Your Necessary Oscars 2018 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. For once, likely the biggest toss-up of the night, is 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, we'll let you know who was snubbed, who really should win, who could play spoiler, and who will ultimately win no matter how we feel. Enjoy, and happy viewing tonight!
Best Animated Film
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent
Sierra: Coco should be the only thing nominated. It is the greatest Pixar movie ever made.
Best Documentary
Abacus: Small Enough To Jail
Faces Places
Icarus
Last Men In Aleppo
Strong Island
Sierra: I only saw Faces Places and Abacus and between the two, I enjoyed Abacus more.
Woodiwiss: Yeah, I'll be honest, I only saw one nominee (and wasn't wild about it), so I'll cheer based on the seriousness of the content. Thus, Last Men In Aleppo for me.
Best Original Song
"Mighty River" by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq, and Taura Stinson, Mudbound
"Mystery Of Love" by Sufjan Stevens, Call Me By Your Name
"Remember Me" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Coco
"Stand Up For Something" by Common and Diane Warren, Marshall
"This Is Me" by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Greatest Showman
Woodiwiss: In terms of quality, this field is so lopsided, it's hilarious. Sufjan blows everyone away. But he doesn't have the star power to steal one away from Pixar or Greatest Showman.
Sierra: We are truly blessed that Sufjan exists, and we are blessed to get to hear him sing tonight. Pasek and Paul can’t cash in a paycheck fast enough; everything they do is mediocre and I think they should be renamed Pace It and Stall.
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape Of Water
Christopher Plummer, All The Money In The World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Sierra: Michael Stuhbarg was in The Shape of Water, The Post, AND Call Me By Your Name and he was not nominated for anything! Seriously, just watch his performance in Call Me By Your Name... I love my Dad.
Woodiwiss: This is a terrific category (so much so that I can't actually make an argument for who should have gotten kicked out in favor of Hedlund), but no performance was quite as engaging, infuriating and dynamic as Rockwell's.
Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape Of Water
Woodiwiss: Sierra, I know you loved Phantom Thread, but I'm stunned you didn't stick with your love for Metcalf. I love Allison Janney like I love very few other actresses, but you just can not convince me anyone but Laurie Metcalf deserves this award. What a heartachingly profound job she did.
Sierra: It's simple: Lesley Manville had my favorite performance out of every actor this year. My heart breaks from multiple performances in this category, and this is Manville's only nomination all award season ,which also breaks my heart. So earned, so deserved, so won’t get it.
Best Director
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape Of Water
Sierra: Yayyyyy, I love them all!
Woodiwiss: I can live with what it surely going to be del Toro's coronation. I hate to see Nolan lose a deserved award AGAIN, though, and Gerwig and Peele's debuts were mind-blowingly good.
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J Israel, Esq.
Woodiwiss: I wanted to find Oldman's performance overrated, but it really is terrific, and his resumé has deserved an Oscar by now. All the nominees here were fantastic, and none moved me quite as much as young Chalamet. But, elephant in the room: the most fascinating acting performance of the year by far wasn't nominated. And though I won't, nor will anyone, shed a tear for James Franco not being present (really, I get it), it would have been nice to at least see comedic acting recognized.
Sierra: I have had the Sunken Place scene, wherein Kaluuya is crying, on loop in my head for a year now. Timmy was phenomenal, but for the Sunken Place scene alone, my heart goes with Kaluuya.
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post
Sierra: This category is weaker than I want to admit. I very much disliked Sally Hawkins and I’m not sorry.
Woodiwiss: Really?? Hawkins was, for me, the best part about Shape Of Water and it wasn't even close. Frances will win, which I don't mind at all, and Ronan and Streep were probably my two FAVORITE performances by actresses this year (besides the atrociously snubbed Krieps), but Hawkins' multifaceted performance takes the cake in my book.
Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape Of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Sierra: I would be happy with several of these winning. Even though I didn’t love Shape of Water, I would be so happy for Del Toro, the legend. His justice for Pacific Rim!
Woodiwiss: I was not AS taken by any nominee this year as I have been in years past, but I found this group of nominees to be very good, through-and-through. I still think the smart bet would be Shape Of Water, but Get Out (my #1) is gaining a lot of momentum. And, as I explained here, I truly think Dunkirk could pull the stunner, depending on how voting progressed.