Oscar Noms: Rex’s Predictions
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced tomorrow morning in Los Angeles. “The Shape of Water” is expected to garner the most nods. Rex Okpodu, LemonWade’s Oscar expert, has been studying the season’s trends and says the following will be announced:
Best Picture:
There are 10 serious contenders but the actual nominees could be any number from 5 to 10 and might include:
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 have be the zeitgeist film of the year and its recent Golden Globe win for drama added to the best ensemble win at SAG makes this the presumptive front runner in the best picture race
The Shape of Water – Winner at Venice, the Critics Choice and at the recent Producers Guild of America (PGA)
Ladybird – Critical hit plus film from which a strong contender for best actress will come
Dunkirk – Last summer’s hit and frontrunner for a host of tech nominations
Call Me by Your Name – This year’s LGBTQ contender.
Get Out – Last summer’s crowd-pleaser on a topical subject presented as a genre horror flick
The Big Sick – benefited from a push and could make the list as a contender for best picture.
The Post – The kind of traditionally well made AMPAS kind of best picture contender
Alternate:
Darkest Hour – Telluride’s offering whose star is the current frontrunner for best actor
The Florida Project – A worthy contender whose supporting actor contender is a strong contender for the win in the best supporting actor category
Best Director:
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Martin Mcdonaugh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Jonathan Peele, Get Out
Alternate:
Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name
Best Actor:
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 an adieu Oscar nomination for the three-time Oscar winner
Alternate:
Denzel Washington, Roman Israel, Esq.
Best Actress:
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – A former winner for Fargo (1996) and could be heading for Oscar number 2 if her film catches the year’s zeitgeist.
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird –The Golden Globe winner for Musical/Comedy is the close frontrunner
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water – Another strong contender from a strong best picture contender.
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game
Alternate:
Meryl Streep, The Post – A perennial favorite for an Oscar nomination
Best Supporting Actor:
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Globe, SAG winner and thus a frontrunner for the win this category
Willem Defoe, The Florida Project
Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Alternate:
Christopher Plummer, All The Money In The World
Best Supporting Actress:
Allison Janney, I, Tonya -Globe and SAG winner, strong contender for the win here
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Mary J Blige, Mudbound
Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
Alternate:
Tiffany Haddish, Girl Trip
Original Screenplay:
Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonaugh
The Shape of Water, Guillermo Del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Get Out, Jordan Peele
The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani
Alternate:
I,Tonya, Steven Rogers
Adapted Screenplay:
The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter
Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin and Michael H. Weber
Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory
Mudbound, Dee Rees, Virgil Williams
Logan, Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green
Alternate:
First They Killed my Father, Angeli
Foreign Language Film
In the Fade – Germany
Foxtrot – Israel
Loveless – Russia
The Square – Sweden
A Fantastic Woman – Chile