We at Movie'n'Co weren't the only shocked ones when 'Moonlight' won best picture at the Oscars last year, and it's not just down to the mishap with the envelopes (an event that will mark the Academy Awards for the foreseeable). 'La La Land' was the true winner of the award, and indeed the night, taking home six statuettes. One went to actress Emma Stone, and the other to director, Damien Chazelle.
'La La Land', being a musical, an ode to Hollywood, and smashing it's way through the Golden Globes last year, meant that it was already very much a favourite for the Oscars 2017 over contenders 'Manchester by the Sea' and 'Hacksaw Ridge'.
The 2018 Oscars, don't appear to be so straightforward. There's little over a month to go before the nominations are announced on 23rd January, and it's still not very clear as to which film might be the big winner of the night. There are, however, a few titles that spring to mind with thanks to various nominations for other awards and the opinions of film critics.
'Get Out', won the best film in San Diego and the same title along with best original script in Washington. 'The Florida Project' has proven popular in San Francisco and Detroit, the film, directed by Sean Baker, tells the story of a young girl in the US. Greta Gerwig had her directing debut with 'Lady Bird', a production popular with critics in New York and Chicago.
Whilst Steven Spielberg's 'The Post' was selected by the National Board of Review. Los Angeles based critics have taken a particular liking to 'Call Me By Your Name', a production that has done continually well following its premiere at Sundance early this year. In Boston, on the other hand, the favourite has been Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Phantom Thread'. The film is rumoured to be Daniel Day-Lewis' last film.
In Seattle, 'Blade Runner 2049' has eight nominations, including best film and best director for Denis Villeneuve. 'Dunkirk', 'Lady Bird' and 'The Shape of Water' are close behind with seven nominations each. The latter, directed by Guillermo del Torro, also has eight nominations in Phoenix, eleven in Houston and won five awards in Dallas, including that of best film.
The Golden Globes nominations have overlooked 'The Big Sick', one of the favourites of the year, opting for 'The Shape of Water', which has gained seven nominations. The title is closely followed by 'The Post' and 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' with six nominations each. The latter drama, about a mother who'll do anything to ensure the police investigate her daughter's murder, has proven quite popular, and we're almost certain that the main character Frances McDormand will win the title of best actress. 'Three Billboards Outside ebbing, Missouri' has earned the most nominations by the Screen Actors Guild, perhaps an indicator of what might happen on March 4th at the Dolby Theatre next year...
Ridley Scott's controversial 'All the Money in the World' made it onto the Golden Globes' list of nominations along with 'Darkest Hour' which sees Gary Oldman take on the role of Winston Churchill. Director, Joe Wright has also received his fair share of nominations.
An Unpredictable Year
With such a wide variety of films to choose from, it's hard to say, for now, which production might win best film of the year. Vanity Fair recently pondered what a best film in Trump's America looked like, and the article mentioned how unlikely it was that a production as unique as 'Get Out' would win the title.
