The nominees for the 91stAcademy Awards were announced today. ROMA and THE FAVOURITE lead the pack with 10 nominations each, followed by eight for VICE and A STAR IS BORN, seven for BLACK PANTHER, six for BLAKKKLANSMAN, and five for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and GREEN BOOK. Here’s how the rest landed in the Good, Bad, and Glorious.
THE GOOD
-Last year’s announcements were done in a huge production with pre-produced intros and a large backdrop. This year things were scaled down, and hosts Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross looked like they were in the lobby of the Academy. It worked, and both hosts got the job done, although it was odd to have Ross, mostly known as a TV actress, hosting an event that celebrates the movies.
-For the first time since 1976, two foreign language films made the cut for Best Director; Alfonso Cuaron for ROMA, and Pawel Pawlikowski for COLD WAR. It’s good to see the Academy look beyond their borders.
-Earlier this year, the Academy toyed with, and then shelved the idea of adding a Most Popular Film category to honor box office hits that weren’t Best Picture material. Three of this year’s nominees; A STAR IS BORN, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, and BLACK PANTHER…were all big money makers and shows that the category is not needed.
-Speaking of BLACK PANTHER; the box office smash, critical hit, and cultural impact-maker became the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture.
-A nomination for Best Visual Effects for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, gives the long-running STAR WARS franchise a total of 37 nominations over nine films. The record belongs to the Middle-Earth franchise (THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS), which has 38 nominations over six films.
THE BAD
-No nomination for Bradley Cooper for Best Director for his outstanding A STAR IS BORN. Could it be because he spent too much time in front of the camera? Also noteworthy is no nomination for Best Editing for A STAR IS BORN, which is usually a pre-requisite for a Best Picture winner.
-As stated in Reel Speak’s review of BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (HERE), that film had editing issues, which makes its nomination for Best Editing an odd one.
-Also odd is BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY earning so many nominations including Best Picture, despite receiving mixed to awful reviews. The film is flawed, but there is something to be said about a film that can get people roused out of their seats, and despite having a tragic ending, can send us home on a high note.
-Even more oddness is the overwhelming love for VICE, which also did not earn a lot of great reviews. But there is something to be said about a film that is brutally honest about American history; it deserves that credit no matter how hard it is to watch or preferable to ignore.
-FIRST MAN snubs: no nominations for composer Justin Hurwitz, no Best Picture, or Best Supporting Actress for Claire Foy. Also, no nominations for Emily Blunt who owned two of the best performances of the year in MARY POPPINS RETURNS and A QUIET PLACE.
-One of the most accomplished technical films of the year, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT, was shut out.
THE GLORIOUS
-Spike Lee gets his first nomination for Best Director (BLACKKKLANSMAN).
-Sam Elliot earning his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor (A STAR IS BORN).
-Lady Gaga earning her first nomination for Best Actress (A STAR IS BORN).
-Overall the nominations are very spread out, and it’s hard to see a clear-cut winner. That points to a competitive year where anything can happen, and that’s not a bad thing.
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The Oscars will be awarded on February 24th.
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