Academy Awards: Hayley Murden
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The nominations for the 91st Academy Awards ceremony have been announced and, as has gradually become the norm over the last decade, they are more about appearing woke and inclusive than anything actually celebrating innovative filmmaking. Case in point: a Marvel superhero movie up for best picture (which was as much of a joke when Heath Ledger won for The Dark Knight).
That’s not just knocking Black Panther, as other best picture choices include A Star Is Born (a remake, nothing original), Bohemian Rhapsody (pedestrian direction and storytelling). Netflix production Roma makes history as the first ever Academy Award nomination for a streaming service. There are more interesting entries like BlackKkKlansman and Green Book. But let’s take a bet that nothing deserving actually wins.
Best actor and actress nominations include Lady Gaga, who wants to be the next Barbra Streisand, Melissa McCarthy, who played second fiddle to perverted puppets in The Happytime Murders before landing a nom for Can You Forgive Me?, and the usual suspects Bradley Cooper and Viggo Mortensen. Rami Malek, Glenn Close and Willem Dafoe are welcome additions and it is possible Malek might just steal it from under Cooper’s nose.
The plodding and inaccurate Mary Queen Of Scots (why does Mary speak with a Scottish accent when she was raised in France?) only managed to score nominations for costume and makeup design, which is a matter of taste. Mary Poppins Returns has been relegated to production, costume and music, which may surprise some. However, now that Marvel movies are worthy of best picture Disney cash-ins surely should get a look in, too, and why didn’t Meryl Streep receive her annual nomination for her five minutes of screen time?
Speculation continues as to who will host after Kevin Hart was hounded out by twitter crybabies. Perhaps Neil Patrick Harris, as the most boring, bland and inoffensive recent choice, should return. Or Anne Hathaway and James Franco, just to attract viewers looking for a train wreck to blog about.
Of course, you may want to watch just to see the red carpet fashion but, don’t forget, the actresses don’t want to be asked about that any more. Too bad for those who prefer the glitz and gowns to three hours of Hollywood patting itself on the back.
The 91st Academy Awards air on 24 February. Set your reminders and grab your popcorn…if you must.
Here is the list of 2019 nominees:
Best Picture
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice
Actress in a Leading Role
Yalitza Aparicio
Glenn Close
Olivia Colman
Lady Gaga
Melissa McCarthy
Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale
Bradley Cooper
Willem Dafoe
Rami Malek
Viggo Mortensen
Directing
BlacKkKlansman
Cold War
The Favourite
Roma
Vice
Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, Vice
Marina de Tavira, Roma
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Adapted Screenplay
The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born
Original Screenplay
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
Vice
Cinematography
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma
A Star Is Born
Production Design
Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma
Costume Design
The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen Of Scots
Film Editing
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice
Foreign Language Film
Capernaum
Cold War
Never Look Away
Roma
Shoplifters
Documentary Feature
Free Solo
Hale County
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG
Documentary Short Subject
Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End Of Sentence
Animated Feature Film
Incredibles 2
Isle Of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Animated Short Film
Animal Behavior
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends
Live Action Short Film
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin
Original Score
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle Of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
Original Song
All The Stars, Black Panther
I’ll Fight, RBG
The Place Where Lost Things Go, MPR
Shallow
When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings, Buster Scruggs
Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Makeup and Hairstyling
Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice
Sound Editing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma
Sound Mixing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born
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