CB Special: OscarNoms Reaction

During the announcement for the 90th Academy Award nominees, I was luckily preoccupied with a few work things, and wasn’t paying attention. Good thing too, because the wait, the anticipation and the nerves would have been torture. And the pressure to seek out one particular nomination was also lifted, because right when I logged onto Twitter, I saw what I most wanted to see.

Sam Rockwell is an Oscar nominee! And may I say, about fucking time Academy! Seriously, you snubbed him for so many years it’s actually worse than the whole DiCaprio situation because Leo keeps doing the same Oscar-bait movies, (which by the way goes for Day-Lewis too!), and Rockwell is there showing far more range from comedies, to romance, to dramas – you name it, Rockwell has done it. But I can rest calmly now, until the 4th of March, because he has been nominated and dare I say, by the end of Oscar night, we’ll be calling him an Oscar winner.

I decided that this year, I’ll be doing a reaction post to the nominees, and will do a post after the Awards as well. I will try to have a day off during the award ceremony, so I can stay up all night and watch it live, which I have never done! But granted, I don’t think I have ever felt the need to as much as I feel the need this year, you know!? Anyway, I’ll go through some of the categories I feel like I actually have something to say about. Unfortunately I have nothing to say in regards to the documentaries and animations (though my guess is Coco wins) this year, as well as the categories I’m always unaware of, all short categories and foreign movies.

Best Achievement in Production Design

I have a feeling The Shape of Water will win (and win a lot this year, sadly), but I really want Dunkirk to win because cardboard people, what’s more design worthy!? But, if not any of them, then Blade Runner 2049, because anything but Beauty and the Beast is a good win.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)

I have seen 4 of the nominees, and like I said, I don’t plan to watch Phantom Thread, and out of them all, Dunkirk feels like the best choice. I can’t believe Zimmer only has one Oscar, and for The Lion King for crying out loud, so about time to get another one for him.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)

Well, I have listened to all the songs, only seen two of the movies though, and for me, This Is Me for The Greatest Showman is the best choice. And I haven’t even seen the movie, I just discovered this version for it, and I cry every time I watch it. Though, how shocking would it be if Common won over the La La Land guys?!

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

Uhm, no idea, but Darkest Hour?

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Probably Blade Runner 2049 but I do think it would be cool if War For the Planet of the Apes won, it’s also the only one I haven’t seen but I just don’t want anything else to win either.

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

I feel like I’m a broken record every time Dunkirk is nominated in a category (not for long though), but honestly, everything else in this category seems like an alright pick, except Baby Driver. I liked it all but an Oscar Winning film? It wasn’t THAT good.

Best Achievement in Film Editing

Things get a little bit more difficult here, because we are starting to get closer to the big fish categories but I would want I, Tonya to pick this one up. For the sheer reason that I think Dunkirk was a little confusing because of the non-linear timeframe, and I think the editing didn’t really help.

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Dunkirk! Because I just want it to win as many technical awards as possible, since I’m pretty sure it will lose all the big ones.

Best Achievement in Costume Design

The Shape of Water should win this, but I have a hard time believing Beauty and the Beast won’t get it. Despite my own beef with the film, it did have some very pretty costumes.

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Because I want history be made, Mudbound and Rachel Morrison is my pick for the win. But I’ll be damned, Dunkirk also deserves it.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Again, a historically magnificent pick, Logan! Being so brutally looked past in all the categories it should at least win this. It was a masterful adaptation of its kind, and I think it would at least be everyone’s favourite from the category. Nobody could deny that it is well deserved.

Best Original Screenplay

Things get a little difficult for me here because we start to get into the categories that seem to have a lot of my favourites. I would think The Shape of Water and The Big Sick won’t win just because both are very simple in their narrative. But, for it being so different and fresh, and a very great commentary on society, I would give the win to Get Out and Jordan Peele.

Best Achievement in Directing

Shit you not, everyone BUT del Toro and Thomas Anderson please, and I’ll be happy! Nolan deserves it the most, considering his career. Gerwig could be a very political win if Bigelow hadn’t won for that snooze fest Hurt Locker, so I wouldn’t give it to Gerwig quite either. Peele, now that could be a delightful win but I have a hunch I’m in for a disappointment and del Toro still wins.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

I think with two big wins in the bag for this role, Allison Janney better find an amazing dress, and nothing metallic with shoulder pads please, because she’s winning this for I, Tonya for sure.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

SAM ROCKWELL! And honestly, everyone else can just stay home, except Woody, who’s going to go and support his friend. And if by some awful tear in the universe, and Rockwell doesn’t win, they should just announce that nobody gets to win. That seems to be like the only other option for this category.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Fuck me, this is a hard one because as much as I like all these ladies (minus Streep, who should just not make a movie one year, and not get nominated for a change), I think Frances McDormand has it in the bag. But I would love Margot Robbie to win, because she would be so shocked and stunned, which would be a delightful moment. Ronan deserved to win for Brooklyn, but I’m not sure if she really truly deserves it for Lady Bird.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Fuck me again, because if they give this to Gary Oldman, I will hit someone! And I probably have to, because this seems to be the direction this is going. But, and now, everyone who hates Call Me By Your Name, stop reading now (it’s for your own good to skip this, you have been warned, because I don’t want to get yelled at), I would love for Timotheé Chalamet to win. Not only because he did a wonderful job, but imagine, winning over veterans like Oldman, Washington and Day-Lewis, it would be epic! Though, I secretly wish that Daniel Kaluuya would also win, because that would be an even more epic win, and well deserved as well. But deep down we all know that this was actually Franco’s to loose, and the Academy just got scared, and wiped his nomination under the rug. So this I think, for me, will be one of the more complicated categories, because I know that Oldman will win, but honestly, there’s a nomination missing and we all know it.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

For this year’s Best Picture category I saw 6 of the 9 nominees, and honestly, I don’t ever plan to watch the other three. Won’t see The Post, won’t watch Phantom Thread, and I have no plans to see Darkest Hour. So any win over those three will make me happy, unless it’s The Shape of Water because that doesn’t deserve it either. And I know many of you don’t like Call Me By Your Name either, so I won’t hope for its win (secretly I do but two gay movies winning back to back? that will never happen), but Dunkirk would be probably the most safest win there is. Everything else will cause mayhem. Three Billboards has haters out there, so I can imagine the backlash but I do think it should win. But I honestly think, at the end of the day, it is probably for The Shape of Water to loose, but if del Toro does get Best Director, and Academy splits the awards, Three Billboards has it in the bag instead. Which will cause an outrage of sorts, but I’d be happy.

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So those were my thoughts on the nominees. In conclusion I do want to say that The Shape of Water didn’t deserve this many nominations. Thirteen? Are you kidding me? It’s this year’s La La Land for me, the only exception being, I actually watched The Shape of Water, and liked it, but I also said it was forgettable because of its simple plot. I didn’t think it was 13 Oscar nomination worthy. The Lord of the Rings got 13 nominations, and won only 4, and if The Shape of Water beats that, I’ll be utterly disappointed.

Phantom Thread is another big mystery to me because it came out of nowhere. Critics love it, some call it their favourite of the year, but I don’t even want to see it. Last, and dare I say only Daniel Day-Lewis film I have seen is Lincoln, and I almost fell asleep during it, and that was also nominated for 12 categories (it only won 2). For me, Day-Lewis is the Meryl Streep of male nominations. He’s in a movie, he is nominated, and I think this predictability makes them less and less favorable in my eyes.

And now begins the month long wait for the actual Award ceremony, and let’s hope half the disappointments that could happen, won’t happen.