The Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards were recently released. Here are my thoughts regarding who is going to win, and who I would like to see win.

BEST PICTURE

Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

My guess is that The Shape of Water or Three Billboards will win and I would be very happy if either of those took the award. I would not be disappointed if Get Out or Phantom Thread won either.

BEST DIRECTOR

Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)  Jordan Peele (Get Out) Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread) Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water)

Each director’s nomination is very well deserved, but I think that Guillermo Del Toro will and should win. Jordan Peele has a good chance and I would absolutely love to see him win for his directorial debut. It would be great to see Chris Nolan win his first Oscar for the technical mastery he displayed when making Dunkirk.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE 

Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) Francis McDormand (Three Billboards) Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) Meryl Streep (The Post)

Each of these performances are amazing. Francis McDormand will most likely win a well-deserved second Oscar. I thought that Jessica Chastain was snubbed for her excellent performance in Molly’s Game. While I assume that Meryl Streep is great, I would have liked to see someone else get nominated because Meryl is nominated every other year.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread) Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) Denzel Washington (Roman J. Iseral, Esq.)

Gary Oldman is the frontrunner and will most likely win, however, I would like to see either Timothee Chalamet or Daniel Kaluuya win instead.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 

Mary J Blige (Mudbound) Allison Janney (I, Tonya) Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird) Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)

It’s great that Mary J Blige got a nomination for the critical hit from Netflix, Mudbound. I was expecting to see the Academy shut it out because it is a Netflix movie. I think that Allison Janney will win for her fantastic performance as Tonya Harding’s mother. I would like to see Janney or Laurie Metcalf win for her wonderful performance as Lady Bird’s mother.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards) Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World) Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards)

I think that Sam Rockwell will definitely win his first, well-deserved Oscar. His portrayal of Jason Dixon, a bad man who does horrible things but attempts to be better, is so well realized it is truly astounding. I wish Idris Elba could have received a nomination for his role in Molly’s Game.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Boss, Baby, Ferdinand, Coco, Loving Vincent, The Breadwinner 

Coco will for sure win and completely deserves it. I am still baffled how Ferdinand and The Boss Baby got nominations.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Call Me by Your Name, The Disaster Artist, Logan, Molly’s Game, Mudbound 

I think that the Call Me By Your Name will win. It is well-deserved because of the real story and dialogue. I would also love it if Logan won and became the first superhero movie to win a screenplay Oscar.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Big Sick, Get Out, Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards  

I think the academy will give the award to Get Out or Three Billboards. I have read both screenplays and they are both amazing in their own ways, but I really want Get Out to win. The way Jordan Peele perfectly integrates racism, comedy, and horror into the script is incredibly commendable.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

Blade Runner 2049, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Mudbound, The Shape of Water 

Blade Runner 2049 will win and when it does I will be very happy. Roger Deakins work is masterful on Blade Runner 2049. The fact that he has been nominated 14 times and has never won is a crime.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS 

Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of The Galaxy vol 2, Kong Skull Island, Star Wars The Last Jedi, War for the Planet of the Apes 

I want War for the Planet of the Apes to win and I have a good feeling that it will. The motion capture is commendable and Andy Serkis elevates it to a whole new level. I would not object to Blade Runner winning this as well, due to its perfect integration of practical and visual effects.

BEST FILM EDITING 

Baby Driver, Dunkirk, I, Tonya, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards

Baby Driver will win and I will be ecstatic. Edgar Wright is well known for having excellent editing in his movies and Baby Driver is no exception. Wright and company edit the car chases, the gunfights, and the conversation scenes to the beat of the killer soundtrack. All of it is perfectly executed and nothing else deserves to win more.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Beauty and The Beast, Blade Runner 2049,  Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, Star Wars The Last Jedi 

For me, it is a three-way tie between Blade Runner 2049, Dunkirk, and The Shape of Water. These have the best chance of winning and I would be happy for any of them.

SOUND EDITING AND SOUND MIXING 

(These are two different awards but the same movies were nominated for both)

Baby Driver, Blade Runner 2049, Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, Star Wars The Last Jedi
I hope and think that Baby Driver will win both of these awards. ‘Nuff said

ORIGINAL SCORE

Dunkirk, Phantom Thread, The Shape of Water, Star Wars The Last Jedi, Three Billboards

Phantom Thread’s enchanting piano score plays throughout and has my vote for the winner. I think that is has a good shot at winning, but I also think that The Shape of Water’s beautiful score could win as well.

The Oscars air on Sunday, March 4th