The meme-worthy goof-up of last year is still fresh in our memory. Bonnie and Clyde’s envelope disaster made headlines, but it brought the Oscars back in public discussions with non-stop think pieces and social media blitzkrieg.
The probability of a repeat is thin, and film lovers can hardly contain their excitement as the golden man gets ready to seduce the top artistes of the world’s most influential film industry.
Like every year, we’re back at the game of guessing.
Winner: This is one of those rare years when the top prize is as unpredictable as the global economy. Out of the nine VIPs, three seem to have a shot at it: Get Out, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Though The Shape of Water has the maximum number of nominations, past experiences tell us that Best Director winners do not get considered for the top prize. Since Guillermo del Toro is a certain winner in the Director category, it lessens the likelihoods of The Shape of Water’s win as Best Picture. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, despite a host of awards, has garnered a huge backlash for mishandling racial dynamics. Finally, it’s up to Jordan Peele’s genre subverting biting social satire, Get Out to turn into the worthiest film to earn the chief honour.
Spoiler Alert: Both Dunkirk and Lady Bird can be surprise conquerors, since each has a loyal fan club.
Winner: A terrific congress of contenders, but Guillermo del Toro has been leading this category with ceaseless wins, from the Golden Globes, BAFTA, DGA to an array of critics’ prizes. In all possibility, he will soon join his friends Alejandro González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón to complete the Mexican trifecta.
Spoiler Alert: Christopher Nolan can blind the eyes of the voters with his craft. Do not ignore his clinical clarity.
Winner: Gary Oldman seems like a locked choice with his portrayal of Winston Churchill that is everything the Academy loves in a performance. A cherished historical figure (highly questionable but that’s another debate), loads of research and prosthetic assisted transformation, impassioned soliloquies yada yada yada. Oldman is an industry old hand who is long overdue for an award (the assault allegations failed to raise heat), and his grandstanding has pocketed every major award this season. There seems to be no stopping now.
Spoiler Alert: Everyone is aware of the greatness of Daniel Day-Lewis and his supposed swan song has one of his most unimpeachable recitals. But the only actor who can pose a threat to Oldman is Timothée Chalamet. The breakout star of 2017 has won major plaudits at critics’ awards, and the internet is in love with him. Though the Academy is averse to mangénues, Chalamet’s win would be nothing short of deserving. After such a glorious heartbreak, Elio deserves a winning speech.
Winner: This is one category that has superbly competent turns by a host of women, but we all know the ease with which Frances McDormand has been winning trophies for her portrayal of Mildred, a mother dealing with grief, trauma and revenge in post-Trump America. Mildred is Brecht’s Mother Courage, Vyasa’s Kunti, Euripides’ Medea all rolled into one, and McDormand finding a gamut that suits her talent has squeezed it with such potency that everyone has been hailing this as her finest act since Fargo. The billboard ploy has also inspired activism on the street, and goes very well with the #MeToo movement. This is a tamper-proof choice.
Spoiler Alert: If McDormand fails to make it to the podium, it’s literally a cat fight among the rest. Roll the dice please.
Winner: In this assembly of maternal figures, it is pretty obvious that this would be a face-off between Allison Janney and Laurie Metcalf. Both TV luminaries play imperious mothers in mother-daughter stories with striking intensity. But since the Golden Globes, Janney has reduced all her competitors to dust with non-stop conquests. Her acid tongued mommy dearest has everyone under her spell.
Spoiler Alert: The cult of Lady Bird might ruin Janney’s party, so beware.
Winner: Like Frances McDormand, her co-star Sam Rockwell has been the unanimous superior in his category. Though Dafoe’s supple play garnered him much love from the critics, he seems to pose zero threat to Rockwell. Also, do not disregard how much Hollywood loves the idea of redemption.
Spoiler Alert: Not a possibility, but Richard Jenkins’ win would be heartwarming considering how wonderfully he embodied the loneliness and melancholy of Giles.
Winner: This is a close brawl between Get Out and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, both films addressing American ills with a certain panache. But the recent backlash towards Martin McDonagh’s film could hurt his chances. On the other hand, Jordan Peele has been lauded incessantly for his brutal satire of American liberalism which is nothing short of an original knockout. So, Peele it is.
Spoiler Alert: Very, very faint prospect, but don’t rule Greta Gerwig out.
Winner: A curious mix of genres, this category has an almost-nonagenarian as the front-runner. James Ivory’s adaptation of André Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name has been hailed as a masterpiece, and the award season tide is completely in his favour. The veteran half of the Merchant-Ivory team is finally taking home his first Oscar.
Spoiler Alert: Not. A. Chance.
Winner: Coco is the Usain Bolt of this set. Rest of you, look on.
Spoiler Alert: Haha! What’s that?
(The writer is a journalist, a screenwriter, and a content developer who believes in the insanity of words, in print or otherwise. He tweets @RanjibMazumder)
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