5 Takeaways from the 2019 Academy Award Nominations
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WRITTEN BY: Jordan Hallerman
Awards season is currently in full swing and as with every year, the nominations for the 91st Academy Awards have been released. The event will be held on February 24, 2019 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Unlike almost every year preceding it, this year’s Oscars ceremony will not have a host after Kevin Hart stepped down from the job following criticism for past comments that he made which contained anti-LGBT language. As a result, the show will have no host though the Academy is planning other things in order to fill the time that the traditional host would have. In terms of the nominations however, there are 8 films with at least 5 nominations and there are 2 films with 10 nominations each (The Favourite and Roma). While many of the results were expected, there were some surprises with the announcements on Tuesday morning. Here are 5 takeaways from the 2019 Academy Award Nominees:
- Black Panther Nominated for 7 Academy Awards Including Best Picture
Black Panther was easily the biggest film of 2018. Not only did it make over $700 million at the domestic box office, but it also became a worldwide phenomenon. It was the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film with an African American lead and was able to succeed in attracting both fans of the genre and the general public as well. The film has been nominated for 7 awards: Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Production Design, Costume Design, Best Score, Best Original Song and lastly, Best Picture. By being nominated for Best Picture, the film also became the first superhero movie to receive a nomination in that category. While it is not the favorite (no pun intended), to win Best Picture, Black Panther’s nomination is a significant milestone for both the genre and the growing shift of the Academy to the next generation of voters.
- No Best Supporting Actor Nod for Timothee Chalamet
Heading into this years’ awards season, the two actors going back and forth for Best Supporting Actor were Mahershala Ali for Green Book and Timothee Chalamet for Beautiful Boy. In Beautiful Boy, Chalamet plays Nicholas Sheff, a methamphetamine addict. The film is based on the biographies of Nic and his father David Sheff (played by Steve Carell) and was praised for the lead performances, Chalamet in particular who is absolutely heart wrenching as Nic. In a major surprise however, he did not end up being nominated for Best Supporting Actor which led to a large outroar on social media. Chalamet will get another chance at his second nomination next year when he stars in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women alongside Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson and Meryl Streep.
- Spike Lee Scores His First Best Picture and Best Director Noms for BlacKkKlansman
This years nominations were filled with first timers. In particular however, filmmaker Spike Lee finally received his first nominations for both Best Picture and Best Director for his film BlacKkKlansman. The film tells the story of Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington), an African American detective who, along with the help of his colleague Phillip Zimmerman (played by nominee Adam Driver), infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. The film is based on the memoir of the real life Stallworth and was praised for its commentary and relevance to recent events. These nominations for Lee are long overdue and he certainly has a good shot at winning one of if not both awards.
- Leading Actress Category Winner Will Receive Their First Oscar
There are five women nominated for the category of Leading Actress: Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Glenn Close (The Wife), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) and Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?). While the amount of nominations varies between the women, the winner in this category will be receiving their first Academy Award. Additionally, 3 out of the 5 women are being nominated for the first time (Aparicio, Colman and Gaga) while Melissa McCarthy has been nominated for her second Oscar. Currently, the two standouts in the category are Olivia Colman and Glenn Close but it is not a runaway competition by any means. Regardless of who wins though, it will certainly be a night to remember for one of these 5 women.
- No Best Director Nomination for Bradley Cooper
Heading into awards season, A Star is Born was being touted as the film to beat. Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is a remake of the classic story which follows a musician who discovers a woman with immense talent and their love story that follows. While Cooper and Gaga received nominations for Leading Actor and Actress and the film received a nomination for Best Picture, Cooper surprisingly did not receive a nomination for Best Director. Up until this point he had been considered a lock in the category along with other nominees like Alfonso Cuaron (Roma) and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite) though as with many of the other snubs this year, the Academy voters went for other individuals.
The 91st Academy Awards will air Sunday February 24, 2019 at 8pm (EST) on ABC
Full List of Nominations (Courtesy of Variety): https://variety.com/2019/film/news/oscar-nominations-2019-list-1203112405/
