Who will win, and who should
It’s been a fascinating awards season politically charged by the Time’s Up and Me Too movements, with a best-picture race full of worthy contenders and no clear front-runner to be had. But now it’s showtime at the 90th Academy Awards (ABC, Sunday, 8 ET/5 ET). Who’s going to take home gold trophies? Here are our predictions: 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
Will win: Three Billboards Should win: Get Out In this wild race, Three Billboards has the edge simply because of its track record: The polarizing dark comedy has momentum after taking top prizes at the Golden Globes, Screen Actor Guild Awards and the recent British Academy Film Awards. (Plus, actors make up the largest Academy voting bloc, making that SAG victory key.) However, Jordan Peele’s wickedly clever and expertly crafted social thriller Get Out, which touches on themes like systemic racism and the faux “wokeness” of white liberals, has become a relevant and important film that deserves Oscars’ highest honor.
DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk Jordan Peele, Get Out Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Will win/should win: Del Toro Peele and Gerwig are rookies in this category who definitely will be back, as will veteran filmmakers Nolan and Anderson. This is del Toro’s time to shine, both for his position as the most influential director of the sci-fi and fantasy genres right now and for making us believe in the power of love with a romance between a woman and a fish-man.