Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

The winners:

Contemporary: I, Tonya
Period: The Shape of Water
Fantasy: Wonder Woman

...and a note that, by my recollection, this Guild fairly often has little correlation to the Oscars.

I'm not sure if this is accurate, but people at Awards Daily are saying the cut-off for contemporary/period at this Guild is 25 years, and, since the dominant portion of I, Tonya takes place in the winter of 1994, it just barely makes the cut for contemporary. Call Me by Your Name obviously misses (as does The Post). Let me note it's pretty chastening to think of something that took place well into your adult life as "period".

Just to make it more ridiculous: apparently the Art Directors guild has a 20-year cut-off, so I, Tonya was a period movie for them. Get your tuttsi-fruttsi ice cream, right here!

I didn’t think notice I, Tonya on that list so good point there as well. I guess we just don’t know what their set criteria is for each of those categories.

One of the elements that I thought made CMBYN so successful was the period production. The early ‘80s were “lightly” suggested by the costume and music choices but it wasn’t some sort of Boogie Nights-style hardcore immersion into the period. The early ‘80s (what little I recall of them) were sort of basic like that. They looked like the late ‘70s more than “the Eighties.” It didn’t get loud, bold and that traditional ‘80s look that most people remember until about ‘86.

flipp525 wrote:Why would Call Me By Your Name be considered in the Contemporary category? It’s set in 1983. (Which was the year I was in kindergarten.)

Good point, although I guess it would just depend on how far back the guild considered "contemporary." Because a good portion of I, Tonya takes place in the 70's and 80's, and most of the rest of it takes place over twenty years ago. If that's considered contemporary, certainly a case could be made for CMBYN.

Why would Call Me By Your Name be considered in the Contemporary category? It’s set in 1983. (Which was the year I was in kindergarten.)

Interesting that BOTH Darkest Hour and Victoria & Abdul missed the Period list. On the Contemporary side, another omission for Call Me By Your Name, which might have joined virtually all of the other contemporary-set Best Picture candidates here. (Although it's pretty lazy that the contemporary field always just defaults to the big boppers -- something like Girls Trip would have been much worthier than some of those in this specific arena.)

CONTEMPORARY
Get Out
I, Tonya
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Lady Bird
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

PERIOD
Dunkirk
The Greatest Showman
Murder on the Orient Express
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water

FANTASY
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Thor: Ragnarok
Wonder Woman