Penn Oscar Picks
Curious to know how my peers feel about this year’s Oscar nominees, I sent out a survey to find out who Penn thinks should win an Academy Award this Sunday.
The people have spoken and the results are in. Here are this year’s Penn Oscar Picks!
Best Picture: Black Panther
From the incredibly talented cast, to the thrilling combat choreography, to its cutting-edge soundtrack, this Oscar pick could be seen coming from a mile away. Will Black Panther make history as the first Marvel superhero movie to win Best Picture this Sunday? Or will it get snubbed by Penn’s second pick, Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born?
Lead Actress: Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Prior to this film, the world knew Lady Gaga for her impressive vocal range. Now, we know her for her compelling acting performance as Ally, the fame-destined popstar. Lady Gaga has proven she is multi-talented and Penn wants the Oscars to commend that.
Lead Actor: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Rami Malek was voted Best Actor by 71.4% of voters. This can be explained one of two ways: 1) Penn sports a plethora of Queen fans who fell head-over-heels for Malek’s immaculate portrayal of lead singer, Freddie Mercury or 2) Penn students are eager to avenge the obvious Oscar-snub of Malek’s performance as Ahkmenrah in 2014’s Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Your call.
Best Director: Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Yes, yes, and yes. Thank you, Penn. Spike Lee has been nominated for three Oscars this year: Best Director, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. If the cinema legend doesn’t walk away with all three (hey, it could happen), at the very least he should be awarded with Best Director for his enthralling depiction of Ron Stallworth’s infiltration of the KKK.
Best Animated Feature: TIE: Incredibles 2 and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Well, this just got exciting. It seems that Penn’s animation film-goers are split between the two animated superhero nominees. What’s that? You want me to break the tie? No, no, I could never offer my humble opinion-- O.K., here it is. Personally, I think Spider-Man should take home the Oscar for its fearless ingenuity and exceptional execution. All I can say is, there seems to be a superhero theme this Oscar year. (Could that be a metaphor for the state of America today? Are we in need of a superhero? I’d bet on it.)
Best Animated Short: Bao
Selected by a whopping 85.7% of voters, Domee Shi’s Bao is clearly a fan favorite. And lucky for Bao fans, Domee Shi has an animated feature coming out in 2022! I see more Domee Shi Oscar nominations in the future.
So, will Penn’s picks mirror those of The Academy’s? Tune in to the Oscars this Sunday to find out!