2018 Oscars: Personal Nominations

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