Your Necessary 2019 Oscars Viewing Guide
In preparation for tonight's Oscars, we Couch film critics have provided a rundown of the major awards. Do not take this to mean we don't think highly of the nominees for the likes of Best Short Film and Best Sound Editing (#allcategoriesmatter), but rather that they will likely receive less attention, and also that we are-- or at least a few of us are (me) --considerably less informed about those nominees than we are for the following 9 categories. This Oscars has several slam dunk categories tonight, and as a result, all four of us are still fairly confident in these selections. The biggest toss-up of the night, though, very well could be the biggest one of all: Best Picture. Who knows who will take top honors? We'll find out shortly, at least!
As you can see, Sierra and Daniel Woodiwiss will let you know who was snubbed, who really should win, who could play spoiler, and then all 4 of us will show you who will ultimately win no matter how we feel. Enjoy, and happy viewing tonight!
Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse
Sierra: Spider-Man will clearly win, but I thought Early Man was really good and cute.
Woodiwiss: I saw an embarrassingly low number of animated films this year, and wasn't all too impressed with Incredibles 2. Based on trailers alone, I'll concur with the support for Spider-Man and Early Man.
Best Documentary
Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding The Gap
Of Fathers And Sons
RBG
Sierra: Unfortunately you cannot compete with the shots in Free Solo, the name recognition of RBG, and the boys of Minding The Gap, but I highly highly recommend watching Hale County This Morning This Evening, on PBS.
Woodiwiss: Yeah, I'll be honest, my documentary watching was even more embarrassing in 2018, so I will support Hale County on subject matter alone. But really, watch Same God if you can.
Best Original Song
"All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Black Panther
"I'll Fight" by Dianne Warren, RBG
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" by Mark Shaiman, Mary Poppins Returns
"Shallow" by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, A Star Is Born
"When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Sierra: "Sunflower" was a great addition in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse, and I really just wish we could say "Oscar nominee Post Malone."
Woodiwiss: I would bet everything I own on "Shallow" winning tonight, and it's a great tune, but (obviously) my support is with Kendrick and SZA. I would have liked to see another Black Panther track nominated, too.
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Adam Driver, BlackKklansman
Sam Elliot, A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice
Sierra: I did not see Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but I know that Richard E Grant is the purest human to ever walk this Earth and I think he will be the one shock of the night.
Woodiwiss: Ali, Grant, and Driver were all great. Elliot was good when I could understand him, and Rockwell played an SNL character. I think Mahershala (who I love) wins, but my pick in this one would be Grant, who was the most engaging part of Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Vice
Marina de Tavira, Roma
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Sierra: Regina King is the only answer here.
Woodiwiss: I love Regina, and will be happy for her when she wins. I was blown way by all other nominees here, too, though, and none more so than Rachel Weisz' chillingly good performance in The Favourite.
Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Spike Lee, BlackKklansman
Adam McKay, Vice
Paweł Pawlikowski, Cold War
Sierra: ……..But like…………………………….you really didn’t nominate one woman? Honestly swap out all of them and put these: Tamara Jenkins, Barry Jenkins, Paul Schrader, Debra Granik, Lynne Ramsey.
Woodiwiss: Three of these directors did a very good job. Cuarón is favored to win, and that'd be great. I actually think the Academy might spring a surprise and give a legacy award to Spike, inevitably giving Roma Best Picture as a 'consolation prize.' That's be great, too. It'd be really great if Lanthimos won, too. It also would be really great if ONE OUNCE OF RESPECT WAS GIVEN TO KRASINSKI AND BLUNT FOR A QUIET PLACE!!
Best Actor
Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Willem Defoe, At Eternity's Gate
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortenson, Green Book
Sierra: Nobody should be here except for Ethan Hawke. And in the words of my favorite Onion article, “For ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, Rami Malek deeply immersed himself in the role of a man who knows nothing about Bryan Singer’s pedophilia allegations.”
Woodiwiss: I know the early push was for Christian Bale, but I just can't see anyone but Rami winning. And of the nominees, he deserves it; he was electric as the iconic Freddy Mercury. But it's a shame when the best acting performance of the year (Hawke) goes un-nominated.
Best Actress
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sierra: Swap out all of these nominees and put these instead: Helena Howard, Elsie Fisher, Kathyrn Hahn, Toni Collete, Thomasin McKenzie. Women ruled the screen this year and the pool of nominees is incredibly narrowminded.
Woodiwiss: All signs point to the Oscars continuing their recent trend of giving an Acting award to an industry vet that hasn't won yet. I've heard Close is great, but really all of these other women were marvelous, and none as enthralling as the delightful Olivia Colman. I am very happy for Yalitza for being nominated, though. In conclusion, WHERE IS ELSIE FISHER.
Best Picture
Black Panther
BlackKklansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice
Sierra: None of these films nominated made my Top 10, sooooo….
Woodiwiss: Apart from one, I liked all these films (ranging from "That was fun!" to "That was very, very good."), but yeah, my nominee field would have swapped out at least half of these. I think First Man will finish as my #1 from 2018, and to this day I do not understand how it never gathered awards show traction. But I would have been okay with seeing just a few out of that, Quiet Place, First Reformed, and Eighth Grade.