If anything is apparent after the abysmal 2020 Oscar nominations, it’s that the Academy is in need of some fresh blood. The antiquated categories of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor/Actress just aren’t going to cut it anymore. Modern audiences appreciate nuance, diversity, and a sense of humor in their award nominations and the Academy Awards are increasingly becoming irrelevant to younger generations. That’s why we’ve brainstormed 20 new categories we’d like to see at the Oscars and named the obvious winners of each (because Oscar voters are nothing if not lazy movie-goers). We hope the Academy takes note and incorporates some of them into next year’s ceremony.
Cover Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Contributor (Getty Images)
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New Oscar Categories
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Best Horror Film
Obvious Winner: Us
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Best Sequel
Obvious Winner: John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
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Best Reboot
Obvious Winner: The Lion King
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Best Battle
Obvious Winner: 1917
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Best Cameo
Obvious Winner: Keanu Reeves in Always Be My Maybe
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Best Tear-Jerker
Obvious Winner: The Farewell
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Best Directorial Debut
Obvious Winner: Joe Talbot for The Last Black Man in San Francisco
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Best Female Directors
Obvious Winners: Greta Gerwig for Little Women, Lulu Wang for The Farewell, Melina Matsoukas for Queen & Slim, Kasi Lemmons for Harriet, Lorene Scafaria for Hustlers, Marielle Heller for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Alma Har'el for Honey Boy.
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Most Inclusive Cast
Obvious Winner: Hustlers
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Best Villain
Obvious Winner: Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
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Best BFFs
Obvious Winners: Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein in Booksmart
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Best Dynamic Duo
Obvious Winners: Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
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Best Lovers
Obvious Winners: Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel in Portrait of a Lady on Fire
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Best Late-Night Talk Show Host
Obvious Winner: Robert De Niro in Joker
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Best Pope
Obvious Winner: Pope Francis in The Two Popes
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Best Train Wreck
Obvious Winner: Elisabeth Moss in Her Smell
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Best Stoner
Obvious Winner: Matthew McConaughey in The Beach Bum
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Best Marital Strife Scene
Obvious Winner: Adam Driver in Marriage Story
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Best Body Armor
Obvious Winner: Avengers: Endgame
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Best Pole Dance
Obvious Winner: Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers