90th Oscar Results

As a fan of movies, I look forward every year for the Oscars.  And trying to predict is somewhat of a science and a bit of luck.  Alright, a lot of luck.  But unlike most years, this year the winners seemed to make sense.  How did I do, follow along and see.

I'm also very glad to see that I inspired fellow movie blogger Suzanne Blazier and her Mood for Every Movie blog, to list her predictions and wish list of Oscar winners.  I encourage you to visit her page and subscribe.  She reviews movies a lot more often that I do and gives very thorough posts that are well written.

And now, on with the results.

Visual Effects
Chris - War for the Planet of the Apes
Adam - War for the Planet of the Apes
Winner - Blade Runner 2049
Chris - 0
Adam - 0

Right off the bat we're both wrong.  But this makes sense.  From what I have seen, without having seen this sequel, looks amazing.  So there goes getting a perfect score, but one that I'm not upset on getting wrong.

Sound Mixing
Chris - Dunkirk
Adam - Dunkirk
Winner - Dunkirk
Chris - 1
Adam - 1

Like I have been saying, war movies do really good in this category.  Having seen Dunkirk I can attest that the sounds of bullets, the explosions, and the airplanes, sounded incredible.

Sound Editing
Chris - The Shape of Water
Adam - The Shape of Water
Winner - Dunkirk
Chris - 1
Adam - 1

And I should have stuck through with Dunkirk.  In previous years I would do that and got burnt.  So this year, I decided to get smart and mix it up.  And look where that got me.  The lesson here is don't be smart.

Cinematography
Chris - Dunkirk
Adam - The Shape of Water
Winner - Blade Runner 2049
Chris - 1
Adam - 1

Just like visual effects, Blade Runner 2049 looks like a film with incredible cinematography.  So neither one of us moves ahead or falls behind.

Makeup & Hairstyling
Chris - Victoria & Abdul
Adam - Darkest Hour
Winner - Darkest Hour
Chris - 1
Adam - 2

There were only three films nominated, so the odds were good.  My guess paid off.

Costume Design
Chris - The Shape of Water
Adam - Victoria & Abdul
Winner - Phantom Thread
Chris - 1
Adam - 2

And so much for that.  Got lucky on the makeup and hairstyling, but not so good here.  On a positive note, Phantom Thread looks very impressive and seems to have earned the award.

Production Design
Chris - Dunkirk
Adam - The Shape of Water
Winner - The Shape of Water
Chris - 1
Adam - 3

Looking at all the nominees, it seems like anyone one of them could have won.  But I took a guess on this one and it paid off.

Film Editing
Chris - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Adam - The Shape of Water
Winner - Dunkirk
Chris - 1
Adam - 3

And once again I get this category wrong.  But so did the wife and no one moves up or down.  But having seen Dunkirk, I can say it was edited very well and I don't feel bad about being wrong on this one.

Music Original Song
Chris - Stand Up For Something
Adam - Remember Me
Winner - Remember Me
Chris - 1
Adam - 4

And the guess paid off.  Still have no idea what it sounds like, fast forwarded through the songs.  Hey, you all know how I feel about musicals!  And if I don't know the song, I don't want to hear it.  But I got it right and moved up one more ahead of the wife.

Music Original Score
Chris - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Adam - Dunkirk
Winner - The Shape of Water
Chris - 1
Adam - 4

So I seemed to get this confused with editing.  But having seen The Shape of Water, again I have no problem with this winning.  The music was very good and worked well with the movie.

Writing Adapted Screenplay
Chris - Call Me by Your Name
Adam - Call Me by Your Name
Winner - Call Me by Your Name
Chris - 2
Adam - 5

Called it!  The only Best Picture nominee in this category and the academy wanted to give it some recognition.

Writing Original Screenplay
Chris - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Adam - Get Out
Winner - Get Out
Chris - 2
Adam - 6

And my prediction was right.  This was the only award that Get Out won.  This is common, like when Pulp Fiction won a screenplay award and Quentin Taranito announced that he knew it was the only award the film would win.  But it did help build his career which will do the same for Jordan Peele.

Short Film Animated
Chris - Dear Basketball
Adam - Lou
Winner - Dear Basketball
Chris - 3
Adam - 6

I will skip any commentary about Kobe Bryant getting applause in between actresses making speeches about ending sexual harassment in Hollywood.  Although I do admire how he accepted the award, professional athletes have a way of being humble and respectful when they win.  And the wife got one of the random impossible ones, moving back into the game?

Short Film Live Action
Chris - The Eleven O'Clock
Adam - The Silent Child
Winner - The Silent Child
Chris - 3
Adam - 7

And nope, moved back to up by four.  Kind of like scoring a goal and then giving one up on the ensuing face off.  I got lucky, I won't say any more than that.

Documentary Short Subject
Chris - Edith+Eddie
Adam - Traffic Stop
Winner - Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405
Chris - 3
Adam - 7

Let me go to the judges, my blog advisory board. I got the word traffic guessed right?  Isn't that worth anything?  What?  No?  Thanks to my advisory board for being so quick to tell me no.

Best Animated
Chris - Ferdinand
Adam - Coco
Winner - Coco
Chris - 3
Adam - 8

I think this film also won the Best Song, ahhhh, who cares.  I'm up by five, and with only four more different choices between me and the wife, I have clinched victory.

Best Documentary
Chris - Last Men in Aleppo
Adam - Faces Places
Winner - Icarus
Chris - 3
Adam - 8

Can't be upset if you make a guess and you are wrong.  I'm sure this is a good film, might get to see it one day.

Best Foreign Language
Chris - The Square
Adam - A Fantastic Woman
Winner - A Fantastic Woman
Chris - 3
Adam - 9

So I was right, this was only the second time that Chile had a nominee in this category.  I remember about five or six years ago the film No was nominated, but it lost.

Best Supporting Actress
Chris - Octavia Spencer
Adam - Allison Janney
Winner - Allison Janney
Chris - 3
Adam - 10

And it turns out that what I did see about this category was right.  And puts me up by seven.

Best Supporting Actor
Chris - Sam Rockwell
Adam - Sam Rockwell
Winner - Sam Rockwell
Chris - 4
Adam - 11

This is a well deserved Oscar for Sam Rockwell.  I haven't seen this film yet, but how he has acted in so many other films, it was his time to win.

Best Actress
Chris - Sally Hawkins
Adam - Frances McDormand
Winner - Frances McDormand
Chris - 4
Adam - 12

Again, without having seen the film, I will accept that Frances McDormand was the best choice.  Sally Hawkins should not be ignored having to carry a film without her character being able to speak is a very impressive accomplishment.

Best Actor
Chris - Gary Oldman
Adam - Gary Oldman
Winner - Gary Oldman
Chris - 5
Adam - 13

Sid Vicious wins an Oscar!  A long career that has earned him a well deserved award.  Also a really great acceptance speech.

Best Director
Chris - The Shape of Water
Adam - The Shape of Water
Winner - The Shape of Water
Chris - 6
Adam - 14

Guillermo del Toro has now joined the ranks of other great Mexican directors, who now seem to be the best in the world.  This once again proves how the best talent can come from all over the world.

Best Picture
Chris - The Shape of Water
Adam - The Shape of Water
Winner - The Shape of Water
Chris - 7
Adam - 15

It's been a few years, but the academy got it right.  I've only seen a third of the films nominated, but I am very confident that none of them will be any better than this one.  It's nice to see that even though there is politics, and favoritism and self gratification that goes into awarding the best picture, sometimes the quality of art shines through.  Of course they brought out dumb and dumber to once again try and not mess up.  I was so hoping that they would say La La Land again after they opened the envelope, but Warren Beatty did hold up the card after he announced the winner.  So there is no need to praise them for finally getting right what any six year old could do.

Oh yeah, I forgot.  I won!  Whoo-hoo!  Okay, the moment is over.  Onward to the next movie review.