The 97th Academy Awards indicates no clear front-runners in several categories.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents the 2025 Academy Awards ceremonies, honoring 2024 theatrical motion picture releases, 7 p.m. March 2, Dolby Theater, Los Angeles. Conan O’Brien is host. The show is televised on ABC-TV.

This year’s nominees seem more akin to the nominees for the Independent Spirit Awards, which, in addition to its television categories, generally honors movies from smaller movie studios or independent movie producers.

“Anora,” a front-runner in the Oscars, was a big winner (feature; director, Sean Baker; lead performance, Mikey Madison) at the 40th annual Independent Spirit Awards, Feb. 22, Santa Monica, Calif.

This year, for my picks in the six categories of the Lehigh Valley Press “Readers Pick The Oscar Winners Contest,” I am taking a different approach. It’s in honor of Amy J. Longsdorf, long-time movie reviewer and interviewer of movie actors. Amy died in 2022 in Palmerton. Amy, in her annual Oscar picks, would write: “Should Win” and “Will Win.”

By the way, you may still have time to enter the Lehigh Valley Press “Readers Pick The Oscar Winners Contest.” Entry deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 28.

Here’s the link to the Entry Form:

https://www.lvpnews.com/20250221/readers-pick-the-oscars-entry-form-4/

Here are my picks for the 97th Academy Awards:

LEAD ACTOR

Will win: Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown.”

Should win: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist.”

Chalamet won the male leading actor award, besting Brody, at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards, Feb. 23. Chalamet’s portrayal of Bob Dylan included singing and playing as the Bard of Bleeker Street. Brody, best actor Oscar winner, “The Pianist,” 2022, has the gravitas in “The Brutalist” as a fictional Hungarian Jewish architect whose designs were emblematic of the film’s title. Other nominees: Colman Domingo, “Sing, Sing”; Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”; Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice.”

LEAD ACTRESS

Will win: Demi Moore, “The Substance.”

Should win: Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked.”

Moore won SAG’s female leading actor award. This awards season, Moore is winning for, pun intended, her body of work, symbolized by “The Substance.” Erivo is mesmerizing as Elphaba. She could have another shot with “Wicked: For Good,” part two, set for release in 2025. Other nominees: Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”; Mikey Madison, “Anora”; Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here.”

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Will win: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain.”

Should win: Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist.”

Culkin won SAG’s male supporting actor award. Culkin is the standard-bearer for writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” an original screenplay Oscar nominee. Pearce, always solid (“L.A. Confidential,” 1997; “Memento,” 2000), is “The Brutalist.” Other nominees: Yura Borisov, “Anora”; Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”; Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice.”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Will win: Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez.”

Should win: Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave.”

The SAG factor is again at play. Saldaña won the SAG female supporting actor award. Rossellini could win for her body of work (“Blue Velvet,” 1986; “Death Becomes Her,” 1992). Other nominees: Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”; Ariana Grande, “Wicked”; Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist.

DIRECTOR

Will win: Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist.”

Should win: Sean Baker, “Anora.”

Corbet made an epic, at 3 hours, 30 minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission. It’s an epic story told in a non-epic way. Baker’s film is a small story told in an epic way. Other nominees: Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”; Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”; James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown.”

PICTURE

Will win: “Wicked.”

Should win: “Conclave.”

“Wicked” is a fan favorite. A win would please a lot of Oscar-show viewers. Plus, other than “Dune” Part Two,” it’s the most mainstream in the category. With the hospitalization since Feb. 14, 2025, of Pope Francis, “Conclave” seems to somewhat parallel real-life events at the Vatican. Plus, it received the SAG motion picture cast award. Say a prayer. Other nominees: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Pérez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance.”

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Will win: “The Wild Robot.”

Should win: “Flow.”

May win: “Inside Out 2.”

DreamWorks Animation, with Lupita Nyong’o voicing the title role of Roz, created a classic. Then again, a cat, dog, capybara and ring-tailed lemur are clearly in the, ahem, silent running. “Inside Out 2” is marvelous fun and so insightful. Other nominees: “Memoir of a Snail,” “Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl.”

See you at the movies.