Oscars 2018: Rex’s First List
To take us into the new year, LemonWade’s Academy Awards expert, Rex Okpodu, offers his long lists of who and what he thinks will be nominated come Oscar time. To make room for the Winter Olympics, the awards are late this year: March 4th.
Best Picture Contenders
Dunkirk – Last summer’s hit and still frontrunner for the big 2 categories and a host of tech nominations
Darkest Hour – Telluride’s offering whose star is the current frontrunner for best actor.
The Shape of Water – Venice winner
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Over the past 12 years, every TIFF Audience winner has gone on to be a contender for best picture. Might catch the year’s Zeitgeist topic.
Call Me by Your Name – This year’s LGBTQ contender
Ladybird – Critical hit plus film from which a strong contender for best actress will come
The Florida Project – A worthy contender whose supporting actor contender will almost certainly win
The Post – The kind of traditionally well made AMPAS kind of best picture contender
Get Out – Last summer’s crowd-pleaser on a topical subject presented as a genre horror flick
The Big Sick – might benefit for major push and could make the list as a contender for best picture.
Best Director Contenders
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Stephen Spielberg, The Post
Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Joe Wright, Darkest Hour
Jonathan Peele, Get Out
Martin Mcdonaugh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Actor Contenders
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour – Playing the respected Churchill has propelled Oldman to the top of the list for the win
Timothy Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name – If someone can topple Oldman, it might be Chalamet.
James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Daniel Kaluya, Get Out
Daniel Day-Lewis, The Phantom Thread – Said to be his last film, which will probably make this his adieu nomination for this three-time Oscar winner
Denzel Washington, Roman J Israel, Esq.
Best Actress Contenders
Soairse Ronan, Lady Bird – is the current frontrunner
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – a former winner for Fargo (1995) and could be heading for Oscar number two.
Meryl Streep, The Post – A perennial favorite for an Oscar nomination
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water – Shaping up as the festival favorite
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game
Judi Dench, Victoria and Abdul
Best Supporting Actor Contenders
Willem Defoe, The Florida Project
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name
Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Mark Rylance, Dunkirk
Ben Mendolsohn, Darkest Hour
Best Supporting Actress Contenders
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird — If any acting category has a sure frontrunner, Metcalf is it.
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Mary J Blige, Mudbound
Tiffany Haddish, Girl’s Trip
Original Screenplay Contenders
Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig
The Post, Liz Hannah, Josh Singer
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonaugh
The Shape of Water, Guillermo Del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson
Get Out, Jordan Peele
The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani
Darkest Hour, Anthony McCarten
The Florida Project, Sean Baker
Battle of the Sexes, Simon Beaufoy
Adapted Screenplay Contenders
The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin
Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory
Mudbound, Dee Rees, Virgil Williams
Hostiles, Scott Cooper
First They Killed my Father, Angelina Jolie
