2018 Academy Awards: Predicting the Winners

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2018 Academy Awards, Academy Awards, Lists and Insight

With the 2018 Academy Awards airing next Sunday, March 4th, here are my final predictions for who will be taking home the gold, as well as my personal picks for who should win.

 

Best Picture

Will Win: Get Out

Should Win: Lady Bird

Could Win: The Shape of Water

Snubbed: Blade Runner 2049

 

Best Director

Will Win: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

Should Win: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Could Win: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Snubbed: Edgar Wright, Baby Driver

 

Best Actor

Will Win: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Should Win: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Could Win: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Snubbed: Jake Gyllenhaal, Stronger

 

Best Actress

Will Win: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Should Win: Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Could Win: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Snubbed: Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game

 

Best Supporting Actor

Will Win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Should Win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Could Win: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Snubbed: Will Poulter, Detroit

 

Best Supporting Actress

Will Win: Alison Janney, I, Tonya

Should Win: Alison Janney, I, Tonya

Could Win: Laura Metcalf, Lady Bird

Snubbed: Mckenna Grace, Gifted

 

Best Original Screenplay

Will Win: Get Out

Should Win: Lady Bird

Could Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Snubbed: The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Win: Call Me By Your Name

Should Win: Molly’s Game

Could Win: Mudbound

Snubbed: Blade Runner 2049

 

Best Cinematography

Will Win: Blade Runner 2049

Should Win: Blade Runner 2049

Could Win: Dunkirk

Snubbed: The Lost City of Z

 

Best Costume Design

Will Win: Phantom Thread

Should Win: Phantom Thread

Could Win: Beauty and the Beast

Snubbed: Brigsby Bear

 

Best Editing

Will Win: Baby Driver

Should Win: Baby Driver

Could Win: Dunkirk

Snubbed: Logan Lucky

 

Best Makeup and Hairsyling

Will Win: Darkest Hour

Should Win: Darkest Hour

Could Win: Victoria & Abdul

Snubbed: It

 

Best Production Design

Will Win: The Shape of Water

Should Win: Blade Runner 2049

Could Win: Blade Runner 2049

Snubbed: Hostiles

 

Best Original Score

Will Win: The Shape of Water

Should Win: Dunkirk

Could Win: Dunkirk

Snubbed: Blade Runner 2049

 

Best Original Song

Will Win: “Remember Me”, Coco

Should Win: “Mystery of Love”, Call Me By Your Name

Could Win: “This is Me”, The Greatest Showman

Snubbed: “I Get Overwhelmed”, A Ghost Story

 

Best Sound Editing

Will Win: Baby Driver

Should Win: Baby Driver

Could Win: Dunkirk

Snubbed: John Wick: Chapter 2

 

Best Sound Mixing

Will Win: Baby Driver

Should Win: Baby Driver

Could Win: Dunkirk

Snubbed: T2: Trainspotting

 

Best Visual Effects

Will Win: Blade Runner 2049

Should Win: War for the Planet of the Apes

Could Win: War for the Planet of the Apes

Snubbed: Thor: Ragnorak

 

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Annihilation- Movie Review

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Alex Garland, Annihilation, Drama, Gina Rodriguez, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson

Annihilation is an incredibly ambitious and self confidently weird sci-fi thriller, and after the monumental instant classic Ex Machina, Alex Garland has delivered another solid sci-fi film. There are definitely elements that feel out of place, namely some wide side characters, unnecessary expositional moments, and on the nose dialogue, but overall the film wrestles with some high level sci-fi content with an artful touch, including an ending that ranks among the most beautifully composed sci-fi moments in recent film history. It’s also scary as hell, and the film features a great combination of CGI and practical effects to create some truly memorable body horror.

Following the disappearance of her husband (Oscar Isaac) on a top secret military mission, a biologist (Natalie Portman) joins a team of scientist in exploring a mysterious expedition into an area where the laws of nature and science have been inverted. Many of the side characters, such as Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, have very little to do, but Portman is absolutely stellar, and managed to give humanity to the film even in its weirdest moments.

If I had to highlight a major issue with Annihilation its that despite its highly competent and mind bending premise, the film doesn’t really seem to have a deeper message, and any of the larger discussions aren’t really explored to their potential. That being said, it’s completely enjoyable on a purely visceral level, and while there are moments that drag, the ending takes the film in an experimental direction that’s haunting and exciting all at once. It’s a visceral and intense thriller, and Alex Garland has established himself as a sci-fi auteur that will be remembered. Grade: B+

Black Panther- Movie Review

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Action, Action Movies, Andy Serkis, Angela Bassett, Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Kaluuya, Drama, Forest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Freeman, Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Coogler, Superhero movies

Black Panther is one of the most impressive features that Marvel Studio has ever produced, not just for because of what it does right, but because of what it does different. The world of Wakanda is a world that feels lived in, and while Chadwick Boseman is remarkable as the titular superhero, this truly feels like an ensemble piece, with an amazing group of actors that feel like they’re part of a real community. Black Panther is an exhilarating piece of entertainment, but it’s also about something deeper, and all credit is due to director Ryan Coogler, who is becoming one of the best young talents in the industry.

After the death of Wakandan King T’Chalka in Captain America: Civil War, his son T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) ascends to the throne to become King of the enigmatic and secluded nation. When the villainous vibranium thief Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) reemerges, T’Challa and his allies discover the existence of Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), a mysterious character who aspires to take the throne for himself.

Marvel has been notorious for its remarkable ability to create compelling, interesting heroes, yet somewhat underwhelming villains, but Black Panther proves to be the standout. Michael B. Jordan’s Killmoger is a villain full of righteous anger; he’s a Wakandan raised in America, and has seen the prejudice and hatred throughout the world that’s not present in the secluded location of Wakanda. He’s got radical ideas, but they come from a place of tragedy and injustice, and B. Jordan sells his reasons for becoming the film’s antagonist. Killmonger is the type of villain that you can’t help agree with about a great many things, and I honestly believe that B. Jordan’s work should warrant serious consideration for Best Supporting Actor.

Of course, Boseman is great as T’Challa, and gives a truly layered performance as a man struggling as both a superhero and a king, and struggles to balance his commitment to law and justice. The ensemble is populated by wonderful supporting actors, including Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong’o, Letita Wright, Danai Gurira, and Martin Freeman; this is a world that feels populated by character who have relationships beyond what we see onscreen, and the strength of the entire cast only strengthens the emotional resolve for T’Challa and his journey.

The film is also just beautifully shot, with Wakanda feeling like a real place with unique customs and environments. There’s a variety of great environments, including a great night club scene that feels plucked right out of a James Bond movie, and the visual design is unlike anything ever seen in a Marvel movie.

What makes the film standout among recent comic book films in my eyes is its emotional undercurrents; revelations made about past events have a profound impact upon both T’Challa and Killmonger, and while they have an emotional affect upon the story unfolding onscreen, they represent something that is relevant to our world and a great many people. Ironically, the film’s only problems are ones that involve its action scenes; there’s some action scenes that are hard to follow at points, and some of the CGI near the end is slightly problematic.

Black Panther is a great Marvel movie, establishing a world unlike we’ve seen before full of complex characters, fascinating political intrigue, and genuinely impactful subtext. Ryan Coogler has established himself as a filmmaker willing to push boundaries, and Black Panther is a film that both fits within the larger context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while also standing as its own self-contained story. Grade: A-