Have you filled out your ballot? Our indispensable ballot meister Dr. Rob has generously extended the deadline for a final 24 hours. Voting will close Thursday, 10pm PST.
It’s all come down to this. Here’s our final ballot.
As Rob says: “We want to know what you think is best. We are not asking what you think will win. That will be handled over at The Awards Daily Predict The Oscars contest. We want you to say what you think is best.”
Thanks so much for participating.
So I’m sure it’s too late to submit the shorts now but I’ve just finished them… Is it just me or are most of them pretty bad this year? They are often some of the best films but between kids dying in various ways, an Indian documentary that would be great if it weren’t for distracting voice over in place of subtitles (actually is there a Verision if it with subtitles), a Nazi doumentary that’s just like 5 minutes of footage of a rally and nothing else, I’m just like wtf is up with some of these picks, so many shorts are made every year, how are these the best you could find…
There are some great animated ones though, I love one small step especially!
The live action and documentary ones are not great, for the most part, I agree. Mother I thought was really good, really well made, well acted, fascinating and suspenseful (I didn’t really like any of the other live action shorts), and 2-3 of the documentary ones were pretty good.
But yes, the animated ones were definitely very nice. One Small Step might now be my favorite short I’ve ever seen. 🙂 (Pear Cider & Cigarettes and Curfew are my other favorites, of the top of my head.) I could not stop crying afterthe dad died. Bao was also quite good, Weekends was really well made and interesting, and Animal Behaviour was very enjoyable and pretty funny. And Late Afternoon wasn’t bad either.
Mother was also my favourite of those! Its so suspenseful and uniquely/ interestingly done! And yeah One Small Step just totally had me from the first scene – though I have no problem with Bao winning (as it probably will) since it is really good too.
As usual, we agree on basically every word of what you just said… 🙂 About Mother: I thought the acting by the lead was also really strong.
My picks went to either Vice, ASIB or BKK in every category bar Production Design, Costume, Sound Editing and Visual Effects (and the shorts/animated/docs of course…)
I haven’t seen 2 of the top 8 still, will get them in before Sunday, but still ranked them above Roma. I thought it was just so dull. Sorry everyone!
Vice and ASIB are my top 2 BP nominees. 🙂
Picture:
1. The Favourite
2. Roma
3. BlackKklansman
4. Green Book
5. Black Panther
6. A Star is Born
7. Bohemian Rhapsody
8. Vice
Director: Cuaron
Actress: Olivia Colman
Actor: Willem Dafoe
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz
Supporting Actor: Richard E Grant
Original Screenplay: The Favorite
Adapted Screenplay: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Cinematography: Roma
Editing: The Favourite
Original Score: BlackKklansman
Song: Shallow
Production Design: Black Panther
Make-up and Hair: Vice
Costume Design: The Favourite
Visual Effects: First Man
Sound Mixing: Bohemian Rhapsody
Sound Editing: First Man
Foreign: Abstained
Live Action Short: Abstained
Documentary Short: Abstained
Documentary Feature: Abstained
Animated Short: Late Afternoon
Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse
Even in the last few years of total obvious locks, I didn’t want to do this as always get something wrong. This year? Wow, so many wild possibilites.
These are your choices. You can’t get them wrong.
How long do we have?
Dunno. I’ll get Rob to drop by and tell us about the deadline, Robert.
Any news? Do I still have time to watch one movie I have left?
Sorry I forgot to return to this. It’s now about 1 a.m. Pacific
Approx 21 more hours till the ballot closes.
Question seconded. 🙂
Ballot extended till Thurs, Feb 21, 10 p.m.
Cool – thanks! I have one or two things left to watch…
1 Roma
2 The Favourite
3 A Star is Born
4 Green Book
5 Bohemian Rhapsody
6 Vice
7 Black Panther
8 BlacKkKlansman
Director: Cuaron
Actress: Close
Actor: Dafoe
Supporting Actress: Weisz
Supporting Actor: Grant
Original Screenplay: First Reformed
Adapted Screenplay: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Cinematography: Roma
Editing: The Favourite
Score: Isle of Dogs
Song: Shallow
Production Design: The Favourite
Make-up and Hairstyling: Border
Costume Design: The Favourite
Visual Effects: First Man
Sound Mixing: First Man
Sound Editing: First Man
Foreign Language Film: Capernaum
Live Action: Marguerite
Documentary: Free Solo
Animated Short: Bao
Animated Feature: Mirai
Picture:
1. Roma
2. The Favourite
3. Black Panther
4. BlacKkKlansman
5. A Star Is Born
6. Green Book
7. Vice
8. Bohemian Rhapsody
Director:
Cuarón
Original Screenplay:
First Reformed
Adapted Screenplay:
If Beale Street Could Talk
Actress:
Yalitza Aparicio
Actor:
Bradley Cooper
Supporting Actor:
Richard E. Grant
Supporting Actress:
Regina King
Editing:
The Favourite
Cinematography:
Roma
Production Design:
Black Panther (although I should have voted for Roma)
Costume Design:
Black Panther
Original Score:
If Beale Street Could Talk
Sound Mixing:
Roma
Sound Editing:
First Man
Visual Effects:
First Man
Makeup and Hairstyling:
Gräns
Song:
When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings
Animated Feature:
Isle of Dogs
Foreign Language Film:
Roma
Documentary Feature:
Minding the Gap
Picture:
1) Roma
2) A Star Is Born
3) The Favourite
4) BlacKkKlansman
5) Black Panther
6) Vice
7) Green Book
8) Bohemian Rhapsody
Acting: Mortensen, Close, Grant, Weisz
Director: Pawlikowski
Screenplay: The Favorite/Can You Forgive Me
Foreign: Shoplifters
Docs: Of Fathers and Sons/Period. End of Sentence
Cinematography: Cold War
Editing: Vice
Music: Mary Poppins Returns/The Place Where Lost Things Go
Sound: First Man/First Man
Am I the only one who is blown away by Glenn Close in The Wife? I don’t understand people calling it a career Oscar, her acting was actually worthy of the Oscar this year.
[I’m going to post this one several places, as per the usual procedure:]
I once again invite all of the good folks willing to share their picks to post their rankings for this traditional BP voting simulation I’ve done pretty much every year since 2011, and, hopefully, help us all better understand how this year’s mad Best Picture race might shape up, as well as how the preferential ballot is likely to affect it. I will, as always, post detailed, round-by-round descriptions of how the count went, and so on, at the end… Many thanks to all of those who have participated in these simulations in past years, as well as to all of those who are about to, perhaps, take part in them for the first time this year!
Sometimes these are mostly indicative of the internet’s favorites, but sometimes they can also be very telling for what will actually happen at the Oscars. (Like in 2015 and 2017, when the winners were the same for both.) The four-year streak of the movie that (according to most accounts) came in second place at the Oscars each year finishing in exactly second place in this simulation ended last year, but only sort of, as Three Billboards was eliminated in third place despite being TIED with the second place finisher in that round. (Call Me By Your Name only went through after I checked to see which of the two would have lost the “final” by a larger margin. I have no idea what the Academy does in these situations – when there is a tie for precisely second place. They probably count first place votes, like they do when there is a tie for first place.) So, in any case, one can say the Oscar Best Picture “loser” has always at least tied for second place (and never come in first) in this simulation over the last five years. Therefore, it will be very interesting, at least for myself, to see what finishes in that fateful position this year…
8th Annual Best Picture Preferential Ballot Simulation:
So, please rank the eight Best Picture nominees this year, according to how much (or how little) you would like to see each of them win the Oscar! In other words, just as if you were a voting Academy member (except, don’t try to think like one of them would, but rather rank them according to your own tastes and wishes, of course)!
I would say that, ideally, a voter should have seen everything this year, or at least made an effort to do so (*cough* Roma – I know some people have had serious trouble getting through that… I didn’t, personally, though I also didn’t love it.), since most of the voters probably will have as well and, more importantly, any of the eight can be argued to have a shot at winning Best Picture. (Even though I, personally, believe only five or six of them, at most, can. And many people by now think it’s down to only two…)
I plan to keep voting open until Saturday or Sunday. I might also decide to close voting and calculate the results on Friday. We’ll see – I’ll give due notice either way, as usual.
It appears I won’t be able to vote myself this year, due to not having seen The Favourite (which is too likely to rank high for me). However, here’s my mother’s ballot (I asked her to rank these after she saw the last one, shortly after the nominations announcement, because I knew she might forget how she felt about at least some of them afterwards – prescription medication, long story -, so I felt that would probably be more relevant than having her rank them now):
1. Green Book
2. A Star is Born
3. Vice
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. BlacKkKlansman
6. Black Panther
7. The Favourite
8. Roma
For the record, my own ranking would be something like: 1. A Star is Born 2. Vice 3. Green Book 4. BlacKkKlansman 5. Roma 6. Bohemian Rhapsody 7. Black Panther.
The roll of honor:
2011 The Social Network —– details not saved (second place was Black Swan, I believe)
2012 – not held –
2013 Zero Dark Thirty ——— 37-24 over Silver Linings Playbook
2014 Her ————————– 33-33 tied with Gravity, won 19-18 on total first place votes
2015 Birdman ——————– 62-61 over Boyhood
2016 Mad Max: Fury Road — 51-37 over The Revenant
2017 Moonlight —————— 41-32 over La La Land
2018 Phantom Thread ——— 39-33 over Call Me By Your Name
I like you’re doing this yearly, Claudiu. It also gives me a chance to give my opinions on the nominated movies, something I try to avoid doing in the forum. So here it goes…
1. The Favourite Audacious top to bottom; that weird ending though.
2. Roma Hypnotic landscape guided by a cipher.
3. A Star is Born Earnest, sensitive, clunky and dated.
4. Black Panther Entertainment elevated/dragged by forced politics.
5. BlacKKKlansman Indictment! Comedy! Action! Master of none.
6. Bohemian Rhapsody Cartoonish, by-the-number; that rousing ending though.
7. Green Book – Makes Miss Daisy looks like Autumn Sonata.
8. Vice – Indictment! Comedy! Self-Satisfaction!
🙂 Like I said (I think it was in reply to somebody else), I’m a traditionalist…
Me too. 🙂
Looking forward to the results.
🙂 Monday at the latest.
Thanks for the game again! What did everyone pick? I voted for:
1. Roma
2. The Favourite
3. BlacKkKlansman
4. Black Panther
5. A Star is Born
6. Bohemian Rhapsody
7. Vice
8. Green Book
Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Actress: Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Actor: Christian Bale, Vice
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Original Screenplay: The Favourite
Adapted Screenplay: If Beale Street Could Talk
Cinematography: Roma
Editing: The Favourite
Score: If Beale Street Could Talk
Song: Shallow, A Star is Born
Production Design: Roma
Make-up and Hairstyling: Vice
Costume Design: The Favourite
Sound Mixing: Roma
Sound Editing: Roma
Foreign Language Film: Roma
Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse
Did not vote in the rest.
Am I the only one who is blown away by Glenn Close in The Wife? I don’t understand people calling it a career Oscar, her acting was actually worthy of the Oscar this year. Here is my list,
1. Roma
2. BlackKklansman
3. Black Panther
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. The Favourite
6. A Star is Born
7. Green Book
8. Vice
Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Actress: Glen Close, The Wife
Actor: Rami Malek
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz
Supporting Actor: Mahershela Ali
Original Screenplay: Roma
Adapted Screenplay: BlackkKlansman
Cinematography: Cold War
Editing: The Favourite
Score: Black Panther
Song: Ballad of BusterScruggs
Production Design: Black Panther
Make-up and Hairstyling: Vice
Costume Design: Black Panther
Sound Mixing: Bohemian Raphsody
Sound Editing: A Quiet Place
Foreign Language Film: Roma
Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse
Best Documentary Feature: Free Solo
Best Live Action Short: Marguerite
Best Documentary Short: End Game
Best Animated Short: Weekends
After obsessing about who will win for months, it’s so bizarre to fill out a ballot as if I’m voting like an Academy member. I really surprised myself with how I ultimately passed out my votes. It’s a good exercise for all of us to go through. Even ranking the Best Pictures I surprised myself. Can’t wait to see the results!
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Cheers, Dave.
I hope a lot of you have time to list you choices here.
I wish the Academy would encourage their members to do the same.
Hey that’s a way to add a quick bit of excitement to the Oscar broadcast:
Have a big revolving bin full of ballots on the side of the stage. Periodically pull one out. Reveal who filled it out and what they picked.
I want to see Marty’s ballot.
I want to see Meryl’s ballot.
I want to see Lupita’s ballot.
I want to see Timothée’s ballot.
That’s weird! I feel the exact opposite! I spend most of my time wondering how I would vote at the Oscars, just in case I ever were to become an Academy member. At the beginning of each year, I create a new Word file on which I list the films I want to see in order of anticipation, and every time I see one I add it to the list of films I have seen ranked by order of preference, and I also add it and its relevant performances to any category in which I feel I could vote for it.
I have been doing it ever since I started following the Oscar season seriously, and because I cannot get enough of ranking and pretending I have created a single file for the previous years. Every time I see a film from any year I add it to the list of films I have seen from the same year and also to the various main categories (acting, director, screenplay) for which I feel I would have voted for it.
On the other hand, I don’t do predictions, because I keep hoping until the very end and against all odds that somehow the Academy will miraculously agree with me!
I haven’t seen any of the shorts. Can I leave them blank?
I’ll tell you which shorts to vote for!
(But yes you can skip any category that you want to skip.)
Who would you vote for?? I’m so curious.
You can watch all doc shorts on Netflix/Youtube for free. I think it will be between Period End of Sentence and Endgame.
I really enjoyed watching animated shorts and it will be a tough choice between Weekends, Bao and Animal Behavior.
I found three of the five live action shorts difficult to watch because they use child endangerment to manipulate your fear and emotions while offering very little in return. My guess is that either Marguerite or Skin will/should win.