Oscars®: Lesser-known films take precedence

Ricky Miller, Entertainment Editor

Ryan Gosling, Krista Kosonen, Elarica Johnson and Mackenzie Davis in “Blade Runner 2049” (2017).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor lesser-known films in the technical categories leading up to the big winners on Sunday, March 4.

Here are some of my Oscar predictions for the big night.

Animated Feature Film — When I saw “The Boss Baby” last year, I wondered who this movie was geared for.  It is about family, but it deals with some unsavory characters and I cannot understand why members of the Academy chose this one rather than “The LEGO Batman Movie.” “Coco,” “The Breadwinner,” “Ferdinand” and “Loving Vincent”to  round out this quintet of nominees.  I think “Coco” will win because of the good old Disney money train that regularly harvests winners.

Cinematography — “Blade Runner 2049,” “Darkest Hour,” “Dunkirk,” “Mudbound” and “The Shape of Water” were nominated in this category. I want Roger Deakins to win this award for “Blade Runner 2049” but have a feeling it will go to the cinematographer Dan Laustsen, for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water.”

Production Design – “Beauty and the Beast,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Darkest Hour,” “Dunkirk” and “The Shape of Water” are the nominees.  I think this is one award “Blade Runner 2049” will nab, but won’t be surprised if “Dunkirk” wins top honors.

Visual Effects – The nominees for this category include “Blade Runner 2049,” “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2,” “Kong: Skull Island,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “War for Planet of the Apes.” I hope the golden statuette goes to “Blade Runner 2049,” but I am not sure who will win, so I’m going with the second chapter of “Guardians of the Galaxy” as the winner.

Foreign Language Film — The nominees include “A Fantastic Woman” about a woman forbidden to see off a lost love (Chile); the tale of a neighbor disrespecting another, “The Insult” (Lebanon); the mystery-drama of a missing boy, “Loveless” (Russia); “On Body and Soul” (Hungary) and the oddball is the artist tale “The Square” (Sweden). This is another category where I only saw one of these titles (“The Square”) because of lead Elisabeth Moss, but I have a feeling “The Insult” from Lebanon will win.  It is significant because it is the first film to be nominated from that country.