Oscar Noms: Rex’s Predictions

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced tomorrow morning in Los Angeles. “The Shape of Water” is expected to garner the most nods. Rex Okpodu, LemonWade’s Oscar expert, has been studying the season’s trends and says the following will be announced:

Best Picture:

There are 10 serious contenders but the actual nominees could be any number from 5 to 10 and might include:

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Over the past 12 years, every TIFF Audience winner has gone on to be a contender for best picture. Might have be the zeitgeist film of the year and its recent Golden Globe win for drama added to the best ensemble win at SAG makes this the presumptive front runner in the best picture race

The Shape of Water – Winner at Venice, the Critics Choice and at the recent Producers Guild of America (PGA)

Ladybird – Critical hit plus film from which a strong contender for best actress will come

Dunkirk – Last summer’s hit and frontrunner for a host of tech nominations

Call Me by Your Name – This year’s LGBTQ contender.

Get Out – Last summer’s crowd-pleaser on a topical subject presented as a genre horror flick

The Big Sick – benefited from a push and could make the list as a contender for best picture.

The Post – The kind of traditionally well made AMPAS kind of best picture contender

Alternate:

Darkest Hour – Telluride’s offering whose star is the current frontrunner for best actor

The Florida Project – A worthy contender whose supporting actor contender is a strong contender for the win in the best supporting actor category

Best Director:

Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

Martin Mcdonaugh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird

Jonathan Peele, Get Out

Alternate:

Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name

Best Actor:

Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour – Playing the respected Churchill has propelled Oldman to the top of the list for the win

Timothy Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name – If someone can topple Oldman, it might be Chalamet

James Franco, The Disaster Artist

Daniel Kaluya, Get Out

Daniel Day-Lewis, The Phantom Thread – Said to be his last film which will probably make this an adieu Oscar nomination for the three-time Oscar winner

Alternate:

Denzel Washington, Roman Israel, Esq.

Best Actress:

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – A former winner for Fargo (1996) and could be heading for Oscar number 2 if her film catches the year’s zeitgeist.

Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird –The Golden Globe winner for Musical/Comedy is the close frontrunner

Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water – Another strong contender from a strong best picture contender.

Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game

Alternate:

Meryl Streep, The Post – A perennial favorite for an Oscar nomination

Best Supporting Actor:

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Globe, SAG winner and thus a frontrunner for the win this category

Willem Defoe, The Florida Project

Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name

Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water

Alternate:

Christopher Plummer, All The Money In The World

Best Supporting Actress:

Allison Janney, I, Tonya -Globe and SAG winner, strong contender for the win here

Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Mary J Blige, Mudbound

Holly Hunter, The Big Sick

Alternate:

Tiffany Haddish, Girl Trip

Original Screenplay:

Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonaugh
The Shape of Water, Guillermo Del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Get Out, Jordan Peele
The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani

Alternate:

I,Tonya, Steven Rogers

Adapted Screenplay:

The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter
Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin and Michael H. Weber
Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory
Mudbound, Dee Rees, Virgil Williams
Logan, Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green

Alternate:
First They Killed my Father, Angeli

Foreign Language Film

In the Fade – Germany
Foxtrot – Israel
Loveless – Russia
The Square – Sweden
A Fantastic Woman – Chile

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