OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018

Disclaimer: These are the films that I personally believe should win in each category, not my prediction of who I believe The Academy will choose.  Also, I did not see All the Money in the World, Beauty and the Beast, Call Me By Your Name, Ferdinand, Molly’s Game, or Victoria & Abdul

Best Picture – 1st Pick: Dunkirk, 2nd Pick: The Shape of Water
Best Actor – 1st Pick: Gary Oldman, 2nd Pick: Daniel Kaluuya
Best Actress – 1st Pick: Sally Hawkins, 2nd Pick: Frances McDormand
Best Supporting Actor – 1st Pick: Sam Rockwell, 2nd Pick: Willem Dafoe
Best Supporting Actress – 1st Pick: Allison Janney, 2nd Pick: Laurie Metcalf
Best Director – 1st Pick: Christopher Nolan, 2nd Pick: Guillermo del Toro (will win)
Cinematography – 1st Pick: Blade Runner 2049, 2nd Pick The Shape of Water
Film Editing – 1st Pick: Dunkirk, 2nd Pick: I, Tonya
Original Screenplay – 1st Pick: Get Out, 2nd Pick: The Shape of Water
Adapted Screenplay – 1st Pick: The Disaster Artist, 2nd Pick: Mudbound
Best Animated Feature – 1st Pick: Coco, 2nd Pick: Loving Vincent
Production Design – 1st Pick: Blade Runner 2049, 2nd Pick: The Shape of Water
Costume Design – 1st Pick: Phantom Thread, 2nd Pick: The Shape of Water
Makeup and Hairstyling – 1st Pick: Darkest Hour, 2nd Pick: Wonder
Visual Effects – 1st Pick: Blade Runner 2049, 2nd Pick: War for the Planet of the Apes
Best Original Score – 1st Pick: Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water), 2nd Pick: Jonny Greenwood (Phantom Thread)
Best Original Song – 1st Pick: Remember Me (Coco), 2nd Pick: This Is Me (The Greatest Showman)
Sound Editing – 1st Pick: Dunkirk, 2nd Pick: Blade Runner 2049
Sound Mixing – 1st Pick: Baby Driver, 2nd Pick: Dunkirk

Movie Reviews for 2018 Oscar Nominees

Baby Driver

The Big Sick

Blade Runner 2049

The Boss Baby

The Breadwinner

Coco

Darkest Hour

The Disaster Artist

Dunkirk

The Florida Project

Get Out

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I, Tonya

Icarus

Kong: Skull Island

Lady Bird

Logan

Mudbound

Phantom Thread

The Post

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

The Shape of Water

Strong Island

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

War for the Planet of the Apes

Wonder

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 10 stars out of 10

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 10 stars out of 10

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” surprised me.  Considering the political climate of today, I expected this film to deliver a one-sided, anti-police message; instead, the story draws attention to society’s frustration with corrupt police officers while creating sympathy for the inherently good police officers that put their life on the line every day.  Moreover, its themes show how self-centeredness can hurt the people around you and that even terrible people have the ability to change.  Frances McDormand singlehandedly creates an emotional rollercoaster as rough-around-the-edges Mildred Hayes, a role that perfectly fits her acting style.  We empathize with her circumstances but see that her poor treatment of everyone around her creates an isolation when she really need supportive friends.  One the finest moments of her acting career occurs when she is passionately arguing with Chief Willoughby then suddenly shows a moment of softness and sympathy.  Her grit and emotion (and bunny slippers) will most likely secure her second Oscar win (20 years after her first for “Fargo”), though I believe that Sally Hawkins had the superior performance in “The Shape of Water.”  Honestly, Sam Rockwell had the best performance of the film.  He has been one of my favorite character actors since “The Green Mile” and should finally gain the recognition that he deserves with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.  He plays his character so vividly that you will believe that his real life persona is volatile, heartless (that window scene, wow), and a little dumb.  For me, the Oscar was won with the deep emotion in his eyes between those bandages in the hospital scene.  The veteran cast definitely deserved their Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.  There is no weak link in the chemistry, from Woody Harrelson’s endearing Oscar-nominated performance and Caleb Landry Jones as the likeable Red to Lucas Hedges doing his depressed teenage thing, Peter Dinklage delivering some powerful dialogue, and an absolutely hysterical turn by Samara Weaving.  I don’t believe that “Three Billboards” was the best film of 2017, but it was definitely the best acted.  I like the Oscar-nominated script for its ability to incorporate comedy into such a dark film, but I hate it for its pointless, endless stream of profanity.  I don’t think that there was a single moment where profanity was necessary for effective dialogue or creating a sense of realism.  It is just another chapter in Hollywood’s belief that audiences won’t show up for a PG-13 movie.  The story is thoughtful and impeccably told, but writer/director Martin McDonagh has limited the number of people who will benefit from the themes throughout the film.  Carter Burwell, the longtime film composer for McDonagh and the Coen Brothers, provides a nice soundtrack that captures the Midwestern setting of the film, but I didn’t believe it to be Oscar-worthy (especially next to Desplat, Greenwood, Williams, and Zimmer's amazing scores this year).  “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is one of the top films of 2017, especially when it comes to acting.  It isn’t often that a main character can be so polarizing scene to scene (and even within the same scene) as she gains our empathy and disdain all at once.  This fascinating character study is full of great acting and is sure to engage your emotions if you can stomach the overuse of profane language.

[Pictured: "Three Billboards" is an amazing tale of redemption, but not necessarily from the characters that you'd expect]