Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Oscar Nominees: Best Director


My predictions: 4/5, picking Sean Baker over Anderson
My ballot: Come back in February!
The nominees: Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Jordan Peele (Get Out), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread), Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water)

So, I was right on two counts here, but I’m still disappointed. I predicted that Martin McDonagh would be left off, putting a huge stumbling block in the way of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” winning Best Picture. And I wrote in my no guts, no glory predictions that Anderson would make the cut for “Phantom Thread.” But couldn’t there have been room for Sean Baker for “The Florida Project,” which managed just one nomination for the admittedly terrific Willem Dafoe but nothing to acknowledge the film as a whole. The other nominees are expected, ditching Globe choices Steven Spielberg for “The Post” and Ridley Scott for “All the Money in the World,” rewarding those films with two and one nominations, respectively. I’m thrilled for Gerwig and happy enough for Peele even though I didn’t particularly like his film, and it’s good to see Nolan and Del Toro finally rewarded.

My current bet to win: I think that Del Toro can still take this without too much trouble.

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