Oscar Nominations
A stunningly good set of nominations, and what it means for the key races going forward.
Do you remember that feeling where you are sitting in class the day after tests are graded, and you are dreading getting your test back? The teacher is starting to pass the papers back, and you get more anxious with each passing moment because you don’t feel optimistic at all. You finally get your test back and turn it over and breathe a huge sigh of relief because it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could’ve been. That was me yesterday morning looking at the Oscar nominations. It was not nearly as much about my own predictions (I went 36/43, I’ll take it) but rather about how the nominations were going to look in general.
The biggest shock of the morning came from the Best Director category. I was thrilled to see Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell nominated, marking the first time in the 93 year history of the Oscars that multiple women were nominated. I loved seeing Lee Isaac Chung as well. I had to re-read it a few times to realize that Aaron Sorkin did not get nominated. I went in thinking that The Trial of The Chicago 7 was probably in second place in the best picture race, and for it to not even get a Best Director nomination, I think, practically removes it from serious contention for best picture. However, Green Book accomplished the same feat in 2018, and Argo did it in 2013. All three movies have similar (bad) politics, and it did get a screenplay nom, so it is possible, but I think this drops it down a bit.
The other two names in Best Director could also tell a lot about where other categories are going. Thomas Vinterberg received a nomination for Another Round, something that came out of left field for me. I don’t think Vinterberg will win in this category, but this selection shows that The Academy clearly liked it, and it could bode well for him in Best International Feature. I also feel like Vinterberg’s nomination will lead to more Americans watching a foreign film, which is never a bad thing. David Fincher picking up the other spot was not nearly as much of a shock, but Mank leading the way with ten nominations came as a bit of a surprise. I thought there was an outside chance that it would fall out of the Best Picture discussion altogether, but now I think it has to be considered in the top three at this point. Would love to see Amanda Seyfried win her first Oscar.
Sound of Metal in Original Screenplay was a welcome treat, and if there’s one movie that could come out of nowhere that isn’t in that top tier to contend for Best Picture, this might be it. I will talk about it more at length as we get closer to the ceremony. It was great to see Riz Ahmed get some recognition for his outstanding performance. His nomination was the first-ever for a Muslim for Best Actor. It is also the first time that two Asian actors are being honored simultaneously in Best Actor with Steven Yeun being the first Asian American ever nominated for the award. It is a very depressing fact, but it is nice to see that some progress is finally happening.
Seeing Lakeith Stanfield’s name was the happiest I felt all morning, followed by immense confusion seeing him under Best Supporting Actor. I thought he was running in Best Actor and Daniel Kaluuya is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the same movie. A classic case of category fraud, but thrilled to see it nevertheless. Judas & The Black Messiah as a whole had a very good day with those two acting nominations, as well as Best Picture, Best Original Song, Best Cinematography, and a Best Adapted Screenplay for Shaka King.
I, unfortunately, do not have much to add about The Father because I have not had a chance to see it yet. I am hoping to fix that sometime this week now that I am fully vaccinated and can go to movie theaters again. A quick aside to mention what a glorious feeling that is after a year away from it, and I hope everyone can experience it as soon as they get fully vaccinated.
Minari, Nomadland, and Promising Young Woman also all had good days with things going as expected down the board. All three picked up the aforementioned directing nom, a screenplay nom, and at least one acting nom, with Minari getting two with Yuh-Jung Youn and Steven Yeun (absolutely love to see it) Promising Young Woman and Nomadland also picked up Best Editing, while Minari picked up one for Best Score. I mentioned how outstanding the cinematography was in the Nomadland newsletter, so I am happy to see it recognized in that category. All three did exactly what they were supposed to this morning, and outside of the outstanding day for Mank, all three held their own and should be considered three of the favorites for Best Picture heading into next month.
There was plenty of excitement outside of the Best Picture race and the implications on that. It was great to see Soul recognized in Best Animated Feature (which feels like a wrap at this point, barring a late surge by Wolfwalkers), Best Sound, and Best Score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross picked up a second nomination for Best Score for Mank as well. It is a complete joke that Ludwig Göransson didn’t get nominated for the score in Tenet. I felt like his score was the best part of that film and might’ve been my pick to win. Nomadland not even getting shortlisted is also ridiculous. I had no idea I had such strong feelings about Original Score until this moment.
I love seeing Emma get some love for Costume Design and Makeup & Hairstyling, mainly because it feels like that movie came out approximately four years ago, even though it came out in early March of 2020. Any move that will get more people to watch a film directed by a woman (Autumn de Wilde) and starring Anya Taylor-Joy is a good move in my book.
As great as most of the nominations were, it is the Oscars, after all, so it couldn’t be a perfect day. Regina King missing out on Best Director is not a huge surprise because it was always a long shot that three women were going to get nominated. However, One Night In Miami not picking up a Best Picture nomination is probably my biggest disappointment of the morning. It is even more surprising considering that The Academy has nominated nine films plenty of times before, and the movie got a fair amount of love in other categories. Eliza Hittman and Never Rarely Sometimes Always not getting any recognition was tough to see, but it wasn’t much of a shock, unfortunately.
Dick Johnson Is Dead getting snubbed for Best Documentary is super disappointing and comes as a legit shock as I could have foreseen it winning. It was one of the most unique, creative, and heartfelt films I have seen this year, and it would’ve been very cool for The Academy to reward a Documentary that is a bit outside the box. While the four that I have had a chance to watch in this category — Crip Camp, Collective, The Mole Agent, and Time — were all excellent films, none of them do what Dick Johnson Is Dead does. It takes you completely out of your world and into this narrative arc of a beautiful story that is a rollercoaster of emotions. If I could recommend any film that wasn’t nominated this year, that would be it. It is available to watch on Netflix.
Speaking of films that transported you and were a rollercoaster of emotions, If Anything Happens I Love You was a breathtaking short that I was sobbing through throughout the entire 12-minute runtime. I don’t think any film affected me from start to finish the way that this one did. I don’t know if I can recommend it because of how absolutely brutal it was, but it is the clear front-runner for me personally in Best Animated Short Film. It is also on Netflix if you want to put yourself through that, but please watch something light and happy afterward.
The newsletter is going to be focused on the Oscars almost exclusively for the next six weeks or so, hence the special logo. I am going to do a regular newsletter for a few of my favorite Best Picture nominees starting next week. I will look at how despite the surprisingly strong set of nominations, the divide still exists between The Oscars and the Independent Spirit Awards and how they often differ from the general public. I will make my final predictions on the Tuesday before the ceremony. Oscar SZN is officially here.
Next week, I will take a look at one of the stronger Best Picture contenders, in my opinion, in Promising Young Woman. Earlier this morning, the price dropped dramatically, so it is available to rent for $5.99 on Amazon Prime, or anywhere you can rent movies.