Nominations for the 2019 Oscars were announced earlier last week, revealing a number of surprises, both good and bad. “Roma” and “The Favourite” took the lead with 10 nominations each, and “Vice” and “A Star is Born” followed with eight.
“Black Panther” received seven nominations and made history by becoming the first comic book film adaptation to be nominated for best picture. Other films in the best picture category include “Green Book,” “BlacKkKlansman” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Glenn Close from “The Wife” and Olivia Colman from “The Favourite,” who won the best performance by an actress in a comedy and a drama at the Golden Globe Awards, were both nominated for Oscars. Lady Gaga from “A Star is Born,” Melissa McCarthy from “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” and first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio from “Roma,” all received their first nominations. Unfortunately, Emily Blunt from “Mary Poppins Returns” and Toni Collette from “Hereditary” missed out in this group.
Rami Malek and Christian Bale were recognized for their biographical roles as Freddie Mercury and Dick Cheney respectively and are most likely the front-runners in the best actor category. Bradley Cooper from “A Star is Born” and Viggo Mortensen from “Green Book” are also up for the award, with a surprising nomination for Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh in “At Eternity’s Gate.” Despite amazing performances, Ethan Hawke from “First Reformed” and John David Washington from “BlacKkKlansman” were snubbed.
Spike Lee received his first best director nomination for “BlacKkKlansman.” Photo courtesy of Focus Features
Nominated for best supporting actor were Richard E. Grant from “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” Adam Driver from “BlacKkKlansman,” Sam Rockwell from “Vice,” Sam Elliott from “A Star Is Born” and 2017 winner Mahershala Ali from “Green Book.” Many were disappointed to find that Timothee Chalamet from “Beautiful Boy” and Brian Tyree Henry from “If Beale Street Could Talk’ were not among these nominees.
Amy Adams from “Vice,” Marina de Tavira from “Roma,” Emma Stone from “The Favourite” and Rachel Weisz from “The Favourite,” were all nominated for best actress in a supporting role alongside the likely front-runner, Regina King, for her performance in “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
Alfonso Cuaron, who won a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award for directing, is nominated beside Pawel Pawlikowski from “Cold War,” Yorgos Lanthimos from “The Favourite,” Adam McKay from “Vice” and Spike Lee from “BlacKkKlansman.” This is also Lee’s first nomination in this category and he received his first ever nomination for best picture. It was a surprise to see Cooper missing from this list, despite his praised directorial debut with “A Star is Born.”
“First Man” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” were expected to gain a high number of nominations, but it was actually quite the opposite. Justin Hurwitz, composer of the Academy’s favorites “Whiplash” and “La La Land,” also wrote the score for “First Man.” Although the film was nominated for four awards, it did not receive one for best score, despite winning the award at the Golden Globes.
“If Beale Street Could Talk” was also expected to be nominated for best picture but was unfortunately missed.
The Academy also overlooked films, such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” for a best documentary nomination, “Burning” for best foreign film, and “Eighth Grade” and “Sorry to Bother You” for best original screenplay.
“Roma” is the first Netflix film nominated for best picture. Photo courtesy of Netflix
This year’s nominations raise a lot of questions. Will “Black Panther” become the first comic book movie to win best picture? Will Close win her first Oscar, after six previous nominations? Will “Roma” be the first best picture and best foreign film winner? To add to that, “Roma” might even be the first Netflix film to win best picture.
The Academy Awards will be held on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. and judging by the nominations, the ceremony is anticipated to be an exciting one.
