With the three major year-end festivals now in the rearview mirror, we’re starting to narrow things down a bit more. We’ve added two new categories this month: Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. Some also offered up Best Makeup & Hairstyling and Best Sound predictions but it was not required.

KEY:

Introductions

Wesley Lovell: Toronto’s in the rearview mirror and although I’m not 100% settled on my changes this month, I must say they are beginning to take shape with solidification on the not-too-distant horizon. I Play Rocky was on my list before but it’s now moved into a position of contention whereas La Bola Negra surprising with the audience award at Toronto, it moves into my list with force. Being Heumann came in third and could still be a player as Sian Heder’s prior film was but I’m less assured on her chances. The word of mouth surrounding Misty Green put Chris Rock’s film on the map. The film’s sliding after these changes include Disclosure Day, Tuner, Clarissa, Sense and Sensibility, and The Uprising.
Pete Patrick: Most of the year’s most anticipated films have now been seen by the critics, putting this year’s Oscar race into a clearer perspective. La Bola Negra has won the coveted People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival with I Play Rocky and Being Heumann as runners-up. Elsinore won the International People’s Choice Award. I don’t see a place for I Play Rocky at this point, but I do see La Bola Negra, Being Heumann, and Elsinore making the cut. Still unseen by critics at this point are Digger and Dune III which I am removing from my predictions at least for now.
Thomas LaTourette: There seemed surprisingly little movement in the categories again this month. I had expected more. The TIFF Audience Award to La Bola Negra cements it as a major player for the year. Penélope Cruz may benefit from not one but two possible Oscar nominations, one from it and the other from the earlier The Invite. Sandra Hüller who has four movies in contention, looks likely to score at least one nomination out of it, though it could be in lead or supporting. Or she might split the vote enough to get nothing. The same could happen with Cruz. Films in foreign languages have done well lately, but will there be room for three in the best picture lineup? La Bola Negra seems assured, with Fjord and All of a Sudden also contending. Considering it came and went quickly, The Invite looks to do very well with several acting noms as well as picture and director. Werwulf looks to be this year’s quasi-horror film that racks up a number of tech awards. Wild Horse Nine sounds like it will be a major contender and truly place Martin McDonagh as a director to watch. It is turning into an exciting awards season.

Best Picture

WLPPTL All of a Sudden
WLPPTL Being Heumann
WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL The Debut
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Elsinore
WLPPTL Fjord
WLPPTL I Play Rocky
WLPPTL The Invite
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL The Social Reckoning
WLPPTL Wild Horse Nine

Best Animated Feature

WLPPTL Forgotten Island
WLPPTL Hexed
WLPPTL Hoppers
WLPPTL Ray Gunn
WLPPTL Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
WLPPTL Tangles
WLPPTL Toy Story 5
WLPPTL Wildwood

Best Directing

WLPPTL Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi – La Bola Negra
WLPPTL Jesse Eisenberg – The Debut
WLPPTL Ryusuke Hamaguchi – All of a Sudden
WLPPTL Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Digger
WLPPTL Martin McDonagh – Wild Horse Nine
WLPPTL Christian Mungiu – Fjord
WLPPTL Christopher Nolan – The Odyssey
WLPPTL Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Olivia Wilde – The Invite

Best Actor

WLPPTL Tom Cruise – Digger
WLPPTL Matt Damon – The Odyssey
WLPPTL Ryan Gosling – Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL Anthony Ippolito – I Play Rocky
WLPPTL John Malkovich – Wild Horse Nine
WLPPTL Andrew Scott – Elsinore
WLPPTL Sebastian Stan – Fjord

Best Actress

WLPPTL Virginie Efira – All of a Sudden
WLPPTL Rosalind Eleazar – Misty Green
WLPPTL Cynthia Erivo – Prima Facie
WLPPTL Sandra Hüller – Fatherland
WLPPTL Sandra Hüller – Rose
WLPPTL Ruth Madeley – Being Heumann
WLPPTL Julianne Moore – The Debut
WLPPTL Renate Reinsve – Fjord
WLPPTL Olivia Wilde – The Invite

Best Supporting Actor

WLPPTL Paul Giamatti – The Debut
WLPPTL John Goodman – Digger
WLPPTL Guitarricadelafuente – La Bola Negra
WLPPTL John Leguizamo – The Odyssey
WLPPTL Edward Norton – The Invite
WLPPTL Guy Pearce – Ink
WLPPTL Sam Rockwell – Wild Horse Nine
WLPPTL Mark Ruffalo – Being Heumann
WLPPTL Jeremy Strong – The Social Reckoning

Best Supporting Actress

WLPPTL Penélope Cruz – La Bola Negra
WLPPTL Penélope Cruz – The Invite
WLPPTL Emma D’Arcy – Digger
WLPPTL Ayo Edebiri – Clarissa
WLPPTL Claire Foy – Ink
WLPPTL Anne Hathaway – The Odyssey
WLPPTL Sandra Hüller – Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL Samantha Morton – The Odyssey
WLPPTL Tao Okomoto – All of a Sudden
WLPPTL Parker Posey – Wild Horse Nine

Best Original Screenplay

WLPPTL Club Kid
WLPPTL The Debut
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Fatherland
WLPPTL Fjord
WLPPTL Tender Loving Care
WLPPTL Wild Horse Nine

Best Adapted Screenplay

WLPPTL All of a Sudden
WLPPTL Being Heumann
WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL The Invite
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL The Social Reckoning

Best Casting

WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL The Debut
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Fjord
WLPPTL I Play Rocky
WLPPTL The Invite
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL The Social Reckoning
WLPPTL Wild Horse Nine

Best Original Score

WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL The Debut
WLPPTL Disclosure Day
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL The Social Reckoning
WLPPTL Wild Horse Nine
WLPPTL Wildwood
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three

Best Film Editing

WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL The Debut
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Fjord
WLPPTL I Play Rocky
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL Wild Horse Nine

Best Cinematography

WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Fatherland
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL Fjord

Best Production Design

WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Fatherland
WLPPTL The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL Werwulf
WLPPTL Wild Horse Nine

Best Costume Design

WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL Disclosure Day
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol
WLPPTL Fatherland
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL Sense and Sensibility
WLPPTL WerWulf

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

WLPPTL Clayface
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Werwulf
WLPPTL Wicker

Best Sound

WLPPTL La Bola Negra
WLPPTL Digger
WLPPTL Disclosure Day
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary

Best Visual Effects

WLPPTL Avengers: Doomsday
WLPPTL Disclosure Day
WLPPTL Dune: Part Three
WLPPTL Godzilla Minus Zero
WLPPTL The Odyssey
WLPPTL Project Hail Mary
WLPPTL The Sheep Detectives
WLPPTL Spider-Man: Brand New Day