I write motion picture screenplays and watch movies all the time (but very little television). Having seen all the films nominated in this year’s major categories, here are my picks for most deserving winners.
Films and names are sequenced as released by the academy. I have rated each film in its category. The number to the left of the name indicates the nominee’s category ranking.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts. The beauty of film is that everyone’s opinions are always correct.
This year was a good year for motion pictures and, for the most part, the Academy picked the right nominees. Listed below are my favorites:
Rating the Oscar Nominees
(ranked within each category)
Best picture
9. Call Me By Your Name
5. Darkest Hour
2. Dunkirk
7. Get Out
4. Lady Bird
6. Phantom Thread
8. The Post
3. The Shape of Water
1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Actress
3. Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
1. Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
5. Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
2. Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
4. Meryl Streep, The Post
Actor
5. Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
2. Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
4. Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
1. Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
3. Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Supporting actress
5. Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
1. Allison Janney, I, Tonya
2. Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
4. Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
3. Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Supporting actor
2. Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
4. Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
5. Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
3. Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
1. Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Director
3. Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
5. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
1. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
2. Jordan Peele, Get Out
4. Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Original screenplay
5. The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
2. Get Out, Jordan Peele
3. Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig
4. The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor
1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh
Adapted screenplay
3. Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory
2. The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
1. Logan, Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green
5. Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin
4. Mudbound, Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
Animated feature
5. The Boss Baby
4. The Breadwinner
1. Coco
2. Ferdinand
3. Loving Vincent
Hope you have fun at the movies and, more importantly, win your Oscar pool!
Best regards,
Ocean Palmer