In the famous words of The Shirelles: tonight’s the night. It’s the 90th Academy Awards and in just a few hours some of this year’s most celebrated actors, actresses, directors and other famous folk will discover whether their months of ice-skating, peach-sex-simulating hard work have been worthy of a shiny, golden statuette. In true ‘opinionated film critic’ fashion, I’ve created a list of who/what I want to win an award, and who/what I actually think will, because unfortunately they are two very different things.
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
WHO I WANT TO WIN-Call me by Your Name
Aside from Lady Bird, no other nominee is as authentic as Call Me by Your Name. You can almost smell the peaches that grow in the Perlman’s back garden, and feel the Italian breeze gently blow against your skin while watching this flick; it flows so naturally, so effortlessly.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN- The Shape of Water
Bar myself, I don’t think there’s a critic alive who isn’t in love with the Shape of Water. It’s a love story that explores race, disability and homosexuality, and is centred around a lovable underdog. If that doesn’t make the Academy swoon, I’ll be shocked.
Best Director
- Christopher Nolan- Dunkirk
- Greta Grewig- Lady Bird
- Guillermo del Toro- The Shape of Water
- Get Out-Jordan Peele
- Phantom Thread- Paul Thomas Anderson
WHO I WANT TO WIN- Greta Grewig
Gerwig’s Lady Bird is such an incredible film. I’ve already talked here about why I love it so much. It’s a fantastic film that I feel should be mandatory viewing for all teenage girls.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN- Guillermo del Toro
For reasons explained above.
Best Lead Actress
- Frances McDormand- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Margot Robbie- I, Tonya
- Meryl Streep- The Post
- Sally Hawkins- The Shape of Water
- Saoirse Ronan- Lady Bird
WHO I WANT TO WIN– Saoirse Ronan
Watching Saoirse as Lady Bird is an experience I want to relive over and over again. She delivered each of her lines with passion and sincerity, and every laugh and giggle with that sense of enviable teenage freedom. It’s a must see film only made more incredible by her acting.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN- Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand is everyone’s current favourite, not only for her role in Three Billboards but also for her outspoken nature, which is undeniably refreshing in a time of political correctness.
Best Lead Actor
- Daniel Day-Lewis- Phantom Thread
- Daniel Kaluuya- Get Out
- Denzel Washington- Roman J. Israel, Esq
- Gary Oldman- Darkest Hour
- Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
WHO I WANT TO WIN- Daniel Kaluuya
Daniel Kaluuya’s name is on everyone’s lips at the moment. After his phenomenal performance in Get Out and his recent role in box office hit Black Panther, it’s safe to say it’s well deserved. His role as Chris in Get Out was absolutely phenomenal and in the eleven months since the film’s release, there hasn’t been a male Oscar nominated performance that has topped it. His win wouldn’t just be monumental for him, but every black person who has faced what his character did.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN- Gary Oldman
Playing Winston Churchill is no easy feat, but it certainly does help when you’re put in a fat suit and your face is covered in prosthetic makeup. I’m in no way trying to take away from the hard work Oldman put in to become Churchill, however I do think him winning would be entirely unfair when compared to Kaluuya or Day-Lewis who shone on-screen without acting underneath layers of makeup.
Best Supporting Actress
- Allison Janney-I, Tonya
- Laurie Metcalf- Lady Bird
- Lesley Manville- Phantom Thread
- Mary J. Blige- Mudbound
- Octavia Spencer- The Shape of Water
WHO I WANT TO WIN- Lesley Manville
Lesley played Daniel Day-Lewis’s overprotective sister in the oddly enthralling drama Phantom Thread. She was slightly mean, very cold, and certainly not one to be messed with.
WHO I THINK WILL WILL- Allison Janney
If I happen to stumble across another clip of the infamous i, Tonya diner scene where Janney bangs her hands on the table and yells ‘that’s the sacrifice a mother makes’, one more time, I may go stir crazy. Although equally if Janney doesn’t win I might faint from shock, because her role in that film is all anyone seems to talk about. That, and that bird on her character’s shoulder.
Best Supporting Actor
- Christopher Plummer- All the Money in the World
- Richard Jenkins- The Shape of Water
- Sam Rockwell- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Willem Dafoe- The Florida Project
- Woody Harrelson- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
WHO I WANT TO WIN- Richard Jenkins
To say I’m picking the best from a bad bunch is probably and quite understandably considered insulting. So instead I shall simply say that none of the actors nominated for this category did much to move me. There, much more diplomatic.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN- Christopher Plummer
Depending on how supportive of the #MeToo movement the Oscars will be this year, there is a strong possibility that the academy will award Christopher Plummer this year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar as a subtle expletive to Kevin Spacey, who Mr Plummer hastily replaced in All the Money in the World after shocking allegations of Spacey’s sexually abusive past came to light. Not only would this really put the last nail in Kevin Spacey’s already heavily-nailed coffin, it could also be seen as the Academy’s way of showing support to the movement and acknowledging the need for change within the industry.
Adapted Screenplay
- Aaron Sorkin- Molly’s Game
- James Ivory- Call Me by Your Name
- James Mangold, Scott Frank and Michael Green- Logan
- Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber- The Disaster Artist
- Virgil Williams and Dee Rees- Mudbound
WHO I WANT TO WIN & WHO I THINK WILL WIN- Call Me by Your Name
This is the first category where both who I want to win and who I think will win are the same. Call Me by Your Name is by far the best contender. The screenplay is funny, honest and lacks a sense of predictability which is far too common in romantic films.
Original Screenplay
- Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani- The Big Sick
- Greta Gerwig-Lady Bird
- Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor-The Shape of Water
- Jordan Peele-Get Out
- Martin McDonagh -Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
WHO I WANT TO WIN- Get Out
Jordan Peele’s Get Out screenplay was cinematically groundbreaking. It was funny, relatable and frankly explored the topic of race in a way no screenwriter had dared do before. It was full of comedy, tension and moments that made every black audience member say ‘that’s happened to me before’ and every white audience member look sheepish. It started a conversation and has paved a way for screenwriters to write bolder and more honest material.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN-The Shape of Water
For reasons stated above.
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
WHO I THINK WILL WIN– Dunkirk
I find it hard to believe the Academy will allow Christopher Nolan to walk away with nothing, even if Dunkirk is slightly mediocre.
WHO I WANT TO WIN- Phantom Thread
Phantom Thread has one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time. The classical music accompanies each scene so wonderfully.
iT'S FILM...DUH 