Best adapted screenplay
Few pay attention to this category, but some of the year’s best films can be found here.
The Disaster Artist
was a movie I thought would be disappointing, but ended up being one of the funniest and subtly heartfelt films I saw this year.
Molly’s Game
demonstrated Aaron Sorkin’s masterful writing ability once again, and managed to combine a sports drama, high-stakes gambling, and a tense legal battle into a coherent story arc. My vote, however, goes to
Call Me By Your Name
, based on André Aciman’s 2007 novel of the same title. I have not read Aciman’s book, but by all accounts, it was not written to be made into a movie. Large swaths of the narrative are unspoken and take place in characters’ heads, and the special city and simultaneous importance of the setting presents an additional litany of challenges. James Ivory’s adaptation, though, pulls it off, resulting in arguably the most beautiful film of the year. All nominated films in this category were successful in their adaptations, but none was as challenging a task as
Call Me By Your Name.
Prediction: James Ivory,
Call Me By Your Name
Best original screenplay
No matter which one wins, the other four films in this category will come away feeling like they deserved the statue. This is quietly one of the most competitive groupings this year, with four of the five nominees being shortlisted for Best Picture. The fifth,
The Big Sick
, was widely considered a prominent snub when it did not make the Best Picture cut. In any case, this feels like a race that could offer some consolation to a movie that does not ultimately win the top prize. In my mind,
Get Out
should be the favorite here, but I suspect the Academy will vote otherwise. Peele’s lm, simply put, will be the most remembered lm from 2017 in ten — even twenty — years. Unfortunately, any movie involving “horror” faces an uphill battle at the Oscars, and given its company in this category, that fact alone might rule the lm out of contention.
The Big Sick
was a surprise hit and would represent an emotional climax for Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, who wrote the screenplay based on their own relationship. Likewise,
Lady Bird
is largely autobiographical and a win for the film would be a nod to Gerwig’s talent in performance, writing, and direction.
The Shape of Water
is written in a style that somehow feels both antiquated and brand new, but with thirteen nominations, the screenplay might not even be one of its top-three features. That leaves
Three Billboards
, which did not receive the same pre-release buzz as some of its counterparts, but garnered its current awards-cycle momentum on the back of its one-of-a-kind writing (and the performances, of course). With this script, Martin McDonagh, who also directed the film, has crafted a work of peerless originality and I expect the Academy to reward him for its drama, dark humor, and stoic realism.
Prediction: Martin McDonagh,
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best cinematography
In my eyes, a three-way race between
Blade Runner 2049
,
The Shape of Water
, and
Dunkirk
.
Blade Runner
was almost painfully gorgeous to look at, and would be a deserving victor here, but it lacks the overall momentum of its counterparts in this category.
Dunkirk
conveyed the terror of imminent destruction from its opening frame and featured one of the most stirring finales of any lm this year in the form of Tom Hardy’s burning airplane in the last shot. Even so,
The Shape of Water
has the edge, if only because of del Toro and cinematographer Dan Laustsen’s immaculate vision. My vote is
Dunkirk
, but the Academy has already shown love to
The Shape of Water
, and this feels like a place where that love will manifest itself accordingly.
Prediction: Dan Laustsen,
The Shape of Water
Best original score
If
Dunkirk
does not win for cinematography, it has to win for its score. Frequent Nolan collaborator (and lm legend) Hans Zimmer has done perhaps his nest work in this film, grounding it in the ticking of a stopwatch and reaching nauseating heights in the air, tense uncertainty on the ground, and valor on the water. Again,
The Shape of Water
could win here if it has momentum by this point in the night, but I have to believe the Academy will recognize the technical achievement of
Dunkirk
in at least one category.
Prediction: Hans Zimmer,
Dunkirk
Best visual effects
One of the few categories without a Best Picture nominee (or actor, actress, director, or writer, for that matter), this grouping nonetheless embodies the future of lm. Although a few of the nominees (
Kong: Skull Island
and
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
) were not critically acclaimed, their ability to bring the monstrous, galactic, and futuristic to the screen in convincing fashion alone merited their viewing. This will be competitive, but I think
Blade Runner 2049
will come out victorious.
Prediction: John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer,
Blade Runner 2049
Best Picture
Finally, the biggest category in Hollywood. At this point last year, the Best Picture race was between
La La Land
and
Moonlight
(who could forget how that turned out), and in years past,
Spotlight
,
Birdman
, and
12 Years A Slave
all felt like the favorites going into the ceremony. This year, we face the exciting prospect of not having a clear frontrunner. Currently, critics are predicting a close race between The
Shape of Water
and
Three Billboards
, but
Dunkirk
,
Lady Bird
, and
Get Out
all have strong cases and could conceivably make a final push this month. I loved all five of these films, and hope that no matter who wins we all can acknowledge how good the movies were this year, especially against the backdrop of the past month’s grim behind-the-scenes look into Hollywood and the major shifts the industry is currently undergoing as a result. Betting money has to be on
The Shape of Water
, but I am inclined to believe we are going to see a major upset for the second year in a row.
Lady Bird
is the perfect movie for the times and represents all the reasons to have hope for the movie industry. The direction, cast, writing, and visual story- telling are all top notch, and I think it has just enough support from its fans and its production company to pull this one off.
Prediction:
Lady Bird
And finally — my personal Top 10 Films of the Year.
1.
Call Me By Your Name
2.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
3.
Lady Bird
4.
Get Out
5.
Dunkirk
6.
Good Time
7.
I, Tonya
8.
The Shape of Water
9.
Columbus
10.
Blade Runner 2049
Bonus: The Top 5 Short Films of the Year.
-
Lucia, Before and After
-
Smilf
-
Cautionary Tales
-
My Nephew Emmett
-
Cul-de-sac
