As an aspiring filmmaker, Oscars season is my favorite season. While most of the time I think the Academy is complete trash, this year, I’d like to share my personal picks (At least the ones I’ve got some sort of idea about) from the 92nd Academy Awards.

First, some shots in the dark. This is mostly because I haven’t seen some of the movies nominated in these categories.

Best Actress – Soarise Ronan, Little Women

Best Supporting Actress – Florence Pugh, Little Women

Best Animated Film – Toy Story 4

Costume Design – The Irishman

And here’s some films I’m a bit more confident about.

Best Actor – Joaquin Phoenix, Joker ; There’s not much competition for the man who dropped more than 40 pounds for his role as the clown prince of crime. The only other actors I believe hold a chance against him are Adam Driver and Leonardo DiCaprio in Marriage Story and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, respectively.

Best Supporting Actor – Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ; While I still have some reservations about this film as a whole, looking back, Hanks’ performance as America’s hero is heartwarming and endearing, and you can tell he was invested in bringing the character to the silver screen.

Visual Effects – The Irishman ; Martin Scorsese wanted no motion capture present on set for the filming of the crime drama, which greatly extends the amount of time editors had to take de-aging the actors. Its much harder to track a head with heavy visual editing than you may think it is, and that extra effort, I think, should be rewarded.

Best Original Song – “Stand Up” from Harriet ; While I had originally decided that “Letter to My Godfather” from The Black Godfather was my pick, its lack of a true nomination struck that dream down. Of the nominees, this songs introduction is enough to set it apart, even from Frozen 2.

Best Original Score – Joker ; Once again, I personally would have given it to Avengers : Endgame, but it wasn’t nominated. To me there wasn’t much competition, and the composition of Jokers score very much flows with the tone of the film.

Best Sound Editing and Film Editing – Ford v. Ferrari ; The sights and sounds of the racetrack are enough to make anyone want to hop in their car and go for a bender. What these teams have done to retell this story is bring the real feel of what its like to drive and work in the automotive industry.

Best Picture and Best Director – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino ; I saw this film when it came out, and while some may say that the pacing is off, and that the movie happens too slowly. with a run time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, its an easy assumption to make. What sets it apart for me is the scene that takes place between Leonardo DiCaprio and a little girl, filmed in 1 take, from one angle, that lasts for almost 4 minutes. The way they use the film to change the flow of history is enough for this movie to take the big one.