Oscar Wrap Up 2019

Well that didn’t go well. Took some risks that didn’t pay off and really wanted BlackkKlansman to get more gold. The ceremony was just okay. The no host thing didn’t bother me; I did like the SNL ladies taking temporary hosting duties at the start. There were some fun presenters: Melissa McCarthy’s outrageous costume and John Mulaney & Akwafina’s newbieness come to mind. Most speeches were forgettable. The exceptions were Documentary Short’s joy over menstruation winning an Oscar, Spike Lee’s giddiness and Olivia Colman’s entire speech. The show went fifteen minutes over the three hours. Instead of cutting out awards, maybe the show could trim time by taking out a bunch of the commercial breaks, especially at the end. Other than not doing well with my predictions, the most disappointing part of the show was the lackluster nomination packages. They were so plain; no fun at all. Surprised that Roma lost out to Green Book (however, I enjoyed Green Book more despite the cinematography of Roma). Anyway, here’s who won:

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

SKIN

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

BAO (predicted)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. (predicted)

SOUND EDITING

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

SOUND MIXING

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

ORIGINAL SCORE

BLACK PANTHER

ORIGINAL SONG

SHALLOW (predicted)

VISUAL EFFECTS

FIRST MAN

MAKE-UP

VICE (predicted)

COSTUME DESIGN

BLACK PANTHER

PRODUCTION DESIGN

BLACK PANTHER

FILM EDITING

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (predicted)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

ROMA (predicted)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

FREE SOLO (predicted)

ANIMATED FEATURE

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (predicted)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

ROMA (predicted)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BLACKKKLANSMAN (predicted)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

GREEN BOOK

BEST DIRECTOR

ALFONSO CUARON [ROMA]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

REGINA KING [IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK] (predicted)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

MAHERSHALA ALI [GREEN BOOK] (predicted)

BEST ACTRESS

OLIVIA COLMAN [THE FAVOURITE] (predicted)

BEST ACTOR

RAMI MALEK [BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY] (predicted)

BEST PICTURE

GREEN BOOK

How did you do?

Oscar Prediction 2019

It’s that time of year again for my fearless Oscar predictions. This has been a difficult year with many of the races up in the air. I’m usually semi-confident about the artsy ones but not this year. Hope it doesn’t do me in. Just as a reminder, I’m not predicting who I want to win but who I think the Academy will vote for. From smaller to bigger, here we go:

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

MARGUERITE

(Old lady reminisces with her nurse. Older voters will like this.)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

BAO

(It’s Pixar and directed by a woman.)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE.

(Indian women fight stigma surrounding menstruation.)

SOUND EDITING

A QUIET PLACE

(Sound is drives the narrative.)

SOUND MIXING

FIRST MAN

(The thunderous launch should help it out over Star is Born’s live music.)

ORIGINAL SCORE

BLACKKKLANSMAN

(It’s groovy and sticks in your head. Not confident about this one though.)

ORIGINAL SONG

SHALLOW [A STAR IS BORN]

(Hopefully, the only thing they win. Not a fan of the film much.)

VISUAL EFFECTS

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

(Lots of awesome CG, including Thanos.)

MAKE-UP & HAIRSTYLING

VICE

(Bale as Cheney through the years is impressive.)

COSTUME DESIGN

BLACK PANTHER

(The costumes stood out in a big way. Hope it beats the English Favourite.)

PRODUCTION DESIGN

THE FAVOURITE

(I’m going to go with the natural lighting and giant tapestries on this one.)

FILM EDITING

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

(There’s a musicality to it. Vice’s too abrupt but I like the mid-end credits.)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

ROMA

(Beautiful black and white. Cuaron gets behind the camera.)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

FREE SOLO

(It’s neck and neck with RBG. The free climb looks exciting.)

ANIMATED FEATURE

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

(It has momentum and takes animation to new heights.)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

ROMA

(This is a no-brainer.)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BLACKKKLANSMAN

(This is the consolation prize if Spike Lee doesn’t win director.)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

THE FAVOURITE

(A very original take on the period piece. Quirky and fun.)

BEST DIRECTOR

SPIKE LEE [BLACKKLANSMAN]

(Cuaron will get a couple already. This is history making)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

REGINA KING [IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK]

(Amy Adams is good too but I think King need to give the film a win.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

MAHERSHALA ALI [GREEN BOOK]

(He’s just really compelling to watch. He’s hard to beat.)

BEST ACTRESS

GLENN CLOSE [THE WIFE]

(It’s a strong role and she deserves it over Lady Gaga.)

BEST ACTOR

RAMI MALEK [BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY]

(This is a tour-de-force where Bale seems more caricature at times.)

BEST PICTURE

ROMA

(Based on the fact it’ll win other things. Rather it didn’t win though.)

I got 19 right last year. Let’s see how I do on Oscar night this Sunday.