Here’s my
other annual write-up, the movies and individuals I would’ve nominated in my
favorite categories if I were an Oscar voter.
As usual, I can’t resist a little not-necesssarily-realistic genre
inclusion, although I also have some more typical Oscar films here that I don’t
think got the love they deserved.
Best Picture – Lots of changes here. I always go with the full ten for best
picture, even though only nine were nominated this season. That said, of those nine, I only kept four,
making room for some of the other films I really loved.
The Big Sick
Coco – Absolutely gorgeous and 100% deserving of a place
here. Honestly, I’m a little surprised
it didn’t make a best picture
nomination.
Darkest Hour
Get Out
I, Tonya – Of the nominated films I saw this year, this
was one of my favorites, and I really wish it had been recognized more.
Lady Bird
Marshall – While not quite everything I would’ve wanted
it to be, I thought this was a really interesting story well-told. I’d certainly pick it over Phantom Thread or The Post.
The Shape of Water
Wonder Woman – Seriously.
The Zookeeper’s Wife – This one was probably never a serious
contender, coming out so early for a traditional Oscar-type film, but I loved
it – so wonderfully done.
Best Lead Actor – Most of the heavy hitters stayed in this
category, but there are a few off-the-beaten names added in. (Honest to God, I debated including Dan
Stevens for Beauty and the Beast,
another performance I loved, but he didn’t quite make it in.)
Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name)
Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)
Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
Chadwick Boseman (Marshall) – I swear, this isn’t just a
placeholder until I can nominate Boseman next year for Black Panther; he’s great in this movie, too!
Tom Holland (Spider-Man:
Homecoming) – Maybe a bit of a silly entry, but Holland is the best
Spider-Man I’ve ever seen, and that deserves props.
Best Lead Actress – More changes here. To be fair, I would’ve kept Sally Hawkins if
it weren’t for the signing – I realize that’s an unfair standard, since I have
no idea how good or bad any other actor is performing in a language they don’t
know, but I just couldn’t justify it.
Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World) – Love Williams
in this role; I definitely would’ve swapped out Meryl Streep for her (no shade
on Streep, just that this is the better part and so gives Williams a better
opportunity to really run with what she’s given.)
Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)
Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)
Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) – There are a lot of
excellent elements coming together for this film, but Gadot is a huge part of
it, bringing so much life, strength, and warmth to the proceedings.
Jessica Chastain (The Zookeeper’s Wife) – Seriously, I
think Chastain is so great here. I
really, really wish the Academy had looked this film’s way at least a little
bit.
Best Supporting Actor – I kept all three of the nominated
actors whose performances I’ve seen (sorry, Three
Billboards guys!) and added a couple more.
This is a really strong category, though – there are more I wish I could’ve
squeezed in.
Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World)
Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project)
Sebastian Stan (I, Tonya) – This is a really different
sort of role for Stan, and I’m very impressed with him in it.
Jason Mitchell (Mudbound) – Both Mitchell and Garrett
Hedlund are really good here, but I had to give the edge to Mitchell’s strong
performance.
Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water)
Best Supporting Actress – The usual suspects… and a couple of
comic book ladies!
Allison Janney (I, Tonya)
Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)
Dafne Keen (Logan) – How great is Keen in this
movie? Totally ferocious and very
natural for a young actress.
Mary J. Blige (Mudbound)
Tessa Thompson (Thor:
Ragnarok) – There’s a lot to love about Thor: Ragnarok, but Thompson
is one of my favorite things about it.
Her funny, badass performance isn’t to be missed!
Best Direction – This was a pretty tough category, because
there’s a lot of great work this year, but I had to boot a couple of the
official nominees out to make room for a few favorites.
Get Out
I, Tonya – Again, I wish this film was recognized much
more than it is – it’s so great.
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Wonder Woman – Along with Gadot, Patty Jenkins is the film’s
other major heavy-hitter. It certainly
wouldn’t be what it is without her excellent direction.
Best Original Screenplay – Another tough category. I could eliminate Three Billboards, since I haven’t seen it, but I had to get rid of one other film to make enough room, and
sadly, Lady Bird didn’t quite make
it. I wish it could’ve – this was a
terrific year for original screenplays.
The Big Sick
Coco – So creative, and a beautiful celebration of music and
legacy.
Get Out
I, Tonya – I know, more I, Tonya love. It deserves
it!
The Shape of Water
Best Adapted Screenplay – Making room for Marshall and The Zookeeper’s
Wife, which are definitely my go-to “snubbed typical-Oscar films.”
Logan
Marshall
Molly’s Game
Mudbound
The Zookeeper’s Wife
Best Cinematography – As I’ve said before, cinematography isn’t
something I pay huge attention to in general, but when it catches my eye, it
really brings something vital to the film.
I think I did pretty well this year in picking out films with
award-worthy cinematography.
Dunkirk
Get Out – The camera work absolutely adds to the suspense and
tension.
I, Tonya – The well-chosen cuts bring a lot of their
own humor to the film.
Mudbound
The Shape of Water
No comments:
Post a Comment