Oscar Predictions 2017 - summary

You ready for your cheat sheet? Here y'are:

Best Animated Feature

My Pick and Dark Horse: The Breadwinner - Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo
Winner: Coco - Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson

Best Animated Short Film

Winner: Garden Party - Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
Dark Horse: Dear Basketball - Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant

Best Documentary Feature

My Pick and Dark Horse: Icarus - Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan
Winner: Faces Places - Agnès Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

Winner: Edith+Eddie - Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wright

Dark Horse: Heroin(e) - Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon

Best Foreign Language Film

My Pick and Dark Horse: The Square - Sweden

Winner: A Fantastic Woman - Chile

Best Live-Action Short Film

Winner: DeKalb Elementary - Reed Van Dyk

Dark Horse: Everything else

Best Cinematography

My Pick and Winner: Roger Deakins - Blade Runner 2049

Dark Horse: Hoyte van Hoytema - Dunkirk

Best Costume Design

My Pick and Winner: Mark Bridges - Phantom Thread

Dark Horses: Jacqueline Durran - Beauty and the Beast

Best Film Editing

My Pick and Winner: Lee Smith - Dunkirk

Dark Horse: Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos - Baby Driver

Best Makeup and Hair Styling

My Pick and Winner: Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Siddick - Darkest Hour

Dark Horse: Arjen Tuiten - Wonder

Best Original Score

My Pick and Dark Horse: Jonny Greenwood - Phantom Thread

Winner: Alexandre Desplat - The Shape of Water

Best Original Song

My Pick and Dark Horse: "Mighty River" - Mudbound - Music and Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson
Winner: "This is Me" - The Greatest Showman - Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Best Production Design

My Pick and Winner: Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin - The Shape of Water

Dark Horse: Dennis Gassner and Alessandra Querzola - Blade Runner 2049

Best Sound Editing

My Pick and Winner: Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira - The Shape of Water

Dark Horse: Richard King and Alex Gibson - Dunkirk

Best Sound Mixing

My Pick and Winner: Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A Rizzo - Dunkirk

Dark Horse: Julian Slater, Tim Cave-in and Mary H. Ellis - Baby Driver

Best Visual Effects

My Pick and Winner: Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist - War for the Planet of the Apes

Dark Horse: Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould - Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

My Pick and Dark Horse: Greta Gerwig - Lady Bird

Winner: Martin McDonagh - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Writing - Adapted Screeplay

My Pick and Winner: James Ivory - Call Me by Your Name

Dark Horse: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber - The Disaster Artist

Best Supporting Actress

My Pick and Secondary Dark Horse: Lesley Manville - Phantom Thread
Winner: Allison Janney - I, Tonya

Dark Horse: Laurie Metcalf - Lady Bird

Best Supporting Actor

My Pick and Winner: Willem Dafoe - The Florida Project

Dark Horse: Sam Rockwell - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actor

My Pick and Dark Horse: Daniel Day-Lewis - Phantom Thread

Winner: Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour

Best Actress

My Pick and Dark Horse: Sally Hawkins - The Shape of Water

My Other Pick and Secondary Dark Horse: Margot Robbie - I, Tonya
Winner: Frances McDormand - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Director

My Pick: Paul Thomas Anderson - Phantom Thread

Winner: Guillermo del Toro - The Shape of Water
Dark Horse: Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk

Best Picture

My Pick: Phantom Thread - JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi

Winner: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh
Dark Horse: The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale


Your final tally (bold for major releases):
The Shape of Water - 4
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 3
Darkest Hour - 2
Dunkirk - 2
Blade Runner 2049 - 1
Call Me by Your Name - 1
Coco - 1
DeKalb Elementary - 1
Edith+Eddie - 1
Faces Places - 1
A Fantastic Woman - 1
The Florida Project - 1
Garden Party - 1
The Greatest Showman - 1
I, Tonya - 1
Phantom Thread - 1
War for the Planet of the Apes - 1

There doesn't seem to be any real massive success out of this lot, but I don't think it's that kind of year. The most that could happen is that Three Billboards and The Shape of Water could swap spots on the tally above, which I will try to remain calm about, because people do like both of them, I just like one of them less than most people.

I ultimately did land on Three Billboards winning Best Picture, because for the last seven years, with the exception of Birdman and The Artist, the winner in this category has not been the frontrunner in terms of nominations, nor has it won the most awards of that given year, nor has it won Best Director. It would actually be joining Argo as the winner without a nomination, which is really weirdly consistent for it to happen twice in one decade. As I said last year, the Academy does seem to favour the message movie these days, even at the expense of patting themselves on the back; Three Billboards definitely has the most blatantly modern message of all the films nominated, so it's a pretty safe bet at this point. The Shape of Water is its obvious competition, and people seem fairly evenly split on which one of those two will win. Dunkirk has the closest chance of upsetting the established order, which I would actually approve of, considering the artistic feat that it is.

Is this a year that really favours my personal opinion? I don't think so. I want it to, but it's not likely. At this point, just take what ya can. I know exactly which films I'm adding to my Blu-Ray collection - since I'm the only person in Canada who still buys those things, 'cuz I like physical property. I'm sure everyone else will know which of each of these films appeals to them. More power to them.

Have a lovely night!

Oscar Predictions 2017 - Best Picture nominees ranked

You guys know how this work: you sit back and guffaw at my contentious opinions, after which point you get to laugh at me for not predicting the right film for Best Picture because I'm ever so slightly biased against it. Well, might as well give you what you want.


Best Picture

9. Darkest Hour

I am sick of watching old British men arguing in dimly lit rooms... I just thought I'd mention that. Darkest Hour is my pick for the most Oscar bait movie in this entire lot: Second World War, a historical biopic, lots of makeup, lots of line shouting, Gary Oldman nearly disappearing into a role, but not quite because I still knew ahead of time it was Gary Oldman... It was kinda designed to be released late in the year, much like a lot of Joe Wright's prestige movies, which haven't done a lot for me outside of the divisive Atonement. That said, I cannot dismiss this movie; it's a solid interpretation of the events that led to the evacuation of Dunkirk, even though it's pretty easily outdone by the actual interpretation of the evacuation of Dunkirk, or even the interpretation of what happened after the evacuation of Dunkirk... Oh right, nobody else saw Their Finest... that's a bit unfortunate. Gary Oldman still owns his performance, for which he is easily going to win his long-awaited Best Actor award. It will be interesting to see what he has to say during his speech, that's for sure, he's rather unpredictable these days.

*** 1/2 out of *****


8. The Post

So, funny thing: as I was compiling this list... I completely forgot to include The Post until I reached my #2! Well, that doesn't seem to bode well for the film that I spent a month of binge reviewing all of its acclaimed star's previous Oscar-nominated roles. I'll actually be fair to the film as it is, because when I had finished watching it, I felt that it was a significant improvement over Spielberg's last Best Picture nominee. I felt more engaged with the characters and their dilemmas in The Post than in Bridge of Spies, which had one very fine performance going for it, and that's it. It's fairly clear that the film was made with an Academy Award nomination in mind, especially when you have the three highest gods of the American cinematic pantheons collaborating on a film that speaks to a very relevant issue. Gratefully, all three of these titans do very fine work, including the mighty Meryl Streep, whose performance is appropriately more subdued in this film than several of her previous nominations. The fact that I basically forgot this film compared to every other nominee past this point does paint a pretty clear picture of how I'll probably view it in the long run. Still, it was a pleasant enough film with a positive message about freedom of the press and making the right choice at the right time and other Spielberg-ian niceties. This is one film that your parents will certainly like, but gratefully, from where I stand, you can enjoy it too.

**** out of *****


7. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

I will say it now just to get it off my chest: if Three Billboards wins, and someone else has now convinced me it will, it's very likely gonna become my new Birdman. This is the kind of film where I appreciate it, I think it succeeds at stirring up people's emotions, there's good filmmaking style on display here, and the performances are uniformly very good. As I've implied earlier, though, I can't shake the feeling that Martin McDonagh was trying really hard to make a Coen Brothers movie, and I don't think he made as strong a movie as Fargo was and still is. On a more personal note, I ended up wishing that the film had made me laugh more; I'm a sucker for black comedy, but the jokes were too few and far between, buried under a lot of - I'll be fair here - righteous indignation. This film feels like a very good discussion piece, and I won't be surprised if it wins as a result. From my perspective, however, there are many films that were better, more subtle, more artful, and more complete that I enjoyed from last year. Maybe I'll rewatch it again at some point and my mind will change, that's entirely possible; however, that did not happen when I saw Birdman a second time, so I'm rather skeptical about this film.

**** out of *****

6. Call Me by Your Name

Here's one case where I think the acclaim definitely wore me down before I saw the film, as well as the mild controversy regarding age of consent. Now in this movie's defence, assuming they are taking the angle of this being a family who identifies as Italian rather than American, Italian age of consent is 14 years old, and from my perspective, if it's legal, the 7 year age gap doesn't seem that dramatic to me. What does seem pretty dramatic for me - or undramatic, I should say - is how generally slow the film is. It's gorgeously shot and well-written with strongly realized and realistic characters... but it can get pretty boring. The music can also be kinda jarring at times, with the flighty Oscar-nominated indie songs playing in the middle of a scenario that doesn't seem very fitting. Still, the well realized characters are the real draw here, and they're wonderfully performed by Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, and especially Michael Stuhlbarg, who should have been nominated for something this year. Maybe he shouldn't have stopped at three movies, he should have starred in all nine of the Best Picture nominees, then they'd be impressed.

**** out of *****

5. Dunkirk

I'm basically gonna start repeating myself at this point, but I do want to emphasize that Dunkirk is absolutely worthy of the praise that it has gotten. It's the most audacious war film to come out in many decades, probably since The Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan changed the public's perception of the Second World War. Dunkirk succeeds in a very different way, one that is almost entirely cinematic and is extremely visceral as a result. Christopher Nolan has challenged himself with this film and he took that challenge full on. The film does not have quite the same emotional impact than his previous films, nor is it utterly flawless. Still, when the pros overpower the cons so profoundly, you can't help but sweat in your seat as the German planes bombard you from above. It is just that daunting.

**** 1/2 out of *****

4. The Shape of Water

You know it just dawned on me: maybe The Shape of Water and Dunkirk actually balance each other out for me. Dunkirk stands as an unique statement of a director changing his style, but it also works best when experienced in the moment. The Shape of Water feels more like a director very confidently stepping back into his wheel house, but fashioning it into a film that resonates with you emotionally long afterwards. I still have great affection for this film and what its character relationships had to offer. Sublime performances and stunning production design come together to create this beautiful but also frightening world. Sally Hawkins should unquestionably win Best Actress, even if I don't get to see Margot Robbie standing beside her. There is so much emotional depth to the experience of seeing this film and revisiting it several times. I can't help but celebrate this tribute to the outcasts of society in the form of an interspecies romance.

**** 1/2 out of *****

3. Lady Bird

Ronan's amazing, Metcalf's wonderful, Gerwig's made an awesome debut and should win Best Original Screenplay, you get the picture.

***** out of *****

2. Get Out

Kaluuya's awesome, the script is tight and intense, Jordan Peele's got a long career ahead of him, and other affirmative things.

***** out of *****

1. Phantom Thread

I just watched it for the third time... I'm still not bored of singing this film's praises! I can't stop finding new things I admire about Paul Thomas Anderson's work and the performances every time I see the film; there isn't a single needless scene, shot, edit, soundtrack, or line of dialogue in the entire runtime. I find so much more to admire in the way that the relationship at its centre subverts expectations, creating a wonderfully intense dynamic between Vicky Krieps and Daniel Day-Lewis. To that end, I've never really talked about how beautifully shot the film is. Just looking at the heavy use of close-ups throughout made me realize something the third time I saw it: this may be Anderson's most intimate film! So it shouldn't be surprising that the reason why there's no Director of Photography credit at the end of this film is because Anderson himself is the one operating the camera! I'm officially a lifelong fan of Anderson; I jumped on the band wagon late, but he's unquestionably one of the most unpredictable, unconventional auteurs of our time. I'll miss Day-Lewis if this is his last film, I look forward to seeing Krieps moving forward, I want Manville to be in every movie ever - okay, every great movie that comes out from here on end, I don't want her career spoiled - I wish everyone on this film the best of luck at the Oscars. And thank you. For everything.

***** out of *****

I am seriously differing from most other people's average ranking this year. I don't quite know what it is that has made Three Billboards soar so high among audiences; hardly anybody saw In Bruge, so it's not prior exposure to Martin McDonagh... I guess it is this image of Middle America that people don't find too far from the truth. It's a difficult film for some people, including me, but I guess I shouldn't really begrudge its success within a certain audience. I'll try to rewatch it at some point to know for sure. The two films that do seem fairly consistent in their rankings this year are Dunkirk and Call Me by Your Name, which seems pretty fair. One was such a brutal, visceral experience, while the other was so quietly powerful in its depiction of a sincere romance. I am kind of baffled by how much the audiences have turned on Get Out and Lady Bird. Is it the critical acclaim that's pushing them back, or are they just trolling us with their faux dislike of anything related to women or minorities? They deserve better. Hey, The Shape of Water is ranked 6th on all of these lists, has that ever happened when I did this before!? It's certainly a film that really needs you to indulge its combination of all thing horrific and romantic at once, so this makes sense. I'm also not too disappointed with where Phantom Thread ranks, at least on IMDb and Metacritic. I don't put as much weight on the Tomatometer rating as much as other people do, so it is what it is. This will be interesting to see who the Academy agrees with this year. (Probably not me, but I can dream, can't I?)

IMDb - (only the #1 in Top 250)

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 8.3/10

2. Call Me by Your Name - 8.1/10

3. Dunkirk - 8/10

4. Phantom Thread - 7.8/10

5. Get Out - 7.7/10
6. The Shape of Water - 7.7/10

7. Lady Bird - 7.6/10

8. Darkest Hour - 7.4/10
9. The Post - 7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes - (Confusing Golden Tomato scores seriously throwing it off this time)

1. Get Out - 99%
2. Dunkirk - 93%

3. Lady Bird - 99%

4. Call Me by Your Name - 96%

5. Three Billboards, Outside Ebbing Missouri - 92%
6. The Shape of Water - 92%

7. Phantom Thread - 91%

8. The Post - 88%
9. Darkest Hour - 86%

Metacritic
1. Dunkirk - 94/100

2. Lady Bird - 94/100

3. Call Me by Your Name - 93/100

4. Phantom Thread - 90/100

5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 88/100
6. The Shape of Water - 87/100

7. Get Out - 84/100
8. The Post - 83/100
9. Darkest Hour - 75/100

Oscar Predictions 2017 - secondary categories

Alright... let's do this.  Place your bets, and remember... I may not be reliable anymore. I care no longer for my reputation, so long as something surprises me this year... in a good way... Please surprise me.

Best Animated Short Film

My pick (by default): Revolting Rhymes

Winner: Picking one at random... Garden Party

They've somehow made it harder to see most of these short films and I'm not very happy about that.  I only caught Revolting Rhymes on Netflix, and was very entertained by it, mostly because of Roahl Dahl's prose. No, I did not see Cars 3, so I did not see Lou, so I can't say anything to its quality, although I haven't seen any massive support for it. Then again, Pixar wins in this category so often that I wonder if it's just obligatory to hand them the award even before they release the short. The only other serious contender this year is the one with the strongest backlash. It's hard to imagine the Academy giving an award to Kobe Bryant after what they did to distance themselves from Harvey Weinstein. Dear Basketball may have a Disney animator and Mr. Star Wars himself John Williams, but pedigree may not help it this time. I'm just giving a shot in the dark, and I hit on a surprise nominee with frogs on the poster. I have a short attention span, and this looks pretty.

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

My Pick (by default): Heroin(e)
Winner: No friggin' clue... Heroi- Oh wait, never mind, definitely Edith+Eddie!

I very abruptly shifted gears on this one because I actually decided to read the basic synopsis of each of these nominees. Not to discredit Heroin(e), however; I found it to be very genuine and accessible, painting a very admirable portrait of the lives of several women doing their best to maintain order and safety in the drug-ridden community of Huntington, West Virginia. It's a very fine piece and easily accessible on Netflix. Here's the thing, though: Edith+Eddie... a nonagenarians interracial newly-wed couple dealing with a family crisis... That's winning! I haven't even seen it yet, but from that description, it's got everything: a discussion of current events, a sweet and likeable pair of main characters, conflict, struggle, and just a slight bit of schmaltz. The Academy loves all of those things, and since none of the nominees this year are focused on any international conflicts, we can probably bet pretty safely on this one... or Heroin(e), I don't know.

Best Live Action Short Film

Winner: And we're back to no friggin' clues, so... Oh God... DeKalb Elementary

It's about a gunman in an elementary school... That seems way too current not to win... I'm not gonna say anything more about this for fear of triggering people.

Best Sound Editing

My Pick: The Shape of Water

Winner: The Shape of Water

I'm sure you would think I'd pick Dunkirk for both the sound categories, but if we're thinking from the perspective of creating new sounds almost exclusively for a specific film, The Shape of Water takes it. This category went to Arrival last year, so I don't think it's hard to imagine another science fiction/fantasy film could take it again. Just the sound design for the Asset alone is excellent, adding to his character's sense of surprising vulnerability. Even if it's not the winner, I'm more expecting Blade Runner 2049 for this category, but I'll get back to that later. It may not be an overwhelming sound design, but if it adds to the experience and effects your feelings toward the film, it probably deserves this award.

Best Sound Mixing

My Pick: Dunkirk

Winner: Dunkirk

Okay, now we're back to the overwhelming sound design... at least once my ears stop ringing. God, this movie was LOUD!!! Which only makes sense coming from Christopher Nolan. If the man does... well, he does a lot of things well, but immersing his audience through sound is unquestionably one of his trademarks. It's the one war movie nominated in both these categories this year, which is pretty much a guarantee during any award season.

Best Original Song

1. "Mighty River" - Mudbound
2. "This Is Me" - The Greatest Showman
3. "Mystery of Love" - Call Me By Your Name
4. "Remember Me" - Coco
5. "Stand Up for Something" - Marshall

Winner: "This Is Me" - The Greatest Showman

Damnit, Diane Warren! When is it going to set in: The Academy does not reward pop songs! Rap, maybe, but not since 8 Mile and Hustle and Flow... and people actually remember "Lose Yourself". Any who, I'm torn this year between the snobby side of me and the sappy sides of me, because the top two songs are really effective for different reasons. I picked "Mighty River" as my favourite because it's the strongest composition and it makes you feel without overwhelming you with its emotions. I also appreciate "Mystery of Love", but more independent of the film and as an interesting composition rather than as something I'd listen to constantly. That said, nothing's more pleasing than a show stopping number. "This Is Me" is not my favourite song from The Greatest Showman - I'm listening to the opening number "The Greatest Show" right this minute - but this is unquestionably the show-stopping number. It's gotten into the Hollywood Foreign Press's heads, so I would expect no less from the Academy. And you know what, why not have a power anthem that people - that is to say, I - actually remember and enjoy win for once!? It's a pretty fair fight this year, though. May the best belter win.

Best Production Design

1. The Shape of Water
2. Blade Runner 2049
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Dunkirk
5. Darkest Hour

Winner: The Shape of Water

I'm always a little baffled when war movies and specifically World War movies get nominated in this category, not because they don't have artistic value, but because they're so clearly playing a different game compared to everything else. Science-fiction and fantasy film have so much art direction that build on the world and reflect the character's moods and personality. Darkest Hour and Dunkirk, though... they just kinda exist. The other films make more sense, especially considering how much one of them is trying so hard. By the time I actually watched Disney's latest unnecessary remaster for the PS4 - a.k.a. the remake of Beauty and the Beast - I think I might have grown more lenient towards its designs. I still think most of the set decoration and digital characters are really over-designed, but at least they were a pretty enough diversion in a movie that didn't really add much else of value to the story. Seriously, though, how can this be anything other than The Shape of Water? The heightened colour scheme and hints at both the austerity and the ironic nostalgia for the 1960s really does shine through. Plus, it would be following in the tradition of Pan's Labyrinth if it does win, so how could they resist?

Best Costume Design

1. Phantom Thread

2. The Shape of Water
3. Victoria and Abdul
4. Beauty and the Beast
5. Darkest Hour

Winner: Phantom Thread

Guys, the film is named after an actual technique used by seamstresses! Of course it's going to win, and it abso-goddamn-lutely should!

Best Makeup and Hair Styling

1. Darkest Hour

2. Victoria and Abdul

Winner: Darkest Hour

For those of you asking, I haven't seen Wonder, because I simply was not interested at this time. Hey, I'm a college student, I don't have to be interested in everything. Otherwise... You do realize that the Asset is covered in makeup and not a costume, right? You couldn't have thrown in a 14th nomination just for niceties sake? There's nothing too spectacular about these nominees, so it's probably safest to say that Darkest Hour will probably win for making audiences temporarily forget that they were watching Gary Oldman... or maybe I was just made aware that he was playing Churchill and they simply shouldn't have revealed it in the trailers.

Best Cinematography

1. Blade Runner 2049
2. The Shape of Water
3. Dunkirk
4. Darkest Hour
5. Mudbound

Winner: Blade Runner 2049

They're not making this easier, are they? I mean they made it a lot easier to predict, but not much easier to rank these Top Three. Now, proper kudos to Rachel Morrison for being the first woman nominated in this category ever. However, from what I hear, Mudbound looks way more impressive on the big screen... I'm hope that's true, because my dinky gaming monitor did not impress me very much. Hoyte van Hoytema really excels at creating worlds with a massive scale while still keeping the characters and their experience the focus of every shot. I love how it feels like he's using as much natural light as possible to create each image also. The Shape of Water feels like such a pure del Toro film in the way Dan Laustsen's camera seems to glide fluidly through every scenario. There is barely a single static shot in that film for a very good reason... Guys, it's Roger goddamn Deakins! You know it, I know it, why are we even discussing this!? He's been passed on 13 times, the cinematography in Blade Runner 2049 is immaculate, he's going to win and he damn well deserves it! (I seem to be using more mild swears on than I usually do... I blame Daniel Day-Lewis... and homework.)

Best Film Editing

1. Dunkirk
2. Baby Driver
3. I, Tonya
4. The Shape of Water
5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Winner: Dunkirk

That... is easy. It's either the film that jumps around between different days, weeks and hours, or the film that jumps around between beats, bullets and cars. You can take your pick, but I also think Lee Smith has been jibbed in this category for long enough, so I'm banking on him winning it this time.

Best Original Score

1. Phantom Thread
2. The Shape of Water

3. Dunkirk
4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Winner: The Shape of Water

Oooooooh... Do I go with my gut or go with my heart? WHICH ONE IS WHICH!? This category could easily go to either of my top two picks. The other three nominees have their merits; essentially say their names - Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and Carter Burwell - and you don't have to question what each of their scores sound like, and they all seem fitting of their respective films. Even when Hans Zimmer feels more like a sound designer than a composer on Dunkirk, it just proves how much of an appropriate choice he was to mix it. Most people appear to have landed on the side of The Shape of Water as the predicted winner. Immediately, this makes sense, because Alexandre Desplat has crafted some incredibly memorable themes for that film, with all his eccentricity on display between the accordions, the more subdued atmospheric approach to action sequences, and the metal xylophones sounding just like something out of a music box. Obviously, though, I'm biased toward Phantom Thread, but seriously if you haven't heard Jonny Greenwood's near-classical work and how it perfectly matches every single sequence to a T... Guys, let me put it this way... I hate piano and violin-based scores... and not only did I not hate this particular piano and violin-based score, I was absolutely swept away by it, because it fits this particular scenario and these particular characters! There are four separate tracks on the album for this score all called 'Phantom Thread', essentially playing different renditions of the same melody line, and they all feel fresh, exciting and original!  That's how much I love this score! Take your pick, but be sure to listen to this soundtrack before you do! Listen to it and be blown away!!!

Best Visual Effects

1. War for the Planet of the Apes
2. Blade Runner 2049
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
5. Kong: Skull Island

Winner: War for the Planet of the Apes


I think we are officially in No-Brainer territory. Every other nominee in this category may look cool, beautiful, or... no, just cool or beautiful, it doesn't matter because none of them feel quite as accomplished as this last film in the wildly acclaimed reboot trilogy. I've been sceptical of the quality of the digital effects in these Planet of the Apes films for a long time, which is ironic because I am a fan of the series from a storytelling perspective. Rise was wildly entertaining and Dawn gave us a great nuanced villain in Toby Kebball's Koba, but in both films, I always felt the movement of the apes was still too fluid, too gliding, too neat to be completely convincing. They hadn't quite reached photorealism up to that point... They have now! Let me tell you what scene completely convinced me: when Caesar confronts Winter. Through the combined effort of Andy Serkis's truly powerful performance and the digital wizards, I was hooked in the scene and utterly transfixed by the drama as Winter confesses his wrongdoings. Then, at the absolute right moment, we see Caesar's half-lit face. The subtle movements, the detail, the texture, the performance, they all united, and the thought finally hit me: That's not a man with dots on his face... I'm looking at an ape! I'm looking at the real Caesar! EVERYBODY WINS EVERYTHING!!!!!

I'll see you tomorrow for some other things, okay?

2017 Oscar nominee reactions

Do you think I care about absences this year? Because I don't any more... not after they named those five names... Those five names.

Christopher Nolan

Jordan Peele

Greta Gerwig

Paul Thomas Anderson

Guillermo del Toro

BEST BEST DIRECTOR LINE-UP IN NEARLY A DECADE!!! POSSIBLY LONGER!!!

And now, Three Billboards has no chance at winning Best Picture anymore! Is that giving away my opinion on the film, I don't care. I'm too happy about these five people.

There isn't honestly that much to say about anything else. There were upsets, there were surprises, but once again, there weren't any disastrous absences... unless you're a fan of actors in superhero movies, but I honestly wasn't expecting their presence. I mean, it's not like any of the X-Men films was gonna get a screenplay nomination or anythi- WHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

Logan: It simultaneously took the Academy long enough, after snubbing The Dark Knight in this category, but also kind of too late to save themselves, since they didn't also nominate Hugh Jackman. I'm not personally saying that I would nominate Jackman for this movie - although I might have, I need to watch it again to be sure - but most agree it's his best work as the character since... forever. He's gonna win the Saturn Award for sure, but even that's not enough to sate the rabid fans.

Speaking of superheroes and rabid fans...

Wonder Woman: I wasn't banking on a major nomination for Patty Jenkins or Gal Gadot, but I would have appreciated something on this film's part. It may not have been a flawless movie, but it is important, and the Academy would have done well to acknowledge it on some level. Costume or Production Design, Sound Mixing or Editing, maybe get to work on that Stunt Choreography category you're always teasing, just do something. I don't care if Beauty and the Beast looked really pretty, Wonder Woman accomplished way more, and you should acknowledge that. Don't you think it might have helped your public image just a little?

And finally:

James Franco for The Disaster Artist: I am both surprised and not that Franco's name wasn't announced in this category. Then again, it might be for the best. Avoid any kind of controversy while you can, and still acknowledge the true strength of this film with an Adapted Screenplay nomination.

The Florida Project: Um... haven't seen it, definitely going to, will tell you how much of a snub this is later.

Luca Guadagnino for Call Me by Your Name: Ditto.

Martin McDonagh for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: Was I not clear at the top of this on the top of this post? I quote: "BEST BEST DIRECTOR LINE-UP IN NEARLY A DECADE!!!" If you laughed at this movie as much as I was expecting to, that's great. I'll be fair to it in my later assessments, but at this point, it doesn't matter.

Apart from that, everything's gorgeous... well, not so much gorgeous but expected. Here's the stuff I didn't expect to see anytime soon, or else was scared to assume.

The Boss Baby and Ferdinand: Umm... Whaaa? I guess the animated category was out of international films to herald, so they just resorted to... these things... I have not seen either of these movies, but I wasn't planning to and kind of hoped I didn't have to, because they don't sound exceptional, even for children's entertainment. And now I'm obligated to watch them... or am now making it obligational... maybe... joy.

Rachel Morrison for Mudbound: Apparently, this surprised nobody except me. Now I need to rewatch Mudbound fairly soon and see what it is that makes the cinematography distinct in that film. However, I do acknowledge its legitimacy on two fronts: the first ever female cinematographer to get nominated, and the first time when Netflix was given this distinct an honour. It's not a Best Picture nomination yet, but it's a step in the right direction.

Woody Harrelson for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: You know, I started this season out absolutely certain that Willem Dafoe would win Best Supporting Actor, because he deserves one of these things more than any other living actor. When Harrelson's name was announced, I had some hope that that would be the case... and then they named Sam Rockwell anyway. Dang it. They can still pull an upset, but it's still mildly annoying. As for Harrelson's performance itself... honestly, I like it better than Rockwell, so if he wins in an upset, I'm fine with that... Like I said, I'll be fair to this movie later.

Darkest Hour: I was expecting some traction for this film, but not this much. Gary Oldman, yes. It's basically his to lose. But Picture... That's something that the BAFTAs would do... and I guess I should have expected it from the Academy, but there's a lot more worthy stuff they could have acknowledged.

Paul Thomas Anderson: I am dead... dead and gone to Valhalla. I had hoped against hope that Anderson would get this nomination... They heard me. They understood me. They appreciate a true craftsman, and this, his most stunning accomplishment thus far. Too premature an opinion? What does it matter? They have embraced a masterpiece. That's all I asked for.


Bravo to the other two favourite directors, Nolan and del Toro, for sweeping this many categories. You've damn-well earned it. Bravo to Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig for making such stunning debuts. Congrats to everyone else, and other positive reinforcements. I'll be speaking on all of these subjects and more soon enough.


P. S., Nothing.