Thoughts On The 2018 Oscar Winners

Leading up to the airing of the 90th Academy Awards, I predicted who I thought and wanted to win each category. Naturally, I was right with some of my predictions and wrong about others. I intend to go through the winners of each category and give my thoughts.

Visual Effects

My Prediction: Blade Runner 2049

Winner: Blade Runner 2049

This category was obvious. None of the visuals were as revolutionary and stunning as those from Blade Runner 2049. Everything else was basically your standard blockbuster fare. Blade Runner 2049 was the only one of the nominees that received virtually universal critical acclaim. This category is about the visuals, but the Academy will always favor a high quality film.

Costume Design

My Prediction: Beauty and the Beast

Winner: Phantom Thread

While I was wrong here, I can see why Phantom Thread won. Beauty and the Beast has very magical costume design, but Phantom Thread had the same gothic style of clothing; it was also more superior and realistic. All things considered, I can see why Phantom Thread won, although all of the nominations were very strong.

Makeup and Hair

My Prediction: Darkest Hour

Winner: Darkest Hour

This was a given in my opinion. The makeup and hair crew transformed the famous Gary Oldman into the equally famous Winston Churchill. Oldman was completely unrecognizable, and the genuinity of his performance relied on his appearance. No other nominee accomplished anything this impressive.

Original Song

My Prediction: “Remember Me” (Coco)

Winner: “Remember Me” (Coco)

In my opinion, the two main contenders were “Remember Me” and “Mystery of Love,” but I gave the edge to “Remember Me” due to its emotional weight and universal lyrics. It’s a song to which everyone can relate, and the same cannot be said for “Mystery of Love.” Both are great, but “Remember Me” is a real tearjerker and is truly memorable.

Original Score

My Prediction: Dunkirk

Winner: The Shape of Water

I predicted Dunkirk here because I personally preferred it, and it was quintessential to the film itself. The Shape of Water, however, did have a very whimsical score. I am not upset that it won.

Production Design

My Prediction: The Shape of Water

Winner: The Shape of Water

This was a complete guess. I only predicted The Shape of Water because of its many nominations and admittedly unique production. It turns out I was right, and I can see why. It is a very well produced film, and it is very unique in how everything looks on screen. This category, however, was a wild card.

Sound Editing/Sound Mixing

My Prediction: Baby Driver

Winner: Dunkirk

I am admittedly not well-versed in the technicalities of sound in film, but I thought Baby Driver might win due to its fast-paced editing and great mix of sounds, dialogue, and music. I obviously did not not predict correctly. Dunkirk, however, certainly does have very crisp, clear sound, so I can see why it won.

Film Editing

My Prediction: Dunkirk and Baby Driver

Winner: Dunkirk

I could not decide on one distinct prediction here, but Dunkirk was very deserving. The film has three separate timelines that unfold side by side. The catch is that these timelines do not take place in the same amount of time. This parallel storytelling with unequal timelines leads to the plot being purposely out of order. The same events are witnessed from different perspectives at different points in the film. It is mind-boggling, and it adds to the disorientation and dauntingness of the film.

Cinematography

My Prediction: The Shape of Water

Winner: Blade Runner 2049

Well, I was wrong with this one. I gave the benefit of the doubt to The Shape of Water due to its lush appearance, great camerawork, and distinctive Guillermo del Toro style, but Blade Runner 2049 snagged the award instead. I suppose this makes sense. Blade Runner 2049 has a very distinctive appearance too, and it has very immersive cinematography, so this win makes sense.

Original Screenplay

My Prediction: Get Out

Winner: Get Out

Admittedly, this was not a very confident prediction on my part, but I did guess correctly. Get Out is an understandable winner. It is wildly original and scary, and it is also full of social commentary and satire. The Academy loves anything that is socially relevant and critical, so this win probably made the most sense. Get Out fully deserved the win in my opinion; it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Adapted Screenplay

My Prediction: Call Me By Your Name

Winner: Call Me By Your Name

I originally said that this category had a “clear winner.” There were some other solid nominees like Mudbound and Logan, but none of them are on the same level as Call Me By Your Name with its intimate story, phenomenal performances, stunning realism, and gorgeous score. After all, it was the only one of the nominees that was also nominated for Best Picture.

Animated Feature

My Prediction: Coco

Winner: Coco

This was another obvious category. First of all, whenever there’s a Pixar movie, it nearly always wins this category. When you consider that Coco is one of Pixar’s best films to date and that the rest of this year’s nominees were quite underwhelming (I still don’t know why The Lego Batman Movie wasn’t nominated), then this category was a guaranteed win for Coco.

Director

My Prediction: Jordan Peele (Get Out)

Winner: Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water)

I initially opted against predicting Guillermo del Toro, but he certainly did a fantastic job with The Shape of Water. This category was not easy to predict, and I guessed incorrectly. I still think it could have been anyone’s game, but congratulations to Guillermo del Toro.

Supporting Actress

My Prediction: Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)

Winner: Allison Janney (I, Tonya)

I personally loved Laurie Metcalf’s incredibly moving performance as a mother struggling to live with her nearly-adult daughter. I did not, however, see I, Tonya, so I did not get to witness Allison Janney’s performance as the cold mother of Tonya Harding. Still, I am sure she did an amazing job, and she probably did deserve the award.

Supporting Actor

My Prediction: Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Winner: Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Based on what I saw last year, Sam Rockwell was the clear winner. None of the nominees had to deal with such a complex character. Rockwell’s character went through a dynamic change as the film progressed, and he handled the complexity with masterful skill. He was very impressive and completely deserved the win.

Lead Actress

My Prediction: Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water)

Winner: Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

This category did not have a clear winner, but I gave the benefit of the doubt to Sally Hawkins. Hawkins played the role of a mute janitor who falls in love with a strange monster housed at the government lab where she works. Hawkins managed to deliver an incredibly emotional performance without speaking a single line of dialogue, and I thought that was very impressive. Frances McDormand, however, still gave a realistic performance, and I am not upset that she won. This really could have gone to anybody.

Lead Actor

My Prediction: Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name)

Winner: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)

I will admit that my prediction here was personal preference. I loved Chalamet’s performance more than any other. I thought it was very realistic, committed, and all the more impressive when considering his age. I have not seen Darkest Hour, but I have heard great things about Gary Oldman’s performance. Apparently, with his makeup and his performance, he completely disappeared into the role. I just prefered Timothée Chalamet’s performance, and I would have loved it if he had won.

Best Picture

My Prediction: Call Me By Your Name

Winner: The Shape of Water

Much like the previous category, this prediction was based on personal preference. I saw The Shape of Water, and it was not my absolute favorite of the year. My personal favorite of the bunch was Call Me By Your Name due to its reserved, intimate, realistic, and raw story. It also had phenomenal performances across the board, a whimsical score, and stunning cinematography. Nonetheless, The Shape of Water is still a fantastic film. It might not have been my personal favorite, but I can’t remember the last time that my favorite nominee won Best Picture. All of the nominees were excellent, well-deserving films, and it would make some degree of sense for any of them to win. Congratulations to The Shape of Water!

Overall, I was wrong about some things and right about others. I may have been wrong about some of the categories, but that is only because I had different favorites and opinions. That’s the beautiful thing about great films. The same film can affect everyone differently and give everyone a different impression. These films are artistic and visionary and are anything but straightforward, and this means that they have anything but straightforward consensuses. Everyone has different favorites every year, and that is what is so fascinating about film.