The Academy Awards 2017

THE ACADEMY AWARDS 2017

OSCAR! OSCAR! 

Can we have the CORRECT envelope please! Well it’s that time again, the 90^th Academy Awards are here this weekend and I for one am a little disappointed (like Warren Beatty was when he looked at twitter following last year’s Best Picture announcement) in the year in film as whole. Yea there were some incredible standouts, some big money makers, some small important films, it was a pretty good superhero film year I guess, but overall I was hoping for more. I mean Streep and Hanks in a prequel to All the Presidents, Aaron Sorkin writing about Hollywood and poker, Al Gore reminding us the world is dying, The Last Jedi is being a grumpy old man, and Transformers as Knights of the round table (ok ok I knew that one would be bad). I had high hopes for 2017 in film and I was left a little empty.  But the Oscars are a celebration of what was good, not disappointing so without further or do here are my official Oscar predictions of 2017. 

(Note: I have not yet seen The Greatest Showman, Mudbound, Call Me by Your Name, or The Florida Project  yet)

THE BIG ONES:

BEST PICTURE: What will win-Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (I think). Martin McDonagh really created a sharp film with excellent characters and near perfect dialogue. I loved it, but it doesn’t feel like a Best Picture to me.

What should win-Get Out (shouts to I, Tonya), it is an incredibly well-crafted film. Every scene the choices Peele makes are spot on. I think it would be a mistake for another film to win this year, double check that envelope before reading it, hey even if it says Shape of Water, maybe just yell Get Out!

BEST DIRECTOR: Who will win- Guillermo Del Toro Argument for-He made a wonderful romance about a woman and a fishman.  Argument against-He made a wonderful romance about a woman and a fishman. I mean I love the score, the French vibe (see Love me if you dare from 10 years ago) and supporting players are wonderful, but I had a hard time buying in. 

Who should win-Jordan Peele (shouts to Greta Gerwig), all he did was change the face of cinema and get the hated TSA some cred, (Get Out is the biggest money making film nominated for Best Picture…motherfucking ever!), he should be rewarded for that and for the fact that he made a flawless film.

BEST ACTOR: Who will win-Gary Oldman, his makeup was surprisingly very good, he was spot on in britishness and crabbiness, he mastered the physical aspect, and he has earned it.

Who should win- Gary Oldman (shouts to Daniel Kaluuya), but I think Oldman’s performance in an otherwise bland biopic lifts that film to a Best Picture nomination. (Maybe expected to see Jeremy Renner from Wind River or even Ryan Gosling for Blade Runner here, but I am not going to quibble with these picks for the most part, BUT I will say Daniel Day-Lewis make another film please, don’t go out like this, put the mushroom down and get back in the game!).

BEST ACTRESS: Who will win-Francis McDormand who probably should, her character Mildred Hayes is the perfect part for one of the best actresses of my lifetime, I hung on her every cuss word. 

Who should win-Francis McDormand, but I’ll make the case for Margot Robbie who was not an actress I have particularly liked so far in her short career. She really nailed the attitude and look of Tanya Harding, I never thought I would forget about Robbie and see Harding, but I did. She deserves a lot of credit, that was not an easy part, whereas what Mcdormand did, at least for her…that was fucking easy as Mildred Hayes would say.

BEST SUPPORTING’S: Who will win-Allison Janney and Sam Rockwell. Allison Janney is incredible and so funny as Tonya Harding’s mother, you can’t take your eyes off her when she is on the screen, and even has a heartbreaking moment in there for good measure. Sam Rockwell’s character is so unlikable, you end up kinda liking him, unexplainable and he absolutely earned this award.  

Who should win-They both deserve it here but I will not be upset of Laurie Metcalf from Lady Bird steals it here, she was excellent in an understated and moving role, shouts also to Woody Harrelson and Richard Jenkins but it isn’t that, close Rockwell nails it.

BEST OF THE REST:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Will win-Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I mean I for one loved that fact that people walked out of the film for its language, that is kind of the point. Wonderfully written and perfectly cast. 

Should win-Lady Bird, again I think 3 Billboards was great but Lady Bird stuck with me longer, I actually don’t love Gerwig as an actress much, but think she is a wonderful writer.  (Shout out to The Big Sick, a smart and heartfelt modern romance).

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Will win-Call Me by Your Name. 

Who should win-Wonder Woman, seriously, it isn’t nominated but should’ve been, the first truly great DC film was high on degree of difficulty and they nailed it. In an age where a lot of these superhero films feel the same, Diana Prince really felt fresh and new. Shout out to Blade Runner 2049 and Wind River, two films that will age very well.   

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Will win-Blade Runner 2049, and yes it should win (don’t argue with me), but shout out to Dunkirk and The Shape of Water.

Best Documentary: Will win-Faces Places.

Should Win- Icarus that film was incredible, I was absolutely fascinated with the lengths Russia will go to cheat (scary huh?).  (Shout out to NETFLIX and HBO for giving us numerous documentaries that were great to include If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, Spielberg, Get Me Roger Stone, and the absolutely incredible Jim & Andy…in fact I've changed my mind: SHOULD WIN-JIM & ANDY, how could that not get nominated!!! ).

Quick Picks:

Original Score-The Shape of Water (Shouts to The Last Jedi)

Original Song-This is Me (Shouts to Stand Up For Something)

Costume Design-Phantom Thread (Shouts to The Shape of Water)

Animated Feature-Coco

Sound Editing-Dunkirk (Shouts to The Last jedi)

Production Design-The Shape of Water (Shouts to Blade Runner 2049)

Visual Effects-Balde Runner 2049 (Shouts to The Last Jedi)

Check back in for my Oscars recap and here me bitch about Get Out not getting the award it deserved.