John H. Foote
It has been, as Gautum, our Editor-in-Chief, will agree one loopy year at the movies. Unpredictable, with some massive failures, but to be honest some very good films, a couple for the ages. Indeed it was the year of the woman, both onscreen and in the directors chair, with more great films directed by the ladies than any in film history. Kathryn Bigelow (Detroit), Pattin Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Sofia Coppola (The Beguiled), Dee Rees (Mudbound) and the great Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) all deserve to be in the Oscar race, but only will make the cut, possible two but I doubt it.
My predictions might surprise some people who read me regularly. I might regret some of the chances I took, but I based on gut feeling and the rumblings out of Hollywood. With many friends in the business, many Oscar writers close to the Academy, and my own studio friends, I did what everyone else does at Oscar time, I guessed, but I think they are strong educated guesses.
Which major work gets left out this year? Though a film for the ages, a masterpiece, I think Steven Spielberg’s The Post could get the shaft this year, though nominated for Best Picture I am not sure it will get another major nomination, not even Meryl Streep who got the best reviews for the film. Yes it is timely, yes it is hugely important, but are people responding, are people listening? I am not so sure.
And though I believe Get Out will be nominated, I am still not on board with it being hailed a great film, I just do not understand what all the fuss is about. Sorry, shoot me.
And shorts? Sorry, did not see enough of them to form an opinion. So without further ado, here are my predictions for this years Oscar nominations which are announced at dawn LA time, January 23.
BEST PICTURE
THE SHAPE OF WATER
LADY BIRD
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
GET OUT
DUNKIRK
THE POST
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
I, TONYA
WONDER WOMAN
BEST DIRECTOR
Guillermo Del Toro for The Shape of Water
Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk
Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird
Jordan Peele for Get Out
Steven Spielberg for The Post
BEST ACTOR
Timothee Chalamet in Call Me By Tour Name
Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour
James Franco in The Disaster Artist
Christian Bale in Hostiles
Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out
BEST ACTRESS
Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird
Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Margot Robbie in I, Tonya
Jessica Chastain in Molly’s Game or Meryl Streep in The Post – too close to call.
(Though nothing would please me more than hearing Brooklynn Prince in The Florida Project announced as a nominee bumping Miss Chastain…and I know, never bet against Streep…)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project
Armie Hammer in Call Me By Your Name
Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water
(Christopher Plummer could sneak in for All the Money in the World, Michael Stuhlbarg deserves to be there for his single scene in Call Me By Your Name)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney in I, Tonya
Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird
Hong Chau in Downsizing
Holly Hunter in The Big Sick
Mary J. Blige in Mudbound
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Get Out
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
The Post
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me By Your Name
The Disaster Artist
Mudbound
Molly’s Game
All the Money in the World
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coco
Loving Vincent
The Breadwinner
The Lego Batman Movie
The Boss Baby
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Jane
City of Ghosts
Icarus
Strong Island
An Inconvenient Sequel
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Square (Sweden)
Foxtrot (Israel)
A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
In the Fade (Germany)
Loveless (Russia)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Hostiles
Mudbound
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Blade Runner 2049
Beauty and the Beast
Phantom Thread
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Beauty and the Beast
The Greatest Showman
The Shape of Water
Victoria and Abdul
Phantom Thread
BEST FILM EDITING
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
The Post
Star Wars – The Last Jedi
BEST MAKE UP/ HAIRSTYLING
Darkest Hour
I, Tonya
Wonder
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Shape of Water
Dunkirk
Blade Runner 2049
Star Wars – The Last Jedi
Wonder Woman
BEST SONG
Coco – Remember Me
Marshall – Stand Up for Something
The Greatest Showman – This is Me
Beauty and the Beast – Evermore
The Star – The Star
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars – The Last Jedi
Blade Runner 2049
War for the Planet of the Apes
BEST SOUND
The Shape of Water
Dunkirk
Blade Runner 2049
Star Wars – The Last Jedi
Wonder Woman
BEST SOUND EDITING
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars – The Last Jedi
Blade Runner 2049
War for the Planet of the Apes
