The prestigious Oscars will find new winners on March 04. This edition is my attempt to see the future this year. You can also have a look at my predictions in the previous years here: 2017 , 2016, 2015 and 2014.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Who Will Win: A close call between ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ and ‘ The Shape of Water’. My vote is for the former.
Who Should Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Honourable Mention: The Shape of Water
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Who Will Win: Gary Oldman for being Churchill in ‘The Darkest Hour’
Who Should Win: Gary Oldman
Honourable Mention: Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Who Will Win: Frances McDormand who has all but sealed her win. She has been unbeatable this awards season.
Who Should Win: Frances McDormand
Honourable Mention: Meryl Streep is a permanent fixture in this category and received some undeserved nominations in the last few years. Her performance in ‘The Post’ is a far more nuanced one than anything she has produced in recent times but her permanence in nominations makes people overlook a truly creditable and memorable performance.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Who Will Win: Sam Rockwell for the screwed up cop in ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing , Missouri’
Who Should Win: Sam Rockwell
Honourable Mention: Willem Defoe gave his best performance in years, in ‘The Florida Project’
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Who Will Win: Allison Janney for the uncharitable mother in ‘I, Tonya’
Who Should Win:Allison Janney
Honourable Mention: Laurie Metcalf for ‘Lady Bird’
Best Achievement in Directing
Who Will Win: Guillermo del Toro for ‘The Shape of Water’
Who Should Win: There is no other movie more influenced by its director’s vision than ‘The Shape of Water’. Guillermo del Toro will finally have his day in the sun.
Honourable Mention: Jordan Peele should get something for ‘Get Out’, maybe it will in the Screenplay section.
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Who Will Win: ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ in a field of no outstanding movies but a bunch of competent ones.
Who Should Win: ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ because it is the one screenplay which is difficult to write, purely from a writer’s perspective.
Honourable Mention: ‘Get Out’ and ‘Lady Bird’
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Who Will Win: ‘Call Me by Your Name’
Who Should Win: Nothing stands out in a weak field of passable movies in this category.
Honourable Mention: ‘Mudbound’
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Who Will Win: ‘Coco’
Who Should Win: Nobody in this category deserves an Oscar. All are pedestrian movies.
Honourable Mention: ‘Loving Vincent’
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Who Will Win: With ‘In the Fade’ not making it to the shortlist, this category is wide open. ‘A Fantastic Women’ seems to be the frontrunner but ‘The Square’ and ‘Loveless’ could spring a surprise. Especially ‘Loveless’ because it captures in a single word the current state of US-Russia relations.
Who Should Win: ‘A Fantastic Woman’
Honourable Mention: ‘The Square’
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Who Will Win: Roger Deakins for ‘Blade Runner 2049’
Who Should Win: Roger Deakins
Honourable Mention: Hoyte van Hoytema for ‘Dunkirk’
Best Achievement in Editing
Who Will Win: My vote is for ‘Dunkirk’ but ‘Baby Driver’ has a real chance of winning.
Who Should Win: Dunkirk
Honourable Mention: I, Tonya
Best Achievement in Production Design
Who Will Win: The Shape of Water
Who Should Win: The Shape of Water
Honourable Mention: Dunkirk
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Who Will Win: ‘Phantom Thread’
Who Should Win: ‘Phantom Thread’
Honourable Mention: ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
Who Will Win: ‘Darkest Hour’
Who Should Win: ‘Darkest Hour’
Honourable Mention: ‘Wonder’
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Who Will Win: Alexandre Desplat for the magical score of ‘The Shape of Water’
Who Should Win: Alexandre Desplat
Honourable Mention: Hans Zimmer for ‘Dunkirk’. Without the music, ‘Dunkirk’ would be a series of images.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
Who Will Win: ‘Remember Me’ from ‘Coco’
Who Should Win: ‘Remember Me’ from ‘Coco’
Honourable Mention: ‘This is Me’ from ‘The Greatest Showman’
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Who Will Win: Blade Runner 2049
Who Should Win: Star Wars: Blade Runner 2049
Honourable Mention: Kong: Skull Island
Best Documentary, Feature
Who Will Win: A wide open category this year. The safe bet and my favourite is ‘Faces Places’ but ‘Icarus’ had a much bigger impact. Above these two for grittiness alone, is ‘Last Men in Aleppo’
Who Should Win: Faces Places
Honourable Mention: ‘Last Men in Aleppo’
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