If I Had an Oscar Ballot...

 ... it would look something like this. Please keep in mind that while I loved certain movies like Possessor and Alone, which are among my Top 25 movies of 2020, it would be hard to vote for either of them for Best Picture. These have to be somewhat REALISTIC choices, otherwise, there would be no point in this particular exercise. Also of note: I haven't seen films such as Another Round, The Father, French Exit, and The U.S. vs. Billie Holiday, among others, and I have abstained from voting in categories of which I am ill-informed, like the short film categories (loved Burrow though), or which I haven't seen enough contenders from, such as the Animated Feature and Visual Effects races, though Onward and Tenet would win each of those with little trouble. Feel free to show off your own Oscar ballot in the comments section below, and thanks in advance for reading. I hope you enjoy my nominees.

Important Note: An asterisk (*) denotes my vote to WIN.

BEST PICTURE

The Invisible Man

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Minari

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal*

Note: That's right, I only put seven movies on my ballot this year, as it was a fairly weak year for narrative features even though there were more films eligible for Best Picture than in the past 50 years. Sure, I could've put The Trial of the Chicago 7, News of the World and Da 5 Bloods on there, but I had issues with each of them, and at the end of the day, it was these seven movies that exemplified the year in film for me, as I felt drawn to documentaries during the pandemic, for whatever reason. So why Sound of Metal? I just thought it was a profoundly human, beautiful and heartbreaking film that I could strangely identify with. Between its great script, brilliant performances and raw direction, Sound of Metal was simply the Best Picture of the Year in my eyes, no question about it.

BEST DIRECTOR

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Darius Marder, Sound of Metal

Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man

Chloe Zhao, Nomadland*

Note: It was pretty easy to settle on this lineup, as these five films were among my Best Picture nominees along with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and One Night in Miami. Yes, that means that Regina King and George C. Wolfe did not make the cut, but that's simply because theirs weren't what I think of as director-driven films, they were more script/dialogue-driven, each based on stage plays that provided more of a showcase for their actors than the filmmakers adapting them for the big screen. Even though Sound of Metal was my favorite movie of the year by far, this award was really between Zhao and Chung for me, as those were the year's two best-directed films, in my opinion. At the end of the day, I just loved what Chloe did with Nomadland following The Rider. It was a lyrical, gorgeous and poetic film that had so much to say without actually having to say that much at all. 

BEST ACTOR

Ben Affleck, The Way Back

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal*

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods

Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian

Note: It pained me to leave Eli Goree off this list because he happened to give my favorite performance in One Night in Miami, and I went back and forth on including him over Tahar Rahim, so I'll be completely transparent and say that it was Rahim's overall body of work that gave him the slight edge for me here. He has just been so good for so long, and truly underappreciated as an actor, and I do think his performance is why The Mauritanian works to the extent that it does. I do think Goree delivers a lead performance -- the problem is that I think of all four of those actors as leads, and yet, as such, they're all inherently supporting each other. Goree's placement just hurts his chances here, and yes, I could've just included him among my Supporting Actor nominees since it's my list, but that's not the category in which he's being campaigned, so that would seem like a waste of a vote. Rahim has also earned a bit more awards traction this season, so I did think of him as a more realistic nominee. I nearly put both Rahim and Goree on, leaving off Affleck, but I had to give it up to the guy for facing some of his own demons in The Way Back, which as a March 2020 release, really does feel like a victim of the pandemic. Plus, we've all seen those Dunkin' photos. Sympathy points apply... gotta have a heart for a fellow Bostonian in donut distress.

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand, Nomadland*

Elisabeth Moss, The Invisible Man

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Note: I don't know why Elisabeth Moss hasn't been gaining more traction for her work in The Invisible Man, as she makes for a very deserving fifth nominee in this category. I mean, I do know why -- there's bias -- real or perceived -- against genre films, which are rarely deemed worthy of "prestige." That said, the TV Academy loves Moss, who might've been embraced by her peers had Universal mounted a major campaign on her behalf. Vanessa Kirby is great in Pieces of a Woman but it feels like the nomination is the win for her, at this point in her career. No, this was between two-time winner Frances McDormand and Carey Mulligan, who has been so good for so long, she almost feels overdue despite being just 35 years old. As great as she is in Promising Young Woman, it's McDormand's performance that I was unable to shake, as she is once again excellent in Nomadland. If Carey Mulligan wins the Oscar that has thus far eluded her, I will stand up and applaud, because she will have absolutely deserved it. But I can't just penalize McDormand for winning this award twice before. If she deserves three Oscars, then so be it. I just have to listen to my gut and be honest in this space about it. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Bill Burr, The King of Staten Island

Caleb Landry Jones, The Outpost

Peter Macdissi, Uncle Frank

Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal*

Note: This is the category where I could've gone a million different ways, including bestowing three nominations on the top-to-bottom solid cast of The Trial of the Chicago 7. I would have no problem subbing in Mark Rylance, Frank Langella and Sacha Baron Cohen (in that order), but I just loved what Peter Macdissi was doing in Uncle Frank, and I don't want to picture anyone else playing Bill Burr's part in The King of Staten Island. Meanwhile, Caleb Landry Jones should've been in the awards conversation this year, but Oscar bloggers forgot about him because The Outpost didn't have the backing of a major streamer. Of course, this award was always between Paul Raci and Leslie Odom Jr., and anyone who has followed Collider's FYC this year knows that Raci truly blew me away with his incredible performance, which simply could not be replicated by even Hollywood's best actors. Seriously, if you cast Dustin Hoffman or Tommy Lee Jones as that character, you're going to get a great performance, no doubt, but you're not going to get a performance as authentic as Raci's. That movie does not work without him and I hope that Oscar voters harken back to the day when lesser-known nominees would actually win every few years. That would certainly be refreshing and inspiring. Not that an Odom victory wouldn't be, because I thought he was electric as Sam Cooke, and he totally deserves all the love he has received this season. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Ellen Burstyn, Pieces of a Woman

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Lesley Manville, Let Him Go

Yuh-jung Youn, Minari*

Note: This was as easy as giving the male awards to the guys from Sound of Metal. Yuh-jung Youn delivered everything you could ask of a supporting actress. I loved her comic timing and her warmth as the film's wisecracking grandmother, and yeah, I'm still mad Zhao Shu-zhen wasn't even nominated for The Farewell. I mean, Maria Bakalova was a comic force of nature in Borat 2, but again, it feels like the nomination is enough of a reward in that instance. Say what you will about the movie, but I thought Glenn Close was pretty damn good in Hillbilly Elegy, but yeah, there was no way I was going to finally give her a win for that movie. I mean, I'm not a monster. Ellen Burstyn has been snubbed all season and she did deliver a scorching monologue in Pieces of a Woman that reminded me of just how formidable she can be, so she made the cut along with Lesley Manville, who was terrifying as the matriarch of a criminal family in Let Him Go. While it was a weak year for "obvious" nominees, I actually liked a lot of supporting performances this year, including Swankie (Noomadland), Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah), Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal), Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian), Marisa Tomei (The King of Staten Island) and Dianne Wiest, who was really good in both Let Them All Talk and I Care a Lot.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Minari

Onward

Promising Young Woman*

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Note: Since I'm not including Best Animated Feature on this ballot, I've decided to make it clear where I stand by going with Onward over Soul here. This is the superior Pixar movie, in my opinion, and I loved the ending, which left me in tears. I didn't even mean to see this movie. I went to the theater to see The Way Back, but it turns out that Google had the showtimes wrong, so I saw Onward instead. A week later, I was in the hospital and the pandemic forced theaters to close, so that was the last movie I saw on the big screen. While Sound of Metal was the year's Best Picture in my book, I went with Promising Young Woman here because I did want to find a way to reward Emerald Fennell, as I was greatly impressed by her fearless feature directing debut, which is one of the Sundance screenings I'll always remember. Like its protagonist, her screenplay took no prisoners, and I applaud how it sparked a conversation online, if not the culture itself due to its pandemic rollout.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Boys in the Band

The Invisible Man

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nomadland*

One Night in Miami

Note: I mean, what else is there to say? I think Nomadland faced a greater degree of difficulty in its journey from the page to the screen, rather than the three films that went from the stage to the screen. And yeah, I included The Boys in the Band on this list, because I really liked that movie, which felt very timely even though it's decidedly a period piece. I suppose the same can be said of both One Night in Miami and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom as well. I could really relate to both Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman's characters in MRBB, and maybe that's why I wound up voting for Nomadland -- because it struck my imagination in a different way.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Assassins

Athlete A

Boys State

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution*

The Painter and the Thief

Note: This was a really close call, as I thought it was a banner year for documentaries. In fact, I'm mad at myself for not including the hugely entertaining Tread or Class Action Park among my nominees, though I don't think either was eligible, or on the so-called shortlist, and I do try to play by the rules here. This came down to Crip Camp and The Painter and the Thief for me, and I do think TPATF is a special film, with a devastating ending that will leave you haunted. But it's hard to overlook Crip Camp, which is an important film about a group of people who are all too used to being overlooked. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and most importantly, it made me listen. 

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Bacurau

Collective

Midnight Family

The Platform*

Sputnik

Note: First of all, I don't consider individual country submissions when it comes to this category, so forget about what's eligible and what isn't. Yes, I'm cheating here. New Order nearly made this list, but I don't think the film quite lived up to its explosive premise. Collective bowed to great acclaim, and deservedly so, as it's a powerful and important work of journalism, but it's a little dry for my taste. I was also a big fan of the little-seen indie Midnight Family, about a family of ambulance drivers in Mexico,. But this one came down to Bacurau vs. The Platform for me, and even though I fell in love with The Platform way back in 2019, it technically didn't debut on Netflix until 2020. As such, it was eligible, and was the clear winner, as I've seen it about a half-dozen times. It's a great piece of genre cinema that offers valuable social commentary as well. I can't believe there hasn't been an English-language remake commissioned yet...

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Invisible Man*

Minari

News of the World

Nomadland

Tenet

Note: This might've been the most competitive category in my mind, as all five of these films would make deserving winners, if very different ones. Nomadland and Minari are gorgeous, sensitive movies and News of the World is a golden oldie, full of dusty western vistas. Meanwhile, the cinematography in Tenet is one of the few elements of the indecipherable action movie that really works. But I loved everything about the camerawork in The Invisible Man and how it used empty space to tell its chilling story of domestic abuse and gaslighting. It's the kind of thoughtful work that should be studied in film school for years to come.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Da 5 Bloods

The Gentlemen*

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

One Night in Miami

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Note: Listen, I'm hardly an expert on costumes, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I'm going with The Gentlemen, which made expert use of tracksuits, goofy glasses and tailored suits. It's kind of weird how these five movies are so "male," in that female-driven costume dramas like Ammonite (which I didn't see) are the typical nominees in this category. I did really like the costumes in Birds of Prey, but I couldn't bring myself to give that film an Oscar nomination. I just can't condone that sort of comic book insanity, sorry. Promising Young Woman probably would've been my alternate, but it was more about Mulligan's outfits than anyone else in the cast, whereas all of my nominees do a good job of defining and differentiating their characters via their clothing. 

BEST EDITING

The Invisible Man*

Minari

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

Note: Editing is a crucial element of every movie, but especially in terms of horror films and psychological thrillers like The Invisible Man, which are so dependent on timing. From the opening title sequence, this movie has you in the palm of its hand, so as much as I loved Sound of Metal and Nomadland, I had to give it up to The Invisible Man for keeping me on the edge of my seat and never letting up thanks to a fast pace that keeps the story moving.

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

Bad Hair

Hillbilly Elegy*

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

Note: I love Riz Ahmed's blonde hairstyle in Sound of Metal and Carey Mulligan's rainbow wig in Promising Young Woman and the striking makeup job done on Viola Davis in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and you have to hand it to the team behind Bad Hair, given what this award is for. But to me, if we're going to have a serious discussion about the makeup and hairstyling work done this year, we have to talk about Hillbilly Elegy and Glenn Close's physical transformation.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Antebellum

Minari

News of the World

Nomadland

Tenet*

Note: This was a tough call, but it came down to Antebellum vs. Tenet for me, and in the end, I could not deny Ludwig Goransson's impact on Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which simply did not deserve such a thrilling score. Keep an eye on Roman GianArthur and Nate "Rocket" Wonder though, as they did a great job composing a spine-tingling score for Antebellum, and they should be getting more jobs off that little-seen film.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Edgar's Prayer," Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

"Husavik," Eurovision Song Contest

"Rain Song," Minari
"Speak Now," One Night in Miami

"Green," Sound of Metal*

Note: Minari is the movie that should just be happy to be here, and as fun as "Edgar's Prayer" and "Husavik" are, the nomination is as far as I can go for either of those songs. This came down to "Speak Now" vs. "Green," and while "Speak Now" would make a fine winner, and is certainly the most likely among my nominees to actually win this year, "Green" is the song I'll listen to in my car on my own, years after this weird awards season is officially in the history books. 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Mank

Mulan*

News of the World

One Night in Miami

Promising Young Woman

Note: I thought Mulan featured some absolutely gorgeous sets that conveyed the scope of both the movie and the story itself. I loved what the One Night in Miami team did with that hotel room, and you have to give Promising Young Woman credit for its color scheme. Mank's below-the-line credits were flawless, and it's probably the most deserving winner, I just couldn't bring myself to give that movie an Oscar -- something I can't even say for Tenet! As a result, Mulan wins by default.

BEST SOUND

The Invisible Man

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

Sound of Metal*

Note: Do I really need to explain this one? Sound of Metal is a movie about hearing loss. The sound design is impeccable, as it places us inside the head of its protagonist. Not even Ma Rainey's Black Bottom -- a movie about recording sound -- could compete with that kind of Oscar-ready hook. 

BEST ENSEMBLE (not an actual award)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom*

Minari

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

Promising Young Woman

Note: The second-biggest award, I suppose, goes to the stacked ensemble of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which includes Colman Domingo and Glynn Turman, both of whom were overlooked all season, plus folks like Jeremy Shamos, Jonny Coyne, Joshua Harto and Dusan Brown, who played Ma Rainey's stuttering nephew. But I love all of these casts. If I had to say which one was the last addition, I'd say Promising Young Woman. I just loved what everyone brought to Minari and One Night in Miami, while the non-professional cast of Nomadland is what made that movie so authentic, not Frances McDormand. But yeah, at the end of the day, I entered Ma Rainey's recording studio a skeptic of sorts, but I emerged a believer, and that's thanks to the entire cast, not just Viola Davis and the late, great Chadwick Boseman, whose career ends on a high note here.

FINAL TALLY (out of 21, including Animated Feature and Visual Effects):

Sound of Metal - 5 (Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Song, Sound)
Nomadland - 3 (Actress, Director, Adapted Screenplay)
The Invisible Man - 2 (Cinematography, Editing)

Tenet - 2 (Original Score, Visual Effects)
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution - 1 (Documentary)

The Gentlemen - 1 (Costume Design)

Hillbilly Elegy - 1 (Makeup and Hairstyling)
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - 1 (Ensemble)

Minari - 1 (Supporting Actress)

Mulan - 1 (Production Design)

Onward - 1 (Animated Feature)

The Platform - 1 (International Feature)

Promising Young Woman - 1 (Original Screenplay)