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My 2026 Oscars Picks
This is one of my favorite times of year, if only because I finally get to find out which films have been nominated for an Oscar. As someone who just adores the movies, the Oscars are kind of like my Super Bowl, except I don’t really care who wins or loses. For me, the Oscars season is much more about celebrating the best of the best, rather than crowning a single king.
When I was younger, I used to do a predictions write-up every year after finishing my viewing of all the Best Picture nominees. Over the past couple years, however, I’ve been getting back into my groove as far as movies go, and with 2025 being a real standout year for films, I wanted to take some time to pick my winners ahead of Sunday's show.
Without further ado, here are my Oscars picks for 2026!
Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Frankenstein
I think a lot of these nominees had solid costuming, but for me, the fits in Del Toro’s Frankenstein were just a notch above the rest. That Mia Goth peacock dress and headpiece alone are more memorable than anything else on offer here. I really loved the monster’s big, cloaked look too.
All of the costumes really breathed life into the world of that movie, adding color and texture to what could’ve easily been a very flat and grey film had the costuming and set design not been so constantly engaging. I didn’t get around to seeing Avatar, and it wouldn’t surprise me much if it takes this one, but for me, it’s gotta be Frank.
Music (Original Score)
Bugonia
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Frankenstein
Despite being both a music guy and a film guy, I’m not much of a score guy. There are very few movie scores that I’ve found myself so infatuated by that I’ve sought them out after the credits rolled and listened to them again in my everyday life. One such score was Alexandre Desplat’s masterful work on The Shape of Water from 2017. There’s something so enthralling about the pianos and string sections that he uses in his scores, and I recognized his fingerprints all over the music of Frankenstein almost instantly.
I feel like Desplat just has such a great ability to push and swell a scene to a climax, while also having the restraint to allow his music to drift effortlessly into the background so the story can take center stage. When I listen to his music, especially in this film, I hear a dark curiosity that so perfectly mirrors the monster’s inner turmoil. The other nominees had some great scores too, but I will always pick Desplat when given the chance.
Cinematography
Marty Supreme
Frankenstein
Train Dreams
Sinners
One Battle After Another
This one was a pretty close call for me between OBAA and Train Dreams. While I thought Train Dreams was an overall solid movie that lost me in its second act, the nature shots throughout it really stuck with me. That whole movie is just very beautiful, with each shot being a new and exciting composition of natural splendor.
That being said, the sequence on the highway at the end of OBAA was one of the most thrilling theater experiences I’ve had in quite some time, due in large part to the decisions that went into shooting it. I think in a weaker year, Train Dreams would probably see a little more love than it will get this year, but OBAA was such a masterclass in every regard that I anticipate it will do very well.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Benicio Del Toro- One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi- Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo- Sinners
Stellan Skarsgard- Sentimental Value
Sean Penn- One Battle After Another
I mean, c’mon. Anyone who’s watched OBAA will tell you that Sean Penn performs the role of a lifetime as Colonel Lockjaw. I really can’t think of many characters from the past 10 years that felt as instantly classic as his portrayal of the bumbling and maniacal military man hellbent on killing his daughter and joining a silly racist boys club. His mannerisms and delivery are just so, so good all the way throughout, and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Elle Fanning- Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan- Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku- Sinners
Teyana Taylor- One Battle After Another
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas- Sentimental Value
While I’d be thrilled to see Amy Madigan take home the gold for her role as Aunt Gladys, my personal pick for this goes to Inga Lilleaas’ role in Sentimental Value. In a movie that left me largely unaffected, she really nailed the subtle portrayal of sorrow and concern for her sister. Any time she was on screen, I couldn’t look away. It was a very solid performance that stood out to me in an otherwise underwhelming film.
Actor in a Leading Role
Ethan Hawke- Blue Moon
Wadner Moura- The Secret Agent
Michael B. Jordan- Sinners
Leonardo DiCaprio- One Battle After Another
Timothy Chalamet- Marty Supreme
Of all the awards, this one is the most difficult for me to pick. I think Leo, Chalamet, and Moura all gave pretty standout performances. For me, though, Marty Supreme was the performance I’d been waiting for from Chalamet. I’ve always been a little lukewarm on him, largely because his roles have often felt very one-note to me.
Ladybird, Don’t Look Up, and Dune are all the same kind of brooding and moody teen character, which he plays well, but I’ve been left wanting more range from him. In Marty Supreme, Chalamet is charismatic and just so full of life and ambition. While I really disagree with some of his recent (and baffling??) comments about opera, I think I have to separate the art from the artist and recognize that, of all the nominees, his performance impressed me the most.
Actress in a Leading Role
Rose Byrne- If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Kate Hudson- Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve- Sentimental Value
Emma Stone- Bugonia
Jessie Buckley- Hamnet
While I could see Best Actor going a few different ways, there’s only one pick here. Anyone who has watched Hamnet knows that Jessie Buckley puts that entire movie on her shoulders. All of the performances are very good in Hamnet, but she’s seriously unbelievable. The anguish and pain that she conveys in some of these scenes is just stunning. Truly one of the best performances I’ve seen in recent memory, and she deserves to win every single award this season.
Best Director
Chloe Zhao- Hamnet
Josh Safdie- Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier- Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler- Sinners
Paul Thomas Anderson- One Battle After Another
I think PTA has been snubbed for his directing (at least at the Oscars) for far too long now. At this point, he’s put the work in and deserves to be recognized for his vision. OBAA is a perfect film to receive it for too, as I think you can really feel his signature blend of heartfelt character moments, tense action, and light comedic relief throughout the whole thing. I just think that it’s about time he gets his flowers.
Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Frankenstein
The Secret Agent
Train Dreams
One Battle After Another
I’ve often said that the movie that wins Best Picture at the Oscars is very rarely the best movie made that year. Setting aside the social politics of an Oscar campaign, I think that a Best Picture winner needs to have a kind of universality to it. It should be a movie that is not only great and stands above the competition, but is great for the widest variety of people. This year, however, I believe my pick for Best Picture is both the best movie made last year and the movie that will appeal to the largest audience.
I feel like there’s something in One Battle After Another for everybody, and it’s just so expertly put together. It’s one of the most memorable theater experiences I had in 2025, and I think it is absolutely deserving of the Best Picture award. If someone were to ask me, “Which single movie that came out in 2025 should I sit down and watch?” I’d tell them OBAA, hands down.
And that’s it! I’m looking forward to seeing how my picks stack up against the Academy’s on Sunday night. Hopefully, I get a few right, but honestly, the beauty of Oscars season is that I truly don’t care who wins (as long as it’s not Sinners). If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading, and I’ll see you in the next post, whenever that may be! Burger, out.
~Bruce C. Burger
