Oscar Predictions for the eighteen other categories at the 2019 Academy Awards
While the technical areas in films may not be the showiest or most popular categories, they are my absolute favorite. Cinematography, Screenplay, Score, Production Design, Editing… these are what I’ll be looking forward to on Sunday night at the 91st Academy Awards. And to think they almost chose not to air a few of these categories. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, after enough backlash came at the Academy, to do the right thing. Predicting these categories has always been where I shine, but this is a difficult year for me. Most of the movies I think should win, weren’t even nominated. And some of the movies that I don’t think should even be nominated, are considered frontrunners. Consequently, I’m kind of all over the place, spreading the love to several movies. So while most people are excited to see who’s gonna take home the Oscar in the acting categories (click the link to see my predictions), I’m far more eager to see who will be taking home the golden statue in the other eighteen categories. Okay, fifteen other categories (I didn’t see the shorts). But that didn’t stop me from making predictions for all eighteen.
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born
While CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME is a strong choice (and recently won the WGA), BLACKKKLANSMAN is probably the one to beat here. It not only would give Spike Lee (shared with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, and Kevin Willmott) his first Oscar that’s not an honorary one, but it’s also the film most deserving to win. If A STAR IS BORN wins, I might be physically ill.
Winner: BLACKKKLANSMAN
Best Original Screenplay
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
Vice
GREEN BOOK has been winning quite a bit, but I have to believe that its simplicity and obvious softening of facts, will finally keep it from gaining the most votes. Or at least I hope so. ROMA has a decent shot as well, but it’s more of a visual story. Maybe I’m choosing with my heart a little too much with what I believe should win in this one. I’m going with the dark, unconventional period piece comedy in this category. It’s also the one I’m strongly rooting for. However, the Writer’s Guild has the correct answer by giving the award to the best film of the year and not-nominated, EIGHTH GRADE.
Winner: THE FAVOURITE
Best Foreign Language Film
Capernaum
Cold War
Never Look Away
Roma
Shoplifters
While COLD WAR is getting lots of love, especially by garnering a Best Director nomination, I think the only film nominated and current front-runner for Best Picture is going to win this one.
Winner: ROMA
Best Documentary Feature
Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG
I’m so shocked that the Mr. Rogers documentary, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? wasn’t nominated that I have no idea what to do. It wasn’t just that I thought it would be nominated, but I thought it was hands down the absolute winner. I’ll go further to say it’s not only the best documentary but also one of the best pictures of the year. So to not even get the chance to be shocked and angered at the film not winning, I don’t know what to do with myself that it didn’t even get nominated. Seriously, I can’t let it go and its lack of nomination might be the root of why I’m so bothered about the nominations by Academy as a whole this year. I have no idea where to go with these. While FREE SOLO has had more recent success, MINDING THE GAP and RBG both have strong shots and were all very good. They just weren’t as neighborly. I guess I just need to take a page from Mr. Rogers and have a kind heart about the ordeal.
Should Win: WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? – but since it wasn’t nominated…
Winner: FREE SOLO
Best Animated Feature
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
It seems like every other year this category gets some stiff competition (2016 had both ZOOTOPIA and MOANA). Nothing would make me happier than to see Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS win this category. But I have no strong dispute at the very impressive (through visuals and story-telling) web-slinging frontrunner. INCREDIBLES 2 makes a strong third place showing as well.
Winner: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Original Song
“All The Stars,” Black Panther
“I’ll Fight,” RBG
“The Place Where Lost Things Go,” Mary Poppins Returns
“Shallow,” A Star Is Born
“When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings,” The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
When I saw A STAR IS BORN back in September, I immediately picked Lady Gaga’s song as the winner for Best Song. Not because I necessarily think it deserves it, but like everything about the movie, the choice is… predictably basic.
Winner: Shallow in A STAR IS BORN
Best Production Design
Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma
I have gone back and forth between THE FAVOURITE and BLACK PANTHER. I’m thrilled FIRST MAN is in the running too. Both have extravagant set designs, which typically leans toward a period piece. However, this is a first for a superhero genre that provides a fairly interesting world.
Winner: THE FAVOURITE – close second BLACK PANTHER
Best Cinematography
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma
A Star Is Born
I’d be happy if THE FAVOURITE won, but if it happens to be up against a juggernaut in ROMA. Easily the most deserving choice to win this category. I’m not quite sure how A STAR IS BORN snuck into this category and not FIRST MAN. But if you’ve seen ROMA, then you know it doesn’t really matter who the other nominees are. Probably the safest bet of the entire awards.
Winner: ROMA
Best Costume Design
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots
I can’t figure out if or where BLACK PANTHER might steal a win. Period pieces have long championed this category, which would favor THE FAVOURITE. But with the overhaul of Academy voters a few years ago, I think this might be another spot that is a neck and neck race.
Winner: THE FAVORITE
Best Sound Editing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma
I think FIRST MAN or A QUIET PLACE should absolutely win. If either do win, I will be ecstatic. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m going to be disappointed but can’t bring myself to put anyone else down. I might be underestimating just how much people like BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. I have so far.
Winner: FIRST MAN
Best Sound Mixing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born
Big budget blockbusters are usually beat out by musicals in this category. That gives BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and A STAR IS BORN the edge. It might simply come down to the fact that people love Queen music more than the Lady Gaga/Bradly Cooper collaboration. It’s funny how good music can mask any shortcomings.
Winner: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Best Original Score
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
There is one obvious winner in this category and that is Alexandre Desplat for ISLE OF DOGS. However, since I am so clearly out of touch with the Academy’s nominations, you can mark that down as a lock not to win. IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK seems to be the favorite to win, but I’m going to go a little off course here. I really like BLACKKKLANSMAN’s score but the unusual elements making up the musical sounds of BLACK PANTHER is perhaps more interesting. The only thing easy about this choice, is that has easily been the toughest category for me to choose.
Winner: BLACK PANTHER
Best Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story
I think the subtle, hidden effects in FIRST MAN are far more impressive than the big showy ones in the other blockbusters. But of the big blockbusters, AVENGERS is a cut above the rest.
Winner: AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
Best Film Editing
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice
While I’d like to BLACKKKLANSMAN or THE FAVOURITE pull of an upset, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Typically this award leans toward a Best Picture contender. If not the winner, then perhaps the one competing to win. That is where my reservations come in for frontrunner VICE. I believe it is far too unlikely a winner for the big category. But there are always exceptions and VICE was definitely the more flashy of the bunch when it comes to editing. However, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY surprisingly continues to pick up steam and recently won the American Cinema Editor’s (ACE) award.
Winner: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice
The ability to transform Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Carell into Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, and Donald Rumsfeld is pretty impressive. I think the only film nominated for Best Picture should pull off a win here.
Winner: VICE
While I have seen the shorts in the past, I did not this year. Your guess is as good as mine. Here are my arbitrary reasons for my choices:
Best Animated Short Film
Animal Behaviour
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends
This was the cute Pixar short before INCREDIBLES 2 and the only one I saw.
Winner: BAO
Best Live Action Short Film
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin
My daughter’s middle name, who was named after my grandmother.
Winner: MARGUERITE
Best Documentary Short Subject
Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End of Sentence.
I LOVE punctuation! Wait… that’s not what they’re talking about? I LOVE Women’s rights!
Winner: PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE
Who will take home the Oscar? Acting Predictions for the 2019 Academy Awards
Best Picture Breakdown and Directing Predictions for the 2019 Academy Awards
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