All throughout February, Gold Derby chatted with Oscar voters about their favorite films and performances competing for the top eight categories at the 2019 Academy Awards. Now that voting has concluded, some voters have offered to share their views and secret ballots. The comments below for Voter #2 in each category are part of the thought process in choosing these potential winners.
And click here to see our winner picks for Voter #1. More articles will be published this week.
BEST PICTURE: “Roma”
This is the most beautiful black-and-white movie I’ve seen in a very long time. It’s well-directed, and to think the lead actress had never been in anything before and he got an amazing performance out of her. Plus the kids and not an experienced group for the cast. Hands down, this is my vote. Second place is “Green Book.” Third place is “BlacKkKlansman.”
BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Director is my easiest choice this year, giving it to Cuaron. What he did with that movie is amazing. He lived with that movie, wrote it, directed it, shot it, edited it, so ultimately an independent achievement. We used to joke that if someone did all of that, it was the kiss of death to actually be a good movie… he can’t get anybody else to work with him.
BEST ACTRESS: Glenn Close (“The Wife”)
I was between Glenn Close and Melissa McCarthy. I was not a big fan of “The Favourite” overall, so even though Olivia Colman has been doing a lot of winning, it wasn’t a great watch for me. Melissa was good, but I was expecting her to be a little less “Melissa McCarthy” in the role because there were a few times she relied back on the comedy we’ve seen before. Glenn Close always gives a great performance, and the film relies on her so much.
BEST ACTOR: Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)
I was kind of ambivalent on this category but finally settled on Rami Malek. It was between him and Christian Bale. I really thought he carried that movie almost by himself. Christian’s performance was great but what I call an interpretation or imitation of the character and not creating it. But I said the same thing last year to people about Churchill and Gary Oldman, so I was wrong last year.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
I think Regina had a very difficult role, and the two “Favourite” ladies negated since I didn’t care for that movie too much. She made that movie work for me and is a clear pick for me in this category.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”)
It’s almost a tie for me with Mahershala Ali and Richard E. Grant. Mahershala is in a very controlled role, and he was always in control of himself in a movie that was a little broad in my opinion. Wherever possible, the Farrelly brothers (in this case Peter) go for the laugh, and I could see some of that in “Green Book,” but he avoided that kind of direction.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
It’s kind of interesting because I really liked the way he adapted the book, which I had read earlier. I also strongly considered “A Star is Born,” which hasn’t had a lot of love lately. But the better adaptation is simply “Beale Street,” and Barry made a story that could be very maudlin actually interesting. The characters really came to life off the page.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
This is another one I’ve been battling with quite a bit. I really liked the story of “Roma,” but do I vote for a screenplay I don’t completely understand? I don’t like “The Favourite”; “First Reformed” was good not great; “Green Book” is a very enjoyable movie but not particularly well-crafted screenplay; and “Vice” is well-crafted but is also a picture I don’t love. It might be the toughest category I’ve ever voted for.
PREDICT the Oscar winners now; change them until February 24
Be sure to check out how our experts rank this year’s Oscar contenders. Then take a look at the most up-to-date combined odds before you make your own Oscar predictions. Don’t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until just before winners are announced on February 24.
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