If you follow along with Collider’sOscar Beat, you know I’ve been covering this year’s awards race since back in August or so. Since that time we’ve seen a number of contenders rise and fall (remember when we had such high hopes forLive by Night?), but today the chickens came home to roost.The nominations for the 89th Academy Awards were announced, and just as there are every year, there were a few surprises. In terms of genuine snubs, there was maybe one or two, but nothing as shockingly egregious asBen AffleckandKathryn Bigelowbeing left off the director’s shortlist a few years ago.
But since I’ve covered the race so closely, I wanted to take a minute to single out whatwerethe biggest surprises from this year’s nominees. And before you ask, noDeadpoolnot getting a Best Picture nomination is not a snub or even a surprise. It was always a long shot, as I laid out in very clear termsright here.
Related:2018 Oscar Winners
No Amy Adams for Best Actress?
For a long while most have hadAmy Adamsshortlisted for a Best Actress nomination forArrival, and just yesterday it seemed like a sure thing. After all, the Academy loves her—she’s been nominated five times before! AndArrivalis a critical and commercial darling. But while the film itself scored eight nominations in total, Adams came up short in the Best Actress race. Instead,Ruth Negga—who many had assumed had fallen out thanks to the almost-total snubbing ofLovingby the SAG, PGA, and DGA guild nominations—made the cut. Negga is absolutely deserving of a nomination, but it’s also a shame to see one of Adams’ best performances ignored. Maybe she andMeryl Streepcan trade just this once?
Michael Shannon for ‘Nocturnal Animals’
The general reaction toNocturnal Animalslanding so many Golden Globes nominations was plenty of snickering and jeering. Many critics, for whatever reason, did not take kindly toTom Ford’s new film, and it was underestimated in this year’s awards race. ButAaron Taylor-Johnsonnot only was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Globes, hewon, which subsequently led many to then put him on their predictions for the Oscar nominees. But in a pretty significant surprise, the Academy went a different way and nominated Taylor-Johnson’s costarMichael Shannoninstead. They’re both terrific performances, but Shannon is truly outstanding in the film and it’s a joy to see him land a second Oscar nomination after his breakthrough turn inRevolutionary Road. Still, Golden Globe winners for Best Supporting Actor almost always go on to land at least a nomination at the Oscars, so this is one Oscar stat that went down this year.
‘Weiner’ Snubbed for Best Documentary
Weineris not just one of the year’s best documentaries, it’s one of the year’s best films period. Which makes its snubbing in the Best Documentary Feature category so shocking. Indeed, this and Adams may be the only true “snubs” of this year’s awards, and they sting. While almost everyone hadWeinershortlisted for the Oscar cut, the Academy’s documentary branch instead went withLife, Animated, a story about autism. The documentary branch is a finnicky bunch so I suppose this shouldn’t be too surprising, but still, what a whiff.
Mel Gibson Makes the Best Director Cut
Okay so this wasn’t ahugesurprise—Mel Gibsonhas been a Best Director hopeful ever sinceHacksaw Ridgefirst starting screening. But since the Best Director category was so deep, with players likeMartin ScorseseandGarth Davisvying for a spot, it’s interesting that the Academy went with Gibson. He was, of course, nominated forBraveheartin 1995 and eventually won, but Gibson’s career took a dark turn afterApocalyptoand many wondered if a recovery was even possible. In the Academy’s eyes at least, Gibson’s work behind the camera warranted recognition this year, and he finds himself back in the Oscar race after more than a decade.
Oscars Not So White
Given the quality and popularity of films likeMoonlight,Fences, andHidden Figures, this year certainly had the opportunity to diversify the nominees in a big way, but some were wary of the Academy’s willingness to actually go there. In the end quality won out, resulting in the most diverse lineup of nominees in a very long time. In the Best Supporting Actress category alone, three of the five slots are held by black women.Bradford Younghas become the first African-American to ever score a Best Cinematography nomination for his stunning work onArrival. AndBarry Jenkinsmakes history as an African-American writer/director scoring nominations for Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.
This obviously isn’t a fix, nor is it an explicit reaction to last year’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy. The onus, for the most part, is on Hollywood for actually making quality films about people of color, and this year they delivered. How could the Academynotrecognize something as stunning and masterful asMoonlight? Were they really just going to ignoreViola DavisandDenzel Washington’s tour-de-force inFences? It’s great to see such a diverse list of nominees, but Hollywood has to keep making movies like this, supporting filmmakers and actors like this, in order for this kind of representation to continue.
And so now we turn our attention to who will actuallywinOscars this year. Stay tuned for plenty more Oscar Beat on Collider in the weeks to come.
