Since it’s the 90th Academy Awards tonight, for fun/out of boredom here’s my picks for some of the bigger categories. I’ll include what I think will win as well as my personal choice if it differs from what I think the Academy will choose. Here we go:
Best Picture
I’ve seen all of the nominees other than The Darkest Hour and Phantom Thread here, the ones I enjoyed the most being Get Out, Call Me By Your Name and The Shape of Water. I enjoyed Dunkirk and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri too, and thought The Post and Lady Bird were okay. So nothing I actively dislike, which is nice…
What I think will win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Personal choice: Get Out
Lead Actor
This is harder for me to get a real personal choice for since I’ve only seen two of the performances, but here we go anyway. Think this one will mostly be for legacy reasons, an actor with a prestigious career who hasn’t yet won an Oscar. I’m sure it’s a good performance nonetheless, but not sure it would be a winning performance in other circumstances.
Who I think will win: Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour
Personal choice: Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Lead Actress
Finally a category I’ve seen all performances in! Meryl Streep is nominated as usual but she wouldn’t be my choice this year, and I don’t think she’ll be the Academy’s choice either. I really enjoyed Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water but I can’t see past Frances McDormand as winner. Rightly so too, if it happens.
My pick: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Supporting Actor
I’m 4/5 in this category, and it’s probably pretty clear who’ll win here. It’s a close call for myself personally, but I won’t feel too aggrieved if who I think will win does so.
Who I think will win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Personal Choice: Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Supporting Actress
3/5 here, and from what I’ve seen it seems like an obvious choice for the winner.
My pick: Alison Janney, I, Tonya
Director
4/5 for this category, again letting myself down by not having watched Phantom Thread yet. This category also has a clear choice for winner, though if Jordan Peele won it would make me pretty happy.
My pick: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Other Picks
Animated Feature: Coco
Original Screenplay: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Adapted Screenplay: Call Me By Your Name
Cinematography: Blade Runner 2049
Visual Effects: Blade Runner 2049
Production Design: The Shape of Water (Personal Choice: Blade Runner 2049)
Original Score: The Shape of Water
Film Editing: Dunkirk
Sound Editing: Dunkirk
Sound Mixing: Dunkirk
That’ll do I think! It’ll be interesting to see how wrong I am when I wake up tomorrow morning and compare my picks to the reality 😉
