What is often the operative question with the two sound categories is whether or not they will go to the same film. More often than not, if a film stands out for either editing or mixing, it also stands out in the other.
This year, I think there is a case to be made for both the split and the sweep.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing
The Oscar for Best Makeup & Hairstyling is sometimes more of an award for most makeup and hairstyling. The nominees in the category this year don’t prove to be an exception to this trend, which is not to say there isn’t quality work in the makeup, hair, and prosthetic work in the three films. It is simply to say that these aspects of mise en scene are quite noticeable.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Makeup & Hairstyling
The costume design in the 2019 race is, all around, very good. And the nominees run the gamut of generic representation. Fantastical period piece musical. Western pastiche. Semi-futurist science fiction. 18th century British period piece. A 16th century British/Scottish period piece, as well.
It is a varied field with a lot of talent.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Costume Design
The Oscar short categories are never easy to predict. For one, they are often hard to see. Most of the time, they are from lesser-known companies and animators. And the Academy likes the lesser-knowns in these categories, so when Pixar pops up in the Best Animated Short category they aren’t a guaranteed win.
But this year…
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Animated Short Film
With the notable absence of presumed front-runner Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Best Documentary is suddenly up in the air. What film will rise to take its place as the “Best Documentary” of 2018?
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Documentary Feature
I may not have been as high on the film as the general film-lover audience, but Annihilation deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Or at least sound editing, for that bear-monster foley…
Instead we have Ready Player One getting a nomination for Most CGI Effects.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Visual Effects
Poor Shoplifters. Such a great film, yet such a slim chance of winning an Oscar. Even in a year without Roma, I don’t know if the Academy would give Kore-eda’s film its due.
Also, Burning.
But no use crying over spilled milk. The nominees are what they are. And it is clear where the conversation goes from here.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Foreign Language Film
The Best Animated Feature Film category can sometimes be tricky. You can almost always be sure of a Pixar nominee. Usually a Disney picture is present. One or two foreign films sneak into the race. But sometimes a front-runner is hard to pin down. Putting your money on Pixar is not always a sure-thing.
And this year, in particular, the crop of films is particularly strong.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Animated Feature
Across the two 2019 writing categories, I think there are seven high quality scripts. There are two-to-three that are damn near brilliant. But that holds no bearing on the task at hand, which is to suss out exactly which scripts have a chance at taking home the trophy.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Original Screenplay & Best Adapted Screenplay
Four of the five Oscar nominees for Best Cinematography have received nominations before. Alfonso Cuaron has won two, albeit not for cinematography. Caleb Deschanel has been nominated a whopping six times. The only outlier here is Robbie Ryan, who makes a convincing case for himself in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite.
It is a category stacked to the gills with talent. Somehow, though, I believe it is not that close of a race.
Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Cinematography
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