By Luka Tskhadaia
The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony will open Hollywood’s doors to the worldwide audience on Sunday, February 9, 2020.
Like every other year, some of the finest film industry stars are set to walk the red carpet, present and/or win the award and become part of the celebration of significant cinematography achievements.
With 53 films receiving 124 nominations, and Joker leading the way with 11, the Oscars is one of the most anticipated and prestigious annual events in the entertainment world.
Skedline Entertainment made a few guesses and predictions on who the winners might be this year. Be careful – there may be spoilers ahead.
Best Original Screenplay – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
This film will probably make the judges reminisce and feel sentimental about what Hollywood used to be. Nostalgic and old-fashioned, filtered-down with saturated action and humour, and the crucial element of every Quentin Tarantino film – blood.
The piece set in the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age, 1969, is full of well-constructed dialogues, and it has an evolving storyline that links to one of the loudest and most controversial periods in Hollywood. Don’t forget about the epic ending that had us all shook after three hours of watching it in the cinema.
One of Humber College’s Film & Media Production students, Yulia Rakhimova, 19, who previously talked to Skedline about Elsenstraße 36 (her short film that debuted at The Assembly Hall in January), shared her point of view.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood truly does have a complex and specific artistic approach in its script. There are many layers and distinct ideas hidden in the subtext of the film and what its characters are saying as well. There’s a background story that a viewer needs to be familiar with to truly appreciate the concealed context and I think that Tarantino did an incredible job. I believe that “show don’t tell” approach to filmmaking is the definition of good cinema,” says Rakhimova.
Best Actor – “Joker”
Joaquin Phoenix has great chances to get the much-desired statuette for his eminent and extraordinary performance as Joker, the essential evil of Gotham City. In the movie, the actor becomes the embodiment of a psycho, voice to an iconic comic book villain and the scariest laughter of the past year.
What Phoenix did with the character was intensely covered in the pop media, and the fan reaction around the world was mainly positive. This unbelievable and inhumane evil person is portrayed in a way that strikes an uncomfortable conversation – what if he’s a victim and not a villain? The issues that Joker is going through, his path to becoming the antagonist are showcased in a very detailed and careful manner, so that the viewer may find himself feeling a sudden sympathy to that persona.
From his pain and his suffering to his crazy laughing and dancing on the steps with tons of makeup and a colourful costume – the acting craft of Phoenix brings us close not only to the image of his character but his soul. Joker can fairly be considered one of the most vivid and alive story characters in this year’s nominated films.
Best Director – a little complicated…
Sam Mendes, director of a war drama 1917, has already won the Directors Guild of America Award for a feature film at the beginning of this year. Mendes also has the Golden Globe and the BAFTA Award under his belt, so all of that helps in foreseeing the victory at the Academy Awards.
To a lot of people predicting the winners this year, Mendes appears as the obvious choice in the category. However, as far as predictions go, he does have solid competition. Bong Joon Ho is expected to win Best Foreign Language Film for his film dark comedy thriller Parasite. Many critics also believe Parasite can become the first foreign film to ever win Best Picture, which is a big statement to contend with.
Let us know what you’re expecting to happen tomorrow at the 92nd Academy Awards and who you’re rooting for this year in the comments.
