The nominations for the 90th Academy Awards
Snubs and surprises for the biggest award show on earth
By Colin Macgillivray, Arts Editor
Oh, Oscars season. One of the few times of the year where film-hermits and solitary cinema-snobs will grace internet forums and comment sections with their faultless opinions. It’s the only time of the year where people seem to care about the world of film. But, when you’re a self-proclaimed movie theatre maniac like myself, you’ve seen all the best and worst films of the year, from Baby Driver to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. But wait! What if you’re out of the loop and want to impress your friends and/or future lovers with your knowledge of movies and you have no idea where to start? Well, strap in for a wild read, because here are the biggest snubs and surprises from the 90th Academy Awards nomination list.
Surprise: Four nominations for Get Out
Fans of Jordan Peele’s masterful Get Out weren’t crying when the film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including a Best Picture nod. Photo courtesy of NPR.org
What a pleasant surprise this was. Jordan Peele’s mysterious horror masterclass was a long shot to be nominated at the Academy Awards. It’s a horror, unconventional and its February 2017 release date would be typically seen as death sentence for any film looking to pick up some major awards. Luckily, arguably the most underrated film of 2017 was able to pick up four nominations, including Best Picture. Peele was recognized for his direction and Daniel Kaluuya was able to pick up a Best Actor nod for his chilling performance. Get Out is definitely this years dark horse, so don’t be surprised if it manages to pull off an upset in one of the major categories. Here’s a fun little fact. The last film to be nominated for Best Picture that had a February release date was The Silence of the Lambs. It went on to win five Oscars.
Snub: The supporting actors of Call Me By Your Name
Harrelson is a great actor. He’s already been nominated for two Academy Awards. Michael Stuhlbarg, the criminally underrated acting powerhouse has zero nominations to his name. Armie Hammer, who has proved to be incredibly capable in the last few years also has zero. You know what could have been fun? Swapping out Harrelson for either Stuhlbarg or Hammer! Even though it probably wouldn’t make a massive difference in the end, it would be refreshing to acknowledge one of the two incredible performers for their outstanding work. It would even add a little bit more intrigue to the event.
Surprise: Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson both nominated
This one has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. There’s no doubt in my mind that Sam Rockwell deserved the nomination. Heck, he’ll probably take home the Oscar this year as he was absolutely brilliant in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. But, nominating Woody
Franco’s The Disaster Artist was poised to be nominated for countless Academy Awards, yet was generally snubbed amidst sexual misconduct allegations against the actor. Photo courtesy of CBSNews.com
Harrelson, who’s performance in the aforementioned Three Billboards was excellent, is a mistake. As great as both actors were, Rockwell was definitely a far more commanding presence throughout the film and would take home the Oscar over his counterpart every day of the week. This begins a beautiful segue into the next point.
No surprise: James Franco
This one isn’t too surprising, but it’s worth mentioning. Franco was poised to pick up his second Oscar nomination for his performance as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist. He won a Golden Globe for the performance and was even nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award. But, sexual misconduct allegations that arose in the middle of Oscar voting definitely hurt the actor’s chances. With members of the Academy taking a stand towards the actor’s rumoured misconduct, perhaps the days of Hollywood sleaze-bags clutching gold are behind us. Plus, the Best Actor category is absolutely stacked this year, so Franco not getting nominated isn’t even that shocking.
Surprise: The Boss Baby is an Oscar nominated film
The Boss Baby was nominated for an Academy Award and the film community is largely ignoring the abhorring film. Never underestimate The Boss Baby. Photo courtesy of junkee.com
This is a travesty. I understand that, yes, you have to fill certain categories, but this despicable film has no business being anywhere near Coco, which is one of the best animated films in history.
The biggest surprise of all: The academy got things right
Yes, there are definitely some more snubs that could have been added to this list, but those are mostly personal preference issues more than anything. Film freaks everywhere have to be incredibly happy about the nominations, because for the first time in a long time, the Academy acknowledged some of the new blood in Hollywood and nailed their nominations.
