“1917” film’s cast and director Sam Mendes in Chicago at the AMC Theater on December 10, 2019.

First, let’s mention the potential Best Actor nominees to be awarded in 2020 for the films of 2019.

BEST ACTOR:
Joaquin Phoenix, who will probably win, if nominated, for “The Joker.”
Christian Bale for “Ford v. Ferrari”
Taron Egerton as Elton John in “Rocketman”
Either or both of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt for “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”
Any of the principal actors from “The Irishman,” which includes Al Pacino (most likely), Robert DeNiro and/or Joe Pesci.
Adam Driver for “Marriage Story.”
Possibly Jonathan Pryce or Anthony Hopkins from “The Two Popes.”
These are the actors who have been getting the most buzz to date.
The actual nominees will be named tomorrow.

Noah Jupe appears in Honeyboy by Alma Har’el, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Natasha Braier

BEST PICTURE:

My expectation(s) for Best Picture are:
“The Irishman,” “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,” “Marriage Story,” “1917,” “Parasite,” and, after that, to make up the field of 10 that the Academy has nominated in recent years, the best bets are: “Us,” “Portrait of a Woman on Fire,” “Honeyboy,” “Joker,” “JoJo Rabbit,” and possibly “Judy” or “The Two Popes.” I would also love to see “Ford v Ferrari” earn a nomination.

BEST ACTRESS:

Renee Zelwegger in “Judy” is going to be hard to beat for Best Actress. Others who might be nominated (for Best Actress) include Scarlett Johansson in “Marriage Story” (she was also in “JoJo Rabbit”); Charlize Theron for “Bombshell;” possibly either of the other two stars of “Bombshell” (Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie).

Those that aren’t nominated for Best Actress or Best Actor might well be nominated for Best Supporting performances. For example, if DiCaprio gets the nod for Best Actor, then Brad Pitt would get the nod for Best Support, and vice versa. This is also true for the women of “Bombshell.” although Charlize Theron’s performance as Megyn Kelly seems the most outstanding, due to her uncanny resemblance to the real Megyn Kelly and her ability to mimic her vocal patterns.

These are all thoughts for Sunday, January 12th, with the answer(s) to WHO WILL BE NOMINATED FOR THIS YEAR’S OSCARS to be announced tomorrow.