by Julia Pierrepont III
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Speculation is running high on who will nab Oscar nods when the Academy of Motion Pictures releases their 2018 nominees for the 90th Academy Award on March 4.
With a host of well-received films this year, the list of possible contenders for the coveted Best Picture nomination is wide-ranging in scope and subject matter.
The leaders of the pack are "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," "The Shape of Water," "Dunkirk," "Call Me By Your Name," and so on.
Fox Searchlight's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," which is about an angrily grieving mother, who uses three prominent billboards to publicly hold the police accountable when they fail to catch her daughter's rapist-murderer, has already nabbed the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, which is a strong indicator of Oscar appeal to follow.
Fox Searchlight's "The Shape of Water," which tells the tale of a mute cleaning lady who falls in love with a godlike sea creature who faces certain death by soulless government inquisitors, raked in seven Golden Globe nominations and won two.
All above as well as Warner Brothers' "Dunkirk," and Sony Picture's "Call Me By Your Name," have received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Golden Globes and Australia's Academy Cinema Television Arts International Awards (AACTAI) and the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA).
Since the Oscars favor period pieces, some consider Steven Speilberg's 20th Century Fox 1970's political drama "The Post" will still be in the running even after losing out on its six Golden Globe nominations and being cold-shouldered by BAFTA as well.
"I, Tonya" has received a lot of press attention and performed well at the Golden Globes. Other long-shots include 20th Century Fox's rollicking "The Greatest Showman," A24's Lala Land inverse "The Disaster Artist" and Focus Features' "The Darkest Hour."
In this scandal-rocked year of female empowerment, it is worth noting that with the exception of "Dunkirk" and "Call Me By Your Name," the other five reigning Oscar favorites are female-centric stories, depicting powerful and interesting female characters.
Frontrunners in the Best Actress category are Sally Hawkins in "The Shape of Water," Francis McDormand in "Three Billboards Outside of Ebbings, Missouri," Saoirse Ronan from "Lady Bird," Meryl Streep in "The Post," and Michelle Williams in "All the Money in the World."
Also in contention are: Margot Robbie in "I, Tonya," and Jessica Chastain in "Molly's Game."
Gal Godot is a long-shot for her heroic "Wonder Woman," as well as Emma Stone in "Battle of the Sexes," and Judi Dench in "Victoria and Abdul." Annette Bening, who has lost out on her previous Oscar nominations, may be a long overdue contender.
The supporting actors cueing up as Oscar nomination hopefuls are Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson in "Three Bills," Willem Dafoe in "The Florida Project," Richard Jenkins in "The Shape of Water," and Christopher Plummer in "All the Money in the World."
Supporting Actress frontrunners are Mary J. Blige in "Mudbound," Allison Janney in "I, Tonya," Hong Chau in "Downsizing" and Laurie Metcalf in "Lady Bird."
Other possible contenders include Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter for "The Big Sick," Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer from "The Shape of Water," and Academy Award-winner Nicole Kidman for "Killing of a Sacred Deer."
The Oscar nominations will be announced January 23 and the 90th Academy Awards will be held on March 4 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in the U.S. city of Los Angeles.
