Once again, we have reached the beginning of the fever pitch of Awards Season; the announcement of the Oscar nominations.
As was to be predicted, The Shape of Water has taken the lead with 13 nominations (almost tying with the record), followed by Dunkirk with eight, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri with seven. The nominations announcement was nicely done, and hinted at the Academy’s backing of bringing women to the forefront with each of its brief videos featuring an actress.
Usually, the nominations elicit some strong backlash be it with regards to a particularly painful snub, or a controversy surrounding aspects such as diversity. However, this year’s nominations seem to have agreed with the general consensus, and include some bigger films more popular with the public as a whole. It also seems to be a banner year for diversity, hopefully signaling a change in the tides. It is filled with Oscar regulars but also a lot of first time nominees, and a lot of independent content which swings far from your typical ‘Oscar bait’.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s nominees…
Best Picture
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
With nine nominees to match last year’s batch, this is one of the most varied set of Best Picture nominees we’ve had in a while. It’s nice, and not surprising to see films, namely Get Out and Dunkirk, released outside of the traditional awards window still getting the recognition they deserve. There are quite a few indie projects in here, rather than the usual one or two, which has increased the variety (although sadly, but not shockingly, The Florida Project was left out). The most surprising of the list is Phantom Thread, which, despite being a PTA and DDL collaboration, was mostly ignored at other ceremonies. It seems to be an open race at the moment, without a heavy front-runner, albeit the three perhaps edging ahead at the moment may be Get Out, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Best Director
Christopher Nolan ~ Dunkirk
Jordan Peele ~ Get Out
Greta Gerwig ~ Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson ~ Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro ~ The Shape of Water
Three things I am most excited about here: a woman has been nominated, a black director has been nominated, and Christopher Nolan finally has an Oscar nom for directing. Get Out has certainly received more love here than at some awards ceremonies, and its great to see Peele getting recognised for his work. Likewise with Greta Gerwig, who had been overlooked at some of the other big awards. Lady Bird hasn’t been released in the UK yet, but based on the buzz, and past knowledge of Gerwig as a writer, I trust the hype. The infuriating statistic which makes their inclusion more important on a bigger level is the fact that Peele is only the 5th black director, and Gerwig the 5th female director to ever be nominated for the award. In 90 years. Again, Anderson’s inclusion for Phantom Thread is the only real surprise; that film has received a lot more love in this list of nominations than any other. It is sad not to see Martin McDonaugh on the list after the blistering brilliance of Three Billboards (which may hinder its chances in the Best Picture race), and also Luca Guadagnino for Call Me by Your Name. Overall though, a very deserving and exciting list, and a fairly open race, although del Toro seems to be in the lead, with Nolan just behind.
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins ~ The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand ~ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie ~ I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan ~ Lady Bird
Meryl Streep ~ The Post
There’s a good mix here of past winners, nominees, and new faces, and no surprises at all really. Streep is the only one who seemed to have gained less traction at other ceremonies, but Meryl Streep being nominated at the Oscars is really no shock to anyone (and it is nice to see more recognition for The Post). Unfortunately, most of the films represented here haven’t been released in the UK yet, but each actress has proved themselves on their way to more Oscar nominations in their previous work. It seems like McDormand is leading the pack, with Ronan hot on her heels, although the love for The Shape of Water could push Sally Hawkins to cause an upset.
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet ~ Call Me by Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis ~ Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya ~ Get Out
Gary Oldman ~ Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington ~ Roman J. Israel Esq.
Again, a great mix of old hands and up-and-coming actors, from a diverse range of films. Chalamet and Kaluuya have certainly announced themselves as talents to watch. It is nice to see DDL getting one last nomination in for his (hopefully not) final performance. The greatest shock here is Washington (a surprise for a two-time winner). The film and his performance have not come up anywhere else, really, and a lot of people were even unaware of this mixed-reviewed picture, but he seems to have claimed the open spot, after the other four were locks. It looks like this will be Oldman’s year, and likely an award not only for his magnificent performance as Churchill, but to atone for years of disregard for one of the revered actors living today. Chalamet and Kaluuya do pose viable threats though, but if the Academy agrees with other ceremonies, it will likely go to Oldman.
Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige – Mudbound
Allison Janney ~ I, Tonya
Lesley Manville ~ Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf ~ Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer ~ The Shape of Water
Another category that has really gone as expected, unfortunately four of the films have not been released here yet, and I am yet to watch Mudbound (shame on me). It is nice to see that the fact that a film’s primary home may be on a streaming service doesn’t mean its craftsmanship is ignored. All of the nominations are deserving, by all accounts, and were pretty much all expected, with Blige rounding it out in the less certain spot. This looks to be Janney’s award though; she has been sweeping them up left and right, with none of the others seeming to break away from the pack as a feasible threat. It is nice to see her being recognised at awards in film now too, as well as TV.
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe ~ The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson ~ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins ~ The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer ~ All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell ~ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Again, no huge surprises (seems to be the theme of the Oscar nominations this year), the only slight one being the absence of Armie Hammer, after a lot of buzz for his performance. It is great to see Dafoe nominated, although sad he is the sole representative for The Florida Project. There is also something to be said for Plummer delivering an Oscar-nominated performance after only coming onto the film for reshoots, and with a mere few days notice. It is nice to see Jenkins nominated, after so frequently giving great performances, but being the more sidelined character actor. This looks to be Rockwell’s statuette though, with the only potential threat coming from his co-star Harrelson. Both would be deserving, but Rockwell looks to be edging Harrelson out, after years of not getting the recognition he deserves.
Adapted Screenplay
James Ivory ~ Call Me by Your Name
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber ~ The Disaster Artist
Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green ~ Logan
Aaron Sorkin ~ Molly’s Game
Virgil Williams and Dee Ree ~ Mudbound
Original Screenplay
Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani ~ The Big Sick
Jordan Peele ~ Get Out
Greta Gerwig ~ Lady Bird
Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor ~ The Shape of Water
Martin McDonagh ~ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The biggest surprise here is that only five (just over half) of the Best Picture nominees are represented in the screenplay categories, compared to all-bar-one last year, for example. This has made way for a much more varied bunch, and has made space for some of the outsider films to be recognised. It is a surprise to see The Big Sick, if looking at other awards nominations, but not hugely so considering the buzz around it when it was released last year. It is also a surprise to see Logan, as superhero films so rarely get recognised. No surprise to see regulars like Sorkin in there for his fantastic work, and likewise with the featuring of three of the director nominees in here too. With the surprise inclusions, these categories could be a little open, but at the moment it looks as though Adapted will go to Ivory, and Original to McDonagh for their brilliant screenplays.
Cinematography
Roger Deakins ~ Blade Runner 2049
Bruno Delbonnel ~ Darkest Hour
Hoyte van Hoytema ~ Dunkirk
Rachel Morrison ~ Mudbound
Dan Laustsen ~ The Shape of Water
It is the first time in all 90 years of the Oscars that a woman has been nominated for cinematography. That is insane, and it is brilliant to see that finally change now. Of the films released here, the nominations are absolutely deserved. Van Hoytema’s may also serves as recognition for his innovative inventions to capture various shots in Dunkirk, as well as the increibdle visuals of the film itself. Surely, though, this has to be Deakins’ year. It is his 14th nomination, and if you can believe it he doesn’t have an Oscar of his own yet. Surely the breathtaking frames of Blade Runner 2049 (which deserved more nominations) can get him that statue. He is one of the many nominees this year that are long overdue to win.
Technical Categories
It is great to see Baby Driver making an appearance in the technical categories (thoroughly deserved), as well as Blade Runner 2049 getting more love. There is also a big presence from Best Picture nominees Dunkirk and The Shape of Water.
The Snubs
There aren’t really any stinging snubs this year – it’s unusual, there’s not a lot for people to be outraged about. There are a few I would have liked to see though.
It is such a shame The Florida Project didn’t get more love; the film as a whole was incredible, and its seven year-old star was brilliant, definitely warranting more praise.
Similarly, The Post got little love, but it wasn’t expected to get a huge amount – perhaps its quick turnaround left little time for anticipation, or the less traditional Oscar films beat it out. I thought it at least deserved a cinematography nod, but at least it got a Best Picture nom. I’m not saying Tom Hanks was particularly snubbed this year as his category was so strong, but I am of the opinion, however, that we now simply take him for granted, as he has delivered multiple Oscar worthy performances in recent years (especially Captain Phillips – I’m not over that snub), but hasn’t been nominated since 2001. Ok, Hanks rant over.
It seems to be in the actors’ categories that there are the most snubs – Hammer seemed to have been edged out, and Michael Stuhlbarg (from the same film and two others) was left out of all conversations completely. Likewise with Jake Gyllenhaal, who delivered a brilliant performance in Stronger, but was completely overlooked at the major awards (another one who often is – especially for Nightcrawler back at the 2015 Oscars, another snub I’m still not over). James Franco seemed to have been edged out after his Golden Globes win – perhaps the sexual harassment allegations hurt his chances, or the fact the person he was playing is quite cartoonish in real life.
In the directing categories, McDonaugh and, to a slightly lesser extent, Guadagnino were snubbed, albeit it was a strong category. Likewise, arguably Denis Villeneuve was snubbed, but Blade Runner 2049 seemed to have missed out on a lot of awards in general.
I’m not really surprised at a lack of Wonder Woman – it seems to have bene more important in invigorating the industry, and taking over the zeitgeist, than perhaps the awards ceremonies. Similarly with Baby Driver, it isn’t the type of film the Academy traditionally votes for.
Overall, this year has provided a great bunch of nominees, with more diversity and variety than ever. There are important boosts in dismal statistics, and prejudices against certain genres seem to have been eroded. Despite The Shape of Water’s staggering number of nominations, this doesn’t seem like a year where one film will sweep the board, and there are fewer locks than usual. We’ll have to wait and see what happens come Oscar night.
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