Here’s an Oscar prediction that will serve you in good stead every single time: There will be some snubs and there will be some surprises. This year’s nominations, which were just announced, were heavy on the latter.
First of all, there was some post-Golden Globes course correction. Greta Gerwig got the Best Director nomination for Lady Bird that fans and peers–perhaps most notably, Natalie Portman–were clamoring for, and Phantom Thread settled into its role as a dark horse contender in some major categories. These developments were mostly expected, however (as was a first-ever directing nod for Dunkirk‘s Christopher Nolan). Let’s go a little deeper and take a look at the nominations from this morning that left Fast Company‘s entire Slack shook.
Logan is Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay
The Big Sick is Nominated for Best Original Screenplay
One of the year’s most charming underdog stories is how first-time screenwriters Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani took their autobiographical film from Sundance hype to actual box office sleeper hit last summer. Now, the duo’s story comes complete with some Academy Award recognition (the story most likely ends here, though, as the pair is nominated against all the heavyweights, some of whom are mentioned below.)
Denzel Washington is Nominated for Best Actor
James Franco is Snubbed for Best Actor
The space that Washington won in Best Actor had been thought to go to James Franco, who won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy for his role in The Disaster Artist. Perhaps his performance in the movie was a bit too out there for the staid sensibilities of the Academy. Another likely factor is the sexual misconduct allegations against him that came out just after the Globes, when there were still a few days left for voting.
Martin McDonagh is Snubbed for Best Director
Three Billboards Outside of Ebbings, Missouri had a spectacular showing at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, and seems poised to win big in some categories at the Oscars. Best Director, however, is not one of them. It is not often that Best Picture contenders don’t also receive nominations for their director—though Argo did win Best Picture in 2013 without Ben Affleck himself getting a nomination for directing. Perhaps this snub is how the long-brewing Three Billboards backlash is manifesting itself.
The Shape of Water is Shaping Up to Be Huge
The Post is Barely Nominated
It turns out Martin McDonagh isn’t the only director of a Best Picture nominee to get snubbed in his own category. Steven Spielberg was not nominated for The Post, despite a lot of attention to how he crashed the movie into production last March and completed it in time for awards season. In fact, The Post’s only other nomination went to Meryl Streep for Best Actress (her twenty-first nod), leaving Tom Hanks, the film’s writers, and a sprawling supporting cast in the dust.
Mudbound is a Triumph for Netflix
When Netflix quietly released Mudbound last fall to rave reviews, some critics feared the film might get lost in the shuffle. Potential viewers might have been too busy re-bingeing Stranger Things 2, while Academy Award voters could continue their resistance to Netflix. In the end, however, the World War II era drama set in the rural South earned four nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, Best Supporting Actress for Mary J. Blige, and Best Cinematography for Rachel Morrison, the first woman ever nominated in the category.
Get Out Finally Gets Respect
