Academy Awards – Matthew Liedke on Film

98th Academy Award Predictions

The Super Bowl of cinema is near.

This Academy Awards, the 98th ceremony in history, is headlined by the title fight of “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.” In one corner, a dramatic, comedic thriller. In the other, an elevated horror action picture. The Oscars won’t be limited to this face-off, though.

Other films will be recognized in several categories, and there will be surprises along the way. As always, I’m weighing in with my expectations for who is likely to win, as well as my thoughts as to who or what is most deserving.

Before we get into the predictions, here’s a helpful glossary of acronyms ahead: GG = Golden Globes. WGA = Writers Guild of America. DGA = Directors Guild of America. ACE = American Cinema Editors. SAG = Screen Actors Guild. ASC = American Society of Cinematographers. AA = Animation, or Annie, Awards. ADG = Art Directors Guild. MPSE = Motion Picture Sound Editors. BAFTA = British Academy of Film and Television Arts. CCA = Critics’ Choice Awards.

2026 Oscar Docs: A look at the nominees

Unlike last year where I was only able to catch three of the five nominated films for Best Documentary Feature, I have managed to watch the whole lineup, and then some. It was worth it, too, because this was one of the best group of nominees in the category in years.

The 2025 collection covers a wide range of topics, all with unique styles and effective approaches. Below, I share my thoughts on all five. Additionally, I’m including my take on two shortlisted pictures detailing significant topics.

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97th Academy Award Predictions

Oscar Sunday has finally arrived and it’s time to honor the best films of 2024, for the most part.

Awards will be handed out to winners in more than 20 categories, and like always, I’m going to do my best to predict who gets a statue. Additionally, as I’ve done annually, I also include the possible spoiler in the category, as well as my takes on who should win and what deserved to make the cut.

Find out my expectations for every category during tonight’s ceremony.

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2025 Oscar Docs: A Look at the Nominees

Most award seasons I try to see all five of the Oscar nominated documentaries. However, February turned into a busy month, and one of the movies, “No Other Land,” was only playing at a single theater and it was difficult to find a showtime to see it. It was also unavailable to stream.

That was the same case with “Porcelain War,” which wasn’t streaming and also had zero theatrical showings in the great state of Minnesota. Fortunately, I was able to at least se three of the nominees and can give my thoughts on them ahead of the ceremony.

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Animation at the 97th Oscars: A Recap

The full length animation category in the Academy Awards line-up often features a mix of smaller releases and major productions.

That was the case this year, with two widely released pictures from Pixar and DreamWorks, along with three that were released directly via streaming and/or made by smaller studios. In the lead-up to this year’s ceremony, having seen “The Wild Robot” and “Inside Out 2,” I caught up on the other three.

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96th Academy Award Predictions

Oscar Sunday is here at last and I think it’s shaping up to be a good night for “Oppenheimer.”

As always, I’ve come up with my predictions for who will win, but that’s not all. I also list possible upsets, how I would have voted, and a note a couple areas where If eel there were snubs.

Find all my thoughts on each category below.

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2024 Oscar Docs: A Look at the Nominees

It’s an international line-up in the Best Documentary category at the Oscars this year, with all five films coming from across the globe.

As usual, the nominated documentaries cover a wide array of important topics and give audiences insight into issues they may not have known. Below, I give my full, honest thoughts on each documentary in the category.

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2023 Oscar Docs: A Look at the Nominees

The Best Documentary category is an important part of Oscar night, celebrating films that dig into hot topics or study important figures.

Like most years, the 2022 docs up for an award this season includes films from across the world covering a wide array of topics. Unfortunately, this year’s lineup tended to be a bit weaker than those in past seasons.

There are still some that are recommendable, though. Find out my thoughts below.
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95th Academy Award Predictions

Tomorrow, 2022 in film will formerly come to an end, as movies from last year are awarded throughout the night with Oscar statues.

Like most years, there are clear front-runners, close races, and snubs, all of which this post will break down.

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Bowl Season Counterparts in Film Awards

There are two things I love watching during this time of year: college football bowl games and award ceremonies.

Both are exciting in their own right. Bowl games, big and small, often provide some thrilling postseason moments making for great entertainment even if your team isn’t playing.

Award season, meanwhile, are celebrations of great films and offers a bit of competition to the world of movies, making for really good drama.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the two seasons have something in common, which is that they’re not created equal. As the award season goes on, the prestige of the ceremonies increases. It’s the same way with bowl season.

With college football, there are six games, called the New Year’s Six, that are considered the best bowls, and include the two semi-finals to qualify for the national title game. In award season, meanwhile, the major awards often include the guild ceremonies and the Oscars, which happen late in the season.

With that in mind, I decided to match which game equates best to an award ceremony in the season.

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