Movie buff Premier Pallister shares his Oscar picks

When Brian Pallister needs a break from the daily grind of politics, he likes to take solo trips to the movie theatre to unwind.

The Manitoba premier is a huge movie buff, so naturally Pallister has a lot of opinions about this year’s crop of Oscar nominees.

“The Best Picture, in my mind, is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” the Premier told 680 CJOB’s Clay Young. “You’ve got Woody Harrelson in that film, absolutely fabulous in a supporting role. Just a shocking film, very touching, very humourous, thoroughly entertaining, and just beautifully done. I’d recommend it to anybody, but I wouldn’t take your kids to it.”

Pallister said he has watched the majority of this year’s nine Best Picture nominees, though he hasn’t made it to The Post yet. He still has a month before the awards are handed out March 4.

The premier also had great things to say about The Shape of Water.

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“Best Supporting Actor I think is Sam Rockwell, but I would give an honourable mention to Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water. Very strange film, beautifully done. Lead Actress, I gotta go with Sally Hawkins,” Pallister said.

“This is an incredible performance. She has about five lines of dialogue in the whole film. You’ll be amazed that I say she should be the Best Actress when she doesn’t say much, but she is an actress who performs without the need to talk excessively.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is an incredible performance. She has about five lines of dialogue in the whole film. You'll be amazed that I say she should be the Best Actress when she doesn't say much, but she is an actress who performs without the need to talk excessively."

Pallister was also a fan of Allison Janney’s perfomance in I, Tonya for Best Supporting Actress and Gary Oldman in The Darkest Hour for Best Actor.

“Lots of excellent films this year for those who like them. Get Out is a really interesting film. Dunkirk was a fine film. It’s a tough field. It’s a real good year for film, and it’s going to be an even better year for Manitobans who value good government. How’s that for a plug?”

Pallister was also asked about the upcoming budget, expressing excitement but sharing few details.

“We ran on a promise that we would reduce taxes, so I’m excited about the work we’ve done to get our province in a position where we can start to make progress on leaving more money in the hands of the people who work so hard to get it. We’re turning the corner in terms of deficit reduction. We’re moving back towards balance.”