Oscar weekend is here once again and this year’s class of nominees is exceptional. I’ve been writing an annual predictions piece for 13 years, and there’s never been a year when I didn’t vehemently disagree with a few nominations. But I have zero complaints this year. Of course, it would be wonderful for the list of contenders to include Saltburn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Greta Lee, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman and Greta Gerwig (as director), but I don’t consider their omissions snubs because every nominee deserves their spot. There’s an overflow of talent this year, and I’ve been dazzled by all the artistry. And so, the 96^th Academy Awards are poised to be the best ceremony to date. Here are my analyses and predictions on how things will shake out in the premier categories Sunday night.

Best Picture

When I settle in to view a motion picture production, I don’t solely watch a movie. I give myself over to the cinematic experience. I want the power of filmmaking to wash over me, causing emotion and intrigue to swirl within. I want to be transported to any unknown place and live inside a life I’ve never before imagined. Because in so doing, my awareness broadens, allowing an expansion of my heart and mind. Every one of the 10 nominated films in this category—American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest—granted me that transcendent experience.

The front runner among the contenders is Oppenheimer. The film dominated the pre-Oscar awards shows by winning top honors at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, BAFTAs, Screen Actor Guild Awards and the Producer Guild Awards.

As with every Chris Nolan film, Oppenheimer is a high-octane thrill ride. There are three storylines running parallel throughout the film: A galvanizing confirmation hearing; a race between America and the Nazis to build the world’s first atomic bomb; and intense sessions of questioning to determine if J. Robert Oppenheimer swapped intel with communists during the making of the bomb. Amid the heart pounding plotlines, Nolan injects rousing imagery to translate pervasive thought and powerful emotions. The movie is a historical piece of cinematic art and contains important lessons about America’s past and dire warnings about the stability of the world’s future.

My prediction: Oppenheimer

My favorite: Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Director

It appeared Christopher Nolan was going to sweep the awards circuit after taking home the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and Producers Guild awards, until three weeks ago when Cord Jefferson pulled off the upset at the BAFTA film awards.

With his film, American Fiction, Jefferson creates a searing satire nestled within a charming tale of family drama. His storytelling technique is intimate and raw, tender and truthful. The tone Jefferson creates with film aesthetics gives the movie a vibrant, yet soothing vibe as viewers are bounced between moments of comedy and tragedy. And the further we are drawn into the bloodline discord, the more relatable the familial turmoil becomes.

Nolan’s pulse pounding saga is a directorial sensation packed with mesmerizing metaphor. The opening scene depicts raindrops falling into a pool of water, subtly demonstrating the ripple effect of a chain reaction before the screen ignites into fascinating and sobering images of bomb detonation. From there, Nolan erects a hypnotic masterpiece with remarkable film aesthetics. He utilizes unique camera angles and a brilliant color gradient to suck audiences directly into the high stakes drama of ending World War II and exposing Communist sympathizers amid Cold War tension.

My prediction: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

My favorite: Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Best Actress

This has been the most competitive, talent–packed category throughout awards season. Each of the nominees—Annette Benning (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Carey Mulligan (Maestro) and Emma Stone (Poor Things)—deliver career–defining performance deserving of the Oscar. Thus, it’s fitting for this to be the toughest race to call with Gladstone and Stone running in a dead heat.

Both women were victorious at the Golden Globes with Gladstone winning in the drama category and Stone in the comedy category. Stone then emerged as front runner with wins at the Critics’ Choice and BAFTA awards, until Gladstone took home top prize at the SAG awards. Their performances could not be more differentiated. Gladstone portrays a woman who emanates light, but is ravaged by sorrow. She is mercilessly taken to the brink of death before rising like a Phoenix to restore her dignity. Stone is glorious as a vivacious human corpse with a toddler’s mentality. Her character is the physical embodiment of curiosity and liberation.

My prediction: Lily Gladstone

My favorite: Emma Stone

Best Actor

This is a category of beautiful, dynamic performances. Bradley Cooper isn’t acting as renowned conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, he completes a metamorphosis. He masterfully conveys the power of Bernstein’s genius all the while capturing the gentle, spirited manner that carried the man through a life defined by love. In the titular role of Rustin, Coleman Domingo is magnetic as one of our nation’s most important civil rights leaders who has been shamefully forgotten by history. Paul Giamatti delivers the best performance of his career in The Holdovers. He’s marvelous as a pompous grump who loathes his place in life. And when his character has a life–altering experience with empathy, Giamatti’s depth of feeling is relayed through mere expression. Cillian Murphy is transformative in his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the beauty of his performance rests in quiet reservation. His character presents as stoic and fully composed, but with unparalleled depth behind his eyes, Murphy is able to pull audiences into his mind where a fury of emotions are thrashing nonstop. Jeffrey Wright gives a spicy performance as a disgruntled writer in American Fiction. His character consistently has an axe to grind, dishing out biting critiques with deadpan humor. But when he’s finally able to get out of his own way and embrace his self–worth, he realizes satisfaction can be attainable.

Giamatti and Murphy were both victorious at the Golden Globes, each winning in their respective categories. Giamatti then won the Critics’ Choice Award, and Murphy was awarded the SAG and BAFTA.

My prediction: Cillian Murphy

My favorite: Bradley Cooper

Best Supporting Actress

This is group of nominees is the most eclectic. Emily Blunt is a forceful calm in Oppenheimer. Danielle Brooks delivers a no–holds–barred performance in The Color Purple. America Ferrera’s monologue on womanhood in Barbie will be forever etched in cinematic history. Jody Foster provides spunk and emotional depth in Nyad. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is perfection in The Holdovers as a grieving mother who finds a kind of love she never knew she needed.

Thus far, it’s been all about Randolph at the awards shows. Her trophy case includes a Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award, Screen Actor Guild Award and a BAFTA. The only thing missing is Hollywood’s crown jewel.

My prediction: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

My favorite: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Best Supporting Actor

All of the men nominated here epitomize what it means to be a “supporting” character. Sterling K. Brown delivers a layered performance as the emotional heart of American Fiction. Robert De Niro is all–powerful in Killers of the Flower Moon as the “King” who guides his nephew into a genocidal lifestyle. Robert Downey Jr’s mesmerizing performance in Oppenheimer is the unifying thread connecting the film’s trio of storylines. Ryan Gosling is everything in Barbie—hilarious and soulful with a set of mad dance skills. Mark Ruffalo shines in Poor Things as a man dreadfully obsessed with a woman who cannot be contained.

Downey has been perfect this awards season with wins at the Globes, CCAs, SAGs and BAFTAs. His acceptance speeches are always warming and entertaining. Here’s hoping he saves the best for last.

My prediction: Robert Downey Jr.

My favorite: Mark Ruffalo

Best Original Screenplay

For me, this is the most dazzling category in the bunch. Partners in both life and work, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, construct a galvanizing courtroom drama with Anatomy of a Fall. The complex script investigates perception versus truth within a marriage, and demonstrates the very best of feminism as a woman is forced to defend intimate details of her relationship with the dead husband she is accused of murdering. David Hemingson has made a new Christmas classic with his screenplay for The Holdovers. This story of self–discovery has moments of hilarity alongside scenes of great tension and it underscores the necessity of companionship. Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer have written the screenplay for Maestro—the year’s most breathtaking film. Rather than pen a straightforward biopic of composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein, Cooper and Singer opted to tell Bernstein’s story through the prism of his devout partnership with his wife and actress, Felicia Montealegre. The script is passion fueled, allowing devotion and inspiration to ignite on–screen. With the movie May December, Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik weave together a most compelling script. The brilliance of the story is revealed in the film’s final moments, when viewers realize they just laid witness to the most chilling film of the year. For her film Past Lives, Celine Song incorporates real life events to create a nuanced romance drama about the lives of two people connected by fate. The dialogue is drenched in truth and affection, which demonstrates the necessity for honesty when it comes to matters of the heart.

My prediction: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a Fall)

My favorite: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a Fall)

Best Adapted Screenplay

This category features a Barbenheimer matchup. Since their simultaneous release date last July, Barbie and Oppenheimer have been coupled together as as both box office explosions and masterful feats of storytelling. So, it’s fitting for the pair to be front runners for the award most intrinsic to quality filmmaking.

If anyone other than Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach were in charge of the screenplay for Barbie, the film would have been a disaster. The duo had remarkable vision with the storyline, giving plastic dolls depth of soul and allowing kitsh to be endearing. The story has an overarching theme of existentialism while delving into patriarchy, womanhood and capitalism. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the script is its dedication to developing Ken’s character as much as Barbie’s.

Christopher Nolan creates a multi-layered story with his script for Oppenheimer. It contains deep character study and intelligent, dynamic dialogue that harnesses the movie’s explosive subject matter. Nolan sometimes relies solely on camerawork to tell his story. In the most powerful scene of the movie, when the bomb is tested in desert of Los Alamos, New Mexico, there is no sound accompanying the stunning explosion. Deafening silence emanates from the screen as visual communication elicits intense emotion.

My prediction: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

My favorite: Tony McNamara (Poor Things)