The 90th Academy Awards are nearly upon us, as the films of 2017 finally walk down the red carpet. Owing to my UK home I am still yet to see some of the nominees, but do keep up with my specific thoughts on all the films as I see them.
Here are my final predictions for this year’s Academy Awards, indicating what I think will win, what I think should win, and a film I think was snubbed. Enjoy!
Best Picture
A tricky task to predict this one. Early signs all pointed to The Shape of Water and indeed the film stands out to me as the safest choice for Academy members. I do wonder about Three Billboards, though it will likely have the opportunity to win in other categories.
- 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
Will Win: The Shape of Water // Should Win: Dunkirk // Snubbed: Blade Runner 2049
Best Director
Five pleasingly different nominations. Anderson, del Toro, and Nolan all have their own well-established styles and aesthetic tendencies. Gerwig and Peele seem to be well on their way to establishing their own unique voices too. I think del Toro will win, meaning that the Best Picture and Director are from the same film for the first time since Birdman.
- Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread)
- Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water)
- Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)
- Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)
- Jordan Peele (Get Out)
Will Win: Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) // Should Win: Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) // Snubbed: David Lowery (A Ghost Story)
Best Actor
The Academy probably think its about time Gary Oldman won an Academy Award and rightly so. Good to see some young emerging talent in Chalamet and Kaluuya; though a shame that McAvoy was forgotten about completely.
- 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.)
Will Win: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) // Should Win: Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.) // Snubbed: James McAvoy (Split), Robert Pattinson (Good Time)
Best Actress
Hard to pick this category. I’m going for McDormand’s second Oscar win, though don’t count out Ronan or Hawkins sneaking in there.
- 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)
Will Win: Frances McDormand (Three Billboards) // Should Win: Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) // Snubbed: Rooney Mara (A Ghost Story)
Best Supporting Actor
- 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)
Will Win: Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards) // Should Win: Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) // Snubbed: Idris Elba (Molly’s Game), Patrick Stewart (Logan)
Best Supporting Actress
Janney has won everything and she will win the Oscar too. Probably I, Tonya‘s only win of the evening.
- Mary J. Blige (Mudbound)
- Allison Janney (I, Tonya)
- Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread)
- Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)
- Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)
Will Win: Allison Janney (I, Tonya) // Should Win: Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) // Snubbed: Nicole Kidman (The Killing of a Sacred Deer)
Best Original Screenplay
- Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor (The Shape of Water)
- Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)
- Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
- Kumail Nanjiani & Emily Gordon (The Big Sick)
- Jordan Peele (Get Out)
Will Win: Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards) // Should Win: Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards) // Snubbed: David Lowery (A Ghost Story), Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou (The Killing of a Sacred Deer)
Best Adapted Screenplay
A chance for the Academy to award Call Me By Your Name in what is a relatively weak category this year.
- Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green (Logan)
- James Ivory (Call Me By Your Name)
- Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist)
- Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game)
- Virgil Williams and Dee Rees (Mudbound)
Will Win: James Ivory (Call Me By Your Name) // Should Win: James Ivory (Call Me By Your Name) // Snubbed: Hampton Fancher, Michael Green (Blade Runner 2049)
Best Editing
- Jon Gregory (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
- Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos (Baby Driver)
- Tatiana S. Riegel (I, Tonya)
- Lee Smith (Dunkirk)
- Sidney Wolinsky (The Shape of Water)
Will Win: Sidney Wolinsky (The Shape of Water) // Should Win: Tatiana S. Riegel (I, Tonya) // Snubbed: David Lowery (A Ghost Story)
Best Cinematography
If there is one award that I could pick the winner myself, this would be it. Deakins deserves an Oscar and hopefully it is his year. Come on Academy!
- Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049)
- Bruno Delbonno (Darkest Hour)
- Hoyte van Hoytema (Dunkirk)
- Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water)
- Rachel Morrison (Mudbound)
Will Win: Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) // Should Win: Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) // Snubbed: Andrew Droz Palermo (A Ghost Story)
Best Production Design
- Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau (The Shape of Water)
- Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis (Dunkirk)
- Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola (Blade Runner 2049)
- Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer (Beauty and the Beast)
- Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer (Darkest Hour)
Will Win: Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer (Darkest Hour) // Should Win: Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola (Blade Runner 2049) // Snubbed: Jade Healy, Tom Walker (A Ghost Story)
Best Sound Editing
- Alex Gibson & Richard King (Dunkirk)
- Mark Mangini & Theo Green (Blade Runner 2049)
- Nathan Robitaille & Nelson Ferreira (The Shape of Water)
- Julian Slater (Baby Driver)
- Matthew Wood and Ren Kylce (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
Will Win: Alex Gibson & Richard King (Dunkirk) // Should Win: Julian Slater (Baby Driver) // Snubbed: The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Best Sound Mixing
- Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Mac Ruth (Blade Runner 2049)
- Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, and Glen Gauthier (The Shape of Water)
- Tim Cavagin, Julian Slater, Mary H. Ellis (Baby Driver)
- Gregg Landaker, Gary Rizzo, Mark Weingarten (Dunkirk)
- Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
Will Win: Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Mac Ruth (Blade Runner 2049) // Should Win: Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Mac Ruth (Blade Runner 2049) // Snubbed: The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Best Visual Effects
- Joe Leterri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist (War for the Planet of the Apes)
- Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, John Nelson (Blade Runner 2049)
- Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus (Kong: Skull Island)
- Neal Scanlan, Ben Morris, Michael Mulholland, Chris Corbould (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
- Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)
Will Win: Blade Runner 2049 // Should Win: War for the Planet of the Apes // Snubbed: Dunkirk
Best Original Score
- Carter Burwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
- Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water)
- Jonny Greenwood (Phantom Thread)
- John Williams (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
- Hanz Zimmer (Dunkirk)
Will Win: Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water) // Should Win: Jonny Greenwood (Phantom Thread) // Snubbed: Benjamin Wallfish and Hans Zimmer (Blade Runner 2049)
Best Original Song
- “Mighty River” (Mudbound)
- “Mystery of Love” (Call Me By Your Name)
- “Remember Me” (Coco)
- “Stand Up For Something” (Marshall)
- “This is Me” (The Greatest Showman)
Will Win: “Remember Me” (Coco) // Should Win: “Remember Me” (Coco) // Snubbed: “I Get Overwhelmed” (A Ghost Story)
Best Costume Design
- Consolata Boyle (Victoria & Abdul)
- Mark Bridges (Phantom Thread)
- Jacqueline Durran (Beauty and the Beast)
- Jacqueline Durran (Darkest Hour)
- Luis Sequeira (The Shape of Water)
Will Win: Mark Bridges (Phantom Thread) // Should Win: Mark Bridges (Phantom Thread) // Snubbed: Renee April (Blade Runner 2049)
Best Make-Up and Hairstyling
- Daniel Phillips, Lou Sheppard (Victoria & Abdul)
- Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick (Darkest Hour)
- Arjen Tuiten (Wonder)
Will Win: Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick (Darkest Hour) // Should Win: Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick (Darkest Hour) // Snubbed: It
Best Animated Feature
- The Boss Baby
- The Breadwinner
- Coco
- Ferdinand
- Loving Vincent
Will Win: Coco // Should Win: The Breadwinner // Snubbed: The Lego Batman Movie
Best Documentary Feature
- Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
- Faces Places
- Icarus
- Last Men in Aleppo
- Strong Island
Will Win: Faces Places // Should Win: Faces Places // Snubbed: City of Ghosts
Best Foreign-Language Film
- A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
- The Insult (Lebanon)
- Loveless (Russia)
- On Body and Soul (Hungary)
- The Square (Sweden)
Will Win: A Fantastic Woman (Chile) // Should Win: The Square (Sweden) // Snubbed: Happy End (France), Western (Bulgaria), Thelma (Norway)
Tally
- The Shape of Water – 4 wins (Picture, Director, Editing, Score)
- Three Billboards – 3 wins (Actress, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay)
- Blade Runner 2049 – 3 wins (Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing)
- Darkest Hour – 3 wins (Actor, Production Design, Make-Up & Hair)
- Coco – 2 wins (Animated, Original Song)
- I, Tonya – 1 win (Supporting Actress)
- Call Me By Your Name – 1 win (Adapted Screenplay)
- Phantom Thread – 1 win (Costume Design)
- Dunkirk – 1 win (Sound Editing)
- Faces Places – 1 win (Documentary)
- A Fantastic Woman – 1 win (Foreign Language Film)
The Draff 