Oscar Predictions: Best Sound

This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 23rd. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in most of the major categories, saving some of the biggest categories for last.

Last year’s nominees: Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, La La Land, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

This year’s locks: Dunkirk

Very likely: Blade Runner 2049, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Possible: Baby Driver, The Shape of Water, Wonder Woman, The Greatest Showman, Get Out, War for the Planet of the Apes

Unlikely: The Post

The rundown: The Motion Picture Sound Editors usually don’t announce their nominees until after Oscar unveils its own list, and this year being two days earlier won’t help much. This is hardly a category I excel at predicting. Dunkirk makes so much sense, as does Blade Runner 2049, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi would be the third consecutive film in its series to earn a nomination. Baby Driver is a strong possibility, and The Shape of Water feels (sounds?) like it would fit here. Wonder Woman, The Greatest Showman, and War for the Planet of the Apes are technical achievements that could fit, or maybe Best Picture contenders like Get Out or The Post will show up instead.

One possible crazy scenario: It’s not going to happen, but what if the tremendously captivating The Florida Project was here for an appropriately quiet and nuanced listening experience to aid its adventures in misery?

Forecasted winner: I’d say Dunkirk wins.