Nom Reactions Pt 1: Brilliant Acting, Good Surprises, Underperformers & "Snubs"
Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 12:23AM As is our habit we polled the team here plus some friends of the site about their Oscar nomination reactions and wanted to share those little blurbs with you! Would LOVE to hear you answer the same questions in the comments. Here's the first set of questions.
Andrea Riseborough in "To Leslie"
1. Fav Acting Nomination?
2. What Shocked You the Most on Oscar Nom Morning (in a Gleeful Way?
3. Share your 'Ode to a Snub'
4. Any Theories as to why ______ underperformed?
Would LOVE to hear you answer the same questions in the comments. But first here are our answers...
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ACTING NOMINATION?
Paul Mescal, because it's the sort of performance one never sees in the Best Actor lineup. Understated to the nth degree, repudiating demonstrative emotion for something more complicated. Moreover, AFTERSUN is one of my favorites of the year, so it's nice to see it honored, if only in one category. - Claudio Alves
Setting aside my beloved BTH, plus the always-assured but still richly deserved Yeoh and Quan, my favorite acting nomination is Paul Mescal in Aftersun. Yes, a lot of people (including me) were predicting him to make it, but it’s still miraculous that this gorgeous, internal performance in a breakout indie got nominated for a fucking Oscar out of a pool so slim that they could have given it to Tom Cruise for any number of perfectly logical reasons. But they didn’t, so now one of my favorite films of the year is now immortalized in Oscar’s records and am so happy for it. Come thru, white boy of the month!! - Nick Taylor
Ke Huy Quan who nailed every technical demand and tonal shift his role(s) required of him while also being that film’s heart and soul. - Ray Lewis
Ke Huy Quan because he is so damn good in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE - he's the heart to Yeoh's soul - and, what can I say, I too am a sucker for a good comeback narrative. - Lynn Lee
After all that film twitter noise and doubt, I hope Stephanie Hsu has the best day. She is the moment and I hope she never has to deal with film twitter anxieties. -Chels Eichholz
Stephanie Hsu! I only recently sat down to watch "Everything, Everywhere" and while I totally understand the heat behind Jamie Lee Curtis, the reason why the story punches you in the gut is the gravitas that Hsu brings to the part. Absolutely thrilled that the top five players made it in - -Kim Rogers
How can it not be Stephanie Hsu? By no means a lock, a true nomination based on the performance and the performance’s lasting emotional impact. I hope this is a true Star is Born moment. - Patrick Ball
I've been waiting so long for a Jamie Lee Curtis nomination that I am ecstatic that that finally happened. Comedy is so undervalued and this isn't the first time she's been worthy - Nathaniel R
I was thinking Causeway was way too small and quiet of a film to get attention, and thank goodness I was wrong. Brian Tyree Henry does sensitive masculinity better than most in the world and I couldn't be happier for his nomination. . - Ben Miller
Brian Tyree Henry was a very sweet surprise, and it's always thrilling when a character actor gets this kind of recognition. - Eric Blume
My favorite small movie with a big heart that got a lone Oscar nomination this morning was Causeway. Brian Tyree Henry is so wonderful in that movie in a non-showy role that I expected Oscar to overlook. - Chris James
Brendan Fraser. I just want that redemption arc to be draw in Academy skies - Elisa Giudici
Barry Keoghan—a single-line delivery for the ages - Farran Smith Nehme
Barry Keoghan - From the moment I saw his perf at TIFF I was adamant that he should be nommed. The possibility that he may be overshadowed by his blatantly fraudulent co-star had me fuming. I put him at the top of my Film Experience predix long before he became a sure bet so am taking full credit for his nomination today. - Baby Clyde
I'm also very happy for Barry Keoghan, who could have had one of those decades-of-great-work careers with no recognition, and has now gotten it out of the way early. - Katey Rich
Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie for Actress. I'm glad her last-minute campaign paid off and for a great performance too! - Juan Carlos Ojano
Michelle Williams in LEAD Actress. I think it would have been incredibly humiliating to tell a woman that she can't be a lead even if she wants to be. Williams put a guaranteed Oscar win on the line to be a leading lady and I am happy it paid off for her. It is a terrific performance too! - Ankit Jhunhunwala
WHAT SHOCKED YOU THE MOST IN A GLEEFUL WAY?
Besides the obvious (Brian Tyree, what a moment), Triangle of Sadness pushing through for me was such a thrill. Without a doubt the movie that most killed it in the theater for me this year, I have never been in a room with people laughing so hard and Östlund is such a talent. HELL yeah. -- Patrick Ball
This is a Best Picture roster without a single dud. Thank you to whomever the voters were that put TRIANGLE OF SADNESS and WOMEN TALKING above THE WHALE to allow such a rarity (especially so among a roster of ten). By the end there, I assumed that it was all but a certainty. There are a lot of movies that I am sure individual followers would have liked to see, but realistically, I don't think the ten could have been much better. - Glenn Dunks
Oscar Nerd Alert!!!! My favourite nomination of the whole morning was Haulout in the Doc Short category. Track it down. There is a jaw dropping reveal that is more shocking that Andrea Riseborough Best Actress nomination - Baby Clyde
Not to get all tribal - but Asian (and Asian American) actresses in da house!!! While I knew Michelle Yeoh would get in, I thought Stephanie Hsu and Hong Chau were long shots at best. Absolutely delighted to be proven wrong. - Lynn Lee
Kazuo Ishiguro is an Oscar Nominee?! Take that Nobel Prize in Literature and push it to the back of the shelf. Seriously though, I adore his novels and loved the gentle but ever so slightly surreal humor of his screenplay for Living but thought it would never make it in.- - Tom Mizer
Besides the obvious (Brian Tyree, what a moment), Triangle of Sadness pushing through for me was such a thrill. Without a doubt the movie that most killed it in the theater for me this year, I have never been in a room with people laughing so hard and Östlund is such a talent. HELL yeah. -- Patrick Ball
The Whale was an upsetting watch, though I respected the acting and the make up work was impressive. The Academy agreed and kept it out of Screenplay and Picture, which made me very happy. - - Eurocheese
Brian Tyree Henry making the cut for Causeway. Such a gentle, heartbreaking performance that felt too good for these awards. He's a performer that should have many nominations and I hope this is just the beginning for him. -Chels Eichholz
I had zero hopes for Women Talking as the nominations trickled out, and having included in the Best Picture lineup was just delightful. Why it missed virtually everywhere else, I'll never know. - Ben Miller
Stephanie Hsu! It wasn't a total shock because she was a SAG nominee but I was so nervous she would be outshone by her co-stars, and she's such an emotional core of that movie. - Katey Rich
EO, the little donkey that could, and The Quiet Girl in International Feature. Yes, I know we should all be sad about Decision to Leave missing. However, EO just feels like such an adventurous and daring choice. I couldn’t be more thrilled. Yes, it’s a more simple movie, but The Quiet Girl charmed me thoroughly.- - Chris James
"This is a Life" for Best Original Song. I'm a massive Mitski fan. So, to see her get recognized for a song that was on the fringe of making the cut made this an even more pleasant surprise. - Matt St Clair
Throughout awards season “This is a Life” from EEAAO has been omitted from most song nomination lists which is a shame. It’s not only a good song but does so much in terms of the film. It brings the audience down after a high octane and emotional 2+ hours and then connects the film’s themes to the audience’s real life at the end. I never not tear up at the end of that song. - Cortland Jacoby
Andrea Riseborough's nomination is an unprecedented feat. I wonder what To Leslie's success might mean for Oscar campaigns of the future. - Claudio Alves
The shocking cross-category dominance of non-English language films (film in this case with All Quiet on the Western Front). I think the international nature of the Oscars is here to stay and I will always champion more non-English language work being nominated in every category even if I am not the greatest fan of the films themselves. We need all kinds of diversity - racial, gender, diversity of financial means etc among nominated films and people. But we also need diversity of language. - Ankit Jhunhunwala
Women Talking in Picture - it's one of my favorite films of the year but I already gave up on it even getting the Picture nomination. So imagine my surprise - and I cried! - Juan Carlos Ojano
Absolutely wonderful to see TAR do so well, scoring brilliantly-well-deserved noms for Cinematography and Editing in addition to the big ones. It's an incredibly outre film for the Oscars, so it's shocking and thrilling to see so much support for it. I think it also increases Cate's chances of winning. -- Eric Blume
ODE TO A SNUB…
Paul Dano. was. robbed. All due respect to Judd Hirsch, but there's a reason I dozed off during his big scene in THE FABELMANS and choked back tears during Dano's. The snub's unfortunately par for the course for Dano, who's been doing quietly excellent - and unrecognized - work for years.- - Lynn Lee
DOLLY DE LEON, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY CAPTAIN. I HOPE I GET TO WORK WITH YOU ONE DAY. - - Juan Carlos Ojano
Dolly De Leon probably should have won Best Supporting Actress, so not hearing her name called was especially painful. There's nothing quite like a character actor taking charge of a whole film, thematically and narratively and by giving the best performance. - Nathaniel R
Charlotte Wells, we love you. Please come back to us as quickly as you can. -- Eurocheese
Baz Luhrmann's movies continue to just direct themselves, I guess!!! I will never understand how his movies can amass piles of nominations yet they never recognize the man at the helm. Absolutely infuriating, and no, I'm still not over the Moulin Rouge snub, thanks for asking. - -Kim Rogers
Dear Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, and the other great actors in Women Talking: fear not, your work will look amazing twenty years from now when the writers of the Supporting Actress Smackdown look back and say "what happened with this category that year?" Just rest assured that your textured, impassioned, surprising, direct, honest, and funny work made this year's cinema much, much richer. - - Eric Blume
Jessie Buckley, you couldn’t get the women of the barn to vote your way, and you couldn’t get the Oscars to vote your way either. Still, your performance in Women Talking will keep me talking (in salty, barbed one-liners) for years to come. - - Chris James
The Territory for Documentary. Every year, there are fantastic and important nonfiction films that make the shortlist but then don’t get in. This one deals with a timely Indigenous story in Brazil and deserves all the publicity it can get. - - Abe Friedtanzer
Decision To Leave's snub is so baffling it took me 20 minutes to realise it had happened. Knew there was something obvious missing but it didn't cross my mind that was the one that frontrunner that got overlooked. There's also a hilarious 9 minute Live Action Short called The Treatment (El Tratamiento) which is more entertaining than any of the tiresomely overlong and frankly pretty dull Best Picture nominees. It didn't get nominated obviously cos they had to make room for child murder and hate crimes. -- Baby Clyde
Crimes of the Future - A magisterial late-career masterwork from one of our greatest directors ever was never going to find favor with the Academy - it is too outré, too risqué, too provocative and too otherwordly. The few of us who love it, will champion it as a thoughtful treatise on the right to choose and live as one wants. - Ankit Jhunhunwala
The Whale, you would have been the turd in the punchbowl in the best picture lineup, and you will not be missed. - Katey Rich
Danielle Deadwyler put on an eye-acting CLINIC, but the film was unfortunately botched in release by United Artists. Anyone who has seen the film knows she deserved consideration for the win, much less a nomination. Here's hoping we end up seeing her in a lineup in the very near future. . - Ben Miller
Danielle Deadwyler for Best Actress. Makes me wonder how many voters actually watched the movie because that's literally such a winning role. Real-life person, crying scene, monologues... Checks all sorts of boxes and they're all like "Nah." Very flustering. - Matt St Clair
I’m sad Saint Omer went unrecognized in International Film, and although I don’t love the lineup we got, it was a very competitive year and I’m sure its odds were better in my than what the vote totals would suggest. Best Actress was an absolute bloodbath - every woman fought hard for their spot. Their performances are impressive, both individually and as an actual sample of the year’s leading ladies, but I’m still stunned Danielle Deadwyler got knocked out of the final five. Hers is a titanic performance, tracking an arc of unspeaking grief and political awakening with such force and gravitas. Chinonye Chukwu’s camera arguably relies on Deadwyler’s face even more than she did Alfre Woodard’s in Clemency, but she aces every challenge she’s given, and it’s a goddamn shame that she, like Woodard, was left out in the cold for a performance that could (and should) have been a steamroller. - - Nick Taylor
Pouring one out for Danielle Deadwyler whose anguish and gradual political awakening was one of the most transfixing things in a movie all year. Not sure whether it’s down to the studio not campaigning her well enough or the competitiveness of that category that she didn’t make it in but I really wish she did. - - Ray Lewis
There was no chance in hell she would have been nominated but Emma Thompson in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande had one of the most liberating and brave performances of the year. - Cortland Jacoby
She Said deserved more! Fantastic screenplay, direction, and editing! Hollywood didn't wanna deal with their bad history. -Chels Eichholz
The great James Cameron has spent the last 12 years of his life concocting one of the most extravagant popcorn fantasies in the history of the medium, using all of his gifts for spectacle on a level they've never been used before, but I guess it's nice that Martin McDonagh got a Best Directing nomination for not quite knowing how to frame a two-shot. - Tim Brayton
I clung onto THE WOMAN KING all season, thinking it would have a dedicated enough contingent of voters to pull it along. I think it's a very well made movie, smart and shot with gusto by all the techs. And, of course, Viola and her supporting cast. It's exclusion across the board makes its box office success all the bigger of a relief. - Glenn Dunks
ANY THEORIES AS TO WHY ____ UNDERPERFORMED?
I really need someone to use photos, leaked audios and of course red threads on a dashboard in full conspiracy mode to explain me Decision to Leave. I need it. - - Elisa Giudici
The Whale was this year’s Being the Ricardos where the actors responded but no one else did. And The Woman King…I still don’t get that, honestly. It seemed to be right up the Academy’s alley: action epic, led by a big star, character driven while also not lacking for spectacle. Can’t understand what about it they could’ve resisted (Well, there is that one thing, but I’m not sure I have the energy to discuss that today. IYKYK.) - Ray Lewis
I never expected Glass Onion to do well because the first film didn’t, but I would have loved for it to happen. As for Decision to Leave, Oscar’s unfortunate history with Korean cinema apparently hasn’t changed despite Parasite’s victory. - Abe Friedtanzer
RRR - Might have been too bizarre an experience for those not familiar with mainstream Indian cinema. We know many in the Academy have seen and loved Satyajit Ray movies, but this is decidedly in an entirely different key that has no analogue to anything Hollywood makes. Ankit Jhunhunwala
Babylon is quietly loathed by more people than Twitter realizes. -- Farran Smith Nehme
Many contenders this year seemed to be aiming for similar themes and audiences, and, in the end, AMPAS chose one over the other. In regards to films about films, THE FABELMANS' complicated reminiscence trumps BABYLON's messy loudness. They preferred the 'eat the rich' movie that came with a patina of festival prestige and a sense of seriousness woven through its comedy. When it came time to consider Afro-centric action films, AMPAS picked the superhero fantasy over the old-school epic, the Disney-approved future over a complicated historical past. - Claudio Alves
I have no theories on why The Woman King did so badly with awards bodies, despite racking up all the money and good reviews needed to at least a get its Oscar-winning star recognized for her utterly superb work. Did too many sequels with prior favor in the Academy take up their attention for spectacle, let alone an original spectacle in a historical milieu Hollywood’s never spent time with before? I get sword and sandals movies aren’t always the Academy’s taste, but The Woman King’s absence from this year’s ballot feels very conspicuous to me. - Nick Taylor
The Woman King underperformed because people weren’t campaigning loudly enough for it. The box office was great, the reviews were spectacular and the audience reactions were astounding. Viola and Gina should’ve been at an event a week touting it as the modern day answer to Gladiator. Yet, people forgot about it as new movies came out. - Chris James
I mean, misogynoir took down The Woman King because Hollywood doesn't support Black Women. It's just embarrassing. -Chels Eichholz
Glass Onion missing almost everywhere is truly baffling. Was it too enjoyable and not challenging enough? Do people hate Netflix that much? You're telling me the Production Design of The Fabelmans is better? GTFO . - Ben Miller
Would Glass Onion had fared better if that theatrical run had been longer? It was such a great communal experience seeing it in a theatre and hearing people react, something you definitely can't recreate in a streaming environment. - -Kim Rogers
OKAY READERS, YOUR TURN IN THE COMMENTS!
continue on to part two for more Q&A fun
Reader Comments (27)
1. Jamie Lee Curtis, I can't believe she has never been nominated and about fucking time!
2. Andrea Riseborough as I heard rumblings about her performance as we all know she's great as I'm surprised she got nominated.
3. Paul Dano should've gotten nominated for The Batman (I haven't seen The Fablemans as he was fucking scary in that film.
4. I was thinking Babylon was going to get a lot but I'm surprised it only got a few. I guess it is really polarizing.
1. Pleased that Mescal, Henry, and Keoghan all got some love.
2. Puzzled by the hatred that The Whale has generated among some segments of viewers.
3. If anyone in The Fabelmans should have been nominated, I’d have gone with Gabriel Labelle.
4. I’m disappointed that The Batman didn’t get more attention, as its score and cinematography were particularly excellent.
5. I’d have taken Deadwyler over de Armas any day.
6. Greatly relieved that the Visual Effects branch didn’t give anything Dr. Strange 2’s way. For that matter, I’m relieved that Glass Onion didn’t waste any additional nomination spots.
7. Nope - Jordan Peele’s best film to date - was robbed!
1. Farrell and Condon. I didn't loved Banshees and I don't think that Gleeson and Keoghan gave Oscar worthy performances. Instead I find the siblings the best part of the movie. Farrell simply did an incredible job and Condon gave to the role the freshness of a new face.
Loved that all the cast of Everything is nominated, but so happy that Jamie Lee Curtis is in the house. She has the funniest role and she deliver it so good!!
2. Andrea Riseborough of course. It's funny that on the blog with toxic users (Awardsdaily) days ago they complained that every group went with the same movies. Now that Riseborough has been nominated they complain for the snub of some of the other actresses that we've seen in the race along the entire season.
For the below the line I would say Everything for costume design and The Fabelmans in Art Direction
3. All that scientific stuff to say, the scene in the car where he laughs and tell about the dream he had the night before, his confrontation with Sammy after he's been bullied, the monkey scene, that long close up in his last scene. Sorry Paul Dano, maybe you'll have to fight a bear in the snow to see you at the Oscars.
4. I will be unfair and I will turn the question. I don't have any damned theory about what's happening with the Oscars and Peele. His first movie was in best picture and won for the screenplay. Then he did two movies that were way better and got ignored. With Nope some critics said that maybe we are in front of a new Spielberg and you treat him like this?
2bis. How I forgot the joy for the surprise of Ostlund in best director?
3bisshadyedtion. So sorry for who was rooting for The Batman and Top Gun in best cinematography. But you have to face the fact that orange doesn't mean good cinematography. Allen did it for years and I've never seen anybody yelling for it
1. Of those who weren’t locked, Paul Mescal. Easy. Best male performance of the year. And a miracle of a nomination given the subtlety of the performance.
2. Probably Brian Tyree Henry but TÁR overperforming with two richly deserved crafts nods (getting Cinematography over TOP GUN) was such a surprise delight. I could also say my beloved EO but I predicted it’d make the cut.
3. Dolly. What Nathaniel wrote above nailed it… to see a character actress steal an entire film with a performance that good was what the Best Supporting Actress category was invented for. (Thank you LAFCA, NDFS, BAFTA and HFPA for honoring her.)
4. It feels bizarre to me that a popular, prestige war epic like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT would miss two of the categories where Oscar tends to honor the genre: Directing and Editing (at least 20 war films have won this category). I personally think it’s overrated but apparently Kimberly Peirce is a major fan so maybe I need to give it another chance.
This was a very good piece.
My fave acting nom was Causeway's Brian Tyree Henry I just didn't think it would happen due the bigger names in contention
Most shocking nom was obviously Andrea Riseborough,can't wait to see it
Ode to a snub and why she underperformed would be Deadwyler,she was amazing,her film was not a hit or threat anywhere,late campaign for Riseborough,playing MM has probably more cache with the Academy than Mamie Till,all out battle for spot no 5..
It’s all about my girls:
1. Fave: my girl Ana, who managed a nomination for her brilliant performance no matter how problematic Blonde is. Plus, it’s fun to see a latina recognized for her portrayal of the most iconic american woman after decades of white american actors mocking latinos in front of cameras.
2. Shocking: my girl Andrea, who was nominated in a very unprecedent way but is clearing the path for more great performers in tiny movies to be recognized as well in the future. So glad she made it.
3. Ode to my girl Dolly! I can’t complain about this perfect supp. actress line-up with two living legends and two asian wonders, but I was expecting so hard for Dolly to come in that it’s a major upset, especially because Triangle of Sadness scored very well in top categories. But I believe, as I did for Hong Chau since Downsizing, that Dolly’s recognition will come soon.
4. Reasons for underperforming: my girls Jessie and Claire cancelling each other (maybe?) in a very strong supp. actress category. At least we can’t have Women Talking’s lone acting nom being a man (it would be disgusting no matter how I love Ben Whishaw). But Sarah Polley is in the house again and the movie was somehow recognized, so I’m happy after all.
Ankit knows what’s up. Crimes of the Future was surely never going to be in the Academy’s wheelhouse, but seeing it make the shortlist for the Makeup/Hairstyling category gave me a tiny glimmer of hope that it might surprise. But alas. Cronenberg remains the single most underappreciated living director when it comes to Oscars. Maybe an honorary Oscar could happen someday?
@Edwin I always thought Brian De Palma as the most underappreciated living director / in need for an honorary Oscar someday.
@Antonio: I’m a De Palma fan as well (Phantom of the Paradise is one of my favorite movies), but just to compare their Oscar track records, 5 of De Palma’s films have been nominated by the Academy with 9 combined nominations, while 3 of Cronenberg’s films have been nominated with 4 combined nominations, so Cronenberg has been a bit less appreciated overall. Both are surely worthy of an honorary Oscar, though.
1. Quan, a performance and come back for the ages.
2. JLC and Hsu both nominated
3. James Hong... not only a missed chance to a career-honor nomination, but also a great performance on its own
4. RRR underperforming? Yes, two reasons: 1) it's racist, shamelessly racist, and of course anglosaxon members wouldn't be happy to vote for it and 2) quite obviously, the vastly superior All Quiet On The Western Front, stole its foreign language film fire (also Decision To Leave's)
1. Keoghan edges out Farrell for me here (Farrell is excellent and I desperately hope he wins). The scene by the lake is an all-timer, but also the ones in the pub, the ones on the wall, the "wild" interaction with Condon - the way he fleshes out that character into such a fully complete, well, human across his relatively few scenes - it's outstanding work.
2. By the time it happened I wasn't that surprised by Riseborough's nomination, but of course at some level I was. And I absolutely love it. Huge fan of hers going back to when she was in Party Animals. She's a great actress and it's wonderful she's being recognized. But more than that I think it's great that actors, working amongst themselves, talking with one another, can promote one of their own, without all the press junkets and studio public relations plans etc. etc. I get why that makes some people uneasy, but actors supporting actors - I'm all in for that.
3. They are not really snubs because of the (aside from Riseborough) existing Oscars/awards season business model - but it's a damn shame neither Franz Rogowski nor Jack Lowden could attract awards attention this year.
4. I don't think either The Woman King or The Glass Onion situations are all that mysterious. As to the former, so many of the conversations about it (and certainly tons of the marketing about it) was - it's an action movie, but with women. And the Oscars and action movies ... As to the latter, yeah, Netflix should've let it sit in theaters longer. There'd have been a more lasting discourse about it that way.
1. Michelle Williams for LEAD Actress. Just because a person seems like a supporting player in her own life does not make her a supporting actress in a movie. Also, the performance is fantastic.
2. This is a tie between Andrea Riseborough, because it's exciting for what it might portend for Oscar campaigning in the future, and EO/The Quiet Girl/Close, because now that they're nominated I'll probably get to see them in the theater. Bigger distribution for international films, please!
3. Paul Dano. As much as I liked Williams, he gave my favorite performance in The Fabelmans and possibly my favorite performance of the year. Also, Farrell and Henry totally deserve all their support this season, but I'm waiting for cinephiles to coalesce around Dano in the same way and realize he's so overdue for a first nomination!
4. I understand why Armageddon Time has been blanked this awards season, but I think it's a film that will age very well.
Jules -- i've been so happy to discover these past couple of days that I am not the only one who appreciated what Williams was doing in her movie (so many people online have been so negative and the degree of hostlity for the performance seemed to tie directly back to her "nerve" at campaigning Lead. which is hilariously wrongheaded she is TOP-BILLED. It is my belief that no actor who is top billed should be allowed to compete in supporting.
Ryan -- that's a great point about the two categories ALL QUIET missed in. Very weird! It's like at the BAFTAs where it only missed lead actor despite how good Felix is in the movie.
Scott C -- I'll go you one further and say that I dont even understand why it makes people uneasy about the Andrea campaign. The entire system is designed to reward what each craft thinks about itself, for better and worse. No matter the performance or person I think it's only a good sign that people voting on a category actually chose something they love instead of just following moneyed studio campaigns and precursor citations. I think it's a great reminder that all voters should vote with their actual opinions instead of trying to predict anyone else's opinion.
but clearly some branches dont think much about their own craft... i'll never ever ever understand the music branch constantly selecting songs that dont matter to their movies above songs that contribute to the movie itself. You'd think they'd want to show their own relevance!
1. Fav Acting Nomination?: So many to choose from, but I’ll go with Ke Huy Quan. Best thing in that film. Amazing. I see all these pictures of him with Spielberg at award shows and want to yell out to SS, “you know the new Indiana Jones movie would have benefited from his inclusion. I’m guessing you wince at the thought every time you see him.”
2. What Shocked You the Most on Oscar Nom Morning (in a Gleeful Way)? Just the mix of low budget/big budget, art house/IMAX blockbuster films up for best picture. And there isn’t a dud up for best picture this year. It also seems an unusually solid group up for Best International Film. Usually there’s something that makes me shake my head there (either that made it in or that was excluded), but this year it seems like a great fivesome. Especially glad that EO made it in.
3. Share your 'Ode to a Snub': The Woman King in multiple categories, especially Viola Davis. Sniff.
4. Any Theories as to why ______ underperformed? BABYLON/BLONDE/THE WOMAN KING. People get very selective about when to care about accuracy and they use it against films that rub them the wrong way for personal reasons. Saying BABYLON or BLONDE aren't accurate representations of Hollywood or Monroe's life is like complaining, as Pauline Kael famously did, that 8 1/2 isn't an accurate representation of how films are made. Whatever.
1. Paul Mescal for all the reasons folks have listed already.
2. Fave gleeful shock was Top Gun not entering Director or Actor races. In this era of Academy identity crisis (ratings pressure, criticism about "relevance", gigantic growth in voter numbers, etc), I get worried each year about what the nominations will reveal about what the Academy Awards actually ARE now, and how the Academy sees itself. The fact they didn't fall too hard for Top Gun makes me feel relieved that they are still at least maintaining some semblance of credibility in the face of pressure. They didn't make dumb populist picks, I guess I'm saying. Phew.
3. de Leon, Buckley, Foy, Mulligan. Victims of a very crowded race this year -- honestly I wouldn't swap out any of the nominees to make room for these also-very-deserving performances. Just the way the cookie crumbles!
4. My theory about why Viola Davis was shut out: Am I the only person who didn't think her character was the lead in this film? Thuso was not only the emotional heart, but she was also the character who propelled the whole thing forward?
Is the Williams negative reaction due to people just not enjoying the performance which I didn't,She was just okay bordering on unbelievable at times but a Lead,I can sort of see the supporting push,I did feel it was more LaBelle's story but Michelle was intricate to it and the films best scene and her best moment are the reaction shots in that scene.
My favorite acting nomination is probably Andrea Riseborough for lots of reasons, most importantly (of course) that she's phenomenal in the movie. But also, how many character actresses out there ever manage to nab a spotlight role, nail it, and get recognized for it at this level? Not many. So I'm very happy that her peers (especially other actresses) took note of Riseborough and decided to use their clout to put their peer on the map. It almost feels like justice for Joan Allen being passed over for The Upside of Anger or Alfre Woodard for Clemency or the dozens of other character actresses out there who give miraculous leading performances every now and then and rarely anyone notices.
"Cronenberg remains the single most underappreciated living director when it comes to Oscars."
Actually, no, it's got to be a tie between Jim Jarmusch and Terence Davies, at least in English-language cinema. Cronenberg films have at least been nominated in the past; total nominations for Jarmusch and Davies films combined is zero, Try making sense of that!
1. Michelle Yeoh is an Oscar nominee. That feels so good to say. (I feel a bit like Nathaniel after Julianne’s win. Oh my god, it actually happened! LOL) I couldn’t be more thrilled for her after such an amazing career. Especially because it’s actually a titanic performance and not just a bone thrown for career honors. Even though my personal gold medal would be going to Cate this year, Michelle’s was definitely the nom that made me smile the most.
2. Hong Chau. She wasn’t in my predictions, so even though she was right there on the bubble it was still a shock to me. I saw The Whale and The Menu within days of each other this year and was rooting hard for this to happen. What a great one-two punch to show off your range. And despite The Whale being such an unpleasant watch, her monologue on the front porch to Ty Simpkins was one of the best acted scenes of the year.
3. Chin up Jordan Peele. I think Nope will go down as your Vertigo: the unOscared gem that will later be seen for the masterpiece it is.
4. My Decision to Leave theory: don’t have one. WTF. Biggest head scratcher of the entire nominations. How in the world did that happen?
It's really very easy to see how DECISION TO LEAVE was snubbed: it left many people utterly bewildered with its overwrought, byzantine plotting.
Oops, thanks Chris James for the spoiler. So much to watch right now, didn't get to Women Talking yet.
1. Fav Acting Nomination?
Michelle Yeoh. She's been so ubiquitous this awards season, it can be hard to remember just what an amazing moment her first Oscar nom is.
2. What Shocked You the Most on Oscar Nom Morning (in a Gleeful Way?
No Cruise in Best Actor. Although I won't say he was terrible.
3. Share your 'Ode to a Snub'
Danielle Deadwyler.
4. Any Theories as to why ______ underperformed?
Top Gun. Because many in the Academy are resistant to "low-brow" things, and it likely considers this project low-brow.
1. A tie between Mescal and de Armas, whose performances couldn't be more different, but are both haunting and soulful
2. Brian Tyree Henry! I haven't even seen the movie yet, but I've loved him in everything he's been in.
3. Paul Dano ... sigh. The best part of the Fabelmans. But he's showing more and more range by the minute, and I hope he's a nominee in the not-too-distant future.
4. Theories as to why Decision to Leave underperformed--I personally loved it, but it is a bit on the confusing side at times. I wonder if voters might have lost patience with it?
1.- Mescal. This would have never happened five years ago!
2.- Andrea. Deserves her own post.
3.- My favourite performances were all long-shots. We all thought Miranda had in the bag, right?
4.- I'm glad RRR, Pinocchio and Glass Onion underperformed. Never expected The Woman King to go places.
Nathaniel - My take is that the Fabelmans had an early target on its back because it was anointed the frontrunner by the Oscar pundits before the public was able to see it. It felt like the well-funded, prestigious rival to underdog, already well-seen and -loved EEAAO, and it was ripe for a takedown. Williams especially was the subject of ire because of the early praise for her performance and the assumption she'd easily win Supporting, which threw the race into chaos when she went Lead (the perception being that she was greedily "taking" a Best Actress spot in a very competitive year when she could "settle" for a win in Supporting).
1. Fav Acting Nomination?
Paul Mescal.
One of the most beautiful performances I've seen in years. The best in the category since Casey Affleck and Timothée Chalamet.
Mescal deserves all this and heaven too.
2. What Shocked You the Most on Oscar Nom Morning (in a Gleeful Way?)
So many noms to the great "All Quiet On The Western Front". I wasn't expecting 9 noms. And it deserved each one, except best picture. Why? 'Cause there's an specific category called Best International Film.
3. Share your 'Ode to a Snub'.
Dear Emma Thompson, you deserved a nomination for your brilliant performance in "Good Luck To You, Leo Grande". For every second, every frame on screen. The robbed you in "Saving Mr. Banks". And they did it again. I won't forget. We won't forget.
4. Any theories as to why The Fablemans underperformed?
No. I still can't believe only 7 noms. I really can't understand. Last year, that remake of "West Side Story", aka that piece of sh*t got 7 noms... and this year your most personal project get the same? I really can't understand.