Oscars 2018: Who Should Win Every Award (And Who Actually Will)

9. Cinematography

Blade Runner 2049
Columbia Pictures

Nominees: Blade Runner 2049, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Mudbound, The Shape Of Water

Who Should Win

Blade Runner 2049

Roger Deakins has been doing sublime work for decades, but he's reached an almost impossible career-high with Blade Runner 2049. The way he shot the film is incredible, at once paying homage to the cyberpunk noir of the original but imbuing it with new ideas. Every frame of the movie could be put up in an art gallery. He creates a nightmarish, dystopian ruin that simultaneous has a surreal, dreamlike beauty. It is, quite simply, breathtaking.

Who Will Win

Blade Runner 2049

You know what they say: 14th time's a charm, right? This isn't just a lifetime achievement award, though that will play a part, but Deakins' work on Blade Runner 2049 is some of the very best of his illustrious career and, while the film isn't in the mix for the biggest awards, its cinematography is almost impossible to overlook - both BAFTA and the American Society of Cinematographers agree with that assessment, at least. It's a stacked category though, and Dunkirk - which has more love across the board, with a Best Picture and Best Director nod - could spoil the party.

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Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.