Aussies go on a red carpet ride

AUSTRALIAN actress Margot Robbie has skated her way into Oscar contention.

The Queenslander has received a Best Actress nomination for her acclaimed portrayal of US figure skater Tonya Harding in the dark comedy I, Tonya.

Australian editor Lee Smith also received a nomination for his work on World War II epic Dunkirk, while actor, writer and director Josh Lawson received a nomination for his work on the live-action short The Eleven O’Clock.

The Academy Awards nomination ceremony in Los Angeles this week brought mixed news for Australia, with I, Tonya snubbed for a Best Picture nomination. Robbie, as a producer, would have received a second nomination.

Aussie film-making couple Sean Meehan and Sam McGarry, after surviving several cuts by the Academy in recent weeks and making the top 10 from 165 eligible films, missed out on being included as one of the final five nominees in the live-action short film category for their 14-minute movie Lost Face.

Robbie will be a long shot to win the Best Actress Oscar at the March 4 ceremony in Hollywood.

Frances McDormand, for Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri, is the hot favourite, while the remaining three nominees, Meryl Streep ( The Post), Sally Hawkins ( The Shape of Water) and Saoirse Ronan ( Lady Bird), are some of the greats of the industry.

Best Actor nods went to rising star Timothee Chalamet for Call Me by Your Name, Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread, Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out, Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour, and Denzel Washington for Roman J. Israel, Esq.

After being snubbed at the Golden Globes, Lady Bird’s director Greta Gerwig is just the fifth woman nominated for Best Director by the Academy Awards, and Mudbound cinematographer Rachel Morrison made history as the first woman to earn a nod in that category.

Fairytale romance The Shape of Water topped the list of Oscar nominations with 13 nods, including for Best Picture, Actress and Supporting Actor.

In second place was Dunkirk with eight, while crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri came in third with seven.

Oscar voters put forward nine Best Picture nominees: The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird, Get Out, The Post, Dunkirk, Call Me By Your Name and Phantom Thread.

The cascading fallout of sexual harassment scandals throughout Hollywood put particular focus on the Best Director category, which for many is a symbol of gender inequality in the film industry.

Gerwig follows only Lina Wertmuller, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow, the sole woman to win (for The Hurt Locker).

Also nominated for Best Director was Get Out director Jordan Peele.

He bbecomes theth fifth black filfilmmaker nominated for best director, and third to helm a best picture nominee, following Barry Jenkins last year for Moonlight.

Though all of the frontrunners — Frances McDormand ( Three Billboards), Gary Oldman ( Darkest Hour), Allison Janney ( I, Tonya) and Sam Rockwell ( Three Billboards) — landed their expected nominations, there were surprises.

Denzel Washington ( Roman J. Israel, Esq.) was nominated for best actor, probably eclipsing James Franco ( The Disaster Artist). Franco was accused of sexual misconduct, which he denied, just days before Oscar voting closed.

The Academy will be hoping for a less scandalous telecast this year, after last year’s infamous envelope mix-up that led to La La Land being incorrectly announced as the best picture before Moonlight was crowned.

The Oscars will be handed out on March 4 in Hollywood.

Tim Martain reviews I, Tonya: Page 37