The Oscars (2018)

After the fiasco that was the presentation of Best Picture last year, Jimmy Kimmel is back (and I think Pwc is too). This year's race is wide open. The Shape of Water is the leader with 13 nominations. But Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won the Golden Globe over The Shape of Water. On the one hand, Three Billboards does not have a directing nomination which should be a death knell. But remember Argo? Argo won Best Picture arguably BECAUSE voters thought Ben Affleck was snubbed and voters wanted to honor it elsewhere. That is conceivable this year too.

Best Picture
My Top Films of 2017: 

1. Blade Runner 2049
2. Dunkirk
3. Faces Places
4. Lady Bird
5. The Shape of Water
6. The Florida Project
7. The Meyerowitz Stories: New and Selected
8. Get Out
9. The Disaster Artist
10. Chasing Coral
11. Columbus

My Ranking:

1. Dunkirk
2. Lady Bird
3. The Shape of Water
4. Get Out
5. Call Me By Your Name
6. The Post
7. Phantom Thread
8. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
9. Darkest Hour
   

My Predictions:

1. The Shape of Water
2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
3. Get Out
4. Dunkirk
5. Lady Bird
6. Phantom Thread
7. Call Me By Your Name
8. The Post
9. Darkest Hour

Best Director:
Will Win: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Honorable Mention: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Best Actor:
Will Win: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Should Win: Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Honorable Mention: Daniel Day Lewis, Phantom Thread

Best Actress:
Will Win: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Should Win: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Honorable Mention: Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water

Best Supporting Actor:
Will Win & Should Win: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project


Best Supporting Actress: 
Will Win: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Should Win: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Will Win: Call Me By Your Name
Should Win: The Disaster Artist

Best Original Screenplay:
Will Win: Get Out
Honorable Mention: Lady Bird

Best Cinematography:
Will Win & Should Win: Blade Runner 2049


Best Costume Design:
Will Win & Should Win: Phantom Thread


Best Film Editing:
Will Win: Dunkirk
Honorable Mention: Baby Driver

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Will Win & Should Win: Darkest Hour


Best Production Design:
Will Win: The Shape of Water
Honorable Mention: Blade Runner 2049

Best Score:
Will Win & Should Win: The Shape of Water
Honorable Mentions: Phantom Thread and Dunkirk

Best Song: (maybe the toughest category this year and I don't really love any of them)
Will Win: Mighty River, Mudbound

Best Sound Editing:
Will Win: Dunkirk

Best Sound Mixing:
Will Win: Dunkirk
Possible Spoiler: Baby Driver

Best Visual Effects:
Will Win: War for the Planet of the Apes
Honorable Mention: Blade Runner 2049

Best Documentary:
Will Win: Icarus
Should Win: Faces Places

Best Foreign Language Film:
Will Win: The Square, Sweden

Best Animated Feature:
Will Win & Should Win: Coco

Best Animated Short:
Will Win: Dear Basketball

Best Documentary Short: 
Will Win: Heroin(e)


Best Live Action Short:
Will Win: DeKalb Elementary

Update: I scored 18/24 this year, which is a respectable 75% but...I feel like my mistakes were avoidable. If I had been less stubborn and just picked the favorites to win, I'd have a higher score. I made some easy mistakes...Always next year