90th Oscars Nominations - News

I love the Oscars. The celebrity, the pageantry, the blunders (like last years historic one). I get a big kick out of it all. We predict, we wager. It's like the Super Bowl for cinema, but instead of what color Gatorade is used, we bet on what color dress Catherine Zeta-Jones is going to wear.

So, of course, earlier this morning (at the oddly specific time of 5:22 PST), I watched the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards being announced. I thought I would run down some of the more prominent categories, and give my general thoughts. Just a note, predictions will be saved for a later date. Let's get started...

First off, I absolutely loved the shorts they showed prior to the tech categories. They put a fun spin on what can be a really boring announcement show. I also liked the combo of Andy Serkis and Tiffany Hadish, but I would have preferred they explained to Tiffany how to pronounce certain names PRIOR to this morning.

VISUAL EFFECTS

This one's between Star Wars: The Last Jedi and War for the Planet of the Apes. With both relying on heavy motion-capture CGI for lead performances, I have o imagine it goes to one of these two. Keep your eye on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as the dark horse here.

COSTUME DESIGN

Beauty and the Beast jumps out at me here, though Victoria and Abdul could pull it out. The Shape of Water winning would not shock me either, as I think that could pull a Return of the King this year.

ORIGINAL SCORE

I believe that The Last Jedi has the strongest top to bottom score of any of the Star Wars films, introducing strong new pieces with classic nostalgia. Plus, how great of a sight would it be to watch John Williams walk across that stage again?

SOUND MIXING/SOUND EDITING/FILM EDITING

Baby Driver deserves all 3. If the sound and film isn't edited to be at such a frenetic pace, the film just does not work. The fast pace sells what is going on in Baby's head, and keeps the film in motion. Dunkirk may sneak in for editing, but I was didn't feel that the editing conveyed the time differentials in the 3 fronts well enough, which knocks it out of the running in my opinion.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY/ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Get Out was one of the most original and unique films in years. Though it faces stiff competition, I hope the Academy does not overlook its accomplishments.

Logan and The Disaster Artist brings a smile to my face. A comic book movie and a movie about Tommy Wiseau being recognized for their exceptional writing. What a time.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS/SUPPORTING ACTOR

I know the Academy loves Octavia Spencer no, but this nomination boggles my mind. She was fine, not Oscar-worthy.

Same goes for Richard Jenkins. He was not even the best supporting actor in the film. Michael Shannon got robbed, perennially underrated.

LEAD ACTRESS

It wouldn't be the Oscars without a little Meryl Streep.

BEST PICTURE

As I alluded to in my review, The Shape of Water has all it takes to be an Oscar favourite. Final predictions aside, I would put good money on The Shape of Water walking home with the most hardware.

I do find it curious that they would nominate 9, not the full 10. What's 1 more? Logan, The Disaster Artist, Blade Runner 2049, The Big Sick or Baby Driver could have all been slotted in.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The tech categories are the stiffest competition, and will be the most entertaining to hear the winner. A lot of the heavier categories seem fairly cut and dry, but the Academy does like to throw a curveball every now and then. The Shape of Water, much like La La Land last year, has all the makings of a Hollywood/Academy favourite, and seeing how many trophies it takes will be the biggest story of the show.

I want to finish off by shining a light on what I believe to be the most criminally-overlooked film of 2017 - Wind River. A tense thriller with moving performances and a worthwhile story, this Jeremy Renner-led film focused on missing and murdered Indigenous women. Renner is excellent, and it features one of the most emotionally shaking scenes in a film I have ever watched. This one deserved some recognition during award season.

The 90th Academy Awards are shaping up to be a darn-good show, and I'm excited for what Jimmy Kimmel has in store for us. The Oscars air March 4th on ABC.