As you may know, Best Picture operates on a preferential ballot, so unlike the other categories which only require a plurality of 20%+1 to win, the process of redistributing the ballots as nominees are “phased out” in the Best Picture tabulating means that a film that may have started with the third highest number of votes (among nine) might end up being the one to get a majority at the end of the day.
So for the purpose of this poll, vote for what your #1 choice would be, but then reply with a list of all nine nominees in order of preference.
[ol]
[li]The Shape of Water[/li][li]Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/li][li]Lady Bird[/li][li]The Phantom Thread[/li][li]Call Me By Your Name[/li][li]The Post[/li][li]Dunkirk[/li][li]Darkest Hour[/li][/ol]
(I haven’t seen Get Out, so I don’t know where I would place it)
I was shocked by how good “Dunkirk” was. I had no idea; I entered the film with low expectations and was wowed. It was truly original.
I was shocked at how terrible “Three Billboards” was; I had high expectations and was appalled at what ill-conceived Oscar bait it was. Just total junk.
This statement is past its due date; I should’ve made it well before the awards: to me, Dunkirk wasn’t a movie. It was a sensory immersion science film I would see at the Exploratorium - just the best one ever. “Dunkirk: You Are There!” To me, it wasn’t trying to accomplish what a Movie tries to accomplish. It was closer to a gaming experience than a movie, given what it was trying to do as an immersive experience.
Personally, I find many Overly Cerebral Directors to be too Meta. The whole time I’m thinking “I, Christopher Nolan, filmcraft genius, am taking you deep into this pivotal event - isn’t this (and aren’t I) amazing?!”
Dunkirk was a huge disappointment to me. I hoped for so much better.
Three Billboards is the director’s worst movie. Check out “In Bruges” if you haven’t. I think it is in my top 5 of the last decade. Should have been Best Picture.
Shape of Water was disappointing to me, too. It was not even the director’s best movie. Pan’s Labyrinth was way better.