And the winner is...
Don’t expect to see men hogging the limelight tonight says Event film critic as the spectre of Harvey Weinstein haunts the Oscars
When comedian Jimmy Kimmel steps out onto the stage tonight, one thing is already quite certain: the 90th Academy Awards will be an Oscar ceremony like no other.
The Harvey Weinstein scandal may be only five months old but already its repercussions – flamed by the celebrity supported #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns – are being felt throughout the film industry, particularly in the United States.
Male film stars, directors and producers may shift uneasily in their seats but no tears will be shed for them. Tonight, quite simply, is going to be all about Hollywood’s women.
BEST ACTOR
Can anyone stop Daniel Day-Lewis from creating Academy Award history by becoming the first actor to win a fourth Oscars as a leading man, for his performance in Phantom Thread? I think Gary Oldman – very much an actor’s actor and widely respected in Hollywood – probably can, thanks to his unexpected but totally outstanding performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. But Timothee Chalamet, the 22-year-old star of art-house favourite Call Me By Your Name might be worth a bet. Who should win? Gary Oldman Who will win? Gary Oldman
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Always one of the hardest categories to predict and one where some of the best performances are to be found. Firm favourite, having already won the Bafta and Golden Globe, has to be Allison Janney for her turn as the pushy mother from hell in ice-skating drama I, Tonya. But Lesley Manville is brilliant in Phantom Thread, Laurie Metcalf even better in Lady Bird and Octavia Spencer – nominated here for The Shape Of Water – was unlucky to miss out last year for Hidden Figures, the sort of fact that often preys on Academy voters’ minds… Who should win? Laurie Metcalf Who will win? Allison Janney
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sam Rockwell is the hot favourite here for his turn as the idiot racist deputy in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Any other year, Christopher Plummer would stand a good chance after replacing Kevin Spacey in Ridley Scott’s All The Money In The World but he may be too representative of ‘old Hollywood’. In which case, both Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project or Rockwell’s costar in Three Billboards, Woody Harrelson, would be popular winners. Who should win? Woody Harrelson Who will win? Sam Rockwell
BEST PICTURE
For years, Best Picture went hand-in-hand with Best Director, but increasingly the two categories are used to share the Oscar love around. So if del Toro wins Best Director, Gerwig might win here for Lady Bird. Or vice versa. But Three Billboards must start as favourite, having won both the Bafta and the Golden Globe. That said, I would love to see Christopher Nolan getting some reward for the brilliance of Dunkirk. What should win? Dunkirk What will win? Billboards.
Oscars coverage begins at midnight on Sky Cinema