Pop-Culturalist.com

Well, gals and guys, it’s Oscars time! There are a ton of great films and talent nominated (and, as always, a ton of great films and talent not nominated) so it’s sure to be an interesting Academy Awards show on Sunday.

Half the fun of awards season is seeing if our predictions prove correct. So, we took a look at some of the biggest categories and picked who we think should win…and of course who we’d like to see win.

Best Picture:
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

Who should win: It’s a tie between Call Me by Your Name and Lady Bird. These two films were my favorite of the bunch. Both tugged at my heart strings in different ways. Both were tender portraits of young people discovering themselves.
Who will win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has been winning critical praise (and awards) left and right so it’s the probable winner. It’s also the type of movie that Hollywood loves to award, big name actors in darker roles, and some sort of redemption arc.

Lead Actor:
Timothée 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.

Who should win: Timothée Chalamet! His performance in Call Me by Your Name had an ease, elegance, and heartbreaking realness to it that was amazing to see for a young actor.
Who will win: Gary Oldman has been winning some of this season’s Best Actor awards so I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes this one home too. If he doesn’t get it, the Academy may honor Daniel Day-Lewis (always a superb actor) since Phantom Thread is his last film before he retires from acting.

Lead Actress:
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

Who should win: Margot Robbie was a force to be reckoned with in I, Tonya. She clearly put a lot of hard work into showing Tonya Harding’s edges as well as her vulnerabilities.
Who will win: She’s been winning this season so it’s only natural that Frances McDormand win the Oscar, too for her portrayal of the bitter, angry, and vengeful mother in Three Billboards.

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

Who should win: Willem Dafoe. I think that Dafoe is an underrated and overlooked actor when it comes to awards season.
Who will win: Sam Rockwell. Again, he’s been on a winning streak so Id be surprised if it didn’t continue.

Supporting Actress:
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Who should win: For her strong and nuanced performance, Laurie Metcalf should win. In my opinion, she was the beating heart of Lady Bird.
Who will win: Allison Janney. This is a portrayal of a mother that is the complete opposite of the one Metcalf portrays. Janney does really excel in this role (it is funny and sharp).

Director:
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

Who should win: Although I want to root for Greta Gerwig because I loved Lady Bird so much, I do think Christopher Nolan’s directing of Dunkirk was astounding. To have a nearly dialogue-free war movie be as engaging, tense, and movings as it was, is no small feat.
Who will win: Guillermo del Toro’s direction for The Shape of Water has been lauded so I think this may be his to lose.

Adapted Screenplay:
Call Me by Your Name, James Ivory
The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
Logan, Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin
Mudbound, Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Who should win: James Ivory adapted Call Me by Your Name so beautifully!
Who will win: James Ivory

Original Screenplay:
The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
Get Out, Jordan Peele
Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig
The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh

Who should win: Get Out by Jordan Peele wrote a funny, smart, and twisty film that took everyone by surprise. My other choice for this award would be The Big Sick. That was such a hilarious yet tender film (Holly Hunter, by the way, totally should have gotten some acknowledgement since this is apparently the year for women playing mothers to get nominations.)
Who will win: Martin McDonagh. Since I’m fairly certain Three Billboards will win for Best Picture, I can see it also winning in this category even though I think the story is not fully developed.

 

So, what do you think? Have your own Oscars ballot? Let us know!

 

For the full list of nominations, click here.