The Academy Awards are finally here and 2018 was yet another great year in film. It's the first time a superhero movie is nominated for Best Picture (Black Panther), the highest grossing music biopic is being honored (Bohemian Rhapsody), and a Netflix/foreign film is tied for the most nominations and is slated to win big (Roma; 10). I'm eager to see who wins a statue on Sunday night and I've made my picks for who should win and who I think will win in nearly every category.
Best Picture
Black Panther, Kevin Feige (producer)
BlacKkKlansman, Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee (producers)
Bohemian Rhapsody, Graham King (producer)
The Favourite, Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos (producers)
Green Book, Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga (producers)
Roma, Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
A Star Is Born, Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor (producers)
Vice, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin Messick (producers)
Who should win: Black Panther
Who will win: Roma
Of course, I'm biased toward Black Panther, but how cool would it be for a superhero movie to finally take home the top honor? Especially one with a dominantly black cast? The answer is "very", but there's it would be a surprise if the Oscar didn't go to Roma.
Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale, Vice
Brandley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity's Gate
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Who should win: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Who will win: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Malek went all out for his successful take as the late Freddie Mercury and showed us that he can play both a monotonous computer hacker on TV and a flamboyant rock star on the silver screen just as well.
Actress in a Leading Role
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Who should win: Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Who will win: Glenn Close, The Wife
It seems that it's finally Glenn Close's time for an Oscar (she's 0 for 6!), but Lady Gaga stole my heart as Aly in A Star Is Born. Also, Olivia Colman deserves more recognition for her work in The Favourite and could very well sneak her way to an Oscar win.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice
Who should win: Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Who will win: Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Ali has been an unstoppable force in the past few years and is about to go two for two for an Oscar. He's too talented. It's almost unfair.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, Vice
Marina de Tavira, Roma
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Who should win: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Who will win: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Weisz was definitely exciting to watch in The Favourite, but King has this one in the bag as she was the true heart and soul of Beale Street.
Animated Feature Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Who should win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Who will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Disney has won this award six years in a row and even with two films in this category this year, it still looks like that streak is about to be broken from this comic book come to life.
Cinematography
Cold War, Lukasz Zal
The Favourite, Robbie Ryan
Never Look Away, Caleb Deschanel
Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
A Star Is Born, Matthew Libatique
Who should win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
Who will win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
As if writing, producing, and directing the film wasn't enough, Cuarón took on another role as cinematographer and did a spectacular job.
Costume Design
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Mary Zophres
Black Panther, Ruth Carter
The Favourite, Sandy Powell
Mary Poppins Returns, Sandy Powell
Mary Queen of Scots, Alexandra Byrne
Who should win: Black Panther, Ruth Carter
Who will win: The Favourite, Sandy Powell
I'm a huge believer that Black Panther had the best costume design of any other movie in 2018. They used a 3-D printer for some of the pieces! That's innovation. However, The Favourite featured some very complex pieces worthy of an Oscar as well.
Directing
BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee
Cold War, Pawel Pawlikowski
The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos
Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
Vice, Adam McKay
Who should win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
Who will win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
There's no contest in this category. I haven't seen directing like this in a film in a long time, or maybe even ever for that matter.
Film Editing
BlacKkKlansman, Barry Alexander Brown
Bohemian Rhapsody, John Ottman
The Favourite, Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Green Book, Patrick J. Don Vito
Vice, Hank Corwin
Who should win: Bohemian Rhapsody, John Ottman
Who will win: Vice, Hank Corwin
Film editing is what really made both of these movies great, but for different reasons. Bohemian Rhapsody was fluid and cohesive with its editing, whereas Vice's flashy style made for bold, effective statements.
Foreign Language Film
Capernaum, Nadine Labaki (Lebanon)
Cold War, Pawel Pawlikowski (Poland)
Never Look Away, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Germany)
Roma, Alfonso Cuarón (Mexico)
Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan)
Who should win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón (Mexico)
Who will win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón (Mexico)
Obviously.
Makeup and Hairstyling
Border, Göran Lundström and Pamela Goldammer
Mary Queen of Scots, Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks
Vice, Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney
Who should win: Vice, Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney
Who will win: Vice, Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney
So I didn't see the other two films in this category, but there's no doubt that Vice has the W here.
Music (Original Score)
Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson
BlacKkKlansman, Terence Blanchard
If Beale Street Could Talk, Nicholas Britell
Isle of Dogs, Alexandre Desplat
Mary Poppins Returns, Marc Shaiman
Who should win: Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson
Who will win: If Beale Street Could Talk, Nicholas Britell
Göransson already won a Grammy for his scoring of Black Panther, so he may actually have a shot here. However, Beale Street's score is very vital and to the overall tone of the film.
Music (Original Song)
"All The Stars" from Black Panther (Music by Kendrick Lamar, Mark “Sounwave” Spears and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith; Lyric by Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith)
"I'll Fight" from RBG (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns (Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyric by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman)
"Shallow" from A Star Is Born (Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt)
"When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Music and Lyric by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings)
Who should win: "All The Stars" from Black Panther (Music by Kendrick Lamar, Mark “Sounwave” Spears and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith; Lyric by Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith)
Who will win: "Shallow" from A Star Is Born (Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt)
I'm having Grammy flashbacks with this specific category, but neither won when they went up against each other. This time, however, it looks like Gaga is getting her Oscar, just not for her acting.
Production Design
Black Panther, Hannah Beachler (Production Design); Jay Hart (Set Decoration)
The Favourite, Fiona Crombie (Production Design); Alice Felton (Set Decoration)
First Man, Nathan Crowley (Production Design); Kathy Lucas (Set Decoration)
Mary Poppins Returns, John Myhre (Production Design); Gordon Sim (Set Decoration)
Roma, Eugenio Caballero (Production Design); Bárbara Enríquez (Set Decoration)
Who should win: The Favourite, Fiona Crombie (Production Design); Alice Felton (Set Decoration)
Who will win: The Favourite, Fiona Crombie (Production Design); Alice Felton (Set Decoration)
The Favourite had amazing production value. It was extravagant and elegant. I couldn't help but look all around each room in each scene to try and see every little detail.
Short Film (Animated)
Animal Behaviour, Alison Snowden and David Fine
Bao, Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb
Late Afternoon, Louise Bagnall and Nuria González Blanco
One Small Step, Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas
Weekends, Trevor Jimenez
Who should win: Bao, Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb
Who will win: Bao, Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb
If Pixar doesn't win this year for Incredibles 2, then at least give one to Bao.
Sound Editing
Black Panther, Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
Bohemian Rhapsody, John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
First Man, Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
A Quiet Place, Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
Roma, Sergio Díaz and Skip Lievsay
Who should win: A Quiet Place, Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
Who will win: First Man, Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
Sound clearly played a big part in A Quiet Place and it was sound itself that became a main character, but it looks like First Man is favored here.
Sound Mixing
Black Panther, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
Bohemian Rhapsody, Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali
First Man, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis
Roma, Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio García
A Star Is Born, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve Morrow
Who should win: Black Panther, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
Who will win: First Man, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis
Superhero movies never win here, so give it Blank Panther. See above for reasoning for First Man.
Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War, Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick
Christopher Robin, Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould
First Man, Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm
Ready Player One, Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk
Solo: A Star Wars Story, Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Dominic Tuohy
Who should win: Ready Player One, Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk
Who will win: Avengers: Infinity War, Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick
Ready Player One was filled with so many Easter eggs, which means more intricate special effect scenarios, but Infinity War had flawless visuals.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Ballad of Buster of Buster Scruggs, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
BlacKkKlansman, Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
If Beale Street Could Talk, Written for the screen by Barry Jenkins
A Star Is Born, Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters
Who should win: If Beale Street Could Talk, Written for the screen by Barry Jenkins
Who will win: BlacKkKlansman, Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
Watching Beale Street felt like the book literally leapt onto the screen, but BlacKkKlansman is also a worthy contender in this category.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Favourite, Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
First Reformed, Written by Paul Schrader
Green Book, Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
Roma, Written by Alfonso Cuarón
Vice, Written by Adam McKay
Who should win: The Favourite, Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
Who will win: Green Book, Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
Green Book is the type of story that audiences love and eat up, especially in today's social climate, but The Favourite is incredibly unique and much more intriguing.