With the 2018 Oscar nominations now released, we thought in order to save you some time, we’d put together all the films on that list and share our reviews of each. Following that, our prediction for the winner, plus some thoughts on one not on the list.
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Call Me By Your Name
Director Luca Guadagnino‘s deeply moving story of love is led by young Timothée Chalamet, who has also earned an Academy Award nomination for his role. READ REVIEW
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Darkest Hour
Joe Wright directs this autobiography of Winston Churchill, the newly appointed Prime Minister who must face off against Adolf Hitler. Gary Oldman simply disappears into the role, earning himself an Oscar nom himself. READ REVIEW
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DUNKIRK
Director Christopher Nolan‘s World War II epic is an alternative take on battle, detailing the rescue efforts of Allied soldiers trapped on a French beach. With limited dialogue and dazzling imagery, Nolan has earned himself a Best Director nomination for his work. READ REVIEW
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GET OUT
Director Jordan Peele, who’s racked up a Best Director nom as well, offers up a brilliant debut about a young black man (an also nominated Daniel Kaluuya) who travels to his white girlfriend’s family home for some truly unsettling revelations. READ REVIEW
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LADY BIRD
Greta Gerwig earns a nom as Best Director for her sleeper hit starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf (both earning nominations) about a young woman with artistic talent who comes of age. READ REVIEW
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PHANTOM THREAD
Paul Thomas Anderson gets a Best Director nomination for pairing again with previous multiple Oscar winner Daniel-Day Lewis in this touching story of a dressmaker who falls under the spell of a young woman (Vicky Krieps). READ REVIEW
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THE POST
Steven Spielberg takes to reality once again, telling the story of the country’s first female newspaper publisher (nominated Meryl Streep) who joins with her editor (Tom Hanks) to battle a deep government cover-up. READ REVIEW
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THE SHAPE OF WATER
Guillermo del Toro earns a Best Director nomination for this mesmerizing fantasy where a young woman (nominated Sally Watkins) builds a unique relationship with a strange underwater creature held at a secret facility. READ REVIEW – or for an alternative take listen to the podcast.
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Martin McDonagh didn’t get a nomination for Best Director for his film about a woman (nominated Frances McDormand) who challenges local authorities about the murder of her daughter, but the film is hot off a Golden Globe win for Best Picture. READ REVIEW
And the Winner Will Be …
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
While this film still continues to gain traction and widespread appeal, it’s win at the Globes only helps to solidify its chances. It is a pretty good film that deserves praise and is a pure Academy formula for success, led by some terrific performances. However …
In my eyes, is not the best picture of the year, nor of the limited list above. Of the nine nominated, I’d like to see Peele’s Get Out get the trophy, simply because it’s the outlier, a creative, conversation-driving story but also a horror film, something that rarely gets attention during awards season. And yet …
Now, what’s missing on the list, and is my pick for Best Picture of 2017 is Denis Villeneuve‘s mind bending Blade Runner 2049, easily the greatest cinematic experience of last year, or of almost any. While it’s been nominated for the usual technical achievements (absolutely deservedly so) and thankfully, for Roger Deakins incredible cinematography (he’s been nominated 14 times), the director and film didn’t make the Academy’s lists. While I personally don’t put much stock in awards, it’s too bad that films like this also rarely get mainstream appreciation, both horror and science fiction pushed out of the circle. Watch this movie again.
What are your picks and predictions? Let us know in the comments below.