As the Oscars 2019 are upon us, here’s a look at the
nominees, who should win and who will win. In addition to predicting the
results that will be declared on Sunday’s show, I also rank the nominees in
certain categories for which I have seen all the nominated films
BEST ANIMATED
FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
RANKED, AND PREDICTIONS —WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN
BEST PICTURE
1. Green Book
2. Bohemian
Rhapsody
3. A Star Is
Born
4. Roma
5. Vice
6. The Favourite
7. BlacKkKlansman
8. Black Panther
In my opinion, they could have done with fewer best
picture nominees this year—those ranked among top few above. Vice was a discovery, which started out
as frustratingly right-wing and pro-Cheney, and silently drifted towards
becoming a fair critique, and ended on a surprising high. Roma was a gem of a film; honest and pure, simple yet impactful. A
Star Is Born was gut-wrenchingly real and painful, and beautifully performed
and conveyed. Bohemian Rhapsody was
in-your-face and exciting, yet incredibly layered and complex, with a heart-warming
take on family of different kinds. But the film that was relevant and real,
simple yet effective, and so beautifully portrayed an unlikely friendship and a
change of perspective was Green Book.
Should win: Green Book
Will win: Roma
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
1. Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
2. The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos
3. Vice, Adam McKay
4. BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee
5. Cold War, Paweł Pawlikowski
Bradley Cooper was robbed. He definitely deserved this for A Star Is Born, more than at least a couple of the nominees here. Spike Lee is here because he’s Spike Lee, and Cold War—yes, good, but Oscars good—I think not. Vice was a tough one, yet executed well. The Favourite was convoluted and complex, yet delivered with strong direction. However, Roma! The purity of heart through the quietest moments, delivering complexity through sheer simplicity—it all came through tremendously.
Should win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
Will win: Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
PERFORMANCE BY
AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
1. Glenn Close, The
Wife
2. Lady Gaga, A
Star Is Born
3. Olivia Colman, The
Favourite
4. Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
5. Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Melissa McCarthy was really good, so it’s unsettling
to have her at number five. However, Yalitza Aparicio so silently stole the
show in Roma. Olivia Colman was
delightfully crazy and disturbing, while Lady Gaga blew us away with her first
leading role in a feature, with her poignant portrayal of Ally. Glenn Close
though! Her silent moments and delivery infused with conflict, layered pain,
regret, self-loathing and pure desperation—all conveyed with incredible
restraint—makes her worthy of the Oscar she’ll win.
Should win: Glenn Close
Will win: Glenn Close
PERFORMANCE BY
AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
1. Bradley Cooper, A
Star Is Born
2. Rami Malek, Bohemian
Rhapsody
3. Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
4. Christian Bale, Vice
5. Willem Dafoe, At
Eternity's Gate
Bale is a frontrunner, but I think he wasn’t as
impressive as a couple of the others. Viggo Mortensen was far better than I
expected him to be in Green Book,
completely different from himself in diction and demeanour. However, this year,
there’s Rami Malek, who deliciously conveyed the flamboyant heart and soul of
Queen, with disguised pain and not-so-disguised desires. That’s why he’ll win,
and he’ll deserve it, but I really wish Cooper would win this year, for his
complete transformation in A Star Is Born.
I don’t mean through costumes or prosthetics, but through completely hiding
Bradley Cooper and showing us only the complex, conflicted Jackson Maine, with
a harsh exterior, but not without the purest of intentions and a complete
generosity of spirit.
Should win: Bradley
Cooper
Will win: Rami Malek
PERFORMANCE BY
AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1. Emma Stone, The
Favourite
2. Amy Adams, Vice
3. Rachel Weisz, The
Favourite
4. Marina de Tavira, Roma
5. Regina King, If
Beale Street Could Talk
Regina King is a frontrunner, but for the life of me,
I can’t see why, especially given the company she’s in here. (Though I am a Regina King fan; she's a powerful performer and I would love to see her win one day, but not for this.) Marina de Tavira
made an impact as the scorned wife with an unapologetically cynical take on
things. Rachel Weisz dominated the screen on so many occasions in The Favourite; and she was so
sympathetic after that riding accident! Amy Adams stole the show as Lynne
Cheney, putting the family’s political ambition over the family’s peace with
such steely resolve even. But Emma Stone portrayed Abigail with all the
conniving deviousness she could. Yes those eyes are big, but she really knows
how to put the life in them.
Should win: Emma Stone
Will win: Regina King
PERFORMANCE BY
AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1. Mahershala Ali, Green
Book
2. Sam Elliott, A
Star Is Born
3. Sam Rockwell, Vice
4. Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
5. Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
As Mahershala Ali emerged as a frontrunner, I was
skeptical, especially since I didn’t think he deserved his win for Moonlight
two years ago. But that of course was because of the role and how I wasn't convinced that it warranted that win. This year though, he was perfect in Green Book. The role
demanded a lot from him, and he delivered, with admirable composure, and
restraint, even with the loss of control in Don Shirley’s desperate moments.
Yes, Elliott was a heart-breaking scene stealer, Rockwell rocked the George W.
Bush expression, and Grant did a phenomenal job at the end of Can You Ever Forgive Me?—which is surely the reason why he’s nominated—but Ali!
Should win: Mahershala
Ali
Will win: Mahershala
Ali
ADAPTED
SCREENPLAY
1. A Star Is
Born, Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters
2. Can You Ever
Forgive Me?, Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
3. BlacKkKlansman,
Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott &
Spike Lee
4. The Ballad of
Buster Scruggs, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
5. If Beale
Street Could Talk, Written for the screen by Barry Jenkins
A Star Is Born could win
this, and since it’ll most likely not win the big prize, this could seem like a
consolation. But Roth, Cooper and Fetters really deserve it. The other films
don’t even come close; especially not numbers 3, 4 and 5 on the list above.
However, I suspect this will be the one and only win for BlacKkKlansman. It’ll be the Get
Out of the year in this sense; though Get
Out was phenomenally better.
Should win: A Star Is Born
Will win: BlacKkKlansman
ORIGINAL
SCREENPLAY
1. Green Book,
Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
2. Roma,
Written by Alfonso Cuarón
3. Vice, Written
by Adam McKay
4. The Favourite,
Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
5. First
Reformed, Written by Paul Schrader
Green Book has an edge
over Roma here in my opinion. It’s
better-rounded as a script, even though Roma
is as earnest as they come. Vice made
it here for its silent turnaround of voice, and The Favourite delivers on various levels.
Should win: Green Book
Will win: Green Book
ACHIEVEMENT IN
FILM EDITING
1. Bohemian
Rhapsody John Ottman
2. Vice,
Hank Corwin
3. The Favourite,
Yorgos Mavropsaridis
4. Green Book,
Patrick J. Don Vito
5. BlacKkKlansman,
Barry Alexander Brown
Bohemian Rhapsody kept things
moving dynamically, but not without seamlessly slowing down for the more tender
moments. Through the performances and the recordings, and especially through
the Live Aid sequence—it was all right where it had to be. Vice used narrative tools with impact, and the editing in The Favourite truly celebrated the
excellence in visuals. But Rhapsody
deserves this one.
Should win: Bohemian Rhapsody
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody
ACHIEVEMENT IN
PRODUCTION DESIGN
1. First Man,
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas
2. Black
Panther, Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart
3. The Favourite,
Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton
4. Mary Poppins
Returns, Production Design: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
5. Roma,
Production Design: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Bárbara Enríquez
I would like to celebrate First Man for its brilliant recreation of history and something
real. However, the scale of Black Panther
and the imagination and execution that brought together Wakanda—that could win.
But then again, the brilliant use of space and effectively bringing alive the
world of The Favourite might just
take it home.
Should win: First Man
Will win: The Favourite
OTHER PREDICTIONS
ACHIEVEMENT IN
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cold War, Łukasz Żal
The Favourite, Robbie Ryan
Never Look
Away, Caleb Deschanel
Roma,
Alfonso Cuarón
A Star Is Born, Matthew
Libatique
Saying so much without saying anything was what gave Roma tremendous heart and soul throughout
the film. Cinematography was as crucial and as well executed as it could get.
ACHIEVEMENT IN
VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers:
Infinity War, Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick
Christopher
Robin, Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould
First Man,
Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm
Ready Player
One, Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk
Solo: A Star
Wars Story, Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Dominic Tuohy
More real than a CGI spectacle like Infinity War, First Man wouldn’t be the first quieter film to have won in this
category.
ACHIEVEMENT IN
COSTUME DESIGN
The Ballad of
Buster Scruggs, Mary Zophres
Black Panther, Ruth Carter
The Favourite,
Sandy Powell
Mary Poppins
Returns, Sandy Powell
Mary Queen of
Scots, Alexandra Byrne
It was challenging and a humongous task to dress all
those extras with perfection, in addition to the stellar looks of the main
cast, while staying true to the era portrayed. The Favourite has this coming.
ACHIEVEMENT IN
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Border, Göran
Lundström and Pamela Goldammer
Mary Queen of
Scots, Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks
Vice,
Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney
The Academy loves transformational prosthetics. And
did you see Christian Bale! Not only did he look completely different from
himself in Vice, but even through
various stages of Dick Cheney's ageing.
ACHIEVEMENT IN
MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Black Panther,
Ludwig Goransson
BlacKkKlansman, Terence
Blanchard
If Beale
Street Could Talk, Nicholas Britell
Isle of Dogs, Alexandre
Desplat
Mary Poppins
Returns, Marc Shaiman
You know which movie should have been here? First Man—for its haunting yet moving
and uplifting theme that sent shivers during several moments through the film. Alas, this set of
nominees has left me wanting better, more memorable music. This is a difficult one to
predict, but I think it’ll be Black
Panther for the cultural significance of its score.
ACHIEVEMENT IN
MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
“All The Stars” from Black Panther
Music by Mark Spears, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth and
Anthony Tiffith; Lyric by Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Anthony Tiffith and Solana
Rowe
“I'll Fight” from RBG
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyric by Scott Wittman and Marc
Shaiman
“Shallow” from
A Star Is Born
Music and
Lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Music and Lyric by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
This one’s probably the most predictable of the lot.
And “Shallow” most certainly deserves it.
ACHIEVEMENT IN
SOUND EDITING
Black Panther, Benjamin A.
Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
Bohemian
Rhapsody, John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
First Man,
Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
A Quiet Place, Ethan Van
der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
Roma, Sergio Díaz
and Skip Lievsay
Getting the silent moments right, maintaining the
pulse of ambient sound, and especially nailing it for low-pressure environments
portrayed—with sound effects of breath and everything else—will win First Man this one.
ACHIEVEMENT IN
SOUND MIXING
Black Panther, Steve
Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
Bohemian Rhapsody,
Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali
First Man, Jon Taylor,
Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis
Roma, Skip
Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio García
A Star Is Born, Tom Ozanich,
Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve Morrow
The coming together of musically explosive moments make
Rhapsody and Star clash a little here, but Rhapsody
was just more dynamic, and hence more impressive.
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks
the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
I really thought it would be Incredibles 2, but Spider-Verse’s
cult following grew so fast, and one didn’t even realize when it became the
popular choice as the one to beat.
Capernaum, Lebanon
Cold War, Poland
Never Look
Away, Germany
Roma,
Mexico
Shoplifters, Japan
Earlier when the best picture category had 10
nominees, they would nominate one animated film and that made the animated
feature win obvious. This year, the same has happened with foreign language.
But yes, Roma does deserve this, and
I’ll say this even though I’ve only seen that and Cold War from this list.
BEST
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Free Solo
Hale County
This Morning, This Evening
Minding the
Gap
Of Fathers and
Sons
RBG
BEST
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at The
Garden
Period. End of
Sentence.
BEST ANIMATED
SHORT FILM
Animal
Behaviour
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends
BEST LIVE
ACTION SHORT FILM
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin
Very well written. Especicially the part about Emma stone’s eyes.
ReplyDelete