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Here’s a look at what could go down at this year’s Oscars
By Jimmy Fortuna-Peak
Best Picture
There’s a trick to figuring out the best picture category. Any of the best picture films that are nominated for best director, editing, and screenplay, is an automatic frontrunner to win the Oscar. The only film that qualifies into all three of these categories this year is The Shape of Water. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri may have won the Golden Globe, but The Producers Guild went to The Shape of Water, a more accurate predictor of who will win. Also, it suffers from not having a nomination in the best director category. Lady Bird, Get Out, Dunkirk, and Call Me By Your Name could all be possible upsets as well and deserve some merit. Darkest Hour, The Post, and Phantom Thread were all great films, but have little to no chance at winning the Best Picture award. While I would love to see Lady Bird win the night, The Shape of Water looks to take its place in cinema history.
Best Director
Best director promises to be a very exciting category this year with some very deserving nominees. Guillermo del Toro is the current front runner with his magnum opus, The Shape of Water, and is looking to get his long-awaited Oscar. Christopher Nolan, is nominated for his work on Dunkirk, a stunning new take on the war film genre. Greta Gerwig is only the fifth woman to ever be nominated for best director and deservedly so with her film, Lady Bird. Jordan Peele is nominated for his directorial debut with the surprise success of Get Out. While I would love to see Gerwig or Nolan take the prize, del Toro will most likely take home the gold.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Just like in the best actor category, Frances McDormand looks to almost be guaranteed an Oscar. Her phenomenal performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has garnered her praise all throughout Hollywood. Meryl Streep proves to be arguably the best actress of all time with her 21st nomination. Sally Hawkins and Margot Robbie both give great performances but won’t likely take the prize. Personally, I would love to see Saoirse Ronan win for her depiction of Lady Bird in Lady Bird; however, McDormand looks to be unstoppable in this awards season and should be looking at getting her second Oscar on awards night.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
If there was one award that I can say is an almost a guarantee, it’s Gary Oldman winning best actor for his role in Darkest Hour. Oldman has had a long and celebrated career, and the only thing left for him to do is win an Oscar. His only contender is Timothée Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name, and even then, it’s a slim chance that Oldman could be defeated. It has been a long time coming, but Oldman is looking to finally win his Oscar.
Best Supporting Actress
The clear and deserved frontrunner for best supporting actress is Allison Janney’s performance as the psychotic LaVona Golden in I, Tonya. While Janney is the clear frontrunner, Laurie Metcalf and Octavia Spencer should be noted as giving subtle, yet effective roles in Lady Bird and The Shape of Water. Janney is looking to win her first Oscar ever and deservedly so.
Best Supporting Actor
The closest race in this year’s Oscars is between Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project and Sam Rockwell for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in the best supporting actor category. Both gave fantastic pmances in their respective roles and are neck-and-neck to take the prize. Christopher Plummer’s performance in All the Money in the World has gained a lot of talk as he filmed his role in an 8 day reshoot, but is nowhere near the caliber of the other two. While Rockwell might have given the stronger performance, I believe that Dafoe will take the Oscar home as this is his third nomination compared to Rockwell’s first.
