Comedy Tragedy Masks

2018 Renaissance Film Awards (Killing Time’s Oscars)

Renaissance

Welcome to the 17th annual KT Renaissance Film Awards! Created by myself years ago to ward off the amply demonstrated madness that claws at my soul each year when the Oscars get things so very wrong, say, for example, randomly, reading the wrong best picture winner. The categories (with the exception of an added ensemble award that I cribbed from the SAG awards and a category to reward voice over/motion capture work) are the same, with the exception of the documentary, shorts, and foreign film categories in which I don’t have enough expertise to make fair judgments most years.Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
I have seen 87 2017 films, and though that number will no doubt eventually pass 90, I have seen nearly every film nominated by the Oscars in any category.  Unlike 2016, which was an embarrassment of riches, this year you had big surprises and equally big disappointments.  There were certainly great films, but the amount of them wasn’t a third of what we received the year before.  I handed out four perfect 10’s this year, but the number of films that earned at least a 9.0 or above dropped from 22 in 2016 to 14 in 2017.

The comic book genre perhaps had the most quantity of quality of any year since its modern revival in 2000 with films like Wonder Woman, Logan, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians Vol. 2 and more.  Star Wars, after wowwing fans for the first two years of Disney’s reign split the fan base with the controversial The Last Jedi.  Animation had an incredibly tepid year, with only two real contenders, I struggled to fill out the category.  In the end, it was surprise films like Three Billboards, Get Out, and Wind River, that saved 2017 from being a complete disappointment.


Dunkirk

If you had told me at the beginning of the year that a sequel to Blade Runner would grab the most nominations, I would have asked you what color the sky was on your planet, but Denis Villenueve’s brilliant Blade Runner 2049 grabbed the most nominations with 12 nods!  Dunkirk, by its genius took 10 nominations, and Beauty and the Beast by dominating the Song category (along with The Greatest Showman) grabbed 9 nominations.  Despite my problems with the film’s plot, there’s no arguing the technical brilliance of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and it got 7 nominations.  Molly’s Game snagged 6 nominations. 27 different films were nominated at least once this year.

Harrison Ford in Blade Runner 2049

Who will be the big winner this year and take the Best Picture torch from La La Land?  Let’s get to handing out awards!

Best Original Screenplay
Dunkirk
Get Out
The Big Sick
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Wind River
Winner: Get Out by Jordan Peele


Best Adapted Screenplay
Blade Runner 2049
Logan
Molly’s Game
Thor: Ragnarok
Wonder Woman
Winner: Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game

Best Visual Effects
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes
Winner: Blade Runner 2049


Best Sound Mixing
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Thor: Ragnarok
Winner: Dunkirk

Best Sound Editing
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Wonder Woman
Winner: Dunkirk


Best Song
“A Million Dreams” by Hugh Jackman & Michelle Williams from The Greatest Showman
“Evermore” by Dan Stevens from Beauty and the Beast
“How Does a Moment Last Forever?” by Celine Dion from Beauty and the Beast
“Rewrite the Stars” by Zac Efron and Zendaya from The Greatest Showman
“This is Me” by Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman
Winner: “This is Me” by Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman

Best Original Score
Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken
Dunkirk by Hans Zimmer
Logan by Marco Beltrami
Star Wars: The Last Jedi by John Williams
Thor: Ragnarok by Mark Mothersbaugh
Winner: John Williams, Star Wars: The Last Jedi


Best Makeup
Darkest Hour
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Winner: Darkest Hour

Best Film Editing
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
Molly’s Game
Winner: Dunkirk


Best Costume Design
Beauty and the Beast
Dunkirk
The Greatest Showman
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Winner: Beauty and the Beast

Best Art Direction
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Ghost in the Shell
The Greatest Showman
The Shape of Water
Winner: Blade Runner 2049


Best Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Wind River
Winner: Blade Runner 2049

Best Animated Film
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Adventure
Coco
Justice League Dark
LEGO Batman: The Movie
Loving Vincent
Winner: Loving Vincent


Best Ensemble Cast
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Get Out
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
War for the Planet of the Apes
Winner: Get Out

Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance
Andy Serkis, War for the Planet of the Apes
Bradley Cooper, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Dan Stevens, Beauty and the Beast
Karin Konoval, War for the Planet of the Apes
Mark Ruffalo, Thor: Ragnarok
Winner: Andy Serkis, War for the Planet of the Apes (Caesar)


Best Supporting Actress
Ana de Armas, Blade Runner 2049
Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Winner: Holly Hunter, The Big Sick

Best Supporting Actor
Kevin Costner, Molly’s Game
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Ray Romano, The Big Sick
Patrick Stewart, Logan
Winner: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri


Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game
Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman
Tatiana Maslany, Stronger
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Winner: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actor
Ryan Gosling, Blade Runner 2049
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Jeremy Renner, Wind River
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel Esq.
Winner: Jeremy Renner, Wind River


Best Director
Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game
Denis Villenueve, Blade Runner 2049
Winner: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Best Picture
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
Get Out
Logan
Molly’s Game
Thor: Ragnarok
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
War for the Planet of the Apes
Wind River
Wonder Woman
Winner: Dunkirk

 


The awards were pretty spread out this year with both The KT Community and I agreeing on Dunkirk for Best Picture and it took home 5 awards, Blade Runner 2049 3 trophies, and Get Out and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri the only other multiple winners with 2 wins each.

This was Christopher Nolan’s fourth Best Director Renny and John Williams’ eighth win for Best Score.  Holly Hunter and Andy Serkis won their second awards, and Jeremy Renner, Sam Rockwell, and Frances McDormand each won their first Renny.   Wonder Woman had the dubious honor of being the highest-rated film of the year on my list not to win an award.  We’ll see which film gets crowned by the Academy this Sunday night at the Oscars.


3 thoughts on “2018 Renaissance Film Awards (Killing Time’s Oscars)”

  1. Awesome choices. The one I still have not seen yet is Three Billboards, so I cannot comment on that. Otherwise you pretty much nailed it.


    Every year there are a few films that go in my pantheon of all time favorites. This year, Dunkirk and Loving Vincent are the two that go on that list. Shape of Water and Wonder Woman go below that, and Get Out was the year’s unexpected gem. In hindsight, 2017 was a very good year at the movies, and I have to say I enjoyed myself.

    Liked by 1 person

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