98th Oscars Projections: And Here We Go...
A Way-Too-Early Look Into The Best Picture Race For The 98th Academy Awards As The Cannes Film Festival Looms
INTRODUCTION
Good day to you. My name is Luis A. Mendez. I’m a film critic based in Central Florida, and these are my PERSONAL Oscars’ Best Picture Projections for the 2025 awards season.
If you want more detailed thoughts on my thinking on why I believe a certain film may be a contender, and why I have them ranked where I do, look out for my much more in-depth piece on the matter that might be over at Ordinary Times by the time this is published.
TIER 1: THE PREDICTED TEN
1. One Battle For Another
2. Bugonia
3. Hamnet
4. Sentimental Value
5. The Life Of Chuck
6. Jay Kelly
7. Deliver Me From Nowhere
8. Sinners
9. Wicked: For Good
10. Avatar: Fire And Ash
TIER 2: THE “ON THE BUBBLE” CONTENDERS
11. The Rivals Of Amziah King
12. After The Hunt
13. Ella McCay
14. Marty Supreme
15. The Smashing Machine
16. Highest 2 Lowest
17. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein
18. Ballad Of A Small Player
19. Untitled Kathryn Bigelow Political Thriller
20. F1
TIER 3: THE DARK HORSES ON THE VERGE OF BEING TAKEN SERIOUS
21. Kiss Of The Spider Woman
22. Die, My Love
23. Ann Lee
24. Hedda
25. Alpha
26. The History Of Sound
27. No Other Choice
28. Eddington
29. Is This Thing On?
30. The Roses
TIER 4: THE LONG SHOTS WITH A SLIM PATH
31. Long Days Journey Into Night
32. Train Dreams
33. Caught Stealing
34. Blue Moon
35. Eleanor The Great
36. Mother Mary
37. Sorry, Baby
38. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
39. The Lost Bus
40. The Wizard Of The Kremlin
TIER 5: THE LONG SHOTS LOOKING FOR A PATH
41. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
42. The Phoenician Scheme
43. Black Bag
44. Materialist
45. The Wedding Banquet
46. Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
47. The Running Man
48. Tron: Ares
49. Superman
50. Mickey 17
OTHERS TO POTENTIALLY KEEP AN EYE ON
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey; Anemone; Bring Her Back; Elio; HIM; Late Fame; Jurassic World: Rebirth; Sound Of Falling; The Fantastic Four: First Steps; Michael; Nouvelle Vague; Omaha; Preparation For The Next Life; Rental Family; Resurrection; Roofman; The Entertainment System Is Down; The Housemaid; The Mastermind; The Secret Agent; The Way Of The Wind; Thunderbolts*; Twinless; Warfare; Weapons