90th Annual Oscar Predictions

90th Annual Oscar Predictions

Around Oscar season I really miss my job as a newspaper film critic. Predictions and end-of-the-year best lists were my favourite columns to write. I’m currently not contracted to a paper but *hooray!* I have a blog so I’ll put my predictions here for the 90th Annual Academy Awards that will be airing on ABC this Sunday, March 4th at 5 pm PST.

Best Picture: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

This is a close race, between Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Shape of Water. Personally, I adored Three Billboards and would like to see it win everything, but many critics are now calling for The Shape of Water to win. It’s too bad The Post fell so far out of awards consideration so early, but it couldn’t seem to generate the same excitement as the two frontrunners. I think Three Billboards deserves to win and I’ll be pulling for it all night.

Best Director: Guillermo del Toro

If I were handing out the trophies, I’d pick Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk, for the following reasons: he’s never been nominated before, Dunkirk was a marvel of unique and risky storytelling, and The Dark Knight/The Dark Knight Rises. Enough said. Jordan Peele also has a real shot for his impressive and much-loved directorial debut Get Out, but I think the prize will go to Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water.

Actress in a Leading Role: Frances McDormand 

Ahhh, Frances. I’ve always loved her work, but this role was literally written for her and she crushes it in every moment of every scene. As the grieving, furious mother who will stop at nothing to see justice for her dead daughter in Three Billboards, McDormand commands respect while demonstrating subtle compassion all the way through the film. This win comes at exactly the right time for the Me Too/Time’s Up movement and Frances McDormand is the brave, authentic and feminist hero I’ve been waiting for.

Actor in a Leading Role: Gary Oldman

He’s been the frontrunner the whole season. His physical transformation to play Winston Churchill is the kind of thing Oscar voters adore. Plus, Oldman has only been nominated for one other Academy Award in his distinguished career, which is bonkers. This is his year for The Darkest Hour. No one else is even close.

Actress in a Supporting Role: Allison Janney

I haven’t seen I, Tonya yet and hope to rectify that as soon as possible, but Laurie Metcalf’s awards momentum as the frustrated mom in Lady Bird seems to have been eclipsed by Janney’s outlandish portrayal of Tonya Harding’s nut job parent. Everyone I know who has seen the movie loved Janney most of all. Between the bowl cut, the glasses, the fur coat and the bird, she’s set for Oscar gold.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Sam Rockwell

Like Frances, Sam Rockwell is a favourite performer for me (and for many of his peers in Hollywood). He’s a character actor who is finally getting his due by playing a mean, dim, racist cop in Three Billboards who would be hard to like in a lesser-actor’s hands, but Rockwell plays him with a certain relatable charm. His character’s journey through rock bottom is moving and he comes out the other side a better version of himself. And that story is something worth rooting for.

Bonus Predictions: 

Best Original Screenplay: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (can you tell that I loved this movie??!)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Call Me by Your Name

Enjoy the show! (Even if Jimmy Kimmel is hosting. Sigh. Why not Seth Meyers or Trevor Noah or Amy Schumer?).

Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Let me know before Sunday night!

Summer Movie Recommendations

Summer Movie Recommendations

It’s hot out and if you are looking to beat the heat by going to the cinema, here are a few of my favourite summer movies so far in 2017. Buy that popcorn, snuggle into your seat (go to Landmark Cinemas if you really want to relax by reclining) and get ready to be swept away by some stellar narratives.

If you haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet, what in the world is taking so long? Stop reading this immediately and GO.

It’s the best movie out there. It will entertain, encourage and motivate you. Patty Jenkins has taken a giant leap forward for all women with this film.

Wonder Woman is amazing, on every level. If you want to know more, read this post. And then go see it.


The Big Sick is a modern romantic comedy, but don’t let that appalling category keep you away. This is a story that feels real because it’s based on comedian Kumail Nanjiani’s true life love story.

It’s charming, sad, funny, sweet and genuine. The Big Sick is old-school storytelling, with no special effects or gadgets.

You’ll be won over. I found myself thinking about this movie days after I saw it.

 

Don’t see this if you haven’t seen the first two movies in the trilogy, but stream both of them and then head to the theatres for this stunning conclusion.

This finale is darker and more violent, but negotiating is over and now it’s all-out war between the apes and the humans. These films are beautiful allegories about the cost of war and the value of peace and compromise.

War for the Planet of the Apes is timely and stirring. Plus apes on horses shooting machine guns is bloody fantastic.

 

I must admit that I wouldn’t voluntarily choose to see Dunkirk, but my husband had been waiting for months for this one, so I booked it as our anniversary date.

We saw it in IMAX, which is how Christopher Nolan intended for it to be seen, and it blew me away. 107 minutes of tense, anxious fear, where you feel immersed in what those soldiers had to endure to try to get off that hellish beach.

Dunkirk is a daring filmmaking experiment that works on every level. It’s unlike any war movie I’ve ever seen. It’s haunting and beautiful and frightening. Go see it.

Next up:

The Glass Castle is a terrific memoir and Ava and I have been eagerly anticipating the movie. It comes out this Friday and we’ll be there to see it.

I have a soft spot for stories of addiction, mental illness and family dysfunction. My personal experience is tame compared to Jeannette Walls’ memories, but with this excellent cast I’m hoping for a strong cinematic version of her powerful memoir.

 

What have you seen this summer that you would recommend?