So, the Oscar nominations were revealed this morning, and Mank (from Netflix) scored the most nods with 10. Given that it is two things, a David Fincher-directed film (they love him) and a film about Hollywood (they love themselves), that 10 nomination total should not surprise. But there were plenty of surprises throughout in a year that promised to be different than any other Oscar year prior—due to the pandemic and the increased number of films that debuted on streaming services rather than theaters. Of course, because those cinemas were closed!
So, what are those snubs and surprises? The Movie Mensch’s Oscar Watch breaks them down!
SNUB
It’s Best Picture, Not Best Filmed Play
In a move that shocked most in the Hollywood establishment, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and One Night in Miami failed to score Best Picture nominations. Perhaps there is a little bias towards plays being made into films that feel like plays being made into films.
Now, I don’t have a problem with that and to take it a step further—One Night in Miami played like a stage play, no question. But Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was undoubtedly a cinematic experience. That is a huge snub. Heck, both are, but Ma Rainey’s is the biggest snub of them all.
SURPRISE
Although I, personally, don’t think it’s a surprise, the general consensus was that LaKeith Stanfield’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Judas and the Black Messiah would not happen. Therefore, it is a pleasant shock, let’s just say, that Stanfield scored one of those coveted five spots. I come back to my old standby, acting is not achieved in a vacuum.
Daniel Kaluuya had many partners in excellence in Judas and the Black Messiah, and one could argue that he had a scene-mate in Stanfield that elevated both men. That’s always got to add up to an Oscar nomination for both!
SNUB
Aaron Sorkin did not get a Best Director nomination, and that is a solid snub as the writer of The Trial of the Chicago 7. He was on everyone’s list for expecting a nod for director. But if you watch the film, really witness its narrative, it is sublimely written—thus the Best Screenplay nod for Sorkin—but it is rather clunky and bites off way more than it can chew.
He’s growing as a director, after Molly’s Game and now this film. Yet he is firmly not in the “Best” of the directors categories for Oscar. This is a snub, but this is one I wholeheartedly agree with.
SURPRISE
Húsavík got a Best Song nomination! Now, I list this as a surprise because it comes from an absolutely silly, yet undeniably brilliantly charming film Eurovision from Netflix.
It doesn’t seem like the normal fare that Oscar nominates, but this writer felt it was the best song of the year and if it wasn’t nominated it was a crime. Thus, the “pleasant” surprise.
SNUB
Delroy Lindo will have to wait until another day for that fabled Oscar nomination. After witnessing Da 5 Bloods, all anyone could talk about was the lock that Lindo had on Best Actor and how the supporting cast would fare in the Best Supporting category. But alas, none of that happened. None of the actors in the film received any love from the Academy. The lack of adoration for a character actor more than due for some Oscar love is an utter shock and a crime.
The man has turned in amazing work over his decades-long career, yet it was something about his portrayal of a Vietnam vet in Lee’s film that sent our love for him into the stratosphere. Frankly, I can see him not winning this year. After all, after Da 5 Bloods bowed on Netflix, we saw The Father with Anthony Hopkins and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom with Chadwick Boseman blowing us away. OK, that’s fine. So, he won’t win. But he didn’t get nominated?!!!! Please, give me a break.
SURPRISE
Thomas Vinterberg scored a directing nod for his work on Another Round. Some would say he took Sorkin’s place. I would disagree. Although the movie has utterly failed to catch fire here in the states, it is a prestige film that many have lauded. The surprise that he got nominated is softened by the snub of…
SNUB
Regina King for One Night In Miami. OK, so it’s filming a play, but One Night in Miami is so much more. After all, it was good enough for some acting love, but not the woman who brought it to life with all its power and resonance? This is a snub of the highest order and I’d scream sexism if…
SURPRISE
Chloe Zhao (for Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) earned Best Directing nominations for their stellar work on two mind-blowingly gorgeous and emotively impactful films. That’s two female directors nominated in the category for the first time. That’s history folks. History!
Both are well deserving, and in fact, if we were to be, the winner for Best Picture will come down to their two films. We cannot underestimate the importance of these two nominations. Both for films that are among the best of the year, sure, but also both films had a beauty to them with incredibly diverse landscapes that one would think doesn’t equate itself to gorgeousness.
Then, there is the acting that each director gleaned out of their leads—some would argue that best they have ever done, and since one of them is Frances McDormand, that is saying something. In fact, one of them will win Best Picture.
SNUB & SURPRISE
First, the snub. Golden Globe winner Jodie Foster didn’t score a nomination for her work in the true tale The Mauritanian, but Golden Globe winner Andra Day did for The United States vs. Billie Holliday. Now, The Mauritanian was a much better film than the Billie Holiday biopic, which was borderline terrible.
The nod for Day was a surprise. Sure, she sang the hell out of Holiday and did her best with a bland script that offered little in terms of character development. On the other hand, Foster was a hurricane in the fight for justice film, The Mauritanian. Why this is both a snub and a surprise is that usually when the Golden Globes awards an actress or actor or a film for that matter that seems out of left field, the Academy (rightfully) ignores it. But, in this case, Foster deserved it, not that Day didn’t.
SURPRISE
This is a welcomed surprise, and a perfect one to close out this column. Looks like The Academy loves The Father. It was one of my top 20 of 2020, so I’m thrilled. But it felt like a little movie that would only garner a nod for its lead, the titular character. Anthony Hopkins gave the performance of a lifetime in a role that will break your heart in a thousand pieces.
The film also scored a Best Picture nod, as well as Best Supporting Actress for Olivia Coleman, Best Editing (which if you think about it, is a brilliant move by the Academy, the entire movie and its powerful conclusion does not work without keen editing.) The same could be said for the Production Design nomination The Father received. Again, the whole thing doesn’t work unless that set is malleable in its design and purpose.