Welcome to The Awards Alchemist.
With his transition to AwardsWatch, Mark Johnson decided to rebrand his monthly Oscar predictions article. Goodbye to Good As Gold; hello to The Awards Alchemist – a nod to the science and analytics behind Oscar predictions, inspired by the ancient Egyptian and Greek practices of alchemy that sought to turn base metals into gold.
Here you’ll find Mark’s monthly pieces (including the first when it was still briefly titled Good As Gold), focusing on a singular category, the impact of critics and industry wins or whatever the wind brings his way for Oscar updates.
Click on the text or image for each piece to read The Awards Alchemist map his way through the Oscar season.
OCTOBER 2024
NOVEMBER 2024
DECEMBER 2024




AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B]
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+]
‘Minotaur’ Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Timeless, Domestic Epic is an Unflinching Look at Putin’s Russia [A] Cannes