I think I may have misjudged how many weeks there were until the Oscars started, so instead of the doing Best Picture and Director this week, I will instead be looking at the Best Screenplay (Original and Adapted) and save the others for next week. So let’s get to it.

Best Original Screenplay

There are some interesting choices in this category—some of which hardly received any other nominations. Considering that it is “Straight Outta Compton’s” sole nomination, it can be presumed the Academy won’t give it to the completely underrated film, especially with the racism and all.

Next up is “Ex Machina”—a sci-fi, which usually never wins awards, so that can be cut out, even though it grounds itself in philosophical territory akin to “Blade Runner” and is immensely entertaining. “Bridge of Spies” probably doesn’t stand a chance either, despite being up for Best Picture. That leaves two films—“Inside Out” and “Spotlight.” The former is whimsically creative, unforgettable, and heartbreaking. The latter is a taut, by-the-books, knockout of a screenplay. I can see the Academy going for “Spotlight”, but it would be great if “Inside Out” won.

Best Adapted Screenplay

There’s been a recent surge in support for “The Big Short,” which comes as quite a surprise because it was a little bit of a sleeper hit. These sort of films end up radically changing the playing field at the awards shows, so “The Big Short” could very well end up being the winner.

Moving down the list we also cannot forget about “Brooklyn”—a radiantly simple film about growing up and facing changes. It is a delicate script, one that seems to have won over many fans, but it has some stiff competition, so you can probably count this one out. “Carol” is one of the big snubs for Best Picture this year, which might mean no wins in any other category.

Its powerful script might just sway voters. The other sci-fi nominated for a screenplay award is “The Martian,” which I can’t quite see winning even though it did win the Best “Comedy”—I use that term lightly—at the Golden Globes. Rounding off the list is “Room”, which has its biggest draw in Brie Larson—not too much consideration for its screenplay, so we can also cross that one off.

Alright, next week will be Best Director and Best Picture—the latter being one of the most contentious categories this year. The following week will be the final predictions, with the actual show that weekend. Our time is coming to an end with Awards Season, but that does not mean I will be going anywhere.