The 91st Academy Awards are approaching, and there are many tricks to predict the winners. Sometimes the actor who wins the Oscar is the winner of the early award season trophies, and occasionally, a dark horse nominee pulls off a surprise win. Here are the predictions for the films of 2018.

The Best Actor in a Leading Role award is stacked with contenders such as Viggo Mortensen for “Green Book” and Bradley Cooper for “A Star is Born.” This award will go to Christian Bale for his role in “Vice” for his astounding mental and physical transformation into former Vice President Dick Cheney. If Bale does not win, expect Rami Malek to take home the trophy for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

The Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role will go to Sam Elliot for “A Star is Born.” The reason I would pick him over the other nominees is that Elliot is a seasoned actor who has played great roles and has won many other awards – like the Critics’ Choice Awards – in the past. The runner-up would be Richard E. Grant for his role in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Other nominees in this category include Mahershala Ali for “Green Book” and Adam Driver for “BlacKkKlansman.”

The Best Actress in a Leading Role category is looking like a three-way race between Glenn Close for “The Wife,” Yalitza Aparicio for “Roma” and Lady Gaga for “A Star is Born.” The other two nominees are Olivia Coleman for “The Favourite” and Melissa McCarthy for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” I believe Close – who won this year’s Golden Globe for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama – has an edge over the other women.

The Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role will go to Regina King for “If Beale Street Could Talk.” The other nominees are Amy Adams for “Vice,” Marina de Tavira for “Roma” and both Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone for “The Favourite.”

Best Animated Feature will go to “Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse.” It was the most innovative film of the year as well as one of the best reviewed. It has also won other animation awards, like this year’s Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. Other nominated features are “Isle of Dogs,” “The Incredibles 2,” “Mirai” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

Best Director will go to Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” This was a directorial masterpiece as he was able to truly give a personal story with full creative control. The other nominees for Best Director are Adam McKay for “Vice,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “The Favourite,” Spike Lee for “BlacKkKlansman” and finally Pawel Pawlikowski for “Cold War.”

Best Picture will also go to “Roma” as it was truly a masterpiece. It was one of the best films of the year. It also has a chance to win Best Foreign Picture. That said, if it wins Best Picture, I believe “Cold War” will win Best Foreign Picture. Other nominations for Best Picture include “Vice,” “A Star is Born,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Favourite,” “Green Book,” “BlacKkKlansman” and “Black Panther.” “Black Panther” is the first-ever comic book adaptation nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award.

The 91st Academy Awards will air Feb. 24 on ABC.