BEST PICTURE
Allied
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
The Birth of a Nation
Fences
La La Land
LBJ
Loving
Manchester by the Sea
Patriots Day
Silence
The skinny: A total shot in the dark, since exactly zero of these movies have opened yet, and only a handful have played at festivals. But it’s your usual mix: war movies, compelling dramas, true-life stories and the oddball choice. As usual, there are a few questions of timing (LBJ and Silence are finished but not scheduled, and Patriots Day is still filming), but this early The Birth of a Nation seems like the one to beat.
BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Zemeckis, Allied
Ang Lee, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Nate Parker, The Birth of a Nation
Jeff Nichols, Loving
Martin Scorsese, Silence
The skinny: Just like above, it depends on how it all shakes out, considering many of these only have a trailer to go off. But Nate Parker’s labor of love has the most momentum up front.
BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton, Loving
Michael Fassbender, The Light Between Oceans
Nate Parker, The Birth of a Nation
Woody Harrelson, LBJ
The skinny: Not a winner among the group, but several also-rans. Woody Harrelson seems due, but if his LBJ is more quirks than honest-to-God performance, he may not get nominated. (Plus, he may be overshadowed by Bryan Cranston’s performance in HBO’s All the Way.)
BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, The Girl on the Train
Viola Davis, Fences
Rebecca Hall, Christine
Ruth Negga, Loving
Alicia Vikander, The Light Between Oceans
The skinny: Viola Davis is beyond due for this, but we’ll see if Fences gets lost in the shuffle. There seems to be an even bigger glut of heart-wrenching dramas premiering in late December. But if any race seems locked up, it’s probably Ruth Negga in this category. (Though don’t be surprised if they push her to supporting for no real reason.)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Warren Beatty, Rules Don’t Apply
Bill Camp, Loving
Aaron Eckhart, Bleed for This
Steve Martin, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
J.K. Simmons, Patriots Day
The skinny: I could see Eckhart being swapped out for Robert De Niro in the very similar Hands of Stone. Nothing would make me happier than Steve Martin finally getting a nomination. But it would be nice to see some people of color in this all-white category.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Jason Leigh, LBJ
Helen Mirren, Collateral Beauty
Kristen Stewart, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Rachel Weisz, The Light Between Oceans
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
The skinny: Will Jennifer Jason Leigh or Michelle Williams avenge their losses? Will Kristen Stewart finally get nominated after a string of terrific performances (possibly as penance for Twilight)? As always, the toughest category to pick and the toughest to predict.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Allied
The Birth of a Nation
The Lobster
Loving
Manchester by the Sea
The skinny: All potential Best Picture nominees, but I think The Lobster has the best chance to sneak in and maybe win. Unconventional love stories like Her and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind have a good track record in this category.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Fences
Indignation
The Light Between Oceans
Silence
The skinny: More Best Picture nominees, though if The Light Between Oceans’ tender romance is well-received, it might be an honest-to-God romance (not based on a true story) nominated for the first time in forever. Indignation seems the most likely to benefit from the “good script, but the movie didn’t have enough juice to pick up any major nods” boost.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
The Little Prince
Moana
Zootopia
The skinny: Well, this was too easy. The Little Prince might not make it given Netflix’s struggle to get traction outside the Documentary Feature category. Even if three Disney movies feels overstuffed, I don’t see the likes of Trolls, Storks or Sing making it in.
Random Sure Things
Visual Effects: The Jungle Book
Make-Up & Hair: Star Trek Beyond
Sound Editing: Rogue One
Film Editing: Jason Bourne
Sound Mixing: La La Land