We recently recorded our Oscar Preview Show for the Tower of Babble Podcast and discussed all the films up for Best Picture. We also gave our predictions as to who would be taking home the big prizes on Sunday. If you're so inclined you can listen to that episode HERE to satisfy all your pre-Oscar needs or take a look at the list below to see who we thought would be taking home the golden statues.
We divided our predictions into two categories: who WILL win and who we WANT to win. Who WILL win is the pick that we think is realistically the most likely to take home the prize regardless of our personal feelings. Who we WANT to win is the pick that, in our opinion, deserves to win regardless of whether it has a real shot at winning the prize.
Each category will have a winner based on how many of their picks they got right. The first category going to the person who was the most clairvoyant and the second to the person with the best personal taste.
Head to the bottom of the page to see who won in each category.
89th Academy Awards Categories
Best Picture
- Arrival – Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder, and David Linde
- Fences – Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington, and Todd Black
- Hacksaw Ridge – Bill Mechanic and David Permut
- Hell or High Water – Carla Hacken and Julie Yorn
- Hidden Figures – Donna Gigliotti, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Pharrell Williams, and Theodore Melfi
- La La Land – Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, and Marc Platt
- Lion – Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, and Angie Fielder
- Manchester by the Sea – Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck, and Kevin J. Walsh
- Moonlight – Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner - (WINNER)
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: La La Land
- Daniel D'Souza: La La Land
- Jeremy Kozier: La La Land
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Fences
- Daniel D'Souza: Fences
- Jeremy Kozier: La La Land
Best Director
- Denis Villeneuve – Arrival
- Mel Gibson – Hacksaw Ridge
- Damien Chazelle – La La Land - (WINNER)
- Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
- Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: Barry Jenkins
- Daniel D'Souza: Damien Chazelle
- Jeremy Kozier: Damien Chazelle
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Barry Jenkins
- Daniel D'Souza: Barry Jenkins
- Jeremy Kozier: Damien Chazelle
Best Actor
- Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea as Lee Chandler - (WINNER)
- Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge as Desmond T. Doss
- Ryan Gosling – La La Land as Sebastian Wilder
- Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic as Ben Cash
- Denzel Washington – Fences as Troy Maxson
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: Ryan Gosling
- Daniel D'Souza: Ryan Gosling
- Jeremy Kozier: Ryan Gosling
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Denzel Washington
- Daniel D'Souza: Viggo Mortensen
- Jeremy Kozier: Denzel Washington
Best Actress
- Isabelle Huppert – Elle as Michèle Leblanc
- Ruth Negga – Loving as Mildred Loving
- Natalie Portman – Jackie as Jackie Kennedy
- Emma Stone – La La Land as Mia Dolan - (WINNER)
- Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins as Florence Foster Jenkins
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: Meryl Streep
- Daniel D'Souza: Meryl Streep
- Jeremy Kozier: Emma Stone
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Emma Stone
- Daniel D'Souza: Natalie Portman
- Jeremy Kozier: Emma Stone
Best Supporting Actor
- Mahershala Ali – Moonlight as Juan - (WINNER)
- Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water as Marcus Hamilton
- Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea as Patrick Chandler
- Dev Patel – Lion as Saroo Brierley
- Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals as Detective Bobby Andes
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: Dev Patel
- Daniel D'Souza: Dev Patel
- Jeremy Kozier: Michael Shannon
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Mahershala Ali
- Daniel D'Souza: Jeff Bridges
- Jeremy Kozier: Lucas Bridges
Best Supporting Actress
- Viola Davis – Fences as Rose Maxson - (WINNER)
- Naomie Harris – Moonlight as Paula
- Nicole Kidman – Lion as Sue Brierley
- Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures as Dorothy Vaughan
- Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea as Randi
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: Viola Davis
- Daniel D'Souza: Viola Davis
- Jeremy Kozier: Viola Davis
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Viola Davis
- Daniel D'Souza: Viola Davis
- Jeremy Kozier: Michelle Williams
Best Cinematography
- Arrival – Bradford Young
- La La Land – Linus Sandgren - (WINNER)
- Lion – Greig Fraser
- Moonlight – James Laxton
- Silence – Rodrigo Prieto
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: Arrival
- Daniel D'Souza: Arrival
- Jeremy Kozier: La La Land
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Arrival
- Daniel D'Souza: Moonlight
- Jeremy Kozier: Moonlight
Best Original Screenplay
- Hell or High Water – Taylor Sheridan
- La La Land – Damien Chazelle
- The Lobster – Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou
- Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan - (WINNER)
- 20th Century Women – Mike Mills
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: La La Land
- Daniel D'Souza: La La Land
- Jeremy Kozier: La La Land
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: La La Land
- Daniel D'Souza: La La Land
- Jeremy Kozier: La La Land
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Arrival – Eric Heisserer from "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang
- Fences – August Wilson from Fences by August Wilson (posthumous nomination)
- Hidden Figures – Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi from Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
- Lion – Luke Davies from A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley and Larry Buttrose
- Moonlight – Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney from In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney - (WINNER)
Who WILL win:
- Julian Meush: Fences
- Daniel D'Souza: Moonlight
- Jeremy Kozier: Fences
Who we WANT to win:
- Julian Meush: Lion
- Daniel D'Souza: Fences
- Jeremy Kozier: Fences
ToB Member Results
For a full description of each category check out the top of this page.
Most Clairvoyant
Jeremy Kozier wins for correctly predicting 4 picks in the "Who WILL win" category.
Final Scores:
- Julian: 1
- Daniel: 3
- Jeremy: 4
Best Personal Taste
Julian Meush wins for correctly predicting 3 picks in the "Who we WANT to win" category.
Final Scores:
- Julian: 3
- Daniel: 1
- Jeremy: 2
