Oscar Picks 2021

The 2021 Oscar winners are here. Rich and Russ went head to head once again to see how well that they could predict the winners. Below, we list our picks for who/what we think will win and who/what we think should win (in parentheses). Our results are at the bottom. See you next year!

Best Picture

  • Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Mank
  • Minari
  • Nomadland
  • Promising Young Woman
  • Sound of Metal
  • The Father
  • The Trial of the Chicago 7

Rich: Nomadland (Minari should win)

Russ: Nomadland (Promising Young Woman should win)

Actor in a Leading Role

  • Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)
  • Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
  • Anthony Hopkins (The Father)
  • Gary Oldman (Mank)
  • Steven Yeun (Minari)

Rich: Chadwick Boseman (Anthony Hopkins should win)

Russ: Chadwick Boseman (Anthony Hopkins should win)

Actress in a Leading Role

  • Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
  • Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
  • Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)
  • Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
  • Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)

Rich: Francis McDormand (Frances McDormand should win)

Russ: Francis McDormand (Carey Mulligan should win)

Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
  • Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)
  • Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami…)
  • Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)
  • LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)

Rich: Daniel Kaluuya (Daniel Kaluuya should win)

Russ: Daniel Kaluuya (Daniel Kaluuya should win)

Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
  • Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy)
  • Olivia Colman (The Father)
  • Amanda Seyfried (Mank)
  • Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari)

Rich: Yuh-Jung Youn (Amanda Seyfried should win)

Russ: Yuh-Jung Youn (Olivia Colman should win)

Animated Feature Film

  • A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
  • Onward
  • Over the Moon
  • Soul
  • Wolfwalkers

Rich: Soul (Wolfwalkers should win)

Russ: Soul (Soul should win)

Cinematography

  • Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Mank
  • News of the World
  • Nomadland
  • The Trial of the Chicago 7

Rich: Nomadland (Nomadland should win)

Russ: Nomadland (Nomadland should win)

Costume Design

  • Emma.
  • Mank
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Mulan
  • Pinocchio

Rich: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom should win)

Russ: Emma. (Emma. should win)

Directing

  • Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
  • Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)
  • David Fincher (Mank)
  • Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)
  • Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)

Rich: Chloé Zhao (Lee Isaac Chung should win)

Russ: Chloé Zhao (Chloé Zhao should win)

Documentary (Feature)

  • Collective
  • Crip Camp
  • My Octopus Teacher
  • The Mole Agent
  • Time

Rich: My Octopus Teacher (My Octopus Teacher should win)

Russ: Time (Time should win)

Documentary (Short Subject)

  • A Concerto is a Conversation
  • A Love Song for Latasha
  • Colette
  • Do Not Split
  • Hunger Ward

Rich: A Love Song for Latasha (Hunger Ward should win)

Russ: A Love Song for Latasha (Colette should win)

Film Editing

  • Nomadland
  • Promising Young Woman
  • Sound of Metal
  • The Father
  • The Trial of the Chicago 7

Rich: Sound of Metal (Sound of Metal should win)

Russ: Sound of Metal (Sound of Metal should win)

International Feature Film

  • Another Round
  • Better Days
  • Collective
  • Quo Vadis, Aida?
  • The Man Who Sold His Skin

Rich: Another Round (Collective should win)

Russ: Another Round (Another Round should win)

Makeup and Hairstyling

  • Emma.
  • Hillbilly Elegy
  • Mank
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Pinocchio

Rich: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom should win)

Russ: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom should win)

Music (Original Score)

  • Terence Blanchard (Da 5 Bloods)
  • James Newton Howard (News of the World)
  • Emile Mosseri (Minari)
  • Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Mank)
  • Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (Soul)

Rich: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross should win)

Russ: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross should win)

Music (Original Song)

  • “Fight for You” (Judas and the Black Messiah)
  • “Hear My Voice” (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
  • “Husavik” (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga)
  • “Io sì (Seen)” (The Life Ahead (La vita davanti a sé))
  • “Speak Now” (One Night in Miami…)

Rich: “Speak Now” (“Io sì (Seen)” should win)

Russ: “Speak Now” (“Fight for You” should win)

Production Design

  • Mank
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • News of the World
  • Tenet
  • The Father

Rich: Mank (Mank should win)

Russ: Mank (Mank should win)

Short Film (Animated)

  • Burrow
  • Genius Loci
  • If Anything Happens I Love You
  • Opera
  • Yes-People

Rich: If Anything Happens I Love You (If Anything Happens I Love You should win)

Russ: If Anything Happens I Love You (If Anything Happens I Love You should win)

Short Film (Live Action)

  • Feeling Through
  • The Letter Room
  • The Present
  • Two Distant Strangers
  • White Eye

Rich: The Letter Room (Two Distant Strangers should win)

Russ: The Letter Room (The Letter Room should win)

Sound

  • Greyhound
  • Mank
  • News of the World
  • Soul
  • Sound of Metal

Rich: Sound of Metal (Sound of Metal should win)

Russ: Sound of Metal (Sound of Metal should win)

Visual Effects

  • Love and Monsters
  • Mulan
  • Tenet
  • The Midnight Sky
  • The One and Only Ivan

Rich: Tenet (Tenet should win)

Russ: Tenet (Tenet should win)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

  • Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
  • Nomadland
  • One Night in Miami…
  • The Father
  • The White Tiger

Rich: Nomadland (The Father should win)

Russ: Nomadland (The Father should win)

Writing (Original Screenplay)

  • Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Minari
  • Promising Young Woman
  • Sound of Metal
  • The Trial of the Chicago 7

Rich: Promising Young Woman (Minari should win)

Russ: Promising Young Woman (Promising Young Woman should win)

Rich and Russ did well in the major categories and overall. Rich pulled ahead this year with 17/23 (73.9%) right, while Russ chose 15/23 (65.2%) correctly.