The Oscar nominations are in! Leading the pack is The Shape of Water with a staggering 13 nods, followed by Dunkirk, with eight nominations. Largely left out of the awards season so far, Get Out scored five nominations, including Best Picture. Snubbed at the recent Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, Lady Bird joins Get Out with five nominations.
And to avoid another round of #OscarSoWhite on top of this year’s #TimesUp campaign, there are Oscar nods to actors like Denzel Washington, Jordan Peele, Octavia Spencer, Daniel Kaluuya and Mary J. Blige.
Here’s a quick look at who made it to the prestigious list and who got left out.
Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
This is going to be a tough race. All nine are strong contenders. Left out of this category in other awards, it’s nice to see Get Out amongst the giants. With Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri being the front-runner this awards season, it faces strong competition from Guillermo del Toro’s powerhouse that is The Shape of Water. And how about finally recognising a woman-directed movie? Even if Lady Bird did not win, it’s already a winner.
Who’s Snubbed: Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical, I, Tonya is glaringly left out.
Best Director
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
It’s nice to see Gerwig and Peele recognised for their work on two wonderfully directed movies. It’s unlikely that either of them will win, but to stand alongside the likes of Nolan and del Toro is impressive enough. This would be the first time since 2010 since a woman director (Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker) has been nominated in this category. Incidentally, this is Nolan’s first nomination for Best Director.
Who’s subbed: Oh wait, where’s Steven Spielberg? While The Post is nominated for Best Picture, the seasoned director is left out of the Directing category. Also, while scoring an impressive 13 nods, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri misses out in the Director category for Martin McDonagh. Lastly, where’s Ridley Scott too? All the Money in the World was made and remade within weeks, and that showed Scott’s sharp ability as a director, but alas, the Academy didn’t agree.
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post
These are the ladies that have been moving in the Best Actress circuit this awards season. From what has been handed out so far, McDormand is the one to beat. She somehow has the ability to play characters that stay in our minds. Remember her Oscar-winning turn as a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating roadside homicides in the 1996 film, Fargo? Simply exquisite.
Who’s Snubbed: Nominated for Golden Globe, Michelle Williams as the frantic mother of a kidnapped child gives us goosebumps in All The Money in the World, and let’s not forget she practically has to do it twice, with the reshoots. That, however, didn’t register with the Academy.
Best Actor
Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Isreal, Esq
The nominations are pretty expected in this category, the usual suspects from the other awards show up in this. The race here could be between Oldman and Day-Lewis. Coincidentally, both portrayals are based on real people.
Who’s Snubbed: Where is Tom Hanks? The Post has been receiving mixed reactions from the awards. It was completely left out of the BAFTA but nominated for five Golden Globes, including for Best Actor, although it went home empty-handed. Hanks may give a solid performance, but alas, it wasn't enough. Also left out of the Oscar race is James Franco, who won at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, and was nominated at the SAG. With the #MeToo movement going strong, it may be a strategic move to exclude him.
Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
This is the category with the most expected nominations, but it's looking like it’s Janney’s year. So convincing in playing the demanding, domineering LaVona Golden (pictured above), Janney was almost unrecognisable.
Who’s Snubbed: Although she’s relatively unknown, Hong Chau practically carries the movie Downsizing with her portrayal of a gutsy refugee. She has been recognised at both Golden Globes and SAG, but failed to make the cut here.
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
The race might be between Dafoe and Rockwell, but Rockwell has fared better in the Awards circuit so far. Plummer’s inclusion might be a respectful nod to the professionalism of the elderly actor (he’s 88!) for efficiently stepping into his role vacated by the disgraced Kevin Spacey and finishing filming in a record time of 9 days!
Who’s Snubbed: Armie Hammer, who was nominated for a Golden Globe alongside his co-star Timothee Chalamet, was left out of the name-list for this category.
Original Screenplay
The Big Sick
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
With Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri scoring big so far, it may be tough for the other contenders, although The Shape of Water might be stiff competition. Get Out shines bright for originality, while Lady Bird and The Big Sick score on the relatability front. This is going to be a tough race.
Who’s Snubbed: For the outrageous tale of the life of Tonya Harding, I, Tonya is a comedy, drama and biopic rolled into an appealing package, but just not too appealing to make the cut?
Best Adapted Screenplay
Call Me By Your Name
The Disaster Artist
Logan
Molly’s Game
Mudbound
How wonderful would it be if Call Me By Your Name wins? The Academy would be sending a strong message on its all-inclusiveness by letting a movie touching on a sensitive yet pressing topic in our time win.
The 90th Academy Awards will take place on 4th March with Jimmy Kimmel on hosting duties.
