Vic Votes for the 2018 Academy Awards

As I did last year, I offer my votes if I was a member of the Academy (major categories only). Note that these are NOT my predictions of who/what will win. Unlike last year, I decided not to force myself to make tough choices but to allow for ties. In two music categories, I also add my own winners where they were not nominated.

Best Actress in a Lead Role: Tie between Frances McDormand (Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird). 

Both of these performances had to be absolutely perfect for their films to work at all, let alone for their films to become the classics they are.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird). 

Allison Janney is terrific in I, Tonya, but Metcalf’s performance is even better and more critical to the film’s greatness.

Best Actor in a Lead Role: Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.).

Second year in a row for Washington, whose performance made Roman J. Israel, Esq. a film worth watching. Kaluuya is just starting on what will no doubt be a brilliant career. 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Tie between Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) and Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri).

Rockwell’s performance was one of the best I’ve ever seen and key to why Three Billboards is such a terrific film, but without Dafoe’s perfect low-key performance, The Florida Project would have barely registered on any critic’s radar. 

Best Animated Feature Film: Loving Vincent.

Coco is a very enjoyable and important film, but Loving Vincent is something entirely new,  and I loved it, making it worthy of this honour.

Best Cinematography: Tie between Blade Runner 2049 and The Shape of Water.

The cinematography is my favourite thing about The Shape of Water, so I’d have to choose it if I was forced to choose only one winner. But Blade Runner 2049’s cinematography is equally impressive.  

Best Director: Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird).

We need more women making films. Gerwig is a perfect example of why, making the magnificent Lady Bird in a way that I don’t believe a man would have been able to do. I do think it’s a travesty, though, that Martin McDonagh wasn’t nominated. 

Best Editing: I, Tonya.

Of all the films I watched this year, it was the editing of I, Tonya that stood out. 

Best Foreign Language Film: A Fantastic Woman (Chile).

This is an odd choice for me, given that Loveless is one higher in my top ten, but this is the film I would vote for. 

Best Score (among nominees only): Carter Burwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri).

The score was one of the critical pieces of this amazing film; the other nominees were good but not as critical to the films.

Best Score: Michael Giacchino, War for the Planet of the Apes.

One of the best scores I’ve heard in a long time, and one of the reasons this film surprised me.

Best Song (among nominees only): Mystery of Love (Call Me By Your Name).

This is Me is my least favourite song in The Greatest Showman, so I have no idea how it got on the list instead of my favourite song of the year.

Best Song: A Million Dreams (The Greatest Showman).

Best Writing (adapted): Molly’s Game.

Best Writing (original): Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Best Picture: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Of the nominees (which should have included The Florida Project), only Lady Bird comes close.

That’s five wins for Three Billboards. Lady Bird is second with three.