by Nathaniel R
All of the Visual categories in the Oscar charts have now been updated save Costume Design which we tend to give its own articles -- playing favourites, sorry! But looking over the charts and the possibilities, it does beg the question: are Dune and West Side Story just going to be nominated in every category? And will any other films core as many nominations? The year isn't short on films that are visually remarkable of course. There's Power of the Dog, Nightmare Alley, Tragedy of Macbeth, The French Dispatch, The Green Knight, Passing, and more.
But the question is always what are voters actually watching and what are they liking? Being remarkable only gets you so far...
EDITING
Don't Look Up, which is not remarkable but is being treated in some quarters like it is, is stirring all sorts of strange creative tantrums on twitter. Let's just say that David Sirota and Adam McKay do not take criticism in stride, despite or perhaps because of their success! One craft element that it will surely be nominated for is Best Film Editing under the Most Editing Theory given all the asides and rapid showy cuts. It has problems with messy storytelling and pacing but, very oddly, this has never been a great concern of the Film Editing branch who generally love long movies. We're currently predicting that ONLY movies over two hours make it in (sorry Belfast, we admire your brevity but Oscar might not) even though most of them could use a trim. The Power of the Dog excluded, which makes good use of every single one of its 126 minutes.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
I finally caught up with The French Dispatch and Adam Stockhausen continues to be one of the greatest and most versatile Production Designer. He always gives you something to look at but always does it within the context and service and style of the movie rather than to just show off. Not that Wes Anderson movies don't ask craftsmen to show off. They do! That said we think Stockhausen's nomination this year will come from West Side Story 1957 recreations instead -- that's more in Oscar's wheelhouse, Grand Budapest Hotel love aside. The real question here is what gets in besides Dune, Nightmare Alley, and West Side Story (which feel like gimmes). There are plentiful movies that could. But what should?
CINEMATOGRAPHY
This race is (as always) very exciting. We MIGHT have a three-way contest between three sterling DPs who've never won: Greig Fraser (Dune), Bruno Delbonnel (Tragedy of Macbeth), and Ari Wegner (Power of the Dog).
CHECK OUT THE CHARTS AND REPORT BACK -- do you agree with the predictions?
Revised Oscar Charts