After a load of drama surrounding who would take Kevin Hart’s place as host, and the assault charge against Bohemian Rhapsody’s director, Bryan Singer, the nominations are finally out for the 91st Academy Awards. This article will show my top picks for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Animated Feature.

  The competition for Best Picture this year was close, with both the “Green Book” and “Black Panther” having a chance. The SAG (Screen Actors Guild) awards surprised audiences when they chose “Black Panther” as their pick for Best Picture, making it a serious candidate in the race. According to IGN, the SAG awards have a 60% success rate when matching their Best Picture winner to that of the Oscars.

  Despite this, my pick for Best Picture has to go to the ground-breaking “Roma”. The Academy loves to honor films that push social and creative bounds, and the subtitled, black and white, Netflix Original drama “Roma” pushes that line far.

  Behind the genius that is “Roma”, comes the great mind of Alfonso Cuarón. Cuarón also directed the award-winning “Gravity”, and many movies out of Mexico, and brought these talents from there to “Roma”.

  The movie reflects what a Netflix movie would look like with very plain camera shots, set in very plain areas, but this is all made up for the risky decision of making the entire movie black and white. Cuarón also took great risks in making a movie for a largely English speaking audience, in complete Spanish, but it makes the experience better as you are truly drawn into Mexico City.

  Anyone who has seen “Bohemian Rhapsody”, knows Rami Malek is destined to win this category. Malek, known for his goofy nature in movies like “Night at the Museum” and “Austin Powers”, takes a more serious tone in portraying this character, showing what he is truly capable of. According to an interview on NPR with Malek, he felt so uncomfortable wearing Mercury’s style of clothes, that he had to talk himself into it.

  Will Brooks, theatre and film teacher, said, “I can tell he is doing stuff that is literally not him and not exactly an impersonation of the character. Instead he is breathing life into the role.” And for a man like Freddie Mercury who is truly un-copyable, it’s good to see Malek puts his own twist in this role, and for this, it shows off why he should win this year.

  I always think it’s nice to see an older actress shine in a role for a movie that is set in modern times, and Glenn Close is the epitome for this category. She has been nominated six times, but has yet to win. Close is able to bring a passion to this role that hasn’t been seen in her since “Fatal Attraction” back in 1987.

  This will be your 100% guaranteed pick and has almost no competitors rivaling it. And hopefully Close will get her first award in her 30-year career.

  Graphics by Jack Stilwell

  This was probably one of the closest races in the Academy, with “Incredibles 2” bringing the series back for a new generation, and “Wreck-It-Ralph” once again pushing how relatable an animated movie could be.

  But there will be one victor in this race and that is “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse”. A movie seven years in the making comes together, with a brilliant story and jaw-dropping animation, which could compete with real life. And it’s not just a superhero action movie, as “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” is comedic, sad, and really draws the viewer into the world of Spiderman.

Jack Stilwell, Staff Reporter