Oscar Noms

Incidentally, this is my 100th post!

I’ve been delaying talking about the Oscar nominations because I haven’t seen all of the nominated movies and I want to do things thoroughly.  But that’s an impossibility and in life we have to accept the inevitable lack of completion and closure (la la laaa) so let’s get it done!
Besides, I’ve been slowly chipping away at the list, there’s no time like the present, and I’m ready to wrap this up 😉

So categories, with the actor and the movie. I’m going to highlight ones I’ve seen and italicize the one I think should win.

Best Picture:
ARRIVAL
FENCES
HACKSAW RIDGE
HELL OR HIGH WATER
HIDDEN FIGURES
LA LA LAND
LION
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
MOONLIGHT

Lead Actor:
CASEY AFFLECK, Manchester by the Sea
ANDREW GARFIELD, Hacksaw Ridge
RYAN GOSLING, La La Land
VIGGO MORTENSEN, Captain Fantastic
DENZEL WASHINGTON, Fences

Neither of these 😦

Lead Actress:
ISABELLE HUPPERT, Elle
RUTH NEGGA, Loving
NATALIE PORTMAN, Jackie
EMMA STONE, La La Land
MERYL STREEP, Florence Foster Jenkins

Uggghhh, I’m horrible! Again none of them. And if I say not Meryl, am  implicitly agreeing with DJT and saying that she’s overrated? I though both she and Hugh Grant were excellent in FFJ, but the story wasn’t well-written or complex enough to showcase their talents as they could have been showcased.

Supporting Actor:
MAHERSHALA ALI, Moonlight
JEFF BRIDGES, Hell or High Water
LUCAS HEDGES, Manchester by the Sea
DEV PATEL, Lion
MICHAEL SHANNON, Nocturnal Animals

Either Ali or Shannon I would be happy with! They both do excellent jobs with their characters in very different ways.

Supporting Actress:
VIOLA DAVIS, Fences
NAOMIE HARRIS, Moonlight
NICOLE KIDMAN, Lion
OCTAVIA SPENCER, Hidden Figures
MICHELLE WILLIAMS, Manchester by the Sea

Michelle Williams’ Boston accent is bothering the hell out of me right now. I would be happy with Octavia Spencer winning but of the three actresses in Hidden Figures I thought she did the least.

Animated:
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
MOANA
MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI
THE RED TURTLE
ZOOTOPIA

I would be happy with any of the three I’ve seen but still think Moana takes the cake. Glad Finding Dory didn’t get a nomination.

Cinematography:
ARRIVAL
LA LA LAND
LION
MOONLIGHT
SILENCE

If La La Land deserves to win for anything it’s excellent cinematography.  Though there is talk tat it’s most interesting shots were lifted from other films…

Costume:
ALLIED
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS
JACKIE
LA LA LAND

FFJ had great costumes but the men’s costumes were rather dull in comparison to the women’s.  The costumes in Allied were pretty gorgeous (Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt as mannequins helps).  I’m guessing Jackie was great for costume design, so that would be another excellent choice (the stills I’ve seen bear me out). Can someone please tell me why Nocturnal Animals ISN’T ON THIS LIST?

Directing:
ARRIVAL
HACKSAW RIDGE
LA LA LAND
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
MOONLIGHT

Original Song:
AUDITION (THE FOOLS WHO DREAM) from La La Land
CAN’T STOP THE FEELING from Trolls
CITY OF STARS from La La Land
THE EMPTY CHAIR from Jim: The James Foley Story
HOW FAR I’LL GO from Moana

Random Thoughts:

• Deadpool deserved more love.
• I really disliked Arrival.  Something about being in spacesuits seems to make women get all breathy and helpless. Ew.
• Manchester by the Sea is pretty Oscar-bait-y.
• Florence Foster Jenkins tore my heart apart last night.
• The Handmaiden should have gotten a nomination for original score.
• I’m so relieved Sausage Party didn’t get a nom.
• I would have liked to see more Nocturnal Animals but understand it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
• I haven’t seen A Monster Calls, but it is very absent.
• Same for Silence.
• And Sing Street.
• There’s a lot of frustration that Amy Adams didn’t get a nomination for either Arrival or Nocturnal Animals. For the latter, it’s very confusing because Isla Fisher also plays the fictional Amy Adams character, so mostly Amy Adams acts out reading something disturbing. And then in Arrival she hyperventilates a lot. I’m with the Academy on this one.
• Nothing for Paterson, which I heard some pretty excellent things about. Same for Edge of Seventeen, but I’m unconvinced on that one.
• I’m glad Sully isn’t nominated because it looked bad to me (like, if you took out Tom Hanks it wouldn’t have been a blip on the radar).
• Weiner should have been a nominated documentary (but I didn’t watch any of the nominated ones, so I can’t pick one to replace).
• I couldn’t get through The Lobster and it was one of the weirdest things ever, but I think it could have gotten a bit more attention. It got a nomination for original screenplay- I guess that suffices.
• The Founder?
• Remember how there was #OscarsSoWhite last year? There’s been a bit of (non-negative) #OscarsSoBlack buzz. I’m really happy the Oscars are more diverse this year BUUUUT they’ve been non-diverse for so long and the very fact that the semi-decent amount of black talent being recognized is seen as such a big step- well, there’s still a long way to go. But progress, progress. ALSO. Race isn’t a dichotomy. It’s not just back and white. I want to seem more hispanics and arabs and natives and everybody! The US is a melting pot of immigrants and I wish that were reflected in the people our overly entertainment- and consumerism-driven culture idolizes most.