Danielle Solzman
As we approach the Oscars, the awards landscape is looking to get locked in following the Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony airing on Sunday night.
As the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) made their picks known during the Critics’ Choice Awards, things were noticeably different from last week’s Golden Globes Ceremony. Most tellingly, Bohemian Rhapsody was completely shut out. It’s a safe bet that the the film likely did not have a shot winning best picture. However, Rami Malek’s chances at winning are probably over at the moment. We’ll likely have a better idea during the SAG Awards here in two weeks. The Oscar is probably going to Christian Bale for his role as Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice.
The Best Actress race remains to be determined. The winners will likely come from The Wife‘s Glenn Close, A Star is Born‘s Lady Gaga, or The Favourite‘s Olivia Colman. The Critics’ Choice ended with a tie between Glenn Close and Lady Gaga. All eyes are on the SAG Awards in two weeks with hopes of determining the winner. It’s currently neck and neck between the two with Close gaining an edge. This was a needed win for Lady Gaga following the Golden Globes. She is very much back in play heading into SAG. Whoever wins during the SAG Awards will likely repeat on Oscar Sunday.
Some below-the-line positions are essentially guaranteed to repeat during the Oscars. First Man composer Justin Hurwitz is looking great to take home an Oscar for Best Original Score. Black Panther took home several awards. While the film is unlikely to win Best Picture, Disney’s best chances are in the technical awards. Costume designer Ruth Carter is looking to take home her first Oscar following two nominations. First Man editor Tom Cross now has an edge for Best Editing. The ACE Eddie Awards takes place on February 1st so we’ll see what happens.
As far as Best Director, Alfonso Cuarón can start writing his speech now for when repeats during the Oscars next month. I hesitate to crown Roma but everything is pointing towards wins for Best Picture, Director, and Cinematography. Meanwhile, everything points towards animated feature winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse repeating on Oscar Sunday.
The decision to hire an in-house awards team is looking even better to the day. While Roma is getting all the love, Mudbound barely got any attention last year. The decision to give Roma a small theatrical window is looking better by the day. The film is currently screening in 70mm in select theaters. I’d highly recommend seeing the film on the big screen if you have the opportunity.
We’ll see what happens as the guilds start to announce their winners. This is going to be key for every Oscar predictions contest. While there are some races that surprise us, guild winners generally repeat on Oscar Sunday. Oscar nominations voting will end on Monday, January 14, 2019. Finals voting will be taking place February 12-19, 2019. Everything leads up to the big day on February 24, 2019.
