You didn’t ask, but I’m going to tell you anyway.

The late great film critic Roger Ebert presided over the "Movie Answer Man" column, where readers posed cinema-related queries. The Coeur d’Alene Press hasn’t (yet) reached the readership of the Chicago Sun Times, so this critic is forced to make up the questions for our copycat column.

Didn’t that wannabe Coeur d’Alene Press critic used to predict the Oscar nominations every year? What happened to that slop? — Dave Karger, Rathdrum.

As per tradition, the made-up questions remain unnecessarily aggressive to this writer. Yes, The Press used to publish such an article, but the awards calendar hasn’t aligned well with the earlier deadlines for this column space lately, making any predictions I have be somewhat outdated. For example, for this to run prior to the Jan. 17 announcement of Oscar nominees, I’d have to make my predictions without seeing nominations for the various precursor awards (Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild, British Academy Awards, etc.).

Seeing as how I love to give the (hypothetical) readers what they want, I will compromise and throw out predictions for the 10-movie lineup for Best Picture.

There are five movies at least in the hunt to win Best Picture, making their nominations all-but-guaranteed: “Emilia Perez,” “Anora,” “Conclave,” “The Brutalist” and “Wicked.”

I also feel confident about “Dune: Part 2” and “A Complete Unknown” making it into the category. I’m thrilled to see the Demi Moore body-horror triumph “The Substance” making such a strong impression with critics and industry folks, so I’m predicting it here despite it being a genre film typically disfavored by the Academy.

The last two slots boil down to a few different options, including a few titles I haven’t yet seen, including “Nickel Boys,” which has been a critics' darling. The last slot could also be one of the acclaimed international options, such as “All We Imagine as Light” and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”

I’ll instead opt for a bubble-contender I have seen: the remarkable prison drama “Sing Sing,” which probably has an edge over another terrific film, “A Real Pain.” As a consolation prize for “A Real Pain,” it sure seems likely post-Golden Globes that Kieran Culkin is a heavy favorite to snag an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Will the Academy recognize POPULAR movies like “Wicked” and “Inside Out 2,” or will they fill their show with movies nobody cares about? — Sasha Stone, Post Falls.

My predicted 10 Best Picture nominees above include at least two monster box office hits in “Wicked” and “Dune: Part 2.” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” and “The Substance” have also done strong business relative to their budgets. “Emilia Perez” is on Netflix, so at least it’s available for virtually anyone to see.

As for the year’s ultimate box office champion, Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” it will likely settle for a lone nomination in Best Animated Feature. The problem for Disney (poor them, amirite?) is that it will likely be competing in a category with four superior films: Fellow box office hit “The Wild Robot,” as well as two indie breakouts “Memoir of a Snail” and the current frontrunner “Flow.” All three are among the best movies of the year, animated or otherwise.

The other superior film is also a sequel. Netflix just dropped “Wallace & Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl” on its platform to celebrate the new year. Like any new “Wallace & Gromit” adventure from Aardman Animation, “A Vengeance Most Fowl” is charming, hilarious and meticulously crafted. I like “Inside Out 2” just fine, but in terms of franchise storytelling, “Wallace & Gromit” manages to be both insightful (watch out for A.I.!) and supremely entertaining.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.

    This image released by Netflix shows Karla Sofía Gascón, right, and Zoe Saldaña in a scene from "Emilia Pérez."
  

    This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody, left, and Guy Pearce in a scene from "The Brutalist."
  

    This image released by IFC Films shows the character Grace, voiced by Sarah Snook, in a scene from "Memoir of a Snail."