Okay,\u00a0 this won’t be pretty unless you mean pretty last minute, but I managed to crank out some Oscar predictions just before the big ceremony. Feel free to use these to make your own predictions, but I really don’t have a clue what will happen in a lot of these categories. These are educated guesses and most of last year’s educated guesses got utterly decimated.\u00a0 With that said, here’s how I think it’ll go down.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Best Visual Effects:<\/p>\n
Will Win: <\/strong>War For the Planet of the Apes<\/p>\n I unfortunately did not manage to see the third and final film in what may be the decade\u2019s best trilogy. I do know, having watched Weta and Andy Serkis bring Cesar to life over the first two top-notch films, that this is probably the one to beat. It\u2019s not just that all the newer Apes films have looked great, it\u2019s how impressive it is to see this level of visual effects work go not just into an environment or a spaceship or a battle but into creating fully realized characters that you believe in. There\u2019s plenty of stiff competition, but I think that the accomplishment of creating Cesar (in tandem with Serkis\u2019 towering acting), combined with the admiration everyone feels for the effects company that brought Lord of the Rings <\/em>to life, will be enough to give Apes <\/em>the gold.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong> Blade Runner 2049<\/p>\n There\u2019s a very good chance that Apes <\/em>deserves the win, but since I haven\u2019t seen it, I\u2019ll go with the best visual effects I saw this year. Blade Runner 2049 <\/em>is an absolutely stunning visual feat, from the grand visions of a futuristic Los Angeles to the smaller character touches. It\u2019s not every year that you get a film create a world out of visual effects that not only looks breathtaking but actually works as a visionary piece of filmmaking. This is arguably year\u2019s best purely sensory accomplishment. I hope it wins and that its win helps encourage more films like it: movies that pair awe-inspiring effects with equally awe-inspiring ideas.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m certainly no expert on the field of visual effects as an actual art form. Like the casual museum-goer, I just know what I like. I know what I think looks good. I also know that I like when great visual effects do more than prop up the next giant blockbuster extravaganza. For that reason, I\u2019ll crib from the AV Club\u2019s page and say that the Academy should have found space to honor the visuals in Okja<\/em>, Bong Joon Ho\u2019s lovely, energetic, and tear-jerking tale of a young Korean girl\u2019s quest to save her giant pet superpig from the slaughterhouse. The superpig Okja a handful of other superpigs we meet are really the only visual effect in this movie, but it\u2019s key to the film\u2019s emotional heft that we come to believe in these animals as sentient, emotionally sensitive being. For creating a lifeform out of lines of code and making her one of the year\u2019s most memorable, lovable characters (human or animal), Okja <\/em>certainly deserved a spot over at least one of the other films nominated here. I\u2019m looking at you, Thanos.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sound Mixing:<\/p>\n Will Win\/Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quick one sentence layman\u2019s primer: sound mixing is the art of taking sounds that have already been created (a.k.a. sound editing) and deciding how they should be incorporated into the film. I\u2019m probably crazy not to pick Dunkirk <\/em>here, but I have a feeling that Baby Driver <\/em>will win at least one of the three awards it\u2019s up for. Baby Driver <\/em>was a fantastic, fun lark, and it was also the kind of effervescent, carefree lark that was never guaranteed a spot at Oscar\u2019s lofty table. The fact that it not only has three nominations, including the all-important Editing nomination, but also won the BAFTA two weeks ago means that this film is admired a lot. It even got a Producers Guild Award nomination back in January, which means it got real, real close to being a Best Picture nominee. I expect this to win somewhere and, to be honest, this may be where it most deserves to win. Baby Driver <\/em>is all about playing with a toychest of sound and deciding how it should match the images. This merry-go-round of pop songs, engine vrooms, and gunfire is a great work of sound mixing. Here\u2019s hoping it pulls off this little heist on Sunday.<\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated<\/strong>:<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to go with a film that I loved in many ways and also hated in a few. It famously got rid of what little score it had, just so it could wallow in the music of its own tortured soundscape. It\u2019s the year\u2019s most miserably grating, audaciously ambitious arthouse nightmare, mother! <\/em>Leaving aside what about this epically angry, disorienting film works and what doesn\u2019t on a purely thematic level, I can scarcely name a sonic experience that did a better job of getting under my skin. Sonically disquieting even in its less bombastic moments and a literal maelstrom of noise as it starts to descend into the Hell of its third act, Darren Aronofsky\u2019s mother! <\/em>Is, for better and worse, a testament to how much torture a filmmaker can inflict just through the sounds of a house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sound Editing:<\/p>\n Will Win\/Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sound editing is the process of creating the sound that goes into a film, which kind of makes it like the aural equivalent of Visual Effects. In all honesty, its been a pretty remarkable year for big, loud films. The new Star Wars <\/em>and the new Blade Runner<\/em> both exceeded expectations, there was a nice crop of really good superhero films, and the little V8 engine that could, Baby Driver<\/em>. There\u2019s also a very sound-driven film called Shape of Water<\/em> that\u2019s angling hard for every technical Oscar it can get its hands on en route to a Best Picture win. Tough race is what I\u2019m saying. Still, it\u2019s hard to see this going to anything but Dunkirk<\/em>. Christopher Nolan created a terse nightmare of popping bullets, groaning ship hulls, rushing water, and sandy explosions. And above all there\u2019s the near-demonic whine of those German aircraft, descending like banshees out of the sky. I love Dunkirk<\/em>, but even those who don\u2019t can\u2019t deny that it is the year\u2019s most supremely blistering sonic assault.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, I don\u2019t even know. We need to get out of these technical categories into areas where I can pretend that I have a clue what I\u2019m talking about. I don\u2019t really have much of an axe to grind with any of the nominees in this category. Even if I find The Shape of Water<\/em> to beless than a perfect film, it\u2019s hard to argue with its being included here. The feeling of that government lab and the subtle sound design for how the Creature communicates are part of what really works for that film. Baby Driver, Dunkirk<\/em>, and Blade Runner 2049 <\/em>are among the standout films of the year on a purely sensory level. And Star Wars<\/em> is terrific. You leave Star Wars <\/em>alone, Internet. I\u2019ll just go with Wonder Woman<\/em>. Watching a woman stand in the middle of No Man\u2019s Land deflecting a whirlwind of bullet fire was one of the great theater experiences of the year, and it certainly could not have worked without good sound editing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Best Production Design:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s a very good chance that Shape of Water <\/em>is our Best Picture winner, and a big, lush film like this doesn\u2019t get there without picking up some hardware along the way. And even if it would not be my choice, I\u2019d be hard pressed to say that the production design isn\u2019t the MVP of this film. It\u2019s a world bathed in blues and greens and the aesthetic of the film frankly does a better job communicating the idea of deep emotions fighting to escape the rigid constraints of society than the script does. I think you can take this one to the bank and it won\u2019t be entirely undeserved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Still, the year\u2019s most singular act of world-building is Blade Runner 2049<\/em>. From the neon hellscape of Los Angeles to the rusty junkyards of San Diego to the orange, dusty ruins of Las Vegas, Blade Runner 2049<\/em> never coasts on a single look. Its production design is always working to find new ways to conjure societal rot and make it look hypnotically beautiful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Again, not everything should be about massive scale, though of course Oscar has a very hard time seeing things that way. Production Design shouldn\u2019t always be about the most design work or the most eye-catching scenery. Call Me By Your Name<\/em> announces in its opening credits that it is going to do a marvelous job filling its spaces (a large home in northern Italy circa 1980, and the surrounding towns) with little details. Old essays, half-filled glasses of apricot juice, crumpled cigarette packs, beads hanging from the doorways of the local bars. This film has a tremendous wealth of perfect, small, lived-in production design and it deserved to be recognized.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cinematography:<\/p>\n Will Win\/Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Roger Deakins sits atop the list of glaring Oscar omissions, having been nominated 14 times and never won. He\u2019s a frequent collaborator with the Coen Brothers, the man who brought rustic majesty to the Assassination of Jesse James<\/em>, and he\u2019s now conjured some of the year\u2019s most breathtaking imagery with Blade Runner 2049<\/em>. There\u2019s a lot of showy work in Shape of Water<\/em> and I could make an equally compelling argument for why it might win as part of a very large haul. Still, I think this is finally Roger\u2019s year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Florida Project<\/em> saw director Sean Baker step up to a larger canvas (his last film, Tangerine<\/em>, was shot entirely on an iPhone) and paint a world that was equally beautiful and ugly. The gaudy images of strip malls set against the blue Florida skies or the hazy purples and oranges of twilight at the Magic Castle motel were key in creating an atmosphere perfectly perched between whimsy and sorrow. The camera work by Alexis Zabe helped to make The Florida Project <\/em>an exquisitely balanced cocktail of gaudy, surreal, and vibrant.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Short Film (Animated)<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n So I didn\u2019t manage to see Denzel Washington\u2019s nominated turn in Roman J. Israel<\/em>, Esq.<\/em>, but you know what I did manage to see? Every single short film in all three of the categories. It\u2019s a first for me. Let\u2019s start with the weakest category this year: animation. I\u2019m going to take the advice of my friend, Madeleine Covey, who reminded me that most of the Oscar voters live in Los Angeles. For that reason, a lot of them will be fans of the Lakers and of Kobe Bryant, and they will be particularly susceptible to the charms of Dear Basketball<\/em>, a retirement letter written and narrated by Bryant, animated by Disney legend Glen Keane, and scored by the great John Williams. It wouldn\u2019t be my choice, but it\u2019s a nice, easy heart-tugger that will be appealing to a very friendly jury.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Negative Space<\/em>, the story of a man on the way to his father\u2019s funeral who reminisces about how they used to bond over packing suitcases, is the most clever, the most genuinely moving, and is the only one that features stop-motion animation. It\u2019s got the right balance of eccentricity, humor, and pathos and it\u2019s the only one that I would really feel tremendously eager to revisit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n I have not yet reached the level in my film geekery where I can tell you about short films that weren\u2019t nominated. One day though.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Short Film (Live Action)<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Dekalb Elementary<\/em>, the story of an elementary school administrator who stops a school shooting through empathy and good listening. It\u2019s one of the better short films in any category and it\u2019s anchored by a good performance from Deloris Crenshaw. Above all, in the wake of all the recent shootings, it\u2019s a topical short film that reminds its audience of a horrific issue without actually being horrific. That means it will make voters think and won\u2019t turn them off by challenging them too much.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a toss-up between The 11 O\u2019Clock<\/em>, a very funny New Zealand about a psychiatrist and his patient who believes that he is actually the psychiatrist, and All of Us<\/em>, a compassionate true story about a Kenyan bus attack where Muslim passengers disguised and protected Christian passengers. The 11 O\u2019Clock <\/em>is better written and more novel but I did really like All of Us<\/em>. It\u2019s the kind of inspirational story that often gets nominated in this category, but I found this one to be focused and engaging in its details, from the pacing to the quality of the performances. I would be happy with either of these films winning<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Short Film (Documentary)<\/p>\n Will Win\/Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the first time I\u2019ve watched any of the documentary shorts and I\u2019m quite glad I did. This was the strongest short film category. Even the weakest film, Knife Skills<\/em>, about a fancy restaurant that trains and employs ex-convicts, was charming, thoughtful, and well made. The best one, however, is Heroin(e)<\/em>, a sobering but very humane look at the opioid crisis, centered in the overdose capital of America: Huntington, West Virginia. I loved this piece of work, which can be viewed on Netflix. It approaches a sad and sobering crisis, but focuses on the efforts of three smart, resilient women: a kind, patient EMT who tends to overdose victims, a lively judge who specializes in rehabilitating drug offenders, and a minister who spends her nights diligently delivering food to the city\u2019s prostitutes. It\u2019s a look at an important issue that feels very alive and I left feeling good. I also cast the roles of the three women in the fictional recreation of the film that exists only in my head because I\u2019m a nerd. Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, and Kathy Bates can expect a phone call from me in the near future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Animation:<\/p>\n Will Win\/Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ll confess that I have only seen two of the nominated films. My two year-old nephew\u2019s favorite, The Boss Baby<\/em> and Pixar\u2019s lovely, charming Coco<\/em>. In a pretty weak year for animated films, Coco <\/em>was the one shining light. It\u2019s the strongest Pixar film in 7 years for my money and it faces absolutely zero competition from any of the other nominated films.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n I didn\u2019t get to see much animation this year, and it was also a pretty thin year for that genre. I\u2019ll just give a shout-out to a film that I hear great things about: In This Corner of the World<\/em>. It\u2019s the story of Hiroshima told in the months before the atomic bomb was dropped. I hear it\u2019s lovely, mature, and appropriately sorrowful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Documentary:<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of talk about Oscar having a bias against Netflix, but I think there can be cases where being on Netflix helps a film. Icarus <\/em>and Strong Island \u00a0<\/em>are the two films on this list that is available on the streaming platform, and I think that means they will have been seen by the most people. Strong Island <\/em>is a bracing look at racism and grief. Icarus <\/em>is the story of the Russian Olympics doping scandal. With Russian corruption prominently in the news, I think Icarus<\/em> will win due to its topicality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n In truth, I have only seen two of the nominated films, but I have a hard time imagining any film deserving the win more than Faces Places<\/em>, the touching, effervescent love letter to working class people in France, directed by the ninety-four year-old cinema legend, Agnes Varda. The film sees Varda pair up with a young artist who puts up giant photographic murals on buildings and the two of them take a touching road trip through France to interview people and photograph them. It\u2019s thoughtful and fun and sweet and it culminates with what may be my favorite ending in any film this year. I badly want this win to happen!<\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Dawson City: Frozen Time<\/em>, the story of a tiny town that was part of the Yukon Gold Rush and the tins full of long-lost turn-of-the-century films that were excavated under an old building. This was one of the most singular watches I had in 2017, as the filmmakers use clips from these old, forgotten films to tell the story of both movie history and the history of this small town. The surprise is in finding out how many remarkable people actually passed through this little, desolate place. It has the serene feeling of a history book being told through a lullaby and it\u2019s quite unlike anything I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Original Score:<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Alexandre Desplat is a great composer and he does very strong work on Shape of Water<\/em>, lending the film its balance between sweet romance and eerie science fiction. The film, as many have said, is Amelie <\/em>mixed with Creature From the Black Lagoon<\/em>, and Desplat\u2019s score ably captures that interesting hybrid. This score is what a theremin would sound like if it learned to speak French.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Radiohead\u2019s Jonny Greenwood, who created what may still be the best score of the century for There Will Be Blood<\/em>, was finally recognized for one of his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson: Phantom Thread<\/em>. It\u2019s the best work in this category by a comfortable margin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n If they were more adventurous, they could have gone with Good Time<\/em>, which draws great power from Oneohtrix Point Never\u2019s schnazzy, pulse-pounding shot of techno adrenaline. If they wanted something more traditional but still great, they could have gone with Tamar-kali\u2019s score for Mudbound<\/em>, which sounds bluesy and beautifully somber and, like everything else in that film, seems positively caked in Mississippi mud.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Song:<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n A lot of people say that The Greatest Showman<\/em>\u2019s massive box office could give the win to \u201cThis Is Me\u201d. Still, Coco<\/em> was a tremendous box office success as well and \u201cRemember Me\u201d is a better song that plays a crucial role in the film\u2019s plot. I predict that the husband and wife team of Robert and Kristin Lopez follow up their win for \u201cLet It Go\u201d with a second trophy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sufjan Steven\u2019s lovely, romantically melancholy \u201cMystery of Love\u201d from the impossibly lush and romantic Call Me By Your Name<\/em>. He\u2019s the greatest singer-songwriter of his generation and seeing him perform will be the reward, but I can\u2019t imagine any other song deserving the win.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n They should have either given Sufjan a second nomination for the beautiful, film-closing \u201cVisions of Gideon\u201d or given a nomination to my favorite song from Coco<\/em>, \u201cUn Poco Loco\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Foreign Language Film:<\/p>\n Will Win\/Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m cheating here. The only nominated film I\u2019ve seen is the harrowing Russian film Loveless<\/em>, about a miserable divorcing couple trying to find their missing son. It\u2019s very good but I don\u2019t see it winning. My sources tell me that the Chilean film A Fantastic Woman<\/em> will take home a well-deserved Oscar for telling the empowering story of a transgendered woman grieving her dead lover and standing up to the society that represses her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n I still haven\u2019t found a way to watch it, but the big snub in this category seems to be France\u2019s BPM<\/em>, which tells the story of gay rights activists in the 1980s through a terrific ensemble cast and a focus on character dynamics.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adapted Screenplay:<\/p>\n Will Win\/Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Legendary screenwriter James Ivory\u2019s adapation for Call Me By Your Name<\/em> helps create a beautiful world of words to stand inside the sumptuous visual world of the film. It\u2019s a beautiful, psychologically rich look at being young, at discovering one\u2019s sexuality, and of experiencing the wonderful, terrible ache of first love. Elio Perlman is one of the most singular, nuanced characters created in a film this year and Ivory deserves a lot of credit for helping to bring him to life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a bit of a thin category, so I\u2019m not upset about anything missing. If I had my way, however, I might have given some love to Sophia Coppola\u2019s well-observed, subtly feminist adaptation of The Beguiled<\/em>, which took the sleazy, hothouse pulp of the original Clint Eastwood film and gave it interesting new shades.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Original Screenplay:<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m predicting Jordan Peele for penning one of the year\u2019s best horror films, comedies, and lacerating social critiques all in one. It would be a richly deserved win and I think it could very well happen after Peele won at the Writers Guild Awards. That said, Peele was not up against Martin McDonagh\u2019s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri<\/em>, which has been utterly dominant this entire awards season. I\u2019m going to predict Peele partly because I think it\u2019s a real possibility and partly because it\u2019s the outcome I would like to see. Adjust your own predictions accordingly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n My favorite screenplay is Greta Gerwig\u2019s warm, prickly, and funny Lady Bird<\/em>. It\u2019s my favorite comedy of the year, it\u2019s my favorite drama of the year, and it\u2019s the year\u2019s richest character study. If I had my way, Lady Bird <\/em>would be taking Original Screenplay and a whole lot more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n You know, I have a reputation for being harsh on baity films, but I really only object to bad bait. So let me earn myself some brownie points here and say that I loved the rich layer of melty prestige that was Steven Spielberg\u2019s The Post<\/em>. It was a beautiful, writerly, and admirably restrained piece of work and I would have been quite happy with it getting nominated. It\u2019s certainly a better screenplay than Shape of Water<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Supporting Actress:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Last year was a great night at the Oscars for Brady Larsen. Lonergan and Affleck and Mahershala all won well-deserved trophies and it all culminated with Moonlight<\/em> completing the sweetest Best Picture upset of all time. And as I stood there, I thanked the Oscar gods and said that I would not get too upset about anything next year because that year had been so perfect. So this is me saying through clenched teeth that I am not the least bit upset that Allison Janney, an actress I adore in most of what she does, will be winning this award for her fun, one-note performance as the world\u2019s most hellish mother in I, Tonya<\/em>. Not upset. Who said anything about being upset? Certainly not me. It must be the wind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Laurie Metcalf\u2019s beautiful work as a flawed mother that you can actually relate to. (I understand that Lavona Harding is supposed to exactly as bad as Janney portrays her, but that still doesn\u2019t make her interesting to watch). Metcalf\u2019s work as the overbearing but essentially kind Marion MacPherson is a beautiful thing to watch, every bit the equal of the outstanding film around her. Wry, funny, infuriating, fallible and utterly human. It will break my heart not to see this performance win, but there it is.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Holly Hunter\u2019s wonderful work as the tough, worried mother in The Big Sick<\/em> or Jennifer Ehle\u2019s lively, observant work as Emily Dickinson\u2019s sister in the terrific biography, A Quiet Passion<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Supporting Actor:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sam Rockwell, whose racist cop with a perhaps-overly-pat redemption arc is the most problematic element of Three Billboards Outside Ebbinng, Missour<\/em>. Still, Sam Rockwell is one of our greatest character actors and I do think this is worthy of being called great work. I may have to take a hot shower after I call it great work, but it is great work nonetheless.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Still, no supporting performance was maybe as great or, frankly, as crucially supportive as Willem Dafoe\u2019s career-best work as Bobby, the manager of the run-down Magic Castle motel in The Florida Project<\/em>. Meeting this protective, gentle man and seeing Moonnee and Haley\u2019s broken but hopeful world through his eyes was the most moving time I had with a character this year. I\u2019m still frankly shocked that the combined factors of a perfect performance and the chance to honor Willem Dafoe won\u2019t be enough for him to win.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Jason Mitchell came out of nowhere a few years ago and wowed me in Straight Outta Compton<\/em>, but he takes things to another level as a black soldier returning to hostile, racist Mississippi and forming a tentative friendship with his white neighbor\u2019s brother. Mitchell perfectly plays the notes of wounded pride, fear, and essential compassion of a good man trying to adjust to civilian life and form a new friendship in a very dangerous time and place for black Americans.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Actress:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Frances McDormand\u2019s very strong turn as Mildred Hayes in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri<\/em> will be the winner. Right or wrong, something about the film and Mildred in particular has struck a chord with people and tapped into the MeToo and Time\u2019s Up movements. I\u2019d feel better about that if I thought that Three Billboards<\/em> had anything really substantive to say about those movements, but so be it. The fact is that this potently acted portrayal of an angry, aggrieved woman giving the world Hell has registered with a lot of people and it\u2019s hard to be too upset at the idea of the great Frances McDormand having a second Oscar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Saoirse Ronan\u2019s portrayal of Christine \u201dLady Bird<\/em>\u201d MacPherson may be the year\u2019s most deft character work, presenting a teenager who is believable, funny, selfish, and completely alive. The job that Ronan and her director Greta Gerwig have done in balancing the comedy, drama, and all-around human messiness of this perfect coming-of-age film is the year\u2019s best film miracle for me. People are saying that this work will assure Ronan a win in the near future, possibly for playing Mary Queen of Scots. Good for Ronan and I do badly want her to win one day, but I don\u2019t need another Oscar for a historic royal. This is the type of performance I want to see honored. Funny, shrewd and vital to its very bones.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Brooklynn Prince\u2019s unforgettable work as Moonee in The Florida Project<\/em> makes me want to rant at every person who uses the word \u201cchild performance\u201d as a pejorative. We can talk until we\u2019re blue in the face about how much credit should go to the director of the film for coaxing the performance, but that\u2019s what every director does. Child or adult, this is an utterly great performance, keenly attuned to the film\u2019s lively sense of comedy and to the deep, cavernously dark places the film eventually has to go. I sobbed like an infant at Moonee\u2019s final scene twice and I object to the idea that what she does there is not A-grade acting by a person of any age.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Actor:<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Gary Oldman is great in Darkest Hour<\/em>. I won\u2019t even be one of those people who says it\u2019s hammy. Well, actually, I will. It is hammy, but it\u2019s hammy in the right way. Some films call for restraint and realism, but Darkest Hour<\/em> is history as a great entertainment. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s subtle, but I think that\u2019s because Oldman knows that this is not a subtle film. His approach is pitch-perfect and he\u2019s a Hell of a lot of fun. So, there. I\u2019ve made my peace\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2026 with the fact that Timothee Chalamet\u2019s staggeringly nuanced work as Elio Perlman will not win. And we can again have the Saoirse Ronan conversation and say that this sets this 23-year old wunderkind to take home an Oscar one day. And all I can say is that I hope it happens and that he deserves it, but this work right here is undeniable. This is the year\u2019s strongest acting performance, full-stop. Probably of the last few years. I know that this won\u2019t happen and that he\u2019s young and will have time, but it does bother me. Chalamet will be great again, I\u2019m sure, but I don\u2019t know when he will be this great again. I frankly don\u2019t know when anyone will be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Guess what, Twilight readers? 2017 was the year that I became a Robert Pattinson fan. Part of that was his terrific, quiet performance in James Gray\u2019s The Lost City of Z<\/em>, but the big one is the Safdie Brothers\u2019 Good Time<\/em>, in which Pattinson plays one of the greatest ne\u2019er-do-wells I have ever seen. Pattinson\u2019s Connie Nikas, a shifty, low-rent criminal trying to break his mentally handicapped brother out of prison after a botched bank robbery, is a jagged bundle of desperation, flop sweat, and bad decision-making. Watching his dark night of the soul was simultaneously one of the most entertaining and appalling film experiences I had all year And there are precious few films I can say that about.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Director:<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Guillermo del Toro is a lovely human being. If anyone else were winning director for Shape of Water<\/em>, I would be kind of appalled. But seeing that cuddly hobbit of a man with his little spectacles and his breathless enthusiasm for film up on stage will take at least some of the sting off of the win. And don\u2019t get me wrong, Shape of Water <\/em>is a pretty film with a meticulous aesthetic and one grade-A performance from Sally Hawkins. All of that is to del Toro\u2019s credit, even if I don\u2019t find Shape of Water<\/em> to be a particularly directorial achievement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n Greta Gerwig directed my favorite film and deserves a lot more credit than she has gotten for the quiet, nuanced approach she takes. But if not her, I am flabbergasted that the kinetic energy, suffocating tension, and frenzied pacing of Dunkirk<\/em> will not be enough to secure Christopher Nolan the win. In July, Nolan winning was the surest thing I could imagine and I\u2019m pretty sure I quietly prayed for something unpredictable to happen. I should have been more careful what I wished for.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Should Have Been Nominated:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sean Baker\u2019s The Florida Project<\/em> is the year\u2019s greatest directorial achievement. It has everything. The greatest performance of master thespian Willem Dafoe\u2019s career sharing the screen with great performances from non-professionals. A beautiful balancing of whimsy and heartbreak. A keen eye that sees economically depressed Kissimee, Florida as both a place dreams go to die and a place where dreams are born if you are young and innocent enough to see the beauty in everything. A profound sense of empathy for those trying to get by in this relentless world. And finally, after creating something between a Terrence Malick film and Bicycle Thieves<\/em>, he pulls one last card out of his sleeve and drops the year\u2019s most jaw-dropping ending. It\u2019s wholly original and also feels like it\u2019s just always existed, which means that Sean Baker created something perfect. I wish he were nominated, but I take solace in the simple fact that this beautiful film now exists.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Picture:<\/p>\n Will Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a hard year for predicting Best Picture. The Shape of Water <\/em>won the Producers and Directors Guild Awards and its big competitor, the SAG-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri<\/em> has no Director nomination. Still, Three Billboards <\/em>has otherwise been on fire, including winning the BAFTA. The other wrinkle is that the Oscars use a special ranked ballot that makes it harder to win if you\u2019re a polarizing film. There are a handful of people thinking