As well as the writing and acting categories, I will also be revealing my Top 11 of the year! Hope ya’ll agree with my picks….
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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
OTHER CONTENDERS
- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
- I, TONYA
- ISLE OF DOGS
- LADY BIRD
- ROMA
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE SHAPE OF WATER
OTHER CONTENDERS
- CRAZY RICH ASIANS
- CREED II
- MARY POPPINS RETURNS
- THE POST
- READY PLAYER ONE
BEST DIRECTOR
GUILLERMO DEL TORO – THE SHAPE OF WATER
OTHER CONTENDERS
- ALFONSO CUARON – ROMA
- ROB MARSHALL – MARY POPPINS RETURNS
- MARTIN MCDONAGH – THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
- ANTHONY RUSSO & JOSEPH RUSSO – AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
- STEVEN SPIELBERG – READY PLAYER ONE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
ALLISON JANNEY (LAVONA GOLDEN) – I, TONYA
Never much doubt with the winner of this category. Janney deservedly scooped the Best Supporting Actress Oscar earlier this year for her portrayal of Tonya Harding’s abusive and embittered mother in I, Tonya. Runner-up was a tough call between the lovely Lucy Boynton’s role as Freddie Mercury’s loyal friend Mary Austin in Bohemian Rhapsody and Michelle Yeoh’s intimidating turn as wealthy socialite Eleanor Young in Crazy Rich Asians.
OTHER CONTENDERS
- LUCY BOYNTON – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
- LAURIE METCALF – LADY BIRD
- OCTAVIA SPENCER – THE SHAPE OF WATER
- TESSA THOMPSON – CREED II
- MICHELLE YEOH – CRAZY RICH ASIANS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
SAM ROCKWELL (JASON DIXON) –
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
Again, no big surprise here with another Oscar-winning performance landing the win here. Sam Rockwell was dominant in awards season earlier this year as he clinched the Academy Award for his role as violent Missouri cop Jason Dixon in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Runner-up was Josh Brolin’s sinister turn as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
OTHER CONTENDERS
- JOSH BROLIN – AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
- WOODY HARRELSON – THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
- RICHARD JENKINS – THE SHAPE OF WATER
- MICHAEL B. JORDAN – BLACK PANTHER
- SYLVESTER STALLONE – CREED II
BEST ACTRESS
FRANCES MCDORMAND (MILDRED HAYES) –
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
This was probably the strongest Best Actress category ever with plenty of stunning performances. Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) were strong contenders but I eventually opted for the Academy Award winner of last season in Frances McDormand. Her portrayal of scorned Missouri woman Mildred Hayes was her second Oscar success for Best Actress having previously won for Fargo in 1997.
OTHER CONTENDERS
- EMILY BLUNT – MARY POPPINS RETURNS
- SALLY HAWKINS – THE SHAPE OF WATER
- MARGOT ROBBIE – I, TONYA
- SAOIRSE RONAN – LADY BIRD
- MERYL STREEP – THE POST
BEST ACTOR
RAMI MALEK (FREDDIE MERCURY) – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
My thoughts on Rami’s performance from my review of Bohemian Rhapsody back in October.
“In a role that is far away from his socially-awkward portrayal of Elliot Alderson in Mr Robot, Rami Malek transforms into Freddie Mercury even without having to actually sing. He does a terrific job of conveying the many mannerisms of Freddie from the way he walks and talks while also capturing the showmanship of the great man’s talent. But there is also another side to the performance that reveals the vulnerability that Freddie struggled with during his conflict with sexuality and illness and we can only hope that Malek will be a major contender for Best Actor throughout the upcoming awards season.”
OTHER CONTENDERS
- CHADWICK BOSEMAN – BLACK PANTHER
- TOM HANKS – THE POST
- MICHAEL B. JORDAN – CREED II
- LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA – MARY POPPINS RETURNS
- GARY OLDMAN – DARKEST HOUR
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FILM OF THE YEAR
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: BLACK PANTHER, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, THE POST, ROMA
#11. ISLE OF DOGS
Our list begins with Wes Anderson’s offbeat and crisply-made animation Isle of Dogs. The film’s premise about a boy who tries to retrieve his dog from an island inhabited by other canines was an unusual one for Anderson to make. But like most of his previous work, the film is very stylish and full of beautiful visuals while also incorporating a strong use of dry and ironic humour (“I bite.”) that is enough to make anyone chuckle. However the film also deals with some weighty issues (including fascism and corruption) that eventually lead up to a strong ending. Extra praise also must go to the brilliant voice cast ranging from Bryan Cranston and Edward Norton to Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray.
#10. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
One of the big awards favourities of 2018, this compelling drama from writer-director Martin McDonagh centred on the frustrations of scornful individual Mildred Hayes who would go to war with the local authorities over their failure to find her daughter’s killer. Frances McDormand was in spectacular form in her role as Mildred and deservedly won her second Best Actress Oscar. The film’s strong ensemble further strengthed it which included Sam Rockwell’s explosive turn as morally ambiguous cop Jason Dixon. Despite its low budget, the film did well to include black comedy in its powerful story while also being remembered for its ‘three-billboard’ image which was memorably renacted by Grenfell protestors earlier this year.
#9. I, TONYA
We take to the ice for my next entry on the list which depicts the true story of one of the most controversial female athletes of all-time. Having already showcased her ability to play a deranged individual in Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie mesmerised audiences with her fantastic portrayal of ice-skater Tonya Harding whose career was defined by a memorable incident involving her rival Nancy Kerrigan. The film brilliantly captured Tonya’s struggles with Allison Janney deservedly winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as her horrible mother LaVona. Throw in a top-notch soundtrack and some well-choreographed skating scenes and you’ve got one of the best biopics of recent years.
#8. READY PLAYER ONE
#7. CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Acclaimed rom-coms have been in short supply over the years but thankfully Crazy Rich Asians proved a delightful surprise for many audiences. Featuring a mostly-Asian cast, the film delivered an exquisite story about a Chinese-American professor (Constance Wu) struggling to overcome the snobbery of her boyfriend’s wealthy family. From its solid cast, newcomers Wu and Henry Golding produced excellent chemistry in their roles with Michelle Yeoh effective as the disapproving Eleanor. Additionally, the incredible setting of the film in Singapore also proved to be a masterstoke as we found ourselves spellbound by this beautiful country as well as the costumes and sets. We can only hope that the sequel is just as satisfying.
#6. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
#5. CREED II
After the success of 2015’s Creed, the follow-up to the Rocky spinoff series saw Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) continue his rise as a talented fighter. But being presented with the opportunity to fight the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) made the stakes in this outing much, much higher. Once again, the film relies on the effective partnership between Adonis and his loyal coach Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) as the pair encounter their toughest challenge yet. Fans of Rocky IV would also savour the return of Drago whose backstory is given more complexity and makes the climatic fight between Adonis and Viktor an important one. A very satisfying sequel that looks to have been a solid swansong for Stallone and his beloved character.
#4. THE SHAPE OF WATER
Just shy of the bronze position is this year’s Oscar-winning fantasy drama The Shape of Water which was beautifully made by visionary Guillermo del Toro. Though some were perplexed by the bizarre love story between a mute cleaner and an amphibian man, the film won the hearts of many critics and audiences with its complex characters and enchanting production values (including a wonderful score from Alexandre Desplat). A lot of credit also had to go to the talented cast spearheaded by the brilliant Sally Hawkins who was well supported by Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer and the versatile Michael Shannon. A worthy winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture and certainly a heart-warming, extraordinary piece of cinema.
#3. MARY POPPINS RETURNS
Into the top 3, we have the long-awaited sequel to Disney’s beloved family classic Mary Poppins which was also the last film I watched in 2018. There was a lot of skepticism about whether Rob Marshall could pull off making a strong sequel to the 1964 masterpiece but thankfully Returns proved to be just as magical and warm-hearted. Stepping into Julie Andrews’s shoes was always going to be a tough ask for Emily Blunt but her portrayal of the legedanry nanny deserved just as much praise while there were also fine acting contributions from the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer. Everything else about the film was also a delight to savour from the production and costumes to the terrific cameos and of course, the stunning music. This certainly was a trip a little light fantastic!
#2. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Forget the Greatest Showman and Mamma Mia 2, the runner-up on this list was a film that REALLY made me belt out the tunes as one of the greatest bands of all-time finally saw their story hit the big-screen. Though Bohemian Rhapsody sent shivers down the spines of many critics, the biopic was a huge success with audiences and has already made over $600 million in the world-wide box-office. In a far cry from his subtle role in Mr. Robot, Egyptian actor Rami Malek turned on the style with his flamboyant and acclaimed turn as legendary singer Freddie Mercury with Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joe Mazello also lending solid support as the rest of the Queen members. Of course, it’s the music that made us fall in love with the film with the incredible Live Aid sequence proving to be the perfect end to a musical rollercoaster. As for the critics, well sorry guys but us fans don’t care what you think, it’s a kind of magic! Ayyyy-Oh!
#1. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
And that’s that for 2018. Thank you once again to all my readers for continuing to support my website throughout.
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