Dan Merl presents his annual predictions for the Academy Awards nominations and shares who he would nominate in six major categories: the four acting categories, Best Picture, and Best Director. He explains that the year saw a lot of strong performances, despite a slightly weaker overall quality of films.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Merl's personal picks include Odessa Aion for "Marty Supreme" and Glen Close for "Wake Up Dead Man." He also mentions Amy Madigan, Tanya Maria from "The Secret Agent," and WMI Mosaku. Predicted nominees according to him are Odessa Aion, Ingga Ips's daughter Lilius for "Sentimental Value," Amy Madigan, WMI Mosaku, and Tayiana Taylor for "One Battle After Another." He speculates that Ariana Grande will likely miss the cut.
For Best Supporting Actor, Merl's choices include Benio Del Toro for "One Battle After Another," Jacobe Juke from "Hamnet," and Delroy Lindo from "Centers." He also highlights Shawn Penn and Stellin Scarsgard. Merl predicts Benio Del Toro, Jacob Elori for "Frankenstein," Paul Mell from "Hamnet," Shawn Penn, and Stellin Scarsgard will receive nominations.
Merl also offers his personal suggestions for Best Actor, including Timothy Shalomé in "Marty Supreme" and Ethan Hawk for "Blue Moon." He also considers Michael B. Jordan, Lee Bong Hun, and Jesse Plemens. His predictions align with his personal picks but include Vagnamora for "The Secret Agent."
In the Best Actress category, Jesse Buckley for "Hamnet" and Rose Burn for "If I Had Legs I Kick You" feature prominently in both his personal and predicted nominations. Sally Hawkins for "Bring Her Back" and Emma Stone in "Bugonia" are also highlighted.
For Best Director, Merl names Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Cougler, Clayberman Donafilo, Park Chan Wuk, and Josh Safy among his personal favorites. He believes Paul Thomas Anderson and Josh Safy will get nominations, as well as Joey Camtrier and Khloe Jou.
To round off, Merl discusses Best Picture picks, expressing personal favorites like "Marty Supreme" and "One Battle After Another," and predicting nominees including "Frankenstein" and "Hamnet." While expressing uncertainty about some nominations, he stands by his choices and looks forward to the official announcements.