SURPRISES, SNUBS AT OSCAR NOMINATIONS
The Oscar nominations on Tuesday included many of the usual suspects (like Meryl Streep, with her 21st nomination, this time for “The Post”). But there were also a number of surprises (first woman nominated for cinematography) and, of course, snubs (no “Wonder Woman”).
THE SURPRISES
- Rachel Morrison, “Mudbound” cinematographer: She is now the first female cinematographer to be nominated for an Oscar. To film
“Mudbound,” Dee Rees’s World War II-era epic set in the Deep South, Ms Morrison drew heavily from the Depression photography of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. ”
- Jordan Peele, “Get Out” director, producer, writer: He becomes the fifth black director ever nominated for an Oscar and the first to land three nominations (he also drew nods in the original screenplay and best picture categories). While the film was a hit, and named one of the year’s best by assorted prestigious groups, it was also horror, and the academy accolades represent an extraordinary get.
- “Phantom Thread” and Paul Thomas Anderson: This film was seen as a longer shot in the best picture and certainly best director races. A beautiful but quirky drama, it was a latecomer in the season and featured Daniel Day-Lewis playing a dressmaker in mid-century London,
in what he has said will be his last film. - Denzel Washington, “Roman
J. Israel, Esq.”: Mr. Washington, as an idealistic but awkward legal savant, was widely held as the saving grace of this film, which foundered at the box office and had a big splat on Rotten Tomatoes (49 per cent “fresh”). After the film’s prospects sank, Mr. Washington did little if any campaigning, yet still managed to land his ninth Oscar nomination (he’s won twice).
- “Logan,” best adapted screenplay: Starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, this entry in the X-Men franchise earned critical love for its refusal to fall back on tired gen- re tropes. The film’s taut, thoughtful story line impressed academy voters enough for a writing nomination, a first for a superhero film. - Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread” supporting actress: She gave a disquieting performance as the wry, watchful sister and business partner to Mr. Day-Lewis’s couturier.
THE SNUBS
- “Wonder Woman”: Always a long shot despite its enormous commercial appeal, “Wonder Woman” still had a marvellous run, appearing on various
Top 10 lists at the end of the year, getting nominated by the Producers
Guild, and showing Hollywood honchos that an action movie about a woman (Gal Gadot) directed by a woman (Patty Jenkins) could make serious bank.
- James Franco: We will never know how much the accusations of sexually inappropriate behaviour hurt Mr Franco’s chances for a best-actor nomination for his lead role in “The Disaster Artist.”
The allegations emerged on January 11, Oscar nomination voting closed the next day, and some prognosticators guessed that Mr. Franco, who has denied any wrongdoing, might still squeak in.
- “Mudbound” and Dee Rees: Her epic tale of two families, one black, the other white, eking out hardscrabble existences in the World War II-era South has every hallmark of an Oscar movie.