CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.
Oscar Week: HollywoodChicago.com 2018 Oscar Predictions
- 2018
- 90th
- Academy Awards
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Director
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Picture
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Film Feature
- Film News
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jimmy Kimmel
- Jon Lennon Espino
- Oscars
- Patrick McDonald
- Predictions
- Spike Walters



WILD CARD
We took assignments on some other individual categories, just to comment upon some favorite gems buried in the mass of Oscar beyond the above-the-line interest.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE (Spike Walters)
NOMINEES: “The Boss Baby” “The Breadwinner” “Coco” “Ferdinand” “Loving Vincent”
Will Win: “Coco”
Should Win: “Coco”

Hector and Miguel in ‘Coco’
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios
2017 was a down year for animated films. Pixar Studios is the studio to beat, and “Coco” lives up to the studio’s rich artistry… however, I felt Coco’s story was largely derivative. Yet in a year when somehow “Boss Baby” makes the cut, you know there’s not that much competition. (SW)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (Jon Lennon Espino)
NOMINEES: “Blade Runner 2049” “Darkest Hour” “Dunkirk” “Mudbound” “The Shape of Water”
Will Win: “Blade Runner 2049”
Should Win: “Blade Runner 2049”
Should Have Been Nominated: “Wonder Woman”

The Ethereal Imagery in ‘Blade Runner 2049’
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
Much like early Meryl Streep, Roger Deakins has been always the Oscar bridesmaid, but never the bride. The fantastic and visual world building he did in “Blade Runner 2049” is awe-inspiring. He not only was able to continue what the original “Blade Runner” imagined, but also evolved it enough to leave his signature on it… without making it unrecognizable to the original. Another film that should have made the list was the revolutionary “Wonder Woman, ‘which broke records in many ways, but not when it comes to the Academy’s negative view on comic book films as a whole. (JE)
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT (Patrick McDonald)
NOMINEES: “DeKalb Elementary” “The Eleven O’Clock” “My Nephew Emmett” “The Silent Child” “Watu Wote: All of Us”
Will Win: “Watu Wote:All of Us,” Directed by Katja Benrath
Should Win: “Watu Wote:All of Us”

Chaos and Redemption in ‘Watu Wote: All of Us’
Photo credit: Ginger Ink Films
It’s an incredible line-up of shorts (which are available for digital download if you want to see a unique program), with “DeKalb Elementary” being the most contemporary in its message. Also, a shout out to “The Silent Child,” for dramatically advocating a cause and “The Eleven O’Clock,” which in less than 10 minutes creates a circumstance which hilariously enfolds and neatly concludes. But “Watu Wote: All of Us” is a plea to end the madness of “the other,” and it’s based on a real incident, which provides a lesson of emotional truth. (PM)
ODDS FOR THE REST
To complete the rest of the categories, here are the latest odds for each…
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Fantastic Woman (Chile) 5/9
The Square (Sweden) 2/1
The Insult (Lebanon) 9/1
Loveless (Russia) 10/1
On Body and Soul (Hungary) 33/1
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Dear Basketball 2/5
Garden Party 9/2
Lou 18/1
Negative Space 22/1
Revolting Rhymes 80/1
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Remember Me (Coco) 5/8
This Is Me (The Greatest Showman) 3/2
Mighty River (Mudbound) 11/1
Mystery of Love (Call Me by Your Name) 16/1
Stand Up For Something (Marshall) 22/1
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Faces Places 2/7
Icarus 4/1
Last Men in Aleppo 6/1
Strong Island 20/1
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail 25/1
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 3/2
Edith+Eddie 9/4
Heroin(e) 10/3
Knife Skills 20/1
Traffic Stop 80/1
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water) 1/4
Hans Zimmer (Dunkirk) 5/1
Jonny Greenwood (Phantom Thread) 7/1
John Williams (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) 15/1
Carter Burwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) 15/1
BEST FILM EDITING
Dunkirk 4/9
Baby Driver 3/1
The Shape of Water 18/1
I
Tonya 66/1
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 80/1
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
War for the Planet of the Apes 5/6
Blade Runner 2049 10/11
Star Wars: The Last Jedi 16/1
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 22/1
Kong: Skull Island 33/1
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Phantom Thread 1/9
Beauty and the Beast 11/2
The Shape of Water 15/1
Darkest Hour 18/1
Victoria & Abdul 30/1
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Shape of Water 1/4
Blade Runner 2049 11/2
Beauty and the Beast 66/1
Dunkirk 66/1
Darkest Hour 100/1
BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIR STYLING
Darkest Hour 1/10
Wonder 16/1
Victoria and Abdul 50/1
BEST SOUND EDITING
Dunkirk 1/5
Baby Driver 11/1
Blade Runner 2049 18/1
The Shape of Water 66/1
Star Wars: The Last Jedi 100/1
BEST SOUND MIXING
Dunkirk 1/4
Baby Driver 7/1
Star Wars: The Last Jedi 22/1
Blade Runner 2049 50/1
The Shape of Water 66/1
![]() | By PATRICK McDONALD |