Countdown to Oscar Night: Music

Best Original Song
"When a Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings" - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
"All the Stars" - Black Panther
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" - Mary Poppins Returns
"I'll Fight" - RBG
"Shallow" - A Star Is Born

This is certainly one of the easiest picks of the night. This award has had Lady Gaga written on it since before the movie came out. Ho hum... I was pretty disappointed that they chose to ignore Dolly Parton's brilliant work in Dumplin and all of the cutting-edge hip-hop from Blindspotting and Spider-Verse. Other than "Shallow" the songs are pretty vanilla.

My Ballot
"Shallow" - A Star Is Born
"I'll Fight" - RBG
"When a Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings" - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" - Mary Poppins Returns
"All the Stars" - Black Panther

My Pick to Win
"Shallow" - A Star Is Born

Shamefully Snubbed
"Girl in the Movies" - Dumplin


Best Original Score
BlacKkKlansman
Black Panther
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns

Three of these films (Black Panther, Beale St., Isle of Dogs) put the ORIGINAL in original score. Each of them not only perfectly convey the feel of their movie, but also do it in ways that sound new and exciting. BlacKkKlansman's score is just plain forgettable. Mary Poppins' is far from original and instead relies on, quite literally, hitting the right nostalgia notes. Of the three above, all would be worthy of an award, but Beale St.'s hauntingly beautiful music is a neck above the rest. It echoes the themes of beauty in all places that make it probably the best original score in a decade.

My Ballot
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Black Panther
Mary Poppins Returns
BlacKkKlansman

My Pick to Win
If Beale Street Could Talk

Shamefully Snubbed
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse


Best Sound Mixing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born

I don't think I've said this yet, and I'm sure I will say it again during my countdown, but Bohemian Rhapsody is simply a bad movie. It didn't deserve any nomination, let alone five... There is nothing original about any aspect of its filmmaking except that it is the first movie about Queen. First Man was technically brilliant but I don't really remember the sound standing out much. I also am not really sure why Roma or Black Panther fit in this category. The only possible option for the combination of sound and screen in a seamless, inventive way is Mr. Cooper's pet project. Either A Star Is Born wins best sound mixing or the voters don't understand the category.

My Ballot
A Star Is Born
First Man
Roma
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody

My Pick to Win
A Star Is Born

Shamefully Snubbed
Sorry to Bother You