The Ephemeric

Donald Trump has been President for a little more than one year, and regardless of your political persuasion you would have to concede that it's been an eventful year. From Russia to infighting and porn star hush-money, this regime has been a constant swirl of scandal and melodrama. Pundits are falling over themselves to put out their first-year retrospectives, many of which read more like an Oliver Stone script than reality.

While The Ephemeric could devote an entire series of blog posts to scrutinising the scarcely believable happenings of the past twelve months, I have decided that sometimes images do speak louder than words. So rather than make you sit through an essay of analysis and opinion, The Ephemeric is documenting a year of President Trump in pictures, running through the most striking and iconic images that encapsulate the nation that we have become. We will let the images speak for themselves with only light captioning, so that you can form your own opinion on Trump's America.

Genre Synth-pop
Label Columbia
Producers MGMT, Patrick Wimberly, Dave Fridmann

This Sunday, Hollywood's famous Dolby Theatre will once again play host to the biggest day on the cinema calendar, the Oscars. People all over the world will tune in for that most tragically popular of pastimes, celebrity watching, followed by four hours of the film industry's traditionally self-congratulatory exercise in PR.

This year in particular a dour mood hangs over the industry in the wake of the litany of #metoo scandals. That being said, this year it's #metoo, last year it was #blacklivesmatter. If nothing else, this ceremony serves as a reminder of how much rich old white men care about social issues for one night a year.

In Jimmy Kimmel they have chosen well for host. Clever and charismatic under ordinary circumstances, but his recent turn as a spokesman for serious issues of our time makes him an especially appropriate pick in the current climate. Don't expect him to shy away from the tough statements.

Regardless, this evening is still mostly about the films. So for you, our loyal readers, please find below predictions for the big night. You may not have seen the big films this year, or be familiar with the latest hype tearing through tinseltown; if so consider the following a crib sheet for what lies ahead this weekend, and perhaps even a sneak peek at who might just be walking away with the big prize.


Best Picture

Nominations:

• Call Me By Your Name
• Darkest Hour
• Dunkirk
• Get Out
• Lady Bird
• Phantom Thread
• The Post
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

• Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk
• Jordan Peele – Get Out
• Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird
• Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread
• Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water

• Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name
• Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread 
• Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out 
• Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour 
• Denzel Washington – Roman J. Israel, Esq.

• Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water 
• Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Margot Robbie – I, Tonya 
• Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird 
• Meryl Streep – The Post 

• Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project 
• Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 
• Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water 
• Christopher Plummer – All the Money in the World 
• Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 

• Mary J. Blige – Mudbound 
• Allison Janney – I, Tonya
• Lesley Manville – Phantom Thread 
• Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird 
• Octavia Spencer – The Shape of Water 

• The Big Sick – Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
• Get Out – Jordan Peele
• Lady Bird – Greta Gerwig
• The Shape of Water – Guillermo del Toro 
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Martin McDonagh

• Call Me by Your Name – James Ivory 
• The Disaster Artist – Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber 
• Logan – Screenplay by Scott Frank
• Molly's Game – Aaron Sorkin 
• Mudbound – Virgil Williams and Dee Rees