It's that time of year again! The Oscar nomination is probably the most depressing morning in a film lover's life! Every year, it seems the Academy misses the mark on several large nominations. They missed quite a few this year. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises.
Snub: The Farewell Gets Shut Out
One of the most charming, poignant, and tender films of the year got absolutely no Oscar love. The Farewell was definitely one of my favorite films of 2019. Awkwafina gave one of the year's best lead performances, and Zhao Shuzhen was delightful. It was shocking to me that this film easily could've been nominated for about 4 or 5 major Oscars, and left nomination morning empty handed.
Snub: No Women Nominees for Best Director...Again
The Best Director nominations were solid with deserving noms for Bong Joon Ho, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, and Quentin Tarantino. The fifth nominee, Todd Phillips, is an absolute hack with his mess of a film Joker. That 5th nomination could've gone to a variety of female directors, mostly prominently Greta Gerwig. To take a seminal tale like Little Women and put your own twist on it was some of the most brave direction I saw this year. With more and more women making amazing films, I was shocked to see an all male Best Director list...again. Let's hope for next year...again.
Surprise: Scarlett Johansson is a Double Nominee
There was no doubt Scarlett Johansson was getting a nomination for Best Actress for Marriage Story, even though I found the film to be average, Oscar-bait material. What shocked me more was her deserving Best Supporting Actress nomination for Jojo Rabbit. It is one of Johansson's best performances that stretched her the most, and that deserved a nod from the Academy if anything did. Johansson becomes the first double nominee in a single year since 2007.
The Irishman Gets all the Nominations...Except for Robert De Niro
It is no doubt that The Irishman is one of the best films of the year and the Academy awarded it as such. the only problem is that they forgot Robert De Niro! Without De Niro, The Irishman simply doesn't work! The last 30 minutes of the film exude some of the best vulnerable acting De Niro has ever shown in his storied career. To douse a movie in awards, but leave out its central performance is almost criminal. Maybe The Academy paints houses too...
Surprise: Ford v. Ferrari is nominated for Best Picture
Ford v. Ferrari is one of the most forgettable and predictable Best Picture nominees of the year. It oozes the vibe of "Dad movie," which just means it's just a movie that any dad that knows nothing about cinema would enjoy. The Academy continues its eternal erection for any fare with Christian Bale, giving one of the most undeserving Best Picture nominations is recent history.
Surprise: Disney Gets Relatively Shut Out
Disney is always dominant in two categories: Animated Feature and Original Song. This dictatorship planned to continue this year with The Lion King, Aladdin, Frozen II, and Toy Story 4 all competing in these categories. The Lion King did not get a Best Song nomination for Beyonce's Spirit and Speechless from Aladdin didn't get a nomination either. More surprising than that is Frozen II not getting a Best Animated Feature nomination. Maybe it's time the Monopoly of Mouse loses it's reign of terror on at least the Academy Awards, while continuing to ravage the box office.
Snub: Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers
Hustlers really could've scored several nominations that The Academy refused to give, but the most glaring mistake was refusing to nominate J. Lo. She gives such a real and sharp performance as a stripper with a questionable set of principles. It once again shows that The Academy has some prominent moral compass that guides their choices. Boring!
Surprise: The Two Popes Gets Two Acting Nominations
The Two Popes was very charming historical fiction. The big surprise is not that Anthony Hopkins was nominated, but that Jonathan Pryce was as well. Both performances were very deserving for Oscar consideration as Pryce especially captured the essence of Pope Francis.
Those were my biggest snubs and surprises of the day! Be sure and check out my Oscar predictions later this month! Signing off!
Those were my biggest snubs and surprises of the day! Be sure and check out my Oscar predictions later this month! Signing off!
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