OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2017: The male acting awards

In this sixth post, we look at the races for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

2017, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 22, 20172017, 2017 Oscars, 2017 Oscar Predictions, 2017 Academy Awards, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award winner, Academy Award nominee, Academy Award nominees, Academy Award, Academy Awards, 89th Academy Awards, 89th Oscars, Oscar bait, Oscar, Oscar winners, Oscar Predictions, Oscar race, Oscars, Oscar nominee, Oscar surprises, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar nominations, Oscar contenders, Oscar talks, Oscar snubs, #OscarsSoWhite, Awards Talk, Awards, Award Prediction, Awards seasons, Awards bait, Awards Predictions, Awards Tracker, SAG Award, Male acting awards, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson Comment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2017: The female acting awards

n this fifth post, we look at the races for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

2017, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 22, 20172017, 2017 Academy Awards, 2017 Oscar Predictions, 2017 Oscars, Oscar talks, Oscar snubs, Oscar race, Oscar Predictions, Oscars, 89th Oscars, 89th Academy Awards, Oscar nominee, Oscar nominations, Oscar contenders, Oscar winners, Oscar surprises, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar bait, Oscar, Academy Awards, Academy Award, Academy Award winner, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award nominee, Academy Award nominees, Awards Talk, Awards bait, Awards, Awards Tracker, Awards seasons, Award Prediction, Awards Predictions, Female acting awards, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, female leads, female protagonists, strong female protagonists, strong female character, Donald Shanahan, Don 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!

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2017: The visual and artistic categories

In this third post, we look at the visual and artistic categories which include Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hair-Styling. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

2017, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 21, 20172017, 2017 Academy Awards, 2017 Oscars, 2017 Oscar Predictions, Oscar nominations, Oscars, Oscar bait, Oscar nominee, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar Predictions, Oscar surprises, Oscar snubs, Oscar race, Oscar talks, Oscar contenders, Oscar, Oscar winners, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award nominee, Academy Awards, Academy Award, Academy Award winner, Academy Award nominees, 89th Oscars, 89th Academy Awards, Awards Predictions, Awards Talk, Awards, Awards bait, Awards Tracker, Awards seasons, Award Prediction, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup and Hair-Styling, Best Makeup, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a LessonComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2017: The music and sound categories

In this first post, we look at the musical and sound categories that include original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

COLUMN: Five snubs and five surprises from the 89th Academy Award nominations

Yesterday, I threw down the gauntlet for the fourth year in a row to predict the eventual nominees in the "Big 8" categories (Best Picture, Best Director, the four acting categories, and the two screenplay awards) and, boy, did I nail it. In total, I predicted 38-of-44 correctly for 86% accuracy, with two perfect categories of 5-out-of-5 and all the Best Picture nominees. That’s my best year yet.

SPECIAL: Winners announced for the first annual CIFCC Awards!

The 28 film critics and voting members, including yours truly, of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle completed their final ballots in 25 categories for their first annual CIFCC Awards. The CIFCC hosted an invitation-only awards reception at Transistor Chicago on January 8, 2017.

2016, 2017, Independent Film, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 9, 2017Transistor ChicagoAwards, Awards Talk, CIFCC, CIFCC Awards, Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle, 2016 CIFCC Awards, Oscar hopefuls, Ava DuVernay, 13th, Jacqueline Stewart, Charles Musser, Pioneers of African-American Cinema, Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster, The Love Witch, Anna Biller, Atmo Horrox, Piper, Doctors Strange, Swiss Army Man, La La Land, Justin Hurwitz, Tom Cross, Madeline Fontaine, David Wasco, Linus Sandgren, Viola Davis, Mahershala Ali, Manchester by the Sea, Natalie Portman, Jackie, Casey Affleck, Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Kenneth Lonergan, Damien Chazelle, Southside with You, Richard Tanne, Kubo and the Two Strings, Travis Knight, Laika, The Fits, Anna Rose Holmer, O.J.: Made in America, The Handmaiden, Best Independent Film, Best Studio Film, Best Foreign Film, Best Documentary, Best Microbudget Film, Best Animated Film, Best Chicago Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Short Film, Best Undistributed Film, Trailblazer Award, Impact Award, Donald Shanahan, Don ShanahanComment

COLUMN: Who should win/will win the 2017 Golden Globes?

What you're watching on TV on Sunday night is a party thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hosted by Jimmy Fallon in an effort to be loved and share some love. It’s a popularity contest more than a true Oscar precursor. The winners do get a pretty positive rub and the marketers gain a few more "Winner of..." graphics to put in the newspapers next to their films and we get Brendan Fraser GIFs.

EDITORIAL: 17 films to watch for the 2017 Oscars

On this day after the Oscars, we must already call those 2015 films old news and look towards next year's contenders. Plenty of movies will hit theaters in 2016, but only the best become Oscar hopefuls. Set your sights on these 17 films for the 2017 Oscars. Keep in mind that release dates and even titles of some of these unfinished films could still change. Surprises come all the time, but this what the crystal ball is showing for the 89th Academy Awards.

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 race for Best Picture

Through several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this seventh and final post, we have reached the top of the mountain: Best Picture. I've said this through this entire Oscar prediction series and season. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!