The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air on March 4. The nominees were announced in late January, and now that awards season is in full swing, with the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards having already passed, it seems like the perfect time to make some predictions for Hollywood’s biggest night of the year. I will proceed by predicting a probable winner for each category that I feel will most likely be rewarded by the Academy, followed by my personal choice for who or what film I believe is deserving of the award.
Best Picture: Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk, Darkest Hour, Get Out, Lady Bird, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Phantom Thread
Predicted Winner: The Academy will most likely give the Oscar to either The Shape of Water or Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. However, I’ll give the slight edge to The Shape of Water.
My Pick: My favorite films from this crop are Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk (I’m a self-proclaimed Christopher Nolan fangirl), Get Out, Lady Bird, and The Shape of Water. As much as I would love to see Get Out win, I still think that the masterpiece The Shape of Water is deserving of the prize this year.
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.
Predicted Winner: There is a 99% chance that Gary Oldman is going to win. There is no way that Daniel Day-Lewis will win yet again, and Denzel’s nomination is, in my opinion, questionable. Timothée Chalamet and Daniel Kaluuya were both incredible, but I doubt they’ll beat Gary Oldman, who gave an incredible performance as Winston Churchill.
My Pick: There’s no question that Gary Oldman deserves this award. However, in an ideal world, I would like to see Timothée Chalamet pull off the upset.
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
Predicted Winner: Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. She’s won the Golden Globe and SAG already, so I doubt the Oscars will be any different, even though this may be the most packed category.
My Pick: Ideally, Sally Hawkins, who gave an amazing performance without speaking a single word, Margot Robbie, who somehow made Tonya Harding a sympathetic character, or Saoirse Ronan, who stunned in Lady Bird, would win, but life isn’t fair. If I had to pick one, I’d settle on Sally Hawkins.
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
Predicted Winner: Sam Rockwell
My Pick: I love Woody Harrelson, but I’m going to have to go with Willem Dafoe for his moving performance in The Florida Project.
Supporting Actress: Mary J. Blige, Mudbound; Allison Janney, I, Tonya; Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread; Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird; Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Predicted Winner: Allison Janney. Obviously. Laurie Metcalf could be considered a dark horse, but no one is going to beat Allison Janney.
My Pick: Allison Janney. She is incredible and she deserves it more than anyone.
Best Director: Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan; Get Out, Jordan Peele; Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig; Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson; The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro
Predicted Winner: The Oscar will probably go to the visionary Guillermo del Toro, but you can never count out a heavyweight like Christopher Nolan. Also, with the momentum of the #TimesUp movement in full swing, Greta Gerwig could get a surprise victory.
My Pick: I am a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s work, but I’m torn between Guillermo and Greta Gerwig. I think Guillermo deserves to win, but I’d definitely like to see Greta win for her directorial debut.
Animated Feature: The Boss Baby, The Breadwinner, Coco, Ferdinand, Loving Vincent
Predicted Winner: Coco will surely win.
My Pick: Loving Vincent gets my pick for its stunning visuals and complete originality.
Animated Short: Dear Basketball, Garden Party, Lou, Negative Space, Revolting Rhymes
Predicted Winner: Lou
My Pick: Dear Basketball, made by basketball legend Kobe Bryant and Glen Keane, is a beautifully done film. As a Celtics fan, it’s pretty painful to admit that, but a great film is a great film.
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
Predicted Winner: Call Me By Your Name. Even though The Disaster Artist was fantastic, I doubt that it will get any love, considering the recent allegations against James Franco.
My Pick: I loved Call Me By Your Name, but I’m going to have to go with Logan, which is the first superhero movie to be nominated for writing.
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
Predicted Winner: Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird
My Pick: Greta, no question. Although, I would also be happy if Jordan Peele won.
Cinematography: Blade Runner 2049, Roger Deakins; Darkest Hour, Bruno Delbonnel; Dunkirk, Hoyte van Hoytema; Mudbound, Rachel Morrison; The Shape of Water, Dan Laustsen
Predicted Winner: Probably Dan Laustsen for The Shape of Water. Although, Hoyte van Hoytema could pull it off as well.
My Pick: Hoyte van Hoytema for Dunkirk. This was arguably the most technically/visually impressive film of the year.
Documentary Feature: Abacus: Small Enough to Jail; Faces Places; Icarus; Last Men in Aleppo; Strong Island
Predicted Winner: Faces Places, a touching story following director Agnès Varda and artist JR as they travel across rural France and form an unlikely friendship along the way, is likely to win.
My Pick: Icarus, which follows one of the biggest scandals in sports history, is particularly timely as the Olympics are nearing.
Documentary Short Subject: Edith+Eddie; Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405; Heroin(e); Knife Skills; Traffic Stop
Predicted Winner: Heroin(e), which can be found on Netflix, follows three women as they fight the opioid epidemic in West Virginia. Edith+Eddie is another contender, but considering the success of Netflix within the past few years, I’m sticking with Heroin(e).
My Pick: While Edith+Eddie certainly pulls at the heartstrings, I’m going to have to stick with Heroin(e).
Live Action Short: DeKalb Elementary, The Eleven O’Clock, My Nephew Emmett, The Silent Child, Watu Wote/All of Us
Predicted Winner: The Silent Child, which centers around a deaf four-year old girl named Libby and her caring social worker who teaches her how to communicate, is the likely winner.
My Pick: DeKalb Elementary gets my vote for its startling depiction of a school shooting incident in Atlanta, Georgia. Based on a real story, this short film certainly leaves an impression.
Foreign Language Film: A Fantastic Woman (Chile), The Insult (Lebanon), Loveless (Russia), On Body and Soul (Hungary), The Square (Sweden)
Predicted Winner: A Fantastic Woman (Chile), which follows a grieving transgender woman after she loses her partner, is a clear frontrunner.
My Pick: The Square (Sweden) gets my pick for its sheer creativity; it is unlike anything I have ever seen before, and the edgy dark comedy aspect won me over.
Film Editing: Baby Driver, Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss; Dunkirk, Lee Smith; I, Tonya, Tatiana S. Riegel; The Shape of Water, Sidney Wolinsky; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Jon Gregory
Predicted Winner: Dunkirk (Lee Smith) certainly deserves the win in this category.
My Pick: Dunkirk is my pick, but I would also welcome an upset if Baby Driver somehow pulled it off.
Sound Editing: Baby Driver, Julian Slater; Blade Runner 2049, Mark Mangini, Theo Green; Dunkirk, Alex Gibson, Richard King; The Shape of Water, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira; Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood
Predicted Winner: Dunkirk should be the clear winner of this group. The sound in this film made viewers feel as if they were actually there during the battle sequences.
My Pick: Star Wars: The Last Jedi gets my completely biased vote because I am a massive Star Wars geek. Although, I realize that Dunkirk deserves to win.
Sound Mixing: Baby Driver, Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin; Blade Runner 2049, Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill; Dunkirk, Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo; The Shape of Water, Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern; Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick
Predicted Winner: Dunkirk again. No surprise there.
My Pick: While I would love to go with Star Wars again, I think Baby Driver is worthy of this award and might actually have a chance at beating Dunkirk.
Production Design: Beauty and the Beast, Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer; Blade Runner 2049, Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola; Darkest Hour, Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer; Dunkirk, Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis; The Shape of Water, Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau
Predicted Winner: The Shape of Water, Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau
My Pick: Blade Runner 2049, Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola.
Original Score: Dunkirk, Hans Zimmer; Phantom Thread, Jonny Greenwood; The Shape of Water, Alexandre Desplat; Star Wars: The Last Jedi, John Williams; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Carter Burwell
Predicted Winner: Alexandre Desplat for The Shape of Water. The score is haunting and sets the overall tone of the film extremely well.
My Pick: John Williams for Star Wars: The Last Jedi (obviously). John Williams is a musical genius and his work in Star Wars is legendary.
Original Song: “Mighty River” from Mudbound, Mary J. Blige; “Mystery of Love” from Call Me by Your Name, Sufjan Stevens; “Remember Me” from Coco, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez; “Stand Up for Something” from Marshall, Diane Warren, Common; “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
Predicted Winner: “Remember Me” from Coco.
My Pick: “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. It’s a bop, plain and simple.
Makeup and Hair: Darkest Hour, Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick; Victoria and Abdul, Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard; Wonder, Arjen Tuiten
Predicted Winner: Darkest Hour is the clear winner for making the handsome Gary Oldman look exactly like Winston Churchill.
My Pick: Darkest Hour, Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick
Costume Design: Beauty and the Beast, Jacqueline Durran; Darkest Hour, Jacqueline Durran; Phantom Thread, Mark Bridges; The Shape of Water, Luis Sequeira; Victoria and Abdul, Consolata Boyle
Predicted Winner: Phantom Thread, Mark Bridges. This period drama’s stylish use of costumes will likely pay off.
My Pick: Beauty and the Beast, Jacqueline Durran. Durran, who is nominated twice in this category, has a fair chance at winning. Plus, the costume design was perfection, playing right into the nostalgia of my childhood.
Visual Effects: Blade Runner 2049, John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick; Kong: Skull Island, Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus; Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan; War for the Planet of the Apes, Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist
Predicted Winner: This is a packed category to say the least. However, I think War for the Planet of the Apes will take home the gold.
My Pick: Star Wars and War for the Planet of the Apes are my personal favorites, but I have to give the edge to War for the Planet of the Apes purely for Andy Serkis’s groundbreaking motion-capture performance as Caesar.