And so we reach the end of the road. The Academy Award were announced Sunday night and things are now in the books. Now we just have to wait for the 91st Academy Awards.

Big Winners

The Shape of Water may not have won all of the marbles, but it came out on top, following established precedent rather than the strange goings-on of the last few years. A traditional winner following a traditional mold even as an untraditional film. It may not have picked up the majority of its awards, but it won four and that’s pretty solid for recent years and more than many thought it would win.
Get Out didn’t claim the Best Picture prize it deserved, but it did earn Jordan Peele and Oscar for Original Screenplay and that’s a pretty big win for a genre film.
Blade Runner 2049 took home two Oscars this year out of five nominations. Although it was thought to have faded as the year went on, it pulled off two wins for Cinematography, the award finally going to legendary Roger Deakins, and for Visual Effects. It was one of two films not nominated for Best Picture that pulled in multiple awards.

Big Losers

Lady Bird went home empty-handed this year, one of only two Best Picture nominees to do so. There weren’t many places the film could have won, but the two it had the best shot of upsetting, Original Screenplay and Supporting Actress, went in different directions.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri wasn’t exactly a loser, but it certainly didn’t perform as well as some had thought. Losing out Original Screenplay and Best Picture, the film took a major hit, picking up only its two assured acting prizes.
Phantom Thread became a surprisingly strong Oscar contender and came out of the ceremony with a Best Costume Design prize only. While no one really expected the film to perform better, the late-breaking praise just couldn’t propel it higher.