Oscar Predictions

It’s that time of the year again: awards season, also known as the time of the year when film nerds get up in arms about films or performers that don’t get a gold trophy, which I am totally in the camp of.

Last week, the Oscars released their nominations for the 2018 awards. In my opinion, they were mostly expected, though there were some surprises that I was happy about along with others that I very strongly disagree with. With that being said, here are some of my predictions for this year’s upcoming awards.

Best Original Screenplay

This category is probably the most stacked category this year. Each of these screenplays are wholly worthy of their nomination and it’s very up in the air on who will actually win. In my opinion, Get Out or The Shape of Water will win, with the edge going slightly to The Shape of Water.

Best Supporting Actor

Patrick Stewart should win this for Logan, but he’s not even nominated. This is the definition of a snub. Despite that snub, and based on who is nominated instead, Sam Rockwell’s performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri makes this his category to lose.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

While each of the women nominated in this category gave amazing performances this past year, the fight for the Oscar comes down to two of them, Sally Hawkins for The Shape of Water and Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I think Hawkins has the edge in this category, but I wouldn’t be sad if McDormand won either.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

There are two performances nominated in this category that I just don’t understand: Denzel Washington for Roman J. Israel, Esq. and Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out. Regardless, I feel this fight is between Timothée Chalamet for Call Me by Your Name and Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread. Chalamet’s performance is incredible, but due to the fact that Phantom Thread is apparently Lewis’ final role, the award belongs to him.

Best Director

This is Guillermo del Toro’s category to lose. Each of the other directors in this category are deserving of the nomination, although people could argue against Jordan Peele for Get Out and Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk, but del Toro as a director just imbued something simply wonderful into The Shape of Water and should be rewarded for such a magical film.

Best Picture

You may be sensing a pattern at this point, but The Shape of Water should win Best Picture. It has been nominated more than any other film this year, with good reason, and it is, to put it simply, better executed in nearly every aspect than every other film nominated this year. Maybe if another film were nominated (Blade Runner 2049) I would be singing a different tune, but based on these nominations, The Shape of Water should win Best Picture.