With award season kicking into high gear and the Academy Awards less than a month away, the nominations for film’s biggest night are finally here. There has been a buzz surrounding the front-runners following the Golden Globes, Critic’s Choice Awards and the SAG Awards leading up to what the Academy would decide. While many of the nominees were expected, there were some surprising nods and snubs, alike.
As many expected, Roma and The Favourite received the most nominations with 10 each, and A Star is Born and Vice following with nine and eight nominations, respectively. Roma, being nominated for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film, is making several firsts with its nominations sweep as the first Netflix produced film to be nominated, director Alfonso Cuarón as the first person to be nominated in both Best Cinematography and Best Director category in the same year and producer Gabriela Rodriguez as the first Hispanic woman to earn a nomination in the Best Picture category.
Other nominations making firsts include Spike Lee, after a long, acclaimed directing career, earning his first Best Director nomination for BlacKkKlansman. Additionally, Black Panther’s Best Picture nomination makes it the first superhero film to be nominated in that category. Its Best Production Design nomination also makes Hannah Beachler the first black woman to be nominated in that category. Black Panther and A Star is Born are interesting cases because, in addition to being nominated respectively for Best Original Song, each has songs nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards. It’s a big year for music in film, particularly with rock band Queen’s bio-pic, Bohemian Rhapsody, snagging Best Picture and Best Actor nominations, and Lady Gaga crossing from musician to actress and securing her first Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for A Star is Born (also nominated for Best Picture).
There were several snubs that critics, film buffs and casual viewers took note of following the nomination announcement. Many were shocked and upset that Toni Collette wasn’t nominated for Best Actress following her powerful, critically acclaimed performance in Hereditary, which received no nominations as a film. Bo Burnham’s directorial debut, Eighth Grade, was completely shut out of the nominations. Emily Blunt was doubly snubbed with no nomination for her work in neither Mary Poppins Returns nor A Quiet Place, with the latter being shut out of all major categories, only earning a nomination for Sound Editing. Other snubs include a lack of nominations for Best Director for Bradley Cooper’s work in A Star is Born, Timothee Chalamet for Best Actor in Beautiful Boy, Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor in Black Panther and Won’t You Be My Neighbor? missing out for the Best Documentary categories.
Though there is undoubtedly excitement in the air over this year’s mixed bag of nominees, controversy still looms above the festivities. There has been much backlash against Bohemian Rhapsody’s nomination following newly detailed sexual abuse allegations against the film’s original director, Bryan Singer. The cast and producers have had a tumultuous time in responding to media questions, receiving criticism for the dismissal of the allegations in hopes of shifting focus back onto the life of Freddie Mercury and the film as a whole. It will be interesting to see responses to the allegations between now and the ceremony.
Of course, the biggest question mark in regard to the Academy Awards is the matter of host. As of now, it is reported that the Academy is considering not having a central host, but rather, a number of hosts throughout the night. As the show gets closer, the pressure grows for a script to be written and a decision to be made. But despite this, as the old saying goes, the show must go on!
The Academy Awards will air live Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST on ABC.