Critic's Picks: The Oscars

Best Supporting Actress

• Mary J. Blige “Mudbound”
• Allison Janney “I, Tonya”
• Leslie Manville “Phantom Thread”
• Laurie Metcalf “Lady Bird”
• Octavia Spencer “The Shape of Water”

Hands down, Allison Janney as Tonya Harding’s compassionless and abusive mother deserves the win. She’s so over the top, she’s utterly unrecognizable. It’s a deliciously despicable performance that has you cringing at every turn. Sorry, Laurie Metcalf.

Best Supporting Actor

• Willem Dafoe “The Florida Project”
• Woody Harrelson “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Richard Jenkins “The Shape of Water”
• Christopher Plummer “All the Money in the World”
• Sam Rockwell “Three Billboards”

Christopher Plummer deserves unconditional recognition for replacing Kevin Spacey in a mere nine days of work. He portrays J. Paul Getty with such pompous propriety it stings. But it looks as though Sam Rockwell is on a roll.

Best Actress

• Sally Hawkins “The Shape of Water”
• Frances McDormand “Three Billboards"
• Margot Robbie “I, Tonya”
• Saoirse Ronan “Lady Bird”
• Meryl Streep “The Post”

Frances McDormand’s performance as the “mad as hell” mom whose murdered daughter’s case hasn’t been solved, is, well, just kickass. She nails quirkiness like no one can. Sally Hawkins could prevail, but it’s unlikely.

Best Actor

• Timothee Chalamet “Call Me by Your Name”
• Daniel Day-Lewis “Phantom Thread”
• Daniel Kaluuya “Get Out”
• Gary Oldman “Darkest Hour”
• Denzel Washington “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Every performance by Daniel Day-Lewis is his best. But very little commercial attention was paid to promote his meticulous work in this exquisite film about an obsessive fashion designer. If not for the fact that Gary Oldman is pure perfection as Winston Churchill and receiving gobs of recognition for being such, Day-Lewis may well nab it.

Best Picture

• “Call Me by Your Name”
• “Darkest Hour”
•  “Dunkirk”
• “Get Out”
• “Lady Bird”
•  “Phantom Thread”
• “The Post”
•  “The Shape of Water”
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

This is a close race. Two very different films that are nowhere near mainstream, vying for the ultimate prize, is refreshingly unbelievable. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” promotes a strong female protagonist who defends herself fearlessly in an era when huge attention is being paid to women speaking out. Conversely, the female hero in “The Shape of Water” doesn’t utter a single word and yet speaks volumes about the rights of all living beings. We’re betting on Guillermo del Toro’s intoxicating fantasy.

Best Director

• Paul Thomas Anderson “Phantom Thread”
• Guillermo del Toro “The Shape of Water”
• Greta Gerwig “Lady Bird”
• Christopher Nolan “Dunkirk”
• Jordan Peele “Get Out”

Guillermo del Toro takes us on a journey into an adult fairy tale and manipulates our emotions to the point of ecstasy. It’s a fantastically incredible ride and unique beyond imagination. No contest.

The Academy Awards ceremony airs at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 4 on ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.