AWARDS SEASON 2017 - 2018 PREDICTIONS

Once again we are coming to the end of the year, which means that it is time for one of the biggest events in the film industry; Awards Season. And I think that this specific Awards Season could be special, with their being four specific blockbusters in the running.

Why is this a special feat? The Academy, the Screen Actor’s Guild and most other boards which vote on these awards have always been seen to automatically opt to niche, predominantly drama films, seldom dabbling with Blockbusters not including the obligatory special effects awards that they pick up, with only the Golden Globes seemingly trying to the push the edge of the envelope in order to maintain relevance.

However, this year that could all change, with four specific blockbusters having thoroughly impressed audiences and board members alike; Wonder Woman, Get Out, Beauty and the Beast and Logan. Now before you fall into a paroxysm of rage, thinking how these could possibly be the best films ever made, Awards Season is not primarily based on that. Whether it should be is another topic to discuss. All these films reach a certain calibre of quality which effectively makes them eligible to be considered and were mostly loved by audiences. Each film however, holds their own contextual specifics which only strengthen their bid in awards season.

Wonder Woman is the first venture for these established superhero franchises into an independent female led superhero film. It not only succeeded in bringing a beloved character to life, but was able to balance out gender roles perfectly, so that the primary superhero being female, was only a secondary thought. The astounding box office, currently over $821 million worldwide proved that female led action films are viable, especially after the highly disappointing ‘Ghost in the Shell’ earlier in the year. The director, Patty Jenkins will most probably be nominated for Best Director, and there is a high chance that she could win. Allan Heinberg could earn a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and maybe even a win. The film could also earn a nomination for Best Picture, especially due to the Academy snubbing the ‘Dark Knight’ for the award a few years ago. It would never win, but the recognition would show the final acceptance of mainstream blockbusters.

Get Out fits the least into this category for blockbusters as it was not intended to be one. However, it ended up making an impressive amount at the box office.  Get Out offers an extremely refreshing take on race ethics, with not only a sophisticated horror, but a fair message behind it. Universal have been campaigning extremely hard for this film, even entering it as a comedy for the Golden Globes in order to increase its chances at the Oscars.  Get Out is most likely to earn a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, where it could win. Daniel Kaluuya and Alison Williams could earn nominations for their performances but their chances of winning are relatively low. The film is also likely to earn a nomination for Best Picture, and could win in its category at the Golden Globes.

Beauty and the Beast is a film which took the world by storm when it came out, accumulating, nearly $1.3 billion at the box office. The film already has a certain amount of respect with voters, with the animated film being the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Disney have done a stellar job with their campaign, keeping the film relevant all throughout the year with voters and audiences. The film earned massive respect and managed to meet the high bar set by the original, something that was not expected by most. Emma Watson is likely to earn a nomination for Best Actress, however the category is become readily crowded and there is a chance that she could see herself pushed out. The film could likely dominate the music and set design categories, but it could take a clean sweep at the Golden Globes. Being a musical, the film segregates itself from the other dramas so that it is in the much less competitive category of best Comedy or Musical. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens are likely to win in their categories, with the rest of the distinguished cast maybe to gain recognition as well. The film will probably will win Best Comedy or Musical, with its main competition being Get Out. In terms of Best Picture at the Oscars, it could also gain a nomination, but some of the films currently emerging could push it out.

Logan is an unfortunately an example of a bad awards season campaign. In order for a film to be noticed by these boards, studios have to endeavour on endless board screenings and promotional material in order to keep it relevant throughout the year. When Logan came out, it was acclaimed by audiences and seemed to have the best chance possible for Awards Season. 20th century Fox released a black and white edition, something which helped ‘Mad Max Fury Road’ in 2015, however they did not capitalise on this and failed in their awards season campaign, with the film being relatively forgotten by audiences and board members alike. There could be a last minute push, but it is probable that the film will only gain a nomination for Patrick Stewart as Best Supporting Actor, something which he could actually win.

In terms of all the other films, Dunkirk is Christopher Nolan’s bid to finally get an Oscar, after being denied ones for The Dark Night, Interstellar and Inception. The film was seen as a front runner, but it received mixed reviews which I believe could hurt its potential. However it is still likely to gain nominations in numerous categories. Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ is currently astounding audiences and has emerged as a potential contender for the categories of Best Actress and Best Director. Margot Robbie’s ‘I, Tonya’ tells the true story deadly feud between two figure skaters, with Margot Robbie and Allison Janney likely to gain nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Pixar’s ‘Coco’ is an almost assured win for Best Animated Feature, widely respected by Mexican Audiences and as there is almost no competition in the category. Downsizing could see a nomination for Matt Damon as Best Actor due to his other film, Suburbicon, having seemingly fell apart. The Phantom Thread and The Post could see nominations for Daniel Day-Lewis and Tom Hanks as Best Actor and Meryl Streep as Best Actress (an award she has been nominated for countless times). Both these films have not come out yet, but could potentially knock a lot of the previous films discussed out of their categories due to the pedigree attached. 

Of course, these are only predictions and they could be completely off the mark. But Awards Season can be somewhat predictable, however, with the categories of Best Director, Best Picture and Best Actress overflowing, it should be an exciting one.