The 91st annual Academy Award nominations were announced this morning.A complete list may be found at The Hollywood Reporter.
BLACK PANTHER (2018) made a bit of history as the first film in the long-running Marvel series to receive a nomination for Best Picture, but otherwise there's little of note for me on the list of nominees, despite my seeing a significant number of new movies last year.
Once upon a time the Oscar nominees were also films which were widely enjoyed by the public, but for the most part these days there's a real split between popular entertainment and what the Academy regards as worthy.
The only category of interest for me is Best Animated Film, where I saw four of the five nominees: INCREDIBLES 2 (2018), RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (2018), MIRAI (2018), and SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018).
I was mildly surprised Emily Blunt wasn't nominated as Best Actress for MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018), as while I didn't think that much of the film, she was very good indeed.
For that matter, as I look back at last year's viewing, one of the performances I most remember was Michelle Yeoh as the steely matriarch in CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018), an Oscar shutout.
Although I have no interest in the film, as a Sam Elliott fan I was pleased to see he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for A STAR IS BORN (2018).And that's the extent of this year's Oscar commentary! On awards night I'll be watching for a text from our daughter letting me know about the Animated Feature Film winner, but I won't be watching the ceremony.
I don't even bother watching for the memorial reel any longer, as the Academy continually botches it. Among the Academy's memorial reel goofs and deliberate omissions of recent years: Confusing Jennifer Jones and Jean Simmons, and omitting Harry Carey Jr., Oscar winner Dorothy Malone, and Oscar nominee Robert Vaughn.
Winners will be announced February 24, 2019.
Previous Oscar nomination posts: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. There was no Oscar post in 2009.
Great, Laura. I stopped watching in the nineties with the omission of Dorothy McGuire. And I had already stopped caring, something that probably began with Marlon Brando and Sacheen Littlefeather, developed further by George C. Scott and Dustin Hoffman's whining acceptance.
ReplyDeletePass.
I occasionally watch Academy Award-nominated movies just in case I find something worth while. Usually I am very disappointed (La La Land and The Shape Of Water come to mind).
ReplyDeleteThis time, for the first in many years, I watched a nominated movie that I can really rave about - Green Book. Not only is the subject dear to my heart, but it was a well-produced and touching picture. I recommend and sincerely hope that it will win the Oscar in the best picture category.
Wow, they left out Dorothy McGuire? Eeeek.
ReplyDeleteMel, GREEN BOOK is the only Best Picture nominee of any interest to me so I'm very glad to have your recommendation. I'll be looking for an opportunity to check it out. Thank you!
Best wishes,
Laura
I totally agree with everything you said! The Academy Awards are very political and very left leaning anymore and I don't care what so called celebrities have to say. It's interesting that it is no longer a given for Pixar or Disney to win an animation award. I think the animation industry is going to have a real shake up in the years to come with John Lasseter moving over to head up Skydance and Lee Unkrich leaving Pixar. Can't help but wonder if he isn't moving somewhere else. I am looking forward to seeing GREEN BOOK as I surprisingly knew nothing about that. There was great segment on that subject on CBS Sunday Morning show which made me want to see this movie. Still haven't seen MARY POPPINS RETURNS and I want to see STAN AND OLLIE. I see it's playing at the theater in the Marketplace on PCH.
ReplyDeleteAnd - I think one of the best in memoriam segments is the one they do on the CBS Sunday Morning Show at the end of every year. They give a lot of time to it and it really honors those who have passed.
ReplyDeleteI have my ticket for "STAN AND OLLIE" at our local. Looking forward to it. I'll probably go home after and watch one of L&H's wonderful shorts ("THE MUSIC BOX", etc).
ReplyDeleteHey, never mind the Oscars, folks, Laura has another great piece up today over at Classic Movie Hub in her monthly Westerns articles. I'm going back over there now to read it properly and suggest you mosey over there with me!!
ReplyDeleteHi Irene, great to hear from you! I'd be interested to hear what you and Jerry think of STAN AND OLLIE. Would also enjoy hearing more thoughts on GREEN BOOK. Haven't seen the in memoriam on CBS SUNDAY MORNING, thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteJerry, thank you so much for that plug, very greatly appreciate it!! :)
Best wishes,
Laura
I saw STAN AND OLLIE Thursday. I just loved it. I did a little look up after I got home and found that many things portrayed in the movie actually happened over a longer time period than indicated. So they basically telescoped events to fit into a 98 minute time period. I found the movie bitter sweet, sad and yet sweet at the same time. It was great to hear the people laughing in the theater at their timeless humor and skits. Their two wives, especially Stan's, really cracked me up. I recognized the actress who portrayed Ollie's wife as the voice of Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter movies. She certainly has a distinctive voice! It was nice to see a movie that wasn't full of sex, violence and "language". Sorry to see no Academy Award nominations. I thought the two actors did an amazing job of being Stan and Ollie, especially John C. Reilly's makeup! One of my favorite movies of the season ( too soon to say year as we are just at the beginning).
ReplyDeleteMel, I see from the Oscar night news reports that you got your wish on Best Picture!
ReplyDeleteAnd my prediction for Best Animated Film, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE happened as well. :)
Best wishes,
Laura
Green Book as, of course, the only picture, but the show was even more awful, appalling really, than expected. Someone I know put up a photograph of Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Bob Hope and David Niven hanging out together at the 1958 show. Well, they pretty well evened things out, matching that star studded group with nobodies. Not entirely, but pretty near.
ReplyDeleteI heard they left another Oscar nominee (Carol Channing) out of the In Memoriam segment, not to mention Julie Adams. I'll give a pass on Stanley Donen being omitted, since he passed away so close in time to the show, as long as they plan to mention him next year, but the other two omissions are really inexcusable. But that kind of thing has become par for the course, which is why I no longer watch. A shame to hear that the entire show was bad, but sadly not really surprising.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Laura