There was a lot of history made when the nominations for the Oscars were announced Monday morning, but it would not be the Oscars without a few swings and headaches. Below, the Projectionist explores the biggest surprises and the most striking snubs.
Who leads ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’?
When two men or two women enter an Oscar contender, you can bet that smart strategists will place one as a leader and one as a supporting role in an effort to spread the wealth and get both nominated. This was the original plan for ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’, where Lakeith Stanfield is considered the leader, mostly so that he could get rid of Daniel Kaluuya, who has won the supporting actor all seasons. But in a big surprise, Stanfield got more votes in the supporting actors category, and both men earned their nominations there. However, this begs the question: if Stanfield and Kaluuya are both supporting actors, who exactly is this film going to be about?
Aaron Sorkin gets the ‘Argo’ treatment.
Although “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is one of the most nominated Oscar nominees, and Aaron Sorkin received a nomination for his screenplay, he was completely left out of the Best Director category, as Thomas Vinterberg, the director of “Another Round”, the place most expected approach to Sorkin. Yet a lot of history has been made in the category: Director “Nomadland” Chloé Zhao becomes the first Chinese woman and first woman of color to be nominated for best director, and along with Emerald Fennell, the film “Promising Young Woman”, it is the first time in Oscar history that two women were nominated in the category of best director at the same time.
Few dramas led by black leads make the best picture.
At the Screen Actors Guild, a majority of the group’s nominations went to the award for best ensemble to black-led dramas. In the end, none of the three SAG nominees – “Da 5 Bloods”, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “One Night in Miami”, made Oscar’s best picture, and only the late attack “Judas and the Black Messiah” Deserves a nomination. And even though the races were filled with diverse nominees – six of the 20 actors starred in Black performers, a record – the critic’s favorite Delroy Lindo from “Da 5 Bloods” is still outside the fifth best actor beland.
Jodie Foster’s Golden Globe momentum is faltering.
When Jodie Foster was announced as the winner of the supporting actress Golden Globe for her role as a tough lawyer in ‘The Mauritanian’, the actress seemed completely shocked because she was from a much lower profile candidate than her co-nominees wash. The win certainly attracted more Oscar voters to go watch her film than would normally be the case, but in the end it was not enough: Foster became the rare competitive actress whose Golden Globe victory did not even win her an Oscar nomination could not deliver.
Almodóvar is too big for the shorts.
One of the most exciting judges of the year lasts no longer than half an hour: Pedro Almodóvar made his English debut with ‘The Human Voice’, a live-action short role starring Tilda Swinton. Most experts assumed that it was the forerunner in its category, but the branch of the shorts completely knocked it out, and perhaps resented that some stars with a big name could dominate a category usually filled by emerging people.
‘Boys State’ loses the election.
Few documentaries have had the thrill of ‘Boys State’, Apple’s well-received film about teenage boys who followed up on political campaigns during a long weekend. But the documentary branch is very hairy when it comes to substantial candidates: movies with a good point like “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” ‘Apollo 11’ and ‘Three Identical Strangers’ have been hampered in recent years, and now ‘Boys State’ can join in their rejected ranks. (The film itself gives at least some lessons on how to bounce back from a politically motivated defeat.)