Oscar Thoughts 2020

Ok, so the Oscars were last night. For those of you that know me, I usually do a blog about my predictions. But I didn't this year, I completely forgot that the Oscars were happening this weekend. Probably because the past couple of years the Oscars have been at the end of February or the beginning of March. Anyway, I made my predictions while watching and I got 17/24 right, not my best, but not my worst.

Here are my quick thoughts on the winners from last night. I wish How to Train Your Dragon had won Best Animated Film instead of Toy Story 4. I really liked Toy Story 4, but come on the franchise has enough Oscars, so why not throw How to Train Your Dragon a bone? Also, Frozen 2 was completely snubbed in this category (not even nominated!) and that should have won, but whatever.

I should have known that the documentary American Factory would win, but I thought since Honeyland was also nominated in another category (best international feature, formerly known as best foreign language film) a thing that NEVER happens, that it was a shoe in. But you always have to factor in marketing and this film had a big push by big names, so that makes sense.

It's always weird when Sound Mixing and Sound Editing go to different movies, why does that happen? You'd think one movie would win in both categories, but no.

Ok, I'm happy another woman won for Best Score (Hildur Guðnadóttir won for the Joker). Only 4 women have ever won in this category so that's cool (only 7 women have ever even been nominated). But I LOVED 1917's score and the composer, Thomas Newman, has never won (even though he has been nominated 15 times, come on!).

I knew that the song from Rocketman would win Best Song (Elton John song, performed by him, about his life, come on). But Into the Unknown from Frozen 2 should have won. The fact that only 1 song was nominated from that movie was ridiculous. Into the Unknown isn't even the best song from that movie, that would be the song Show Yourself, but whatever.

I can't believe Lion King didn't win for best Visual Effects. I mean I didn't care for the movie, but those visuals were AMAZING! Groundbreaking visuals, and that should qualify you to win the Oscar, but the Oscars are stupid sometimes.

I knew Joaquin Phoenix would win Best Actor for the Joker. I kind of wish it had gone to Antonio Banderas but that's just me. Also, Phoenix's speech was just weird and went on too long. I also knew Renee Zellweger would win Best Actress for Judy (playing a real life person, and an icon, come on). Especially since Jennifer Lopez was snubbed in this category.

I knew Brad Pitt would win Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I wouldn't have minded if it went to Tom Hanks, but Brad's a good actor so I'm not mad about it. Also not surprised or upset that Laura Dern won Best Supporting Actress for Marriage Story.

I was a little surprised that Parasite won for Best Director. I kind of thought 1917 would win here, but then I thought that last year was being repeated. Last year Roma won for Director but didn't win Best Picture. So, I figured Parasite would win for Director and 1917 would win for Best Picture.

But the biggest surprise of the night was the fact that Parasite (a foreign language film) won Best Picture. I NEVER thought that would happen (especially after last year, when Roma won pretty much everything else, but not Best Picture because it was also a foreign language film). The Oscars has a separate category for foreign language films (it's now called Best International Feature). But because of this, I didn't think one would ever win Best Picture. The same way I don't think an animated film will ever win Best Picture, because there is a separate category for Best Animated Feature. But who knows? Maybe things are changing. Probably not, the Academy might think a foreign language film is good enough, but I doubt they'll ever feel that way about an animated film.

So yeah, those are my thoughts on the 92nd Academy Awards. Did anyone else watch? Was anyone else surprised?

My Oscar Predictions 2019

It’s my favorite time of year, it’s Oscar time!!!! I love the Oscars so much and I have watched every year without fail since 2002. And yes, even with all the controversy surrounding this year’s Oscars, I am still very excited. Excited because I love the Oscars and excited to see how big of a train wreck this year’s ceremony will be.

Best Picture

And the nominees are:

Black Panther

BlacKkKlansman

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Favourite

Green Book

Roma

A Star Is Born

Vice

My pick: Roma. Here is the thing: usually the Oscars has one or two frontrunners for the biggest award of the night. This year is different. There are no frontrunners in this category. Roma has a 30% chance of winning here (last I heard) and those odds are really low. Last year, The Shape of Water was the obvious frontrunner (I think it had like  an 80% chance of winning) and then it won. No surprise there. Even with La La Land and Moonlight, both had a decent shot. But this year the film with the best shot has only a 30% chance? That’s just weird. This award could go several different ways. It could go to the film with a ton of nominations and praise: Roma. However, Roma is a foreign language film and a foreign language film has NEVER won Best Picture. Also, it will probably win in the foreign language category so, voters might not want to award it twice. Then there is Green Book, a feel-good film, voters love that. But, the film has had some controversy (regarding historical accuracy, among other things) and that could turn voters off. The Favourite has lots of nominations and is a period drama. And the Academy loves period dramas. But the film doesn’t have much momentum in the other big categories, so I don’t think it will win here. And let’s be real: Bohemian Rhapsody and Black Panther don’t have a chance (maybe if there were a most popular film category, otherwise no). There’s BlacKkKlansman, but I just don’t think the Academy will give Spike Lee film a win here. Vice has very mixed critical reviews, so I don’t think it has a shot here. That leaves A Star Is Born. This film has great reviews and people love Gaga, but I just don’t think this walks away with the prize. So, I’m going with Roma. But if Green Book or A Star Is Born wins I won’t die of shock.

Actor in a Leading Role

And the nominees are:

Christian Bale (Vice)

Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)

Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)

Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)

My pick: Rami Malek. I know Bohemian Rhapsody has mixed reviews. I know it has controversy around the director/directors. I know it is a by-the-numbers biopic. However, Rami Malek is INCREDIBLE as Freddie Mercury. Malek completely transformed and BECAME Freddie Mercury. Freddie Mercury is the greatest performer of all time (at least in my opinion) and to see someone embody his energy and charisma was astounding. Also, Freddie Mercury is BELOVED by so many people, that a vote for Malek feels like a vote for Freddie. This one is a lock.

Actor in a Supporting Role

And the nominees are:

Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)

Sam Elliot (A Star Is Born)

Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Sam Rockwell (Vice)

My pick: Mahershala Ali. Yes, Ali won in this category only a couple years ago. And yes, the Academy might not want to give him another so soon. But, I would like to point out that the Academy gave Christoph Waltz another Oscar (for Django Unchained) just 3 years after his first win (for Inglorious Bastards). And I think the Academy will do the same for Ali. Richard E. Grant is a dark horse, but if Ali doesn’t win, Grant might snag this award. But don’t count on it happening.

Actress in a Leading Role

And the nominees are:

Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)

Glenn Close (The Wife)

Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)

Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

My pick: Glenn Close. Glenn Close has been nominated 7 times and has never won an Oscar. Yet, I don’t recall ever seeing the same outrage for her as there was for Leonardo DiCaprio when he was passed over for an Oscar, which is wrong on so many levels. Close by all accounts gives a fantastic performance in this film and is a legend in the industry. However, Lady Gaga could be an upset here. I’ll explain: the Academy loves it when someone (say a singer) proves they can act. When this happens, the Academy is like: “What, oh my goodness, this person can sing and act! Give them the Award!” Which is how Jennifer Hudson won her Oscar (for Dreamgirls) and how Cher won her Oscar (for Moonstruck). I mean Gaga underwent an arduous transformation: she went from a singer to, bear with me, playing a singer in a film. I mean come on! How is that even possible?!

Actress in a Supporting Role

And the nominees are:

Amy Adams (Vice)

Marina de Tavira (Roma)

Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Emma Stone (The Favourite)

Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

My pick: Regina King. Talk about legends in this business. King has been acting for decades and this is only her first Oscar nomination. She is pretty much a lock for this award. Although, I would like to point out that Amy Adams has been nominated over and over again, and has never won an Oscar. Yet, I don’t recall the internet shouting “give Amy her Oscar already!” like they did for Leonardo DiCaprio (yes, I will keep bringing him up).

Animated Feature Film

And the nominees are:

Incredibles 2

Isle of Dogs

Mirai

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

My pick: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Here’s the thing, I really enjoyed Incredibles 2, it was great. I’m sure Isle of Dogs is great too (still haven’t watched it yet, but I’m sure it’s great). And I would love for a stop-motion film to win in this category someday. But Spider-Man was AMAZING! Not only was it a great superhero film and a great Spider-Man film, but it also happened to be a groundbreaking animated film as well. The animation in this film is mind boggling. I have never seen anything like it before. This film pushed the boundaries of animation (and it was also a great story with great voice acting). It deserves this award.

Cinematography

And the nominees are:

Cold War

The Favourite

Never Look Away

Roma

A Star Is Born

My pick: Roma. Alfonso Cuaron could make history a couple times at this Award ceremony. His film could be the first foreign film to win Best Picture. And he could be the first director to win for both directing and cinematography. From everything I’ve seen Cuaron is a safe bet for this award, more on the other awards he’s nominated for later.

Costume Design

And the nominees are:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Black Panther

The Favourite

Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Queen of Scots

My pick: The Favourite. This one is tough. Black Panther had amazing costumes. And Mary Queen of Scots is a period drama about royalty. But, both Mary Queen of Scots and The Favourite (yes that is the correct way to spell this film, British spelling applies) are period dramas about royalty. So, who should the award go to? Well, the woman who designed the costumes for The Favourite, also designed costumes for Mary Poppins Returns. And she is nominated twice in this category. And while that could split the vote and let someone else win, my money is The Favourite taking this one.

Directing

And the nominees are:

Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)

Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)

Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)

Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Adam McKay (Vice)

My pick: Alfonso Cuaron. This is another tough one. Spike Lee has been in this business forever and has never won an Oscar. In fact, an African American has never won a Best Director Oscar. So, maybe the Academy will make history and award Spike this award. But I doubt it. Cuaron is an Academy favorite (he has won in this category before, for Gravity). Plus, his film has garnered enormous praise. I think he takes this one home. But if Spike won, I would be pretty happy.

Documentary (Feature)

And the nominees are:

Free Solo

Hale County This Morning, This Evening

Minding the Gap

Of Fathers and Sons

RBG

My pick: Free Solo. O.k. let me get this rant out of the way: Won’t You Be My Neighbor WASN’T EVEN NOMINATED, are you KIDDING me?!!! Won’t You Be My Neighbor is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed documentaries of the past several years and it didn’t even get nominated?! What is wrong with you Academy?! O.k. rant over. Wait, Three Identical Strangers also wasn’t nominated?! Oh, you can bite me Academy. Bite. Me. O.k. second rant over. This could go two ways: RBG could take this award (it’s a film about Ruth Bader Ginsburg) or the award could go to Free Solo (a film about a man free-climbing El Capitan). Both have gotten heavy praise. But, I’m going with Free Solo. Why? Well, this film had a big push in the theaters when it was released and was recently put back in theaters in IMAX. So, it’s fresh in voters’ minds. Plus, there is the fact that the climber could have easily died while attempting this climb, and that makes for an amazing story. But if RBG wins I won’t be surprised.

Documentary (Short Subject)

And the nominees are:

Black Sheep

End Game

Lifeboat

A Night At The Garden

Period. End Of Sentence.

My pick: Period. End Of Sentence. I may be biased because I’ve only seen one of these films and that film is: Period. End Of Sentence. However, bias aside, this film had a BIG marketing push and is currently available on Netflix. Meaning voters had a greater shot of seeing this film than the others in this category. Also, this film is uplifting and that can make all the difference sometimes. This film is about Indian women fighting the stigma of menstruation by making and selling sanitary napkins. It’s an important film and very well made. Now, the other films in this category are also important and impressive, but Period has the best shot at this award. And, I’m pretty happy about that.

Film Editing

And the nominees are:

BlacKkKlansman

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Favourite

Green Book

Vice

My pick: Bohemian Rhapsody. Another tough category. This award could go to Vice, a film that has quick and edgy editing. But, I think it will go to Bohemian Rhapsody. For a couple reasons. First, most voters have seen the videos out there comparing the footage of Live Aid with that scene in the film, and it’s practically identical (impressively so). The second reason is: this film had 2 different directors. For those who don’t know: Bryan Singer started directing this film, but then he was fired (for various reasons, look it up). Then, a second director came in, finished filming the movie, and then had to heavily edit it to make it look like one cohesive movie. A difficult job, to be sure. So, for those reasons I think Bohemian Rhapsody takes this award.

Foreign Language Film

And the nominees are:

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)

My pick: Roma. This is too hard! I just don’t know! If Roma wins this award, does it make it less or more likely that it will win Best Picture? Or will the Academy give this award to Cold War (since the director got a nomination too, which is pretty rare for a foreign language film)? Or will the Academy do the unheard of, and give both the Foreign Language award and Best Picture award to the same film? Flip a coin. It could easily go either way. But my gut says Roma takes this one.

Makeup and Hairstyling

And the nominees are:

Border

Mary Queen of Scots

Vice

My pick: Vice. The makeup artists made Christian Bale (aka Batman) look like Dick Cheney. Is there anything more to say?

Music (Original Score)

And the nominees are:

Black Panther

BlacKkKlansman

If Beale Street Could Talk

Isle of Dogs

Mary Poppins Returns

My pick: If Beale Street Could Talk. Talk about tough. I know the Academy loves Alexandre Desplat, but he won last year (for The Shape of Water). So, Desplat is probably out. And I don’t think Black Panther or Mary Poppins have any shot here. So, it comes down to BlacKkKlansman or If Beale Street Could Talk. I love both scores, but Beale Street was incredible. I have to go with my heart, and my heart says: If Beale Street Could Talk.

Music (Original Song)

And the nominees are:

All The Stars (Black Panther)

I’ll Fight (RBG)

The Place Where Lost Things Go (Mary Poppins Returns)

Shallow (A Star Is Born)

When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

My pick: Shallow (A Star Is Born). Is this even a question? Of course the INCREDIBLY popular song (that has gotten a ton of radio play) will win. It’s not even a contest. Personally, I think Gaga should have won this award a few years ago for “Till It Happens to You” (look it up, especially her Academy performance), so I won’t be mad if she wins here.

Production Design

And the nominees are:

Black Panther

The Favourite

First Man

Mary Poppins Returns

Roma

My pick: The Favourite. This award could wind up going to Black Panther. It doesn’t have a great shot, but it has a shot. However, The Favourite has massive period set pieces, and the Academy LOVES stuff like that. I wouldn’t be upset if Black Panther won though.

Short Film (Animated)

And the nominees are:

Animal Behaviour

Bao

Late Afternoon

One Small Step

Weekends

My pick: Bao. I watched all of these shorts (well except for Weekends) and they were all great. A couple are real tearjerkers. However, Bao is very popular. It played before Incredibles 2, so LOTS of people saw this one. Also, it’s Pixar. And, it’s just a really great short film. It should win.

Short Film (Live Action)

And the nominees are:

Detainment

Fauve

Marguerite

Mother

Skin

My pick: Skin. If you can sit through all these shorts and not sink into a depression, good for you. Pretty much every one of these shorts (with the exception of Marguerite) deals with children in extreme peril (or, spoilers, death). What I’m saying is, don’t watch these if you want to ever be happy again! That being said, I know this award won’t go to Detainment, since that film has way too much controversy surrounding it. So, I think this award will go to Skin. Skin is a film about racism and it has some well-known actors in it, so I think the Academy will give it the award.

Sound Editing

And the nominees are:

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

First Man

A Quiet Place

Roma

My pick: A Quiet Place. The fact that A Quiet Place only got 1 nomination speaks volumes about how the Academy views horror movies, but also how it views movies that were released early in the year. Very few films that are released early in the year wind up with Oscar nominations (notable exceptions to this rule include: Get Out and The Grand Budapest Hotel). Turns out the Academy has a very short memory. That being said, I think the film that is about sound should win an award for sound. Call me crazy, but that just seems to make sense. I could see this going to Bohemian Rhapsody, since it is a film about music, but I hope the award goes to A Quiet Place.

Sound Mixing

And the nominees are:

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

First Man

Roma

A Star Is Born

My pick: Bohemian Rhapsody. The Sound Editing and Sound Mixing awards tend to go the same film. However, A Quiet Place isn’t nominated in this category. Also, I can remember several times where the sound awards went to different films. So, I am going with Bohemian Rhapsody, because it is a musical film and because it has more impressive concert scenes than A Star Is Born.

Visual Effects

And the nominees are:

Avengers: Infinity War

Christopher Robin

First Man

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

My pick: First Man. I just don’t think the Academy is going to give a superhero movie this award. The Academy does not like going in that direction. Now, Ready Player One may be the film that deserves this award (since it has SO many visual effects). But, First Man is about space and it doesn’t have too many visual effects. And the Academy loves giving this award to films that have simpler and more realistic visual effects (Ex Machina springs to mind).

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

And the nominees are:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

BlacKkKlansman

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

If Beale Street Could Talk

A Star Is Born

My pick: BlacKkKlansman. I think the Academy is going to the same thing it did last year and give both screenplay awards to films that have no chance at winning for Best Picture. I think the Academy will give Spike Lee an Oscar here as a consolation for not giving him the Best Director or Best Picture award (like they did with Jordan Peele for Get Out). Although, I could see Can You Ever Forgive Me? being an upset here. But my money is on Black Klansman.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

And the nominees are:

The Favourite

First Reformed

Green Book

Roma

Vice

My pick: The Favourite. Again, this award will go to a film that won’t win any of the big awards (Acting or Best Picture). The same thing happened with Call Me By Your Name last year, it won a screenplay award and that’s it. Although I do think The Favourite will win in other categories, it just won’t win any of the major ones. So, it will get this award as a consolation prize. I could see Green Book sneaking in and taking this one though.

Well, there you have it! My picks for the 2019 Academy Awards! It was really difficult to make predictions this year. The odds are all over the place for some categories. And the odds are also all over the place regarding whether this year’s Oscars will be a train wreck or not. But, whatever happens, I’ll be watching. Watching and judging. It’ll be an interesting night, I can’t wait!

My Oscar Predictions 2018

My Oscar Predictions 2018

Yes! It’s Oscar time!! I love this time of year! So here are my predictions for the 90^th Academy Awards! Fingers crossed there are no envelope mishaps this year!

Best Picture

And the nominees are:

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

My pick: The Shape of Water. This is the big one. The one that everyone talks about. Take note people handing out the envelopes, this is the one you don’t want to screw up! Conventional wisdom says that Shape of Water will win. But don’t count out Three Billboards which has garnered a bunch of other awards. Get Out has an outside chance of winning here. Some people think it has just as much of a chance as Moonlight did last year, but I disagree. I wouldn’t be too upset if Get Out won, a genre film winning in this category is always fun. But I still think that Shape of Water has the best shot here.

Actor in a Leading Role

And the nominees are:

Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name)

Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread)

Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)

Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)

Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.)

My pick: Gary Oldman (for Darkest Hour). Pretty safe bet here. Oldman has been in this business for decades and has never won an Oscar before. He also played Churchill and he is in right now. And people who play Churchill have won some awards recently (John Lithgow for the Crown ring any bells?). Historical figure, check. Tons of makeup to make the actor unrecognizable, check. Yeah, it is his award to lose. The only upset that could happen here is if the Academy wanted to give Day-Lewis one last Oscar (this is supposedly his last film).

Actress in a Leading Role

And the nominees are:

Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water)

Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)

Meryl Streep (The Post)

My pick: Frances McDormand (for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). This one is pretty much a sure thing. A mother trying to get justice for her murdered daughter? Yep, that performance will win. I would be happy if Sally Hawkins or Saoirse Ronan won, because I love those actresses. But I won’t be upset to see McDormand win. And come on Meryl, how many nominations do you need?

Actor in a Supporting Role

And the nominees are:

Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project)

Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water)

Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World)

Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

My pick: Sam Rockwell (for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). This category is a bit tougher. Most people think Rockwell is a sure thing. But there is an outside chance that Willem Dafoe could sneak a win here. Since this is the one category where The Florida Project was nominated. However, the actor who SHOULD be in this category is Patrick Stewart for Logan. But the Academy decided not to nominate him. Shame on them. Logan was essentially a western (and the Academy loves those) but since it was labeled a “Superhero” movie it didn’t have much of a chance in the acting categories.

Actress in a Supporting Role

And the nominees are:

Mary J. Blige (Mudbound)

Allison Janney (I, Tonya)

Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread)

Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)

Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)

My pick: Allison Janney (for I, Tonya). This one breaks my heart. I love Allison Janney, she is great and has been in this business for a long time. She gave, what I hear, is a great performance. But I have loved Laurie Metcalf since I was little and watched Roseanne reruns on TV. In fact, Metcalf is one of my favorite funny people on the PLANET. I would LOVE to see her win here, especially since it would get her one step closer to her EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). But Janney has slightly more momentum in this category. I would be THRILLED if Metcalf won, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Animated Feature Film

And the nominees are:

Boss Baby

The Breadwinner

Coco

Ferdinand

Loving Vincent

My pick: Coco. I mean come on, really? What else even has a shot here? Coco is one of the best Pixar movies I have ever seen, and that’s saying something. But its competition is so sad. Boss Baby? How did that get a nomination over Cars 3? Or any of the Lego movies that came out last year? I guess the Academy has a grudge against all Lego movies and they will never get nominated in this category. No offense to Loving Vincent I hear it is beautiful. But nothing is going to beat Coco, and nothing should.

Cinematography

And the nominees are:

Blade Runner 2049

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

Mudbound

The Shape of Water

My pick: Blade Runner 2049. Roger Deakins has been nominated in this category 14 times, just give it to him already! But I could see Dunkirk taking this award instead, since it was nominated for Best Picture and Blade Runner wasn’t.

Costume Design

And the nominees are:

Beauty and the Beast

Darkest Hour

Phantom Thread

The Shape of Water

Victoria & Abdul

My pick: Phantom Thread. It’s a movie about a fashion designer, I think it might win. However, I am FURIOUS that Wonder Woman wasn’t nominated in this category and Darkest Hour was! Wonder Woman is a period film that had both WWI soldier costumes and Amazonian costumes to create, and did it beautifully I might add. But no, give the nomination to the film that had costumes for Churchill and some other men who sat around and talked. That makes sense.

Directing

And the nominees are:

Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)

Jordan Peele (Get Out)

Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)

Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread)

Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water)

My pick: Guillermo del Toro (for The Shape of Water). I’m so HAPPY! It is finally del Toro’s year! I have loved this man and his weirdness for so long. He is just so different. Love his films for hate them, they are unique. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy that a woman got nominated in this category (since that almost never happens). And I’m happy that an African American director is also being recognized here (since that almost never happens either). But this is del Toro’s award. Yay!

Documentary Feature

And the nominees are:

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Faces Places

Icarus

Last Man in Aleppo

Strong Island

My pick: Icarus. Considering how close we are to the Olympics I think this documentary about the doping scandal should take the award. But I could see Last Man in Aleppo or Faces Places winning instead.

Documentary Short Subject

And the nominees are:

Edith+Eddie

Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405

Heroin(e)

Knife Skills

Traffic Stop

My pick: Heroin(e). It’s Netflix and it’s about the opioid crisis, so I think it is a safe bet. But I could see Heaven is a Traffic Jam winning, since it shines a light on mental illness. Or Edith+Eddie, which is about a pair of interracial newlyweds (who just happen to be in their 90’s)!

Film Editing

And the nominees are:

Baby Driver

Dunkirk

I, Tonya

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

My pick: Dunkirk. This one is hard. I LOVE Baby Driver (even though it has HIM in it). But it is hard to go against the WWII epic. I hope Baby Driver wins, but I’m not counting on it.

Foreign Language Film

And the nominees are:

A Fantastic Woman

The Insult

Loveless

On Body and Soul

The Square

My pick: The Insult. This one could go either way. A Fantastic Woman has a lot of award buzz. But the Insult deals with refugees and other important topics. Flipping a coin, going with the Insult.

Makeup and Hairstyling

And the nominees are:

Darkest Hour

Victoria & Abdul

Wonder

My pick: Darkest Hour. They made Gary Oldman unrecognizable, pretty safe bet. Although Wonder had great makeup too.

Music (Original Score)

And the nominees are:

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)

My pick: Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water). I LOVE Desplat, he has done some of my favorite scores (look him up). Although I do love Hans Zimmer (who doesn’t?) and John Williams. Desplat’s score is just so beautiful. I did really like Phantom Threads soundtrack as well. Again Wonder Woman should have gotten a nomination here. No offense to Carter Burrell, but Wonder Woman should have gotten your spot.

Music (Original Song)

And the nominees are:

“Mighty River” from Mudbound

“Mystery of Love” from Call Me By Your Name

“Remember Me” from Coco

“Stand Up For Something” from Marshall

“This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman

My pick: “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. I don’t KNOW!! It’s between Coco and The Greatest Showman. I love Coco so much, and this song is great! But I think “Un Poco Loco” should have been nominated as well. But I’m going with the popular song from the popular musical. I really don’t know though.

Production Design

And the nominees are:

Beauty and the Beast

Blade Runner 2049

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

The Shape of Water

My pick: The Shape of Water. Blade Runner has a good shot, but Shape of Water has more nominations, so…

Short Film (Animated)

And the nominees are:

Dear Basketball

Garden Party

Lou

Negative Space

Revolting Rhymes

My pick: Dear Basketball. It has the big name behind it (Kobe Bryant). But Pixar could get this one for Lou.

Short Film (Live Action)

And the nominees are:

DeKalb Elementary

The Eleven O’Clock

My Nephew Emmett

The Silent Child

Watu Wote/All of Us

My pick: DeKalb Elementary. Unfortunately, it is about a topic on everyone’s minds. I think My Nephew Emmett looks great, but probably won’t win.

Sound Editing

And the nominees are:

Baby Driver

Blade Runner 2049

Dunkirk

The Shape of Water

Star Wars: the Last Jedi

My pick: Dunkirk. War movie, enough said.

Sound Mixing

And the nominees are:

Baby Driver

Blade Runner 2049

Dunkirk

The Shape of Water

Star Wars: the Last Jedi

My pick: Dunkirk. Same as Sound Editing. But Baby Driver could be an upset here.

Visual Effects

And the nominees are:

Blade Runner 2049

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Kong: Skull Island

Star Wars: the Last Jedi

War for the Planet of the Apes

My pick: War for the Planet of the Apes. Motion capture apes. I know, Kong is similar. But that is one ape as opposed to many. I think more apes equals more chances, hopefully since this series never wins in this category. But don’t be surprised if Blade Runner pulls an upset.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

And the nominees are:

Call Me By Your Name

The Disaster Artist

Logan

Molly’s Game

Mudbound

My pick: Call Me By Your Name. I think this is the one category this film will win. I am SOOO happy that Logan got a nomination here! But it has almost no chance. Would make me happy though!

Writing (Original Screenplay)

And the nominees are:

The Big Sick

Get Out

Lady Bird

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

My pick: Get Out. I don’t think Get Out will win anywhere else. So the Academy will likely give it some love here. Although Three Billboards could sneak in here, my money is on Get Out.