The day I have been waiting for finally came: The Oscars took place on March 4! I’d like to take this week’s entry to reflect on the films I covered as part of the Spoiler Alert column.
The Post: I was wrong. Despite writing an entire column entry on how Steven Spielberg’s The Post was pure “Oscar bait,” it was only nominated in two categories (Best Picture and Leading Actress for Meryl Streep’s performance) and did not even win in either of those categories. I did, however, predict that another extraordinary woman in the Lead Actress category would win the Oscar rather than Streep. I was hoping Sally Hawkins would take this for her blissful performance in The Shape of Water, but Frances McDormand was triumphant and delivered a moving acceptance speech on diversity in film.
Three Billboards: I was right! Although Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri was the film I was hoping would win Best Picture, I predicted Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water would come out on top. I had my preferences for winners in each category, but the person I desperately wanted to win in their category was Sam Rockwell for his incredible performance as Officer Dixon. Fortunately, the night started with the Supporting Actor category in which Sam Rockwell walked away with the win. My entire entry on Three Billboards was about Rockwell’s character, so I’m sure you can imagine how elated I was with his win.
Blade Runner 2049: I was pleasantly surprised with the success of Blade Runner 2049 at this year’s Oscars; the Blade Runner team walked away with an Oscar for Visual Effects and another for Cinematography. I would have loved if (unpopular opinion incoming) Blade Runner 2049 was nominated for Best Picture. Although I did not explicitly discuss its Oscar contention in the Spoiler Alert entry all the way back in November, it was one of my favorite films of the year, and I am glad it received recognition in the shape of five Oscar nominations and two wins.
Lady Bird: I was right, unfortunately! I was hoping a film as charming and unique as Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird would have won in one of the five categories in which it was nominated, but it did not. I successfully made this prediction in the Spoiler Alert entry of Lady Bird, but I’m glad it did get some recognition in the form of a couple Golden Globe wins earlier in the year.
The Shape of Water: Ok so, I was right here, too. The Shape of Water walked away with four wins of its thirteen nominations (Best Picture, Director, Score, and Production Design). I did mention “keeping an ear out” for the Golden Globe-winning score by Alexandre Desplat, who ended up winning the Oscar, as well as Guillermo Del Toro’s notable writing and directing skills. At the end of that entry, you will find my prediction of its victory in Best Picture. After seeing it a second time, I still stand by my personal pick of Three Billboards for best picture, but I understand why The Shape of Water took the win.
I wish I could have covered some of the other Oscar-nominated films in a Spoiler Alert entry, like Call Me by Your Name, I, Tonya, Dunkirk, Get Out, and Coco. The only category outcome I was personally upset about was Film Editing; I thought the editing in Baby Driver provided an extra layer of entertainment that was both impressive and humorous. The cuts and sound effects of the entire movie are on beat with whatever song is playing through Baby’s headphones. Well-deserving of Oscars, Dunkirk was the film that won in the Film Editing category. Overall, I was immensely satisfied with the results of this year’s Oscar nominees and winners. Hopefully, this next year of films will break the mold of normal filmmaking and provide audiences with as much entertainment and art as the films of 2017 did; we’re off to a great start with Black Panther.
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