90th Oscars Predictions

This Sunday marks the annual celebration of all things cinematic – the iconic Academy Awards, better known to most as The Oscars.

Due to it being, arguably, the biggest event in the film industry each year, I thought it would be appropriate to do an entry on the awards, nominations, who I would like to win and who I think will actually win.

To my shame, I haven’t managed to see all the films who have nominations, so for those where I haven’t seen all the nominations I will say so and state the general consensus for who will win.

So, without further ado – let’s get into it!

Best Picture

•          Call Me By Your Name
•          Darkest Hour
•          Dunkirk
•          Get Out
•          Lady Bird
•          Phantom Thread
•          The Post
•          The Shape of Water
•          Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Projected Film Winner: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

For me, this film deserves to win for many reasons. Not only was it a thoroughly captivating story with characters I genuinely felt invested in, but the acting was phenomenal too. If Three Billboards doesn’t win, I will be devastated. Saying that I’d also be happy if Get Out won as it was my favourite film of 2017.

Actual Winner Prediction: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actor in a Leading Role

•     Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name)
•     Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread)
•     Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
•     Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)
•     Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel. Esq.)

Projected Film Winner: Gary Oldman

For me, Gary Oldman is a clear winner. Not only did he carry Darkest Hour single-handedly, but he hasn’t won an Oscar yet which I find a travesty. Saying that there would be something poetic about Daniel Day-Lewis winning an Oscar for his supposed final role in a film, though I don’t think he deserves it for Phantom Thread.

Actual Winner Prediction: Gary Oldman

Actress in a Leading Role:

•          Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water)
•          Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
•          Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)
•          Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)
•          Meryl Streep (The Post)

Projected Film Winner: Frances McDormand

Whilst I enjoyed all the performances from each actress in their respective films, none did I enjoy more so than Frances McDormand's. Mildred was an incredibly complex, flawed but also wildly hilarious character who I fell in love with. If she doesn’t win, I will be devastated.

Actual Winner Prediction: Frances McDormand

Actor in a Supporting Role

•          Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project)
•          Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
•          Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water)
•          Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World)
•          Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Projected Film Winner: Sam Rockwell

For the same reasons above as Frances McDormand. Sam Rockwell’s performance in Three Billboards was phenomenal and one which deserves recognition. His character was exceedingly complex and truly captivating. In my opinion, none of the other nominees held a candle to Rockwell this year.

Actual Winner Prediction: Sam Rockwell

Actress in a Supporting Role

•          Mary J. Blige (Mudbound)
•          Allison Janey (I, Tonya)
•          Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread)
•          Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)
•          Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)

Projected Film Winner: Laurie Metcalf

Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to see I, Tonya, or Mudbound. Out of the films I did manage to see, Laurie Metcalf deserves to win. Both Lesley Manville and Octavia Spencer felt more generic roles whereas Laurie felt far more involved in Lady Bird and is a character I think many will relate to.

Actual Winner Prediction: Alison Janey

Animated Feature Film

•          The Boss Baby
•          The Breadwinner
•          Coco
•          Ferdinand
•          Loving Vincent

Projected Film Winner: N/A

I didn’t manage to catch any of these films other than Loving Vincent, which, for those who read my review of it will know, I didn’t like at all. Therefore, I can’t give a winner for this category. From all I’ve read and heard though, this seems a safe win for Coco.

Actual Winner Prediction: Coco

Cinematography

•          Blade Runner 2049 (Roger Deakins)
•          Darkest Hour (Bruno Delbonnel)
•          Dunkirk (Hoyte Van Hoytema)
•          Mudbound (Rachel Morrison)
•          The Shape of Water (Dan Laustsen)

Projected Film Winner: Blade Runner 2049 – Roger Deakins

Frankly, if Roger Deakins doesn’t win this, a travesty has occurred. There is no other way to put it. Give the man his Oscar!

Actual Winner Prediction: Blade Runner 2049 – Roger Deakins

Costume Design

•          Beauty And The Beast (Jacqueline Durran)
•          Darkest Hour (Jacqueline Durran)
•          Phantom Thread (Mark Bridges)
•          The Shape of Water (Luis Sequeira)
•          Victoria & Abdul (Consolata Boyle)

Projected Film Winner: Phantom Thread – Mark Bridges

Given the nature of the film and the exquisite costumes in it, I feel Mark Bridges deserves to win this. Saying that, having two nominations in this category, Jacqueline Durran could be a strong contender.

Actual Winner Prediction: Phantom Thread – Mark Bridges

Directing

•         Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan)
•          Get Out (Jordan Peele)
•          Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)
•          Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson)
•          The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro)

Projected Film Winner: Get Out - Jordan Peele

For me, Jordan Peele deserves to win this. Not only was Get Out an incredible film which had a huge amount to say culturally, but it showed us a different side to him which diverged from his usual comedic side which I don’t think should be ignored. This was a very hard one for me to decide though as I love Greta Gerwig and really enjoyed Lady Bird. I also really liked The Shape of Water, but Get Out pipped them both to the post in my eyes.

Actual Winner Prediction: The Shape of Water - Guillermo Del Toro

Documentary – Feature

•          Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
•          Faces Places
•          Icarus
•          Last Men in Aleppo
•          Strong Island

Projected Film Winner: N/A

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any of these. The general consensus though from what I have seen and read is that Icarus will win, which sets out to uncover the truth about doping allegations in sport.

Actual Winner Prediction: Icarus

Documentary – Short Subject

•         Edith+Eddie
•          Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405
•          Heroin(e)
•          Knife Skills
•          Traffic Stop

Projected Film Winner: N/A

Again, unfortunately, I didn’t catch any of these. The likely winner, however, is Heroin(e) which centres on the Opioid epidemic in West Virginia. Definitely a short that I am looking forward to eventually seeing!

Actual Winner Prediction: Heroin(e)

Film Editing

•         Baby Driver (Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos)
•          Dunkirk (Lee Smith)
•          I, Tonya (Tatiana S. Riegel)
•          The Shape of Water (Sidney Wolinski)
•          Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Jon Gregory)

Projected Film Winner: Baby Driver - Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos

For me, Baby Driver is the clear winner of this category. To see why all you need to do is watch the opening sequence of the film where Baby is lip-syncing in the car to Bellbottoms along with the ensuing car chase. If this doesn’t win, I think daylight robbery has occurred!

Actual Winner Prediction: Dunkirk - Lee Smith

Foreign Language Film

•          A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
•          The Insult (Lebanon)
•          Loveless (Russia)
•          On Body and Soul (Hungary)
•          The Square (Sweden)

Projected Film Winner: N/A

All this proves to me is that I need to broaden my cinematic horizons and watch more international films. I will make more of an effort in the future – I promise! A Fantastic Woman is expected to win.

Actual Winner Prediction: A Fantastic Woman (Chile)

Makeup and Hairstyling

•         Darkest Hour (Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick)
•          Victoria & Abdul (Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard)
•          Wonder (Arjen Tuiten)

Projected Film Winner: Darkest Hour - Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

Despite liking Wonder more as a film and being in awe of the amazing prosthetic work done, Darkest Hour has to be my winner. Oldman didn’t just act as Churchill in Darkest Hour, he became him. Something which couldn’t have been achieved without the incredible prosthetic work that Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick achieved.

Actual Winner Prediction: Darkest Hour - Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

Music – Original Score

•          Dunkirk (Hans Zimmer)
•          Phantom Thread (Jonny Greenwood)
•          The Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat)
•          Star Wars: The Last Jedi (John Williams)
•          Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Carter Burwell)

Projected Film Winner: Phantom Thread – Jonny Greenwood

This is one of the few categories where I think the competition is incredibly tight. Saying that the haunting and minimalistic piano score to Phantom Thread by Jonny Greenwood has stuck with me since seeing it. It evoked a lot of emotion by doing very little which I admire a lot, and as a result, is my winner.

Actual Winner Prediction: The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat

Music – Original Song

•          “Mighty River” from Mudbound (Music and Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson)
•          “Mystery of Love” from Call Me By Your Name (Music and Lyrics by Sufjan Stevens)
•          “Remember Me” from Coco (Music and Lyrics By Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)
•          “Stand Up For Something” from Marshall (Music by Diane Warren. Lyrics by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren)
•          “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman (Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek And Justin Paul)

Projected Film Winner: N/A

Having not seen any of the nominations for this category, I can’t comment. All I can say is that after having heard snippets of “This is Me” on the tv, radio, and cinema, it is stuck in my head and I absolutely hate it! Far too cheesy for my liking. Though, unfortunately, that usually means it will do well… oh well.

Actual Winner Prediction: This is Me – Greatest Showman (Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek And Justin Paul)

Production Design

•          Beauty and the Beast (Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer)
•          Blade Runner 2049 (Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola)
•          Darkest Hour (Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer)
•          Dunkirk (Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis)
•          The Shape of Water (Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin)

Projected Film Winner: Blade Runner 2049 - Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola

Due to how unique the futuristic world of Blade Runner 2049 is, I can’t help wanting this to win. That being said, I was also a fan of the dark, dreary Bioshock-esque world of The Shape of Water which I think will likely win.

Actual Winner Prediction: The Shape of Water - Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin

Short Film – Animated

•          Dear Basketball
•          Garden Party
•          Lou
•          Negative Space
•          Revolting Rhymes

Projected Film Winner: N/A

Despite having not seen any of these, as a Brit, I can’t help wanting Revolting Rhymes, the animated adaptation of national treasure, Road Dahl’s, to win. Whether this is a realistic expectation remains to be seen, though I have a suspicion after reading up on this category that Dear Basketball will take home the trophy.

Actual Winner Prediction: Dear Basketball

Short Film – Live Action

•          DeKalb Elementary
•          The Eleven O’Clock
•          My Nephew Emmett
•          The Silent Child
•          Watu Wote/All of Us

Projected Film Winner: N/A

Having not seen any of these shorts, I’m not in a position to comment - DeKalb Elementary is expected to win though. Telling the story of a school shooting in Atlanta, it would be very apt if this won to draw even more attention to the seemingly never-ending gun epidemic in America. I hope this wins as expected.

Actual Winner Prediction: DeKalb Elementary

Sound Editing

•          Baby Driver (Julian Slater)
•          Blade Runner 2049 (Mark Mangini and Theo Green)
•          Dunkirk (Richard King and Alex Gibson)
•          The Shape of Water (Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira)
•          Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce)

Projected Film Winner: Baby Driver – Julian Slater

For the same reasons as Film Editing, I hope Baby Driver wins – it deserves to.

Actual Winner Prediction: Blade Runner 2049 – Mark Mangini and Theo Green

Sound Mixing

•          Baby Driver (Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis)
•          Blade Runner 2049 (Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill and Mac Ruth)
•          Dunkirk (Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo)
•          The Shape of Water (Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern and Glen Gauthier)
•          Star Wars: The Last Jedi (David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson)

Projected Film Winner: Baby Driver - Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis

For the love of Christ Baby Driver better win!

Actual Winner Prediction: Baby Driver – Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis

Visual Effects

•         Blade Runner 2049 (John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover)
•          Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick)
•          Kong: Skull Island (Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus)
•          Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould)
•          War for the Planet of the Apes (Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist)

Projected Film Winner: Blade Runner 2049 - John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover

This category is filled to the brim with gorgeous looking films, and this is one of the few categories where I’ve had genuine difficulty in choosing. That being said, Blade Runner 2049 comes out on top. Mainly for the incredible ‘threesome’ scene which blew my mind visually.

Actual Winner Prediction: Blade Runner 2049 - John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover

Writing – Adapted Screenplay

•          Call Me By Your Name (Screenplay by James Ivory)
•          The Disaster Artist (Screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber)
•          Logan (Screenplay by Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold)
•          Molly’s Game (Written for the screen by Aaron Sorkin)
•          Mudbound (Screenplay by Virgil Williams And Dee Rees)

Projected Film Winner: Logan - Screenplay by Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold

If last year, you told me that both a comic book film and a film based on the iconicly terrible The Room would be in the category for best Adapted Screenplay I’d have laughed in your face. Being able to see this occur in real life is something I will always treasure – what a time to be alive! That being said, Logan, for me, wins hands down. It was incredible.

Actual Winner Prediction: Call Me By Your Name - Screenplay by James Ivory

 Writing – Original Screenplay

•           The Big Sick (Written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani)
•           Get Out (Written by Jordan Peele)
•           Lady Bird (Written by Greta Gerwig)
•           The Shape of Water (Screenplay by Guillermo Del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. Story by Guillermo Del Toro)
•          Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Written by Martin McDonagh)

Projected Film Winner: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Martin McDonagh

As with the Best Picture category, my heart is in two places as I love Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Get Out in equal measure and I think both deserve to win. That being said, there has to be a winner, and I think Three Billboards deserves to win by a tiny margin. Get Out is a co-winner in my heart though!

Actual Winner Prediction: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Martin McDonagh

And with that, we have come to the end of my 90^th Oscars prediction list! If you can stomach staying awake, you can tune into it on Sky at 1:30am (UK time). If not, it will be repeated in its entirety at 8am with highlights being shown at 8pm.

For those of you who don’t have Sky, you can watch via the Sky Cinema Pass which will set you back £9.99 - could be worse!

Be sure to let me know in the comments if you agree with my choices, and if not, why! Happy Oscars everyone!