OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The writing and directing categories

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this fourth post, we look at the screenplay and directing awards.

EDITORIAL: Final 2017 Awards Tracker and Oscar Reactions

Between the prestigious Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday and the Academy Awards on Sunday, here are the final tallies for the 2017 Awards Tracker and my overall Oscar reactions in each category. Enjoy and see you this November when we fire all of this up again for the 90th Academy Awards!

2017, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 27, 20172017, 2016 films, 2017 Awards Tracker, 2017 Academy Awards, 2017 Oscars, 2017 Oscar Predictions, Oscar talks, Oscars, Oscar bait, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar nominee, Oscar nominations, Oscar race, Oscar contenders, Oscar, Oscar Checklist, Oscar Predictions, Oscar surprises, Oscar snubs, Oscar winners, #OscarsSoWhite, 89th Oscars, 89th Academy Awards, Best Picture, The race for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Musical Score, Best Live Action Short, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated Short, Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, Best Directing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Makeup and Hair-Styling, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Film, Best Visual Effects, Best Screenplay, Awards Tracker, Awards Talk, Awards seasons, Awards, Award Prediction, Awards Predictions, Academy Awards, Academy Award winner, Academy Award nominees, Academy Award nominee, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award, Awards bait, SAG Award, Editorial, Column, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a LessonComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2017: The writing and directing awards

In this fourth post, we look at the writing and directing awards covering Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

MOVIE REVIEW: Swiss Army Man

As ambiguous as this sounds, your love or hate of the new film and Sundance favorite, “Swiss Army Man,” will say something about your inner quirkiness, mindset, and, most of all, your heart. Packed with detail and imagination beyond belief, this film defies classification and destroys the hyperbole, pretense, and comparative euphemisms that normally define films about friendship, the genre of buddy movies, and even unconventional screen love stories. Movies that tug our heartstrings with a smile normally kill us with kindness. The polarizing “Swiss Army Man” kills us with weirdness. This film lets its WTF freak flag fly and encourages you to do the same.

EDITORIAL: Final 2016 Awards Tracker and Oscar Reactions

Last night, I correctly predicted 16 of the 24 winners, tied with last year for my lowest total. To conclude the awards season with a final update of the Awards Tracker data, here are the finishing tallies, Oscar winners, and my reactions to the winners and losers.

2015, 2016, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 28, 20162015, 2016, 2016 Awards Tracker, 2016 Oscars, 2016 Oscar Predictions, 88th Academy Awards, 88th Oscars, Oscar snubs, Oscar nominations, Oscar hopefuls, Oscars, Oscar winners, Oscar bait, Oscar contenders, Oscar surprises, Oscar Predictions, 2015 films, Awards Predictions, Award Prediction, Awards Talk, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award nominees, Academy Award, Academy Award winner, Academy Awards, Academy Award nominee, Editorial, Column, Website feature, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, movie commentary, film commentary, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Original Screenplay, Best Musical Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Edit, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Hair-Styling, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated Short, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Animated Feature, Best Live Action Short, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Directing, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Motion Picture, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Picture, The race for Best Picture, Best Movies of 2015Comment

CHECKLIST: My full and official 2016 Oscar predictions

The teas leaves have been read, the races have been broken down, and every category has been analyzed. I've made my detailed picks in seven columns and editorials over the past week. Here's my complete and master list. Stick with me and I will win you that Oscar pool at home or at work! Use this as your checklist and cheat sheet of choice!

2016, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanFebruary 24, 20162016 Awards Tracker, 2016, 2016 Oscar Predictions, 2016 Oscars, 88th Oscars, 88th Academy Awards, Oscar Predictions, Oscar winners, Award Prediction, Awards Talk, Awards Predictions, Academy Awards, Academy Award, Academy Award winner, Best Picture, Best Motion Picture, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Director, Best Directing, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Or, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated Short, Best Screenplay, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Live Action Short, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hair-Styling, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Score, Best Original SongComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2016: The writing and directing awards

Through several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this fourth post, we look at the writing and directing awards covering Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

COLUMN: Five snubs and five surprises from the 88th Academy Award nominations

As with any year, there are hot topics being debated immediately stemming from snubs and surprises. Here are my reaction and takeaways, consisting of five snubs and five surprises, coming out of this morning's nominations announcements.

2016, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 14, 20162016, 2015 films, Oscar surprises, Oscar snubs, Oscar nominations, Oscar contenders, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar bait, Oscar Predictions, Oscar winners, Oscars, 88th Oscars, 88th Academy Awards, Academy Awards, Academy Award winner, 2016 Academy Awards, Academy Award, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award nominee, Academy Award nominees, film commentary, movie commentary, Awards Tracker, Awards Talk, Awards Predictions, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Picture, The race for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Directing, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Minority performers, Michael B. Jordan, Creed, Mark Rylance, Sylvester Stallone, Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, The Revenant, The Big Short, Jacob Tremblay, Room, Benecio del Toro, Sicario, Paul Dano, Love and Mercy, Michael Shannon, 99 Homes, Michael Keaton, Spotlight, Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation, Inside Out, Anomalisa, Boy and the World, When Marnie Was There, The Good Dinosaur, The Peanuts Movie, Minions, Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth, Furious 7, See You Again, Lady Gaga, Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Titanic, Mad Max: Fury Road, Lenny Abrahamson, Todd Haynes, Carol, Ridley Scott, The Martian, Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, Straight Outta Compton, Bridge of Spies, Star Wars: The Force AwakensComment

EDITORIAL: Final 2015 Awards Tracker and Oscar Reactions

Let's put a bow on the 2014 Oscar race. Last night, I correctly predicted 16 of the 24 winners. In my final update of this year's Awards Tracker, here are the final tallies, Oscar winners, and my reactions. The Oscar winners in each category are in bold. See you next year for another data session and awards season!

2014, 2015, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 23, 2015Birdman, Boyhood, Whiplash, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Interstellar, American Sniper, Eddie Redmaybe, Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette, John Legend, Common, Glory, Selma, Everything is Awesome, The LEGO Movie, Gone Girl, The Imitation Game, Graham Moore, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Ida, Citizenfour, Feast, Best Animated Short, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Directing, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated FeatureComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2015: The writing and directing categories

It's time to begin making my formal and official Oscar predictions. In this fourth post, we start to get the beginning three of "The Big 8" Oscar categories. Here, we look at the writing and directing awards for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Let's do this and pick some winners! I've said it all season. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool.

EDITORIAL: Final 2014 Awards Tracker and Oscar Reactions

In my final update of this year's Awards Tracker, here are the final tallies, Oscar winners, and my reactions. The Oscar winners in each category are in bold. See you next year for another data session and season!

2014, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanMarch 3, 2014Award Prediction, Awards Predictions, Awards Tracker, Awards Talk, 86th Academy Awards, Oscar nominations, Oscars, Oscar Predictions, 2014, 2014 Oscars, Best Motion Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Animated Feature, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Sound Mixing, Best Picture, Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Animated Short, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Score, Best Actress, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Original Song, Best, Best Screenplay, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Original Screenplay, Best Animated Short Film, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Supporting Actress, Best Directing, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Musical Score, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, The race for Best PictureComment

CHECKLIST: My full and official 2014 Oscar predictions

Alright, folks! I've done all of the research I can with my 2014 Awards Tracker. I've read all of the tea leaves and broken down every race. I've made my picks and here's the master list.