Just 3 days away. The Oscars will air on Sunday, March 4th. It’s been a hell of an awards season thus far. 2017 was a great year for film. I was 14 for 19 in picks on the Golden Globes, hoping that improves with these Oscar picks. If you haven’t seen yet who’s nominated for which categories, here you go: http://oscar.go.com/nominees
Best Actor – Gary Oldman
There’s really no competition here. If Oldman wasn’t listed in the credits, you wouldn’t even know it’s him.
Best Supporting Actor – Sam Rockwell
He’s won every other award show in this category and none of his competitors even have half the camera time as his performance.
Best Actress – Frances McDormand
In a similar situation to Rockwell, McDormand was simply given a role where she has the ability to be forceful and loud and true. Her competitors were great but seem subdued in comparison. I would also enjoy Margot Robbie walking away with this, but I don’t think the academy liked I, Tonya all that well.
Best Supporting Actress – Allison Janney
This entire award season has really surprised me for this category. Janney was incredible in I, Tonya, but I also really appreciated Laurie Metcalf’s performance. Janney’s been winning everything. I guess that goes to show you how much the world would rather watch a bad mother than a good one.
Best Animated Film – Coco
When your biggest competition is Boss Baby, and you also happen to have made one of the most culturally sophisticated Pixar films in recent memory or possibly the production company’s history, there really isn’t much else to say. It’s a lock.
Best Cinematography – Blade Runner 2049
This could really go to Dunkirk, but I will be saddened if the academy doesn’t recognize the sheer spectacle achievement of Roger Deakins’ work here. He’s been nominated 14 te
Best Costume Design – Darkest Hour
I would say that Oldman’s transition on it’s own wins this category. You can barely tell it’s him. That being said, this is still an incredibly close race. The dresses in Phantom Thread were incredible as was
Best Director – Guillermo del Toro
This is a toss-up but I’m going with del Toro because he won the globe and I enjoyed The Shape of Water the most out of these films as a very well-directed film. In the others, with the exception of Dunkirk, I really don’t think directing comes as heavily into play.
Best Documentary Feature – Faces Places
Haven’t seen it, but it has had a lot of buzz since Sundance.
Best Short Documentary – Traffic Stop
Picked this from the trailers alone. It looks to be the most culturally topical so I picked it based on that alone.
Best Film Editing – Baby Driver
This is the only editing/mixing category where Baby Driver isn’t up against a blockbuster so I think it has the best chance here. The entirety of the film is an editing masterpiece based mostly on the opening scene that’s entirely choreographed to the song that’s playing. I hope it brings something home and it stands the best shot here.
Best Foreign Language Film – The Square
This is the only foreign language film in the list that I’ve seen.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling – Darkest Hour
I will again say that if Gary Oldman wasn’t listed in the credits, you would have no clue it’s him. The transformation is incredible.
Best Original Score – The Shape of Water
I would pull for Hans Zimmer except that I think Dunkirk was technically a worse film than The Shape of Water, plus Desplat won the Globe so I think he’ll take it home here, too.
Best Original Song – Remember Me
“This is Me” from The Greatest Showman took the Globe in this category, so it might take it here, too, but I think Remember Me was such a great song and part of Coco that it deserves the win.
Best Picture – Three Billboards
Let’s face it. This is the year for Three Billboards. It’s ran away with the other Award shows, winning 4 Golden Globes, 5 BAFTA Awards, and 3 SAG Awards, and it’s been nominated in 7 categories for the Oscars. The Academy loves this movie. At this point, it’s almost a shoe in though there have been many times in history that the Academy has picked opposite their fellow award shows.
Best Production Design – The Shape of Water
I think the design of the creature, the facility where it’s stored, and so much of the water-influenced theme of setting really make The Shape of Water a strong contender in this category. But it has some strong competition with Blade Runner 2049 and Dunkirk as well.
Best Animated Short – Lou
Just picked the most interesting title. I know nothing about any of these films.
Best Live Action Short – The Silent Child
Again, just picked the most interesting title. I know nothing about any of these films.
Best Sound Editing – Star Wars
I’d love to say Baby Driver, but I think Star Wars is more realistic. If they gave it to The Force Awakens two years ago, The Last Jedi certainly improved it’s sound from that previous installment. I think it’s a strong candidate.
Best Sound Mixing – Star Wars
I’d love to say Baby Driver, but I think Star Wars is more realistic. If they gave it to The Force Awakens two years ago, The Last Jedi certainly improved it’s sound from that previous installment. I think it’s a strong candidate.
Best Visual Effects – Blade Runner 2049
Again, in terms of visuals, there is simply no better film released in 2017 that stands against Blade Runner 2049. It just doesn’t exist. Roger Deakins did an incredible job and the rest of the visual team needs recognition is well. It was truly a visual masterpiece.
Best Adapted Screenplay – Molly’s Game
Basically, I’m kind of upset that Molly’s Game didn’t get much love this year so I’m hoping it takes this home. Aaron Sorkin’s been writing for years and this is his debut film as writer and director, AND it was an incredible achievement – specifically on the dialogue and writing level. From start to finish, it’s Jessica Chastain explaining Molly Bloom’s story in detail and it’s so entirely entertaining and deserving of a screenplay award. Ultimately, I think Call Me By Your Name may end up taking this for it’s timely content, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Sorkin’s script.
Best Original Screenplay – Three Billboards
This category is a complete and utter toss up. If there’s one thing I can say about the films of 2017, it’s that they’ve been written with incredible humanity by deft hands. I thought Get Out was overall an overrated film, but if it does succeed somewhere, writing makes the most sense. I thought The Big Sick was an incredibly touching story that mixes young love with deep cultural influences and just may be the best Romantic Comedy ever made. I thought Lady Bird was a down-to-earth, coming-of-age story with an incredible mother-daughter relationship at its core. And The Shape of Water is about a deaf woman that falls in love with a fish man – and it captivated the filmgoing world. There is no shortage of talent in this category, but considering how many awards Three Billboards has run away with to this point, I think it’s the frontrunner, masterfully combining racial tensions in a small town with a much greater narrative of unsolved sexual assaults and a cast who all bring their best performances to date.
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