The Academy unveiled the list of nominations for the 91st Academy Awards, which will be held on February 24th at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Both Roma and The Favourite came out as frontrunner nominees, as both films received nominations for ten awards apiece, just ahead of eight nominations for A Star is Born and Vice. All four films were nominated for Best Picture, along with Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book. While A Star is Born was the early favorite, Roma and The Favourite gained momentum with their releases closer to awards season. Bohemian Rhapsody somewhat shockingly took home Best Motion Picture-Drama at the Golden Globes, but with allegations of sexual abuse against director Bryan Singer, it’s unlikely the Queen biopic will take home Best Picture at the Oscars. Roma, the first Netflix movie nominated for Best Picture, won at the Critics’ Choice Awards and is the favorite in this category. Alfonzo Cuarón, who directed Roma, is the favorite to take home Best Director, in a category that also features Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman), Adam McKay (Vice), Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite) and Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War). One notable Best Director snub was Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born), thought to be one of the favorites in the category following his directorial debut.
The battle for Lead Actress will be between veteran Glenn Close (The Wife) and newcomer Lady Gaga (A Star is Born). While Close won the award at the Golden Globes, she and Gaga tied at the Critics’ Choice Awards. While Cooper was snubbed for Best Director, he did get a nomination for Best Actor, but it’s looking like Christian Bale’s category. Bale, starring as Dick Cheney in Vice, gave an incredible transformative performance, and based on his win, he is the favorite in this category. Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) is someone to look out for, as he won Best Actor-Drama at the Golden Globes, and if Bale doesn’t win, it’ll likely be Cooper or Malek. In the Best Supporting Actress category, Regina King is the heavy favorite for her role as Sharon Rivers in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk. While Sam Elliott was absolutely incredible as Bobby Maine in A Star is Born, the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor is likely to go to Mahershala Ali, equally impressive as Don Shirley in Green Book. Adam Driver took off the Kylo Ren mask and offered an impressive performance in BlacKkKlansman, while Sam Rockwell, who won the category last year for his role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, is back again after his portrayal of George W. Bush in Vice. While there was a late push by critics for Grant’s fellow Englishman Hugh Grant to get a nomination for his performance in Paddington 2, the Academy ultimately did not give him a nomination.
Other notable snubs included Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Three Identical Strangers for Best Documentary Feature, as both were considered favorites prior to the announcement of the nominations. In addition, First Man was snubbed for Original Score, baffling many critics. Regardless of who did and didn’t get a nomination, the 91st Academy Awards will certainly be interesting, as it will be the first year without a host since 1989. The 91st Annual Academy Awards will air at 8:00 PM EST on February 24 on ABC.
By: Joe Clark | Guest Writer