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”
Based upon my reading and watching of entertainment television, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Lady Bird,” “The Shape of Water,” along with “Call Me by Your Name,” have been raking in the awards at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes and (S)creen (A)ctor (G)uild Awards.
Fans and critics have been raving all over the internet about which film will take home the award for Best Picture; but “Call Me by Your Name” has scored highly in the ratings and the profits in the box office. It is a coming-of-age film based on a novel of the same name that swept the world by storm when it was published in 2007. Author André Acima did not fear the circumstances of being broad and daring — he was not afraid to speak to controversial topics such as homosexual relationships and age gaps in relationships.
“Call Me by Your Name” speaks to more than just one gender. It speaks to men, women and those who are not sure of what their identify is. It speaks in short words — you can love who you love — despite obstacles that may stand in your way. It shares that standing up for what you believe in is very important. It is a movie that speaks out to members of the LGBTQ group and shares ideas that few directors have been courageous enough to take since the early 2000s, as some did in “Brokeback Mountain,” “Moonlight” and “A Single Man.”
Best 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”
Across the award shows that have recently aired, Saoirse Ronan and Frances McDormand have been reeling in prestigious nominations and awards as best actress. Even though they are competing against one another, there is still a strong and healthy relationship between them. After all, it still continues to be the year for women in Hollywood.
Women have finally worked their way through the cracks to even the playing field in Hollywood, gaining the leads and speaking on topics that truly deserve to be aired. In taking the #MeToo movement into consideration, women have gained their place among treasured speakers in Time magazine. Women are finally speaking up for what is right and what is important.
I would personally love to see Ronan take home another award, considering what gold “Lady Bird” turned out to be, but based on fans’ reactions to McDormand’s performance in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” it is hard for fans to get their hopes set on Ronan taking the award home.
Best Actor:
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”
The nominees are both new and longtime members of the Hollywood clique. Timothee Chalamet and Daniel Kaluuya are the newcomers, having just risen to the headlines, with Chalamet in “Call Me by Your Name” and Kaluuya in “Get Out,” both films that speak in depth on controversial problems such as racism and LGBTQ relationship.
It can be argued that the expected winner of this award will be Oldman or Day-Lewis for their performances. “Darkest Hour” has taken home many other awards, no doubt because Oldman underwent major prosthetics and trained himself to get the speaking style of Winston Churchill just right.
Best Supporting Actress:
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Hollywood is calling this category “the battle of the moms.” Each actress nominated played a mother in her role. It is Janney’s first Oscar nomination. Fans and critics, along with editors, are arguing that Metcalf has a good chance at taking home the award for the perfectly rounded matriarch that she portrayed in “Lady Bird.”
Each of the nominees addressed controversial subjects, such as discrimination in “Mudbound,” or the way that the past was re-lived in “I, Tonya.”
Best Supporting Actor:
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
All the nominees have a reputation in Hollywood for winning. Woody Harrelson and co-star Sam Rockwell are up against one another for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and though they played two polar opposite characters, the actors could not be more supportive of one another.
Rockwell put a lot of time and thought into his character. He brought the critics to appreciate his character’s depth and personality. Not all audience members enjoyed Rockwell’s character — as there is an antagonist in almost every film you watch — but he was enjoyable to watch in this role. Bets are that his character development and hard work will bring home the Oscar.
Critics are also wondering if Plummer’s role was played well enough to take home the award. He might not even have been among the nominees if Kevin Spacey hadn’t been fired. Plummer was cast quickly and director Ridley Scott chose to re-shoot each scene Spacey had been in. The product in the end was gold. Audiences will ultimately be pleased with whoever receives the award on Oscar night.
I hope that the audiences are as excited as I am.
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