98th Academy Awards (2026)

I'm hosting again this year! It's been an excellent year at the movies, not just good quality but movies we need. We've been spoiled with movies that speak to our here and now with urgency. There are many movies that would be worthy winners, to represent the (challenging) year. How lucky we are that in the inaugural year of the Best Casting Award, there are five superbly well cast nominees. Sinners was perhaps the best theatrical experience of the year and it was handsomely rewarded with nominations in every category for which it was eligible, a record even if you discount the new Casting award. I also want to call out the extraordinary showing for foreign language films in both topline and below-the-line categories; nice to see single nominees in the crafts that I've never even heard of making you really think they're deserved nominations not just riding coattails of a popular movie. And in the top categories, there's really only one lock (Jessie Buckley giving the performance of the year), so it's anybody's game. 

My Top Movies

1. Sinners
2. Marty Supreme
3. One Battle After Another
4. Resurrection
5. The Baltimorons
6. It Was Just an Accident
7. Sentimental Value
8. Splitsville
9. Happyend
10. Hamnet
11. Black Bag
12. Train Dreams
13. The Secret Agent
14. F1
15. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl 

 Best Picture

1. One Battle After Another
2. Sinners
3. Marty Supreme
4. Hamnet
5. Sentimental Value
6. The Secret Agent
7. Frankenstein
8. F1
9. Train Dreams
10. Bugonia

Best Director
Will Win: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Should Win: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Honorable Mention: Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident

Best Actress
Will Win/Should Win: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Best Actor 
Will Win: Michael B Jordan, Sinners
Should Win: Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Should Win: Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Honorable Mention: Tania Maria, The Secret Agent 

Best Supporting Actor
Will Win/Should Win: Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value

Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win/Should Win: One Battle After Another 

Best Original Screenplay
Will Win/Should Win: Sinners 

Best Casting
Will Win/Should Win: Sinners

Best Cinematography
Will Win: One Battle After Another
Should Win: Train Dreams 

Best Costume Design
Will Win/Should Win: Frankenstein 

Best Film Editing
Will Win/Should Win: F1

Best Makeup and Hair
Will Win/Should Win: Frankenstein 

Best Production Design
Will Win: Frankenstein
Should Win: Hamnet 
Honorable Mention: Resurrection

Best Score
Will Win/Should Win: Sinners
Honorable Mentions: Resurrection, Marty Supreme, Happyend

Best Song
Will Win: Golden, Kpop Demon Hunters
Should Win: I Lied to You, Sinners 
Honorable Mention: Bad As I Used to Be, F1

Best Sound
Will Win/Should Win: F1 

Best Visual Effects
Will Win/Should Win: Avatar: Fire and Ash

Best Animated Feature
Will Win: Kpop Demon Hunters
I've neglected to watch the biggest pop culture phenomenon of the year because I don't have Netflix and I feel weird watching a kids movie at home by myself. 

Best Documentary Feature
Will Win/Should Win: The Perfect Neighbor 

Best International Film
Will Win: The Secret Agent 
Should Win: Sentimental Value
Honorable Mention: Resurrection

Best Animated Short
Will Win/Should Win: Butterfly 

Best Documentary Short
Will Win/Should Win: All the Empty Rooms
Geeta Gandbhir has a chance to double up in the documentary categories but I'm rooting for Steve Hartman.

Best Live Action Short
Will Win: A Friend of Dorothy
Should Win: Two People Exchanging Saliva 
I was so taken by Two People Exchanging Saliva, I chose it for the next movie club which I'm hosting on Monday.