarantino is so known for winning this award, some in Hollywood call it “the Tarantino.” But don’t forget about Rian Johnson, whose crowd-pleasing whodunit “Knives Out” has been widely celebrated but only received a single nomination from the academy.

Best adapted screenplay
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Little Women”
“The Two Popes”
“Joker”
Immediate analysis: If we were betting types, we would have made a nice bit of pocket money off this category. The uplifting “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” got no love, but the nihilistic “Joker” did, which, honestly, sign of our times, right? Greta Gerwig, snubbed for directing, gets some shine in this category for her novel approach to adapting a story that’s been told many times before. If “The Irishman” takes it, will it provide encouragement to writers nationwide, the ones who have difficulty editing down their work to more reasonable lengths?

Best documentary feature
“American Factory”
“The Edge of Democracy”
“Honeyland”
“For Sama”
“The Cave”
Immediate analysis: This may be “American Factory’s” category to lose. The feature, which was produced by the Obamas and follows an Ohio auto-glass manufacturing plant’s transition to Chinese ownership, already won the directing award at Sundance. Even more notable is what’s missing: “One Child Nation” and “Apollo 11,” the latter of which did incredibly well at the box office for a documentary and topped some experts’ prediction lists for the feature to win in this category.
 

Steve Williams

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Best original song
“I’m Standing With You,” from “Breakthrough”
“Into the Unknown,” from “Frozen II”
“Stand Up,” from “Harriet”
“ (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” from “Rocketman”
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” from “Toy Story 4”
Immediate analysis: Well, once Taylor Swift and Andrew Lloyd Weber’s song from “Cats” was excluded from the shortlist, all bets were off here! But seriously, the absence of “Spirit” from “The Lion King” soundtrack is notable, as the Beyoncé ballad was expected to show up in this category. But Disney should be happy, because while “Frozen II” was left off the best animated film list, at least it earned a nod for its signature song from the sequel. It might be tough to achieve the same success as “Let It Go,” though — industry voters appear to be big fans of “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from the Elton John biopic.

Best visual effects
“Avengers: Endgame”
“The Lion King”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
“The Irishman”
“1917”
Immediate analysis: This award is generally the most likely to honor blockbuster films. While this year is no different, it’s sneakily one of the most interesting categories here, showing a tension between old and new Hollywood. “The Irishman” made headlines for employing technology to de-age (and, in some cases, age) its actors, while “The Lion King” employed photorealistic computer-generated animation (which, in layman’s terms, means it looks like the animals are real). Meanwhile, traditional big-budget action movies like “Avengers: Endgame” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” fight for the title, along with “1917,” a traditionally beautiful film employing a visual gimmick to make the entire film feel like one shot.

Best cinematography
“1917,” Roger Deakins
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson
“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Joker,” Lawrence Sher
“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke
Immediate analysis: It’s wonderful to see Blaschke’s work on the visually striking (even upsetting) film “The Lighthouse” recognized by the academy, especially since the film received no other nominations. But it’s going to be tough to topple Deakins, who is considered by many — and particularly among academy voters — to be the best in the business, and whose “1917” turns the beautiful horror of war into a visual feast.

Best production design
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“The Irishman”
“1917”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Parasite”
Immediate analysis: All five titles were also nominated by the Art Directors Guild this year, so they stood a good chance of landing Oscar nods as well. The buzziest picks might be “1917,” the World War I film shot to appear as one continuous take that therefore required production designer Dennis Gassner to build sets to hyper-specific lengths to facilitate the actual filming after months or rehearsing on an open field to get the timing down perfectly. Much of “Parasite” takes place in the affluent Park family’s home, which appears to be a real, layered mansion but was actually a set that director Bong Joon-ho and production designer Lee Ha-Jun designed entirely from scratch.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Best makeup and hairstyling
“Bombshell”
“Joker”
“Judy”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
“1917”
Immediate analysis: “Bombshell” was a shoo-in, especially given Charlize Theron’s startlingly similar look to the real-life Megyn Kelly. “Joker” and “Judy” were also expected, though many prognosticators thought the depiction of 1960s Los Angeles stars in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and the costumes in “Rocketman” would win out over “1917” and “Maleficent” (though Angelina Jolie’s look is impressive).

Best costume design
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Little Women”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
Immediate analysis: We’re not surprised to see a slew of period films here, but there are arguably a few worthy contenders missing: “Rocketman,” “Harriet” and, most notably, “Dolemite Is My Name,” helmed by “Black Panther” costume designer Ruth E. Carter. But if the rest of the categories are any indication, this could come down to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” vs. “Joker.”

Best original score
“1917,” Thomas Newman
“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir
“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat
“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams
Immediate analysis: Guðnadóttir’s unsettling “Joker” score has done well in the smaller awards shows preceding the Oscars, earning a Golden Globe, a Critic’s Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award. But now “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and its familiar epic score, which came out at the end of 2019, has had time to embed itself more deeply into audience’s minds. And it’s important to note that Williams is something of a titan, having now received a breathtaking 52 Oscar nominations. No one but Walt Disney has received more, so Guðnadóttir has her work cut out for her.

Best documentary short subject
“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 animated short film
“Dcera (Daughter)”
“Hair Love”
“Kitbull”
“Memorable”
“Sister”
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Best live action short film
“Brotherhood”
“Nefta Football Club”
“The Neighbors’ Window”
“Saria”
“A Sister”

Best film editing
“The Irishman”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Parasite”
“Joker”
“Jojo Rabbit”

Best sound mixing
“1917”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Ad Astra”
“Joker”

Best sound editing
“1917”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Joker”
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
so here we are with my sentimental favorite movie Joker winning the most nominations. For those who haven't seen this film. it is an absolute must

To me it is between Joker and 1917 with the possibility of Once Upon a Time In Hollywoof

However you never know until the winner is announced but for me the two best movies of the year were Joker and 1917
 

NorthStar

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"Among the Oscar nominees 2020, JOKER received the most nominations with 11, including nominations in the categories of Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, and Directing. Other Oscars 2020 nominees with multiple nominations include THE IRISHMAN, 1917 and ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD with 10 nominations and JOJO RABBIT, LITTLE WOMEN, MARRIAGE STORY and PARASITE with with six."

It's interesting to see Joker having one more nomination than the next three bests.
Another observation, the four tops (with most nominations, 10 & 11) are all films that include violence in them.


And the next four (with 6 nominations), violence is taking a back seat except for Parasite.
And Jojo Rabbit? "Though many parts of the movie are light and funny, others are deadly serious, with mature subject matter and violence that's disturbing, even if it's not especially gory. ... An animal is killed on-screen (a boy twists a rabbit's neck around, then throws the limp body into the woods)."

From the top eight films wirh most nominations, three of them; Once Upon in...Hollywood and Parasite and Jojo Rabbit, are on the comedic/sarcastic humor side, contouring that aura of violence.

Those above are simply some of my few observations, nothing less nothing more.
It means nothing more than that.

After I see 1917 I will be in better position to make some of my own Oscar's predictions.
...The films that resonated with me best. So, more a voting than predicting.
Trying to predict what 9,000 Academy voters like on average is tougher than voting for the ones we like more ourselves. The fun part is to see if there is a sync between us and the Academy voters.

May the best wins ...
 

PeterA

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Once again, the Oscars ceremony will be host-free — after the debacle over Kevin Hart’s tweets in 2019, the show’s producers aren’t taking any chances. “There was a lot of conversation about which way to go and there may be a day when we decide to have a host again, but the focus has been on the most entertaining show and not on the host,” ABC entertainment president Karey Burke told reporters last week.

Thanks Steve,

I read that the host for the Golden Globes made that show worth watching for the first time in years. I think it will be very boring with no host. And why so many nominations for best picture?
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Thanks Steve,

I read that the host for the Golden Globes made that show worth watching for the first time in years. I think it will be very boring with no host. And why so many nominations for best picture?


Peter

they went to that many nominations several years ago. Too many nominees tends to dilute the votes
 

NorthStar

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Thanks Steve,

I read that the host for the Golden Globes made that show worth watching for the first time in years. I think it will be very boring with no host. And why so many nominations for best picture?

That's a very good question Peter, and one that many people also have.
? https://ew.com/article/2012/01/24/oscars-best-picture-why-nine-nominees/

The Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Picture is a fascinating film history since 1929 ...
? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture

It's the grand daddy of all awards ... Oscars, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

It's like the best audio sound systems in the world reproducing the best musical pieces and voted by several members of the audiophile music community, certified. :)
 

NorthStar

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December 10, 2019

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has added more than 500 Oscar voters over the past year, according to the annual AMPAS update of the number of members in each of its branches.

As of Dec. 6, according to its Branch Count Report, ?the Academy has 9,537 total members, an increase of 585 over the 8,952 it had in last December’s count. ?Of those, 8,469 are eligible to vote, which is 567 more than the 7,902 voters last year.

This is the most eligible Oscar voters at any time since 1945, when the Academy had more than 9,000 voters because of its policy of allowing members of the actors, directors and writers guilds to vote. (Its own membership at that time, though, was less than 2,000.)"

_____

January 2, 2020

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has grown quickly over the last four years, topping the 9,000 mark in total members and approaching 8,500 in Oscar voters after inviting 3,227 more people to join.

That means it’ll take more votes to secure an Oscar nomination in 2020 than it did in 2016, before the #OscarsSoWhite protests spurred the drive for a larger, more inclusive Academy. But the numbers are still lower than you might think: 424 votes to get a Best Picture nomination, 221 in the acting categories and fewer than 100 in 11 of the 24 categories, all the way down to 26 votes for Best Costume Design.

That’s because the entire Academy votes only to nominate in the Best Picture category – in other categories, nomination voting is restricted to members of the appropriate branch. (After nominations, every member is eligible to vote for the winners in every category.)

Also Read:Oscars Gain 567 Voters as Academy Membership Tops 9,000

But the important thing to understand is that when we say it only takes 424 votes for a Best Picture nomination or 26 votes for a costume design one, we’re talking about first-place votes. Under the Oscars preferential or ranked-choice system, a voter typically lists his or her top five choices in order of preference — but the vote only goes to the film ranked first on each ballot, unless that film has already secured a nomination or been eliminated from contention.

In that case, the ballot will count for the voter’s second choice, or for the highest-ranked film on the ballot that’s still in the running. In most categories apart from Best Picture, the redistribution continues until the field is narrowed to the final five nominees.
To figure out the magic number for each category, you take the number of potential voters in that category and divide by the number of nominees, plus one. (In almost every case, that means 5+1=6.) You round the result up to the next highest number, and that gives you a “magic number” that ensures a film or achievement will be in the top five."


Also Read:Oscars Gender Gap: Female Directors in Best Picture Race Still Lag Far Behind Doc, International Categories
 
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NorthStar

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"Here’s the breakdown of what it’ll take to land a nomination in each category when voting begins on Jan. 2.

Best Picture
If all 8,469 eligible voters cast ballots in this category, it would take 770 No. 1 votes to guarantee a nomination after the initial round of counting.
But Best Picture uses a unique method that can result in anywhere from 5 to 10 nominees. It requires the accountants from PwC to redistribute ballots whose first choice received significantly more than 770 votes, and also ones whose first choice received fewer than 84 votes.
After that redistribution, any film with more than five percent of the vote — which is to say, any film with at least 424 votes — will become a nominee.
Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress
If every one of the 1,324 voters in what is by far the Academy’s largest branch cast ballots, it’ll take 221 votes to land a nomination in the Oscars’ four acting categories.
Best Animated Feature
The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch has 740 members, making it the second-largest Academy branch. Normally that would mean that 124 votes would secure a nomination.
But voting in this category is open not only to all members of the branch, but to all Academy members outside the branch as well. To vote, a member must see “a minimum percentage of submitted eligible films,” which this year was 16 of the record 32 eligible films – 12 of them specifically assigned and the others up to the discretion of each member.
The number required to land a nomination will depend entirely on how many members participate in that process.

Also Read:344 Films Qualify for Best Picture at Oscars in 2020

Best Cinematography
The branch has 273 current members. That means 46 first-place votes lands a nomination.
Best Costume Design
With 154 members, costume designers make up the smallest Academy branch that votes for its own award. (The Casting Directors Branch is smaller, but there’s no casting award at the Oscars — so like members of the Executives, Marketing and Public Relations and Producers Branches, as well as Members-at-Large, that branch’s members can only vote to nominate Best Picture.) So a costume-design nomination can be secured with only 26 votes, fewer than any other category.
Best Director
There are now 526 voters in the Directors Branch, which means that 88 votes will guarantee a nomination if they all vote.
Best Documentary Feature
After a first round of voting narrowed the field of 159 qualifying films to a 15-film shortlist, the 486 members of the Documentary Branch pick their five favorites. If they all cast ballots, it’ll take 82 votes to be nominated. (It took 61 votes last year, making this the largest increase of any category apart from Best Picture.)

Also Read:Hey, Oscars: Your Vote-Counting System Is Suddenly a Hot Trend in Political Elections

Best Documentary Short
The same 486 members of the doc branch are eligible to vote now that the 96 doc-short contenders have been narrowed to a 10-film shortlist. It’s highly unlikely that everyone in the branch will watch the eligible shorts and vote — but if they were to do that, the magic number would again be 82.
Best Film Editing
With 345 members of the Film Editors Branch, you need 58 votes to secure a nod.
Best Foreign-Language Film
This category is also open to volunteer members from all branches of the Academy, and it’s impossible to determine how many will participate. The first round of voting was open mostly to members in the Los Angeles area and is typically thought to include a few hundred voters. But the second round, with the 91 contending films narrowed to a shortlist of 10, is now open to any member who sees the 10 shortlisted films in theaters or on the Academy’s members website. The magic number will depend entirely on how many participate.

Also Read:'Parasite' and 'Pain and Glory' Advance on Oscars Best International Film Shortlist

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The branch has only 206 members. Voting is restricted to members who attend a special presentation of clips, or members who have seen all 10 shortlisted films. If every member of the branch participates in one of those ways, it would take 35 votes to secure a nomination, down significantly from the 48 that would have been required last year.
The smaller number is not because the branch got smaller, but because the number of nominees was increased from three to five.
Best Original Score, Best Original Song
The Music Branch consists of 345 members. The 170 eligible scores and 75 eligible songs went through initial rounds of voting in which 22 votes were enough to secure a spot on the shortlists of 15 scores and 15 songs. In the second round of voting, the magic number to land a nomination will be 58.

Also Read:The Oscars Original Song Race: Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Elton John and a Whole Lot of Big Ballads

Best Production Design
The branch has 343 members, so 58 votes will be enough for a nomination.
Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing
With 503 members in the Sound Branch, three fewer than last year, the nomination threshold has dropped from 85 to 84 votes.
Best Visual Effects
There are 545 members of the branch, which would mean a magic number of 91 if the VFX branch calculated nominations the way most of the other branches do. But it doesn’t.
An executive committee first narrows the field down to 20 films, and then to a shortlist of 10. Clips from those films are then screened for members of the branch, followed by brief discussions with the VFX artists responsible for the work.
Members who attend this Oscars “bakeoff” then cast ballots to select the five nominees – but instead of the preferential system, the branch uses reweighted range voting, which divides each individual score by the total score given to all candidates on that ballot. The idea is to identify the films that score strongest against the rest of the field, but at no point in the count does a magic number come into play.

Also Read:Academy Allows 'Cats' to Submit Its New, Improved Version to Oscars

Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay
The Writers Branch has 485 members, meaning it requires 81 votes to guarantee a writing nomination.
Best Animated Short, Best Live-Action Short
The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch has 740 members, all of whom were eligible to score the qualifying films on a scale of 6-to-10 to determine two 10-film shortlists, one drawn from the 92 eligible animated shorts and one from the 191 eligible live-action shorts. Members of the branch who see all the shortlisted films can then vote for the final five nominees, and members of the Directors Branch are also invited to participate in voting in the Best Live-Action Short category.
In the unlikely event that the entire branch (and the entire Directors Branch) participates, that would mean a magic number of 124 votes in animation and 211 in live-action. But in reality, it’s likely far lower.
Nomination voting will begin on Thursday, Jan. 2, and close on Jan. 7 after the shortest nominating period ever.
Nominations will be announced on Monday, January 13*."


* As already posted by Steve yesterday.
 

NorthStar

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The film 1917 is very hot on the Oscar's radar in 3 weeks. Even more so after last night ...

“1917” continued its string of major awards season wins on Saturday night, earning the Producers Guild of America award for best picture. Coupled with its win for best picture, drama at the Golden Globes, the WWI movie is officially the front runner for Oscar’s top prize.

“It’s a film that is a tribute to all those who stood to protect the values that we all hold dear, and fought in the First World War and many other conflicts,” producer Pippa Harris said while accepting the award. “In these times of division and conflict all over the world, it’s just a reminder to never take for granted the peace that we all inherited.”

? https://www.goldderby.com/article/2020/producers-guild-awards-2020-complete-list-pga-winners/
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
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A work in progress /// My first preliminary list (Oscar's predictions) ...

Total: 24 Categories / 24 Oscars (First Prediction - Mine)
Oscar Winners 2020


? Film: 1917 -> 5 Oscars

1. Best Picture
2. Best Director
3. Best Cinematography
4. Best Sound Editing
5. Best Sound Mixing


? Oscars for Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor:
1. Renée Zellweger (Judy)
2. Joaquin Phonix (Joker)
3. Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
4. Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood)


• Best Adapted Screenplay: The Irishman
• Best Original Screenplay: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

• Best Production Design : Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Best Score: Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

• Best Film Editing: The Irishman (Thelma Schoonmaker)

• Best Costume Design: One Upon a Time... in Hollywood

• Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Bombshell

• Best Visual Effects: Avengers: Endgame

• Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 4

• Best Documentary Feature: American Factory

Best International Film: Parasite

• Best Song: I'm Gonna Love Me Again (Rocketman)

• Best Animated Short: ..... (Hair Love)
• Best Documentary Short: ..... (Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone)
• Best Live Action Short: ..... (Brotherhood)
_____

#1 ????? Big Oscar's Winner 2020 = 1917 (5 Oscars)
#2 ???? Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (4 Oscars)
#3 ?? The Irishman (2 Oscars)
#3 ?? Joker (2 Oscars)
#4 ? Parasite (1 Oscar)
_____

* I'll be done before Sunday, February 9, 2020 ... I'd say I'm about 90% done right now.
Few more with some minor adjustments and that's that.
 
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NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
I didn't see Little Women, so it could turn the wave for Best Adapted Screenplay (taking it away from The Irishman) and Best Costume Design (taking that one away from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ).

Another film I'm trying to find a winning Oscar for is Ford v Ferrari.
There are qualities in that film I enjoyed. It has exhilarating racing sounds.
And could it take the Oscar for Best Film Editing (stealing it from The Irishman)?

I liked The Irishman, but I'm afraid it might fall out from the radar @ Oscar's night.
We'll see ...
_____

And there's that ...
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/little-women-adaptations/#

https://www.metacritic.com/search/all/Little women/results

I like originality, inventiveness, creativity, newness in my movies.
It's my type of thing in art cinema and music.
 
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