Oscar nominations: The biggest snubs and surprises

NO OSCAR nominations list ever turns out how we expected - and this year is no different. Here are the biggest surprises from this year’s crop of nominees.

NO OSCAR nominations list ever turns out exactly how you think it will — there will always be delighted gasps and audible shocks when names are and aren’t read out.

This year was no different. Hot off a harassment scandal, James Franco got bumped from contention in favour of Denzel Washington. Phantom Thread and Mudbound came out with strong showings while indie favourite The Florida Project was virtually shut out from all but one category.

Also, Mary J. Blige is now a double Oscar nominee, and deservedly so.

This year’s nominee list also contains several record-breaking or significant milestones. Here’s our reaction to some of the bigger categories.

BEST PICTURE

Back in 2009, the Academy expanded the Best Picture category from five to 10 films as a reflection of the calibre of filmmaking in the industry. But in recent years the Academy has been reticent to stretch its nominee pool to the full 10.

And this year is no different, with the beloved little indie that could The Florida Project dropping off the final nominee list of nine. The Big Sick and I, Tonya, were also snubbed despite gaining nominations at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. It was a pipe dream, but we were also kinda hoping for Wonder Woman to sneak in there, too.

Historical epics Darkest Hour and Dunkirk were both recognised, as were Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird. Alongside them is a nod for The Post, Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-baity drama about the importance of journalism in the face of megalomania (ahem) and Get Out.

The biggest surprise is Phantom Thread, director Paul Thomas Anderson’s intimate film about a fashion designer and his muse and reportedly Daniel Day Lewis’ last film.

No surprises that The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri were both nominated. It will likely come down to these two, duking it out for the top prize. Three Billboards might have taken home the Globe and the SAG award, but The Shape of Water is sweeping the gilds, which is usually a better indicator of where the Oscars will fall. Plus it received an epic 13 total nominations this morning. Our money is on The Shape of Water, which may benefit from preferential voting as it is less controversial and divisive than the problematic Martin McDonagh-directed revenge fantasy Three Billboards.

DIRECTOR

This was always going to be a hotly contested category with veterans like Steven Spielberg (The Post) and Ridley Scott (All the Money in the World) vying for position against directing neophytes Jordan Peele (Get Out) and Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird). In the end, the newcomers won out. Peele becomes only the fifth black person to be nominated in the prestigious director’s category while Gerwig is the fifth woman. The biggest snubs here are Sean Baker (The Florida Project) and Martin McDonagh, director of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri — it’s rare for a movie to win Best Picture without a director nomination but Argo and Ben Affleck proved it can be done. Dunkirk is Christopher Nolan’s first director nomination while Paul Thomas Anderson (the only white American male nominated) is the biggest surprise with his Phantom Thread nod — his inclusion probably pushed McDonagh out. Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) is the likely frontrunner here.

LEADING ACTRESS

Four of the five leading actor contenders have been bedded down for weeks now with the only question mark over whether Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) would prevail over Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game) or Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World) for the fifth position. Now the Australian actor can be billed as Oscar Nominee Margot Robbie in every movie she’s got coming out.

Robbie (as Tonya Harding) alongside co-star Sebastian Stan.

Frances McDormand (Three Billboards) has all the momentum here — her closest competitor is Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), who, at 23 years old, is already on her third Oscar nomination. The other nominees are Meryl Streep (The Post) and Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water).

LEADING ACTOR

After Gary Oldman took to the stage to accept his SAG awards, tearful and overcome with emotion, this category became his to lose. But hey, let’s congratulate the other four nominees, shall we? Two newcomers: Timothee Chalamet who is heartbreakingly raw in Call Me By Your Name, and Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out, a rare nomination for an actor in a horror movie.

Daniel Kaluuya in a scene from Get Out.

Then there’s the legends: Daniel Day Lewis (Phantom Thread) and Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq), both pleasant surprises. Also pleasant is the fact that James Franco, whose Golden Globes win was soured by claims of sexual misconduct, was not nominated. But justice for Tom Hanks! Our favourite hasn’t been nominated since Castaway, which is astonishing considering the work he has been turning in movies like this year’s The Post. At least he already has two Oscars at home to comfort him.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

The actors nominated here have been pretty much locked-in since the Golden Globes were first nominated last year. We have Mary J. Blige for Mudbound, Octavia Spencer for Shape of Water — an indication of how well-liked that film is in the Academy, and a good sign that it could eventually win Best Picture — Laurie Metcalf for Lady Bird and Allison Janney, the likely winner, for I, Tonya. The inclusion of Lesley Manville, who is an unsettling presence as Daniel Day Lewis’ sister in Phantom Thread, is a very pleasant surprise. But we can’t help but feel sad for the snubs who didn’t make the cut, including Hong Chau, who was so keenly felt in Downsizing and Holly Hunter for The Big Sick.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Willem Dafoe’s nomination here for The Florida Project is the only nod Sean Baker’s beloved indie managed despite a strong showing on the awards circuit from critic’s groups. Dafoe had the early momentum and seemed a lock but now that’s fallen behind Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards). But Rockwell is now also up against Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards) which may split the vote for people who wants to reward the film.

Rockwell and Frances McDormand in Three Billboards.

Christopher Plummer continues to be acknowledged for his last-minute, two-week switch in All the Money in the World after Kevin Spacey was cut out while respected character actor Richard Jenkins gets a nod for his warm portrayal in The Shape of Water. The biggest shock here is that neither Armie Hammer or Michael Stuhlbarg came up for Call Me By Your Name — both names had definitely been in the mix.

ANIMATED FEATURE

Wow: The Academy really likes The Boss Baby, huh? Though that movie was roundly disliked by critics it snuck in here alongside Ferdinand and Coco, the likely winner. We’re sad that neither of this year’s Lego Movies made the cut, as it would have been an opportunity to recognise the stellar work behind-the-scenes of Australian visual effects company Animal Logic. But we’re also thrilled for surprise nominations for The Breadwinner, a gorgeous fable of friendship set in Afghanistan and produced by Angelina Jolie, and Loving Vincent, a stunning biopic of Vincent van Gogh animated using handpainted oil on canvas.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Seems hard to believe but in 2018, Rachel Morrison becomes the first woman to ever be nominated in this category for her work on Mudbound — an incredible feat given that the movie was made with a comparatively paltry $10 million. She has stiff competition in frequent Coen brothers collaborator Roger Deakins, whose marvellous work on Blade Runner 2049 might finally break his 13-nominations losing streak — Blade Runner is his 14th attempt.

Harrison Ford in Blade Runner.

Ana de Armas and Ryan Gosling.

Also nominated are Dan Lausten (The Shape of Water), Bruno Delbonnel (Darkest Hour) and Hoyte van Hoytema (Dunkirk). Call Me By Your Name’s Sayombhu Mukdeeprom who managed to turn a dreary, rainy Italy in glorious summer sun was shut out.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Oddly, original screenplay has become one of the most competitive categories in this year’s awards, which proves that the film industry isn’t just obsessed with churning out remakes, sequels, adaptations and the seventh instalment in a mega-franchise. The surprise, if you can call it that, is The Big Sick, written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, based on their real-life romance. The Big Sick has been in the awards conversation since its release in mid-2017 but was always considered on the bubble as to whether or not it would actually make it. The other four nominees (Get Out, Lady Bird, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards) are also all best picture and best director contenders and written by their directors.

Greta Gerwig is nominated as Best Director for Lady Bird.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

We don’t remember the last time this category was this wide-open. James Ivory’s tender script for Call Me By Your Name is probably going to win, but just look at the rest of this category. There’s a nod for three writers behind Logan, Virgil Williams and Dee Rees are recognised for their adaptation of the novel Mudbound and a surprise nomination for The Disaster Artist, which ended up being its only nomination this year. Then there’s Aaron Sorkin for Molly’s Game, who represents Ivory’s biggest competition. While Ivory might have legacy — he’s one half of the Merchant Ivory company, who produced beloved Oscar-y hits like The Remains of the Day and A Room With A View — Sorkin is, well, Sorkin. We’d never bet against him.

COSTUMES

It’s a good day for Jacqueline Durran! The British costume designer — who won an Oscar in 2013 for Anna Karenina — has been nominated not once, but twice this year, for Beauty and the Beast and Darkest Hour.

Beauty and the Beast.

But there is a very good chance that she could go home with no hardware at all, with the recognition of Mark Bridges’ work for Phantom Thread, a movie that is literally about the art of dress designing, not to mention some very fancy capes. Rounding out the category are The Shape Of Water and, big surprise, Victoria and Abdul. Never rule out a period drama or costume designer Consolata Boyle, a third-time nominee.

ORIGINAL SONG

This was not the year Mariah Carey breaks into the Oscar race with her ditty for The Star not making the final cut. Mary J. Blige picks up her second nomination here for Mudbound’s “Mighty River” while Common is in contention for another Oscar with “Stand Up For Something” out of Marshall. The trophy will probably be a tussle between The Greatest Showman’s “This Is Me”, written by last year’s winners Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, which, to be frank, isn’t even the best song in the movie, and “Remember Me” out of Pixar’s Coco. But don’t count out Sufjan Steven’s quiet but moving “Mystery of Love” from Call Me By Your Name.

Originally published as Oscar nominations: The biggest snubs and surprises