It's officially Oscars week! That's right, this Sunday we'll finally find out who's an Oscar winner and who's... not. The 91st Academy Awards kick off at 8pm EST on February 24 (here's how to stream the Oscars in case you want to watch live) and once the award ceremony is over, they'll be some new Oscars winners in town.
If you can't wait until Sunday to find out which movies, actors, and directors have won gold, then we have the next best thing - our own Oscar expert, Total Film magazine’s editor Jane Crowther, who's on-hand to predict who’ll win big at this year's Academy Awards, as well as who should win…
Will Black Panther become the first superhero movie to win Best Picture? Could The Favourite take home gongs for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress? Will a Netflix Original movie (Roma) win… anything? Read on for our Oscar winners 2019 predictions and remember to check back this Sunday to see if we were right with a full list of all the Oscar winners. And if you need to remind yourself of all the nominees, here’s the full list of Oscar nominations 2019.
Best Picture
Who will win? Roma
Alfonso Cuarón’s sweeping, humane film checks boxes for the academy for being artistic as well as pertinent. The combo of a recent influx of younger academy members voting plus the momentum of cleaning up at other award shows, should see this black and white, subtitled Netflix film buck expectation and go all the way – and change Oscar history in the process.
Who should win? Roma
Roma is entirely worthy of the honour but wouldn’t it be nice to REALLY revolutionise and see Black Panther get gold? Accomplished, money-making, crowd-pleasing and genuinely world-changing, Ryan Coogler’s is an extraordinary film. Wakanda forever?
Best Director
Who will win? Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón is the director and cinematographer on Roma so is likely to be rewarded for both in the Best Director category. Plus the Y Tu Mama Tambien and Gravity helmer has a CV filled with excellence so there’ll be an element of retrograde recognition at work too.
Who should win? Spike Lee
Seriously how has Lee not been nominated before now? And BlacKkKlansman is his best work for years – a witty, smart, and impactful film that speaks to the times we live in and you KNOW his acceptance speech would be similarly ‘take no prisoners’.
Best Actor
Who will win? Rami Malek
Despite the fallout from recent allegations against partial-director Bryan Singer, Malek has stormed award show after award show with his turn as the legendary Freddie Mercury. The academy loves a physically transformative role and Malek’s essaying of Queen’s frontman is impressive. As is Bohemian Rhapsody’s global box office haul – and let’s not pretend that that bankability doesn’t factor in.
Who should win? Christian Bale
Also transformative, Bale is reliably ace in Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney takedown, Vice, loading on the weight, prosthetics, and DGAF attitude in zeitgeisty and creative film. But Bale has already got silverware for previous outings and the academy doesn’t like to spoil its kids.
Best Actress
Who will win? Glenn Close
She’s predictably excellent, plus, her role in The Wife explores the rich emotional life of an older woman and the never-more pertinent issue of women’s work being diminished, unrecognised, and taken credit for by men. In a #TimesUp Hollywood, that’s going resonate.
Who should win? Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman should take it home for her performance that runs the emotional and tonal gamut – and with such a glorious lack of vanity. She’s nicked some gongs off Close in the awards corridor (and should bag it at BAFTA 2019) but not enough make her a cert here.
Best Supporting Actor
Who will win? Richard E. Grant
His revisit of Withnail with extra waspish for Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a treat to watch and so is the actor himself every time he wins another award for it. The academy loves gratitude and Grant is giddy with delight on every podium. He’s also well-liked within the community and it feels like this will be his career Oscar.
Who should win? Richard E. Grant
Though Grant has serious competition from Green Book’s Mahershala Ali, we’re confident that he’ll be doing his ‘congrats’ applauding as the Brit steps up. Grant deserves the honour for this and his services to being a gent in all things.
Best Supporting Actress
Who will win? Regina King
Her towering Ma in If Beale Street Could Talk is an acting masterclass without overshadowing the leads. Tender and tough, her sitting room put-down is as electrifying as her desperation in trying to help her child.
Who should win? Regina King
If there was such a thing as a ‘best supporting actresses’ award, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz should get gold, but they’re both so integral to each others' performances, they’ll cancel each other out in votes. And Amy Adams will be on runner up duty AGAIN because she always is. King should and will be queen.
Forget about this year’s Oscar winners (for now) and check out the movies you won’t believe didn’t win Oscars.