Oscars 2018: Colin Costello’s winning picks

Awards season, which Reel Chicago has been covering all along, finally comes to its climax with the broadcast of the 90th Academy Awards on Sunday night.

Amid the glamour, the Jimmy Kimmel jokes, the expected #metoo and #TimesUP speeches, and the sleep-inducing running time, there will be awards given out. Twenty-four, to be specific.

After analyzing all of the winners from other shows during this awards season, I have calculated which of them will be carried onto the Dolby Theater stage by accountants wielding briefcases from Price Waterhouse.

These should stick too, unless Warren Beatty is announcing, which was just announced that he and Faye Dunaway will be returning.

So let’s look at all 24 categories.

 
THE NOMINEES

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

My pick: THE SHAPE OF WATER
 
 

DIRECTING:
   Christopher Nolan, DUNKIRK
   Jordan Peele, GET OUT
   Greta Gerwig, LADY BIRD
   Paul Thomas Anderson, PHANTOM THREAD
   Guillermo del Toro, THE SHAPE OF WATER

My pick: Guillermo del Toro, THE SHAPE OF WATER
 
 

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
   Timotheé Chalamet, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
   Daniel Day-Lewis, PHANTOM THREAD
   Daniel Kaluya, GET OUT
   Gary Oldman, DARKEST HOUR
   Denzel Washington, ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ.

My pick: Gary Oldman, DARKEST HOUR
 
 

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
   Willem Dafoe, THE FLORIDA PROJECT
   Woody Harrelson, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
   Richard Jenkins, THE SHAPE OF WATER
   Christopher Plummer, ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD
   Sam Rockwell, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

My pick: Sam Rockwell, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
 
 

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
   Sally Hawkins, THE SHAPE OF WATER
   Frances McDormand, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
   Margot Robbie, I, TONYA
   Saorise Ronan, LADY BIRD
   Meryl Streep, THE POST

My pick: Frances McDormand, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
 
 

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
   Mary J. Blige, MUDBOUND
   Allison Janney, I, TONYA
   Lesley Manville, PHANTOM THREAD
   Laurie Metcalf, LADY BIRD
   Octavia Spencer, THE SHAPE OF WATER

My pick: Allison Janney, I, TONYA
 
 

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
   James Ivory, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
   Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, THE DISASTER ARTIST
   Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold, LOGAN
   Aaron Sorkin, MOLLY’S GAME
   Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, MUDBOUND

My pick: James Ivory, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
 
 

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
   Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani, THE BIG SICK
   Jordan Peele, GET OUT
   Greta Gerwig, LADY BIRD
   Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro, THE SHAPE OF WATER
   Martin McDonagh, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

My pick: Martin McDonagh, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
 
 

ALSO READ: Best seats in town: Siskel Center Oscar Viewing Party
 
 

CINEMATOGRAPHY
   Roger A. Deakins, BLADE RUNNER 2049
   Bruno Delbonnel, DARKEST HOUR
   Hoyte van Hoytema, DUNKIRK
   Rachel Morrison, MUDBOUND
   Dan Laustsen, THE SHAPE OF WATER

My pick: Roger A. Deakins, BLADE RUNNER 2049
 
 

FILM EDITING
   Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos, BABY DRIVER
   Lee Smith, DUNKIRK
   Tatiana S. Riegel, I, TONYA
   Sidney Wolinsky, THE SHAPE OF WATER
   Jon Gregory, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

My pick: Lee Smith, DUNKIRK
 
 

COSTUME DESIGN
   BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
   DARKEST HOUR
   PHANTOM THREAD
   THE SHAPE OF WATER
   VICTORIA & ABDUL

My pick: PHANTOM THREAD
 
 

PRODUCTION DESIGN
   BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
   BLADE RUNNER 2049
   DARKEST HOUR
   DUNKIRK

   THE SHAPE OF WATER

My pick: DUNKIRK
 
 

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
   Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick,DARKEST HOUR
   Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard, VICTORIA & ABDUL
   Arjen Tuiten, WONDER

My pick: Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick,DARKEST HOUR
 
 

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
   Hans Zimmer, DUNKIRK
   Jonny Greenwood, PHANTOM THREAD
    Alexandre Desplat, THE SHAPE OF WATER
   John Williams, STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
   Carter Burwell, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

My pick: Alexandre Desplat, THE SHAPE OF WATER
 
 

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
   MIGHTY RIVER, MUDBOUND
   MYSTERY OF LOVE, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
   REMEMBER ME, COCO
   STAND UP FOR SOMETHING, MARSHALL
   THIS IS ME, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

My pick: MIGHTY RIVER, MUDBOUND
 
 

SOUND EDITING
   BABY DRIVER
   BLADE RUNNER 2049
   DUNKIRK
   THE SHAPE OF WATER
   STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

My pick: DUNKIRK
 
 

SOUND MIXING
   BABY DRIVER
   BLADE RUNNER 2049
   DUNKIRK
   THE SHAPE OF WATER
   STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

My pick: DUNKIRK
 
 

VISUAL EFFECTS
   BLADE RUNNER 2049
   GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
   KONG: SKULL ISLAND
   STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
   WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

My pick: WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
 
 

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
   THE BOSS BABY
   THE BREADWINNER
   COCO
   FERDINAND
   LOVING VINCENT

My pick: COCO
 
 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
   A FANTASTIC WOMAN, Chile
   THE INSULT, Lebanon
   LOVELESS, Russia
   ON BODY AND SOUL, Hungary
   THE SQUARE, Sweden

My pick: THE INSULT, Lebanon
 
 

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
   ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
   FACES PLACES
   ICARUS
   LAST MEN IN ALEPPO
   STRONG ISLAND

My pick: ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
 
 

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
   EDITH+EDDIE
   HEAVEN IS A TRAFFIC JAM ON THE 405
   HEROIN(E)
   KNIFE SKILLS
   TRAFFIC STOP

My pick: EIDTH+EDDIE
 
 

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
   DEAR BASKETBALL
   GARDEN PARTY
   LOU
   NEGATIVE SPACE
   REVOLTING RHYMES

My pick: DEAR BASKETBALL
 
 

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
   DEKALB ELEMENTARY
   THE ELEVEN O’CLOCK
   MY NEPHEW EMMETT
   THE SILENT CHILD
   WATU WOTE/ALL OF US

My pick: DEKALB ELEMENTARY

 
Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below. The 90th Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 4, 2018 8 pm EST/7 pm CST/5 pm PST.