The nominations for the 88th Academy Awards were announced
this morning, ushering in the homestretch to Awards Season and generating
debate among lovers of the silver screen. As always, there is plenty to talk
about. Here are the Good, Bad, and Glorious points:
THE GOOD
-As expected, acting nominations were announced for Leonardo
DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett,
and Jennifer Hudson. No surprises there in a good way.
-George Miller, who directed the high-octane MAD MAX: FURY
ROAD, earned a Best Director nomination for his post-apocalyptic action and
carnage fest. The nomination is one of ten (!) for the film. Basically a sci-fi
flick, it’s refreshing to see the Academy acknowledge the genre.
-Five nominations for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. The five
nods brings the total franchise number up to 30, which is the 2nd
most in history for a film-series, behind Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth films
(38).
THE BAD
-No Best Original Screenplay nomination for Quentin
Tarantino, whose intricate writing in his Western THE HATEFUL EIGHT was
certainly tighter and more focused than the last two films he won for
(INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and DJANGO UNCHAINED).
-Director Ryan Coogler, who rejuvenated the ROCKY franchise
with his crowd-pleasing CREED, should have earned a Best Director nomination.
-EX MACHINA; one of the best-reviewed films of the year, and
one of this Blogger’s favorites, should have had a Best Picture nomination.
-STAR WARS creator George Lucas was recently quoted as
saying that the Academy doesn’t award popular movies. This rings true this
year, as the 7th episode in his own series did not earn nominations
in major categories…despite being one of the best-reviewed films of the year
and a box-office champion.
-More of a curious point than a bad one: Idris Elba was
kind-of expected to land a nomination for his powerful performance in the
war-film BEASTS OF NO NATION. But the film’s non-traditional release (it was on
a limited run in theatres and globally on Netflix), calls into question of how
the Academy is keeping up with the times. Did the streaming-service release
hurt Elba? Does the Academy shun the format in favor of big-screen releases?
-The lack of diversity (namely black actors) in the
nominations has re-awakened the discussion of why the Academy doesn’t nominate more
minorities. But even if Coogler, Elba, and Michael B. Jordan (CREED) were
nominated, the numbers would still be skewed. It’s due to a lack of options in
the industry, and that’s the real issue.
THE GLORIOUS
-Pixar’s INSIDE OUT earned a nomination for Best Original
Screenplay; a rarity for an animated film. The last movie to do so; Pixar’s UP
in 2009.
-Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in THE REVENANT has earned
so much praise that his co-star Tom Hardy was overlooked for the Golden Globes
and did not make many people’s short-lists prior to today’s announcements.
However, the Academy noticed…and gave Hardy a rightful nomination.
-EX MACHINA rightfully earned a nomination for Best Visual
Effects, as it arguably displayed one of the most visually stunning creations
made in a long-time.
-It’s all about the movies, and the list of eight
nominees for Best Picture is a solid one. It’s a nice mix of old (Steven
Spielberg, Ridley Scott, George Miller), and new (Adam McKay, Alejandro Inarritu,
Tom McCarthy), while servicing several genres; spy-thrillers, action, sci-fi,
comedy, and good old-fashioned drama. The right films are there, and Oscar
Night will be a competitive one.
*
The Oscars will be awarded February 28th.
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