Oscar Nominee Thoughts 2019

The nominees are out! Are people excited? Mad? Sad? All of the above? That sounds about right. Since covering the Oscars gets progressively more exhausting every year, and you don't need me to tell you the nominees I'm going to highlight my thoughts as I read the nominees.

Please Don't Give Green Book All the Awards

This is the kind of movie that the stereotypical Oscar demo (old white liberals) love. A feel good story about two people from different races and worlds taking on the world together and bonding. It also feels like a modern version of Driving Miss Daisy and seems a bit odd to highlight in such a divided political landscape where the failure to understand systemic racism and its lasting impact plague us to this day. I get that people want a message of unity, but if this wins Best Picture it'll feel like Hollywood congratulating itself for being progressive.

Also the fact that this movie got a Best Original Screenplay Nomination over Sorry to Bother You is insanity.

Exception to this anger: Give Mahershala Ali all the awards for forever.

Hell Yes For Black Panther and BlacKKKlansman

I'm so happy about noms for these movies. Not just because they made the "Best Picture" cut, but because they could clean up other awards. Black Panther is up for Production Design, Costumes, Song, Score, and Sound (all deserving). And KKKlansman has Spike Lee nominated for Best Director (please win as a makeup for Do The Right Thing), Best Adapted Screenplay, Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver.

Likely Wins For These Movies: Black Panther for anything related to production and I'm praying for Lee to get a director's win.

How is Roma Able To Be In Two Best Picture Categories?

This is a random thought but you almost never see a movie nominated in the Best Picture category and Best Foreign Film category. So much so that I thought there was a rule against it. Anyway apparently there isn't, which is cool but still strange to see. It means the Academy could give Alfonso Cuarón more hardware than usual.

Who Was That Impressed By The Ballad of Buster Skruggs?

Song nomination....eh ok. Gotta film that list. Production categories....eh ok. Script category? Ok what is going on? Did anyone think this movie was that good? I liked parts of it, but the overall experience is very uneven and not worthy of nomination in my book.

If Anything But Into the Spider-Verse Wins Best Animated Feature I'm Claiming Conspiracy

Title says it all. Also it could've been in the Best Picture category.

"Shallow" is good but "All the Stars" is Better

Also Kendrick Lamar live performances at awards shows are spectacular so this is gonna be awesome.

Where the F*** is Won't You Be My Neighbor? in the Documentary Category?

I realize the irony of me cursing about said movie, but seriously how did this not make the Documentary list? If it's not a technicality I'm mad.

Actors I'm Happy To See Nominated

Willem Dafoe has a career's worth of Oscar worthy material. Remi Malek is one of the best things in Hollywood. Mahershala Ali can have all the awards. Regina King can do no wrong. It's great to Melissa McCarthy get a serious acting nom. Olivia Coleman is a treasure and I'm glad she finally found a role worthy of her gifts. And of course Glenn Close is nominated again. She's as reliable as Meryl Streep but without the hardware (which is a crime). And seeing the women of Roma get noms is a delight (non-English performances almost never crack the Oscars).

Actors I Want To Win

Any Best Actress Nominee (But Mostly Glenn Close)

Regina King or No One

Remi Malek or Willem Dafoe for Best Actor

Mahershala Ali or Adam Driver for Best Supporting Actor 

Movies I Wish Got A Nomination (And Their Deserving Categories)

Sorry to Bother You (Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress)

Annihilation (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects)

Hereditary  (Best Actress, Best Score)

Eighth Grade (Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay)

A Quiet Place (Best Actress)

Crazy Rich Asians (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay)

A Simple Favor  (Best Costume Design)

Won't You Be My Neighbor (Best Documentary Feature)

Leave No Trace (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress)

Searching (Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director)

Blindspotting (Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor)

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (Best Animated Film)

Mission Impossible: Fallout (Best Cinematography)

Hearts Beat Loud (Best Original Song)

That's it for now. More thoughts and bile to come during the show I'm sure!