Posts
Though I don’t anticipate the Oscar nominations with the same zest as I once did, I still enjoy the festive hullabaloo and am so glad they continue announcing them before sunrise (PT) to ensure the whole thing maintains that Christmas morning-like sensation. The current state of American affairs, though, left me feeling underwhelmed this year, even if it was a good one for movies, and a work obligation made it difficult to react to the announcements in real time. But when I finally sat down to give the nominations thorough consideration, I found myself with at least six things to say.
A Few Quicks Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations
1.) I guess after its unexpected nomination for Best Picture, which I have no doubt has to do with some kind of back room politicking, I’ll have to find the time to watch “F1,” but like Miles Raymond and merlot, I am not watching “Bugonia.” I’m not even anti-Yorgos; I like some of his movies! It’s just...I needed a year off from him, I really did, and even more than that, I wish Emma Stone would stop working with him for a while and so I refuse to encourage her.
2.) “Sinners” setting the record for all-time nominations, which it would have done even without the rightful nod for the new Casting category, is a genuine feel-good moment for Hollywood. And so, in its own way, is “Wicked Part 2: The Search for More Money” getting skunked. It’s good because maybe that will be a lesson to suddenly wary producers about over-leveraging their product, and it’s good because this year’s Oscar ceremony will not have to be a continuation of the “Wicked” marketing campaign. Ding dong, that shit is dead.
3.) I’m not sure what will win the inaugural casting award, but I’ll be rooting for “The Secret Agent.” The Brazilian genre-twister that was also nominated for Best Picture and Best International Feature is a bounty of distinctive faces and personalities.
4.) Oscar nomination day is a day for celebrating, yes, but it is also a day for complaining and here is my grievance: two days ago, I said that if Colleen Atwood did not win the Oscar for Best Costume Design, I was going to be pissed, and hey, guess what, she didn’t even get nominated. She’s won before, so she’s square, but still; I’m not sure any movie did any of its crafts better than “One Battle After Another” did costume design. And though the movie’s timeline is purposely fuzzy, it is contemporary, and that, I assume, considering all the other nominees, is the issue, as it so often is in this category – they so rarely nominate contemporary films because I feel like contemporary costume design does not leap off the screen in the same way. I hope Leo wears his bathrobe and Terminator X glasses to the ceremony in protest.
5.) Ok. Enough complaining. Amy Madigan landing her first nomination and first in 40 years for Supporting Actress in “Weapons” would take the cake if it wasn’t for Delroy Lindo landing his first nomination ever for Supporting Actor in “Sinners.” That guy makes everything he’s in just a little bit better. And though I suspect neither of them will win, getting to bask in the promotional circuit for the next month-and-a-half will be victory enough. I hope they enjoy the ride.
6.) I’m not making predictions, here or later, but if there is anyone out of whole list that I would like to see win, well, it’s an obvious one: Paul Thomas Anderson for Best Director. It’s richly deserved for “One Battle After Another”; it’s overdue, anyway, in the grand scheme of things; it’s time.
