It is officially awards season and we’re in the thick of it. The Golden Globes and many others have come and gone, with many films receiving high acclaim. The Oscars, however, are still a month away, airing on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Film fans had been waiting to see which of their favorite films would be nominated and who would be snubbed, as nominations were recently released last week. Despite the nominations only recently being released, it feels like we have been talking about the Oscars for months due to the controversy around Kevin Hart’s invitation to host, his apology, and then his decision to step down. Currently, there is still no confirmed host for the show and the countdown to the opening monologue has begun. The current state of things has many viewers wondering if this year will usher in a new format of the Oscars, or if someone who has previously hosted will host again. Personally, I am wondering if the host of will not be revealed until they step on stage to start the show.
Roma and The Favorite are leading the pack with ten nominations each.There were a few legendary nominations. Black Panther is nominated for Best Picture and is the first superhero movie to ever be nominated in that category. Hannah Beachler is nominated for her production design work for the film, and is the first African-American nominated in this field. Black Panther is also nominated for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. Spike Lee received his first Best Director nomination for BlacKkKlansman. In 2015, Lee received an honorary award from the Academy. According to a Washington Post article, this nomination has been widely seen as a feeble attempt to make up for the years of overlooking the director’s work. BlacKkKlansman is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score.
The nomination announcements also had many surprises, with the main one being that A Star is Born did not receive nominations in a few specific categories and came up short in comparison to others. A Star is Born is Bradley Cooper’s labor of love and fans of the movie were shocked that he did not receive a Best Director nomination after writing, directing, and starring in the film. Although, Bradley did receive a Best Actor nomination, and Lady Gaga was nominated for her role as Ally in the film. A Star is Born also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Song. Sam Elliott received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in the film as well. Fans of Won’t You Be Your Neighbor were shocked to hear that this feel-good favorite about Mister Rogers himself did not receive a nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
One of the films that made waves is Roma. This Netflix film is the first of the company’s to receive a Best Picture nomination. The film also received nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Foreign Language Film.
What films are you rooting for? Which films do you think were snubbed? Which films do you think do not deserve the nominations they received? These are all the questions floating around the media world as we head into the final weeks before the show itself.
Check out the full list of nominations: https://oscar.go.com/nominees