Oscar predictions: Expect an explosive night for Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’

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91欧美激情's Jason Fraley predicts the Oscars live on 91欧美激情

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It’s been a fun week of movie memories and Hollywood trends in my daily Oscar series on 91欧美激情.

On Monday, we asked whether “Oppenheimer” marks the return of the blockbuster Best Picture.

On Tuesday, we tallied the stats of the winningest movies to compile the Oscar Mount Rushmore.

On Wednesday, we griped and complained about some glaring snubs made by the Academy.

And on Thursday, I selected which movies actually should have won Best Picture every year.

Now, it’s finally time to make predictions for this year’s ceremony.

Who will win the major categories on Sunday night? Check out my official predictions below!

Best Picture

Nominees: 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥�; 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥�; 鈥淏arbie鈥�; 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥�; 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥�; 鈥淢aestro鈥�; 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥�; 鈥淧ast Lives鈥�; 鈥淧oor Things鈥�; 鈥淭he Zone of Interest鈥�

础苍补濒测蝉颈蝉:听After sweeping the top prize at every major award show thus far, “Oppenheimer” is a lock-in for Best Picture. While the inevitable result is rather predictable, the outcome is far from boring as “Oppenheimer” would become the first Top 5 domestic blockbuster to win Best Picture in 20 years since “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” What a great thing that would be for the movie industry to have a beloved summer blockbuster once again atop the artistic mountain. All hail “Barbenheimer” — with a fist bump to Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” — for a one-two punch that made gutsy auteurs cool again among the masses.

Prediction:听“翱辫辫别苍丑别颈尘别谤”

Best Director

Nominees: Justine Triet, 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥�; Yorgos Lanthimos, 鈥淧oor Things鈥�; Christopher Nolan, 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥�; Martin Scorsese, 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥�; Jonathan Glazer, 鈥淭he Zone of Interest鈥�

Analysis: Christopher Nolan will also win Best Director for “Oppenheimer” thanks to his daring filmmaking style with flashes of the molecular level in the creation of the atomic bomb, then delivering a chilling sequence of Oppenheimer imagining a cheering crowd being incinerated by the blast. There’s also a sense among voters that Nolan is way overdue after an incredible run of great movies, including “Memento,” “The Prestige,” “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,” “Interstellar” and “Dunkirk.” It will truly be a joy to watch him win.

Prediction: Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Actor

Nominees: Bradley Cooper, 鈥淢aestro鈥�; Colman Domingo, 鈥淩ustin鈥�; Paul Giamatti, 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥�; Jeffrey Wright, 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥�; Cillian Murphy, 鈥淥ppenheimer.鈥�

Analysis: Best Actor started out as a tough race to call with Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”) winning Best Actor: Comedy at the Golden Globes and Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) winning Best Actor: Drama at the Globes. Some thought Giamatti might win his overdue Oscar 20 years after “Sideways,” but Murphy has surged recently by winning at both the BAFTA and SAG Awards, making him the likely winner. He’s also a deserving one considering Nolan’s entire epic rests on his shoulders with close-ups of his tormented eyes.

Prediction: Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Actress

Nominees: Annette Bening, 鈥淣yad鈥�; Lily Gladstone, 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥�; Sandra H眉ller, 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥�; Carey Mulligan, 鈥淢aestro鈥�; Emma Stone, 鈥淧oor Things鈥�

Analysis: The Best Actress race is close after Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) both won at the Golden Globes before splitting at BAFTA and SAG. However, I expect the polarizing nature of “Poor Things” to push enough voters to Gladstone as they embrace her historic first win for a Native American actress. Personally, I wish she was featured more in the script, which often leaves her off screen being poisoned, but the moments she is on screen showcase strong acting of subtlety and nuance.

Prediction: Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”)

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Sterling K. Brown, 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥�; Robert De Niro, 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥�; Robert Downey Jr., 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥�; Ryan Gosling, 鈥淏arbie鈥�; Mark Ruffalo, 鈥淧oor Things鈥�

Analysis: Just as Christopher Nolan has a super amount of goodwill built up over the years since “The Dark Knight,” Robert Downey Jr. remains beloved for central his role as Tony Stark in “The Avengers” franchise. In “Oppenheimer,” his slimy antagonist anchored the black-and-white flash forwards of Cold War McCarthyism, earning wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTA and SAG. Even voters who look down on superhero movies will finally give Downey Jr. his due, completing a magnificent comeback after his career stalled in the ’90s.

Prediction: Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Emily Blunt, 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥�; Danielle Brooks, 鈥淭he Color Purple鈥�; America Ferrera, 鈥淏arbie鈥�; Jodie Foster, 鈥淣yad鈥�; Da鈥橵ine Joy Randolph, 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥�

Analysis: All five actresses in this category delivered great performances, including Emily Blunt’s pained wife of a scientific genius in “Oppenheimer,” Danielle Brooks’ comic relief in “The Color Purple,” Jodie Foster’s comeback as the gritty coach of enduring swimming in “Nyad,” and America Ferrera’s speech about the contradictory expectations of being a modern woman in “Barbie.” However, this race belongs to Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s heartbreaking portrait of grief as the boarding-school chef in “The Holdovers,” having already won at the Golden Globes, BAFTA and SAG Awards. I can’t wait for her inspiring speech at the Oscars on Sunday.

Prediction: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”)