As the 90th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 4 on ABC. Within the nominee list, there are a lot of surprises, a lot of snubs, and a lot of great movies getting recognition and attention for their high quality filmmaking, acting, and scripting. What’s interesting is that within the Best Picture category, the most prestigious of nominations, each and every film nominated has something significant to them, whether it be for their actors, directors, or subject matter, and each one deserves some form of highlight and appreciation, so going through each Best Picture nominee one by one:
- Call Me By Your Name: LGBT cinema is a subgenre of films that more often than not gets overlooked by the Academy, as films depicting homosexual relationships only get Best Picture nominations once a decade, while other films get swept away by the sands of time. For the 1990s, it was Philadelphia. For the 2000s, it was Brokeback Mountain. In the 2010s, it seemed like the token LGBT nom was last year’s Moonlight. But with Call Me’s nomination, this ensured that the Academy seems to be more open to the subgenre, especially once one considers the surprise victory of Crash over Brokeback Mountain back in 2006, and the recent snubs of films such as 2013’s Blue is the Warmest Colour and 2015’s Carol being infamously snubbed, most notably the latter, as Carol was considered one of the best films of that year and earned a Best Actress and Supporting Actress nomination. This film also broke age records at the Oscars, as lead actor Timothee Chalamet earned a nomination and at 22 has become the youngest Best Actor nominee since 19 year-old Mickey Rooney in the film Babes in Arms in 1944. It’s an impressive feat that will hopefully open the door for more LGBT films and young actors earning respect at the next Academy Award ceremonies.
- Darkest Hour: While onscreen depictions of Winston Churchill are nothing new, as John Lithgow just won an Emmy for his portrayal of the Prime Minister in The Crown just last year. But with Gary Oldman’s portrayal as the political figure, this iconic actor may finally get his big break. While his only previous nomination was for the 2011 film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Oldman has had a strong legacy as one of Britain’s most famous and celebrated actors, from his work portraying villains in films from the ‘90s, like The Firm, JFK, and Air Force One, to his work in franchise fare like Harry Potter and The Dark Knight. Say what you will about Churchill and how Darkest Hour depicts him, seeing an actor with a strong legacy and great respect in the industry who just might finally get his due, that’s plenty enough reason to get excited.
- Dunkirk: Christopher Nolan has become one of the most celebrated directors working today for his visuals, nonlinear storytelling, and interest in themes such as human morality. But believe it or not, he’s never been nominated for Best Director. His other films have garnered nominations several times, including a Best Picture nomination for Inception. That all changed with Dunkirk, as Nolan is finally getting recognition from the Academy for his talent and the hard work he has done with a Best Director nomination, in addition to Picture, and a slew of technical awards. Whether he will win is yet to be seen, but this is still an exciting moment for Nolan and his fans.
- Get Out: The surprise smash hit of the year, this film managed to make major headlines at the box office, with the critics, and now at the Oscars. As a Best Picture nominee, it is one of the few horror films to be nominated in the category, which is doubly impressive considering the film’s subject matter on how “West Wing liberals,” a term that likely applies to many Academy voters, treat black people. It’s a film unlike any other, and could have easily gotten under a lot of voters’ skins, but quality and talent was victorious, and we have a horror film in the lineup of biopics and serious dramas. Jordan Peele also got nominated for Best Director, becoming the fifth black director to land in the category, after John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood), Lee Daniels (Precious), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). Let’s hope the momentum continues and black women have a chance at getting a nomination.
- Lady Bird: Like with Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig has become the fifth woman to earn a Best Director nomination at the Oscars, after Lina Wermuller (Seven Beauties), Jane Campion (The Piano), Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) and Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). Bigelow is the only women thus far to win Best Director, but hopefully Gerwig will be able to follow in Bigelow’s footsteps. But again, let’s hope this momentum continues for more female directors, as women of color still have yet to secure a nomination.
- Phantom Thread: This Paul Thomas Anderson fashion drama is expected to be Daniel Day-Lewis’ last performance, and the Academy were thankfully wise to give one of the greatest actors of all time another Oscar nomination before his massive send-off. The competition in the Best Actor category is fierce, but one can hope the Academy will give this man the recognition and respect he deserves with a fourth statue to end his career on a high note.
- The Post: Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep is a powerhouse trio of filmmaking, but surprisingly, the film has only garnered nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress. But in the case of Streep, this could lead to another win for her. Surprisingly, although she has been nominated numerous times, she has only won 3 times. Considering this is considered her best performance in years, there’s a good shot she could win a fourth one, which would lead to another victory in a slew of other victories in Streep’s career within her long, incredible career.
- The Shape of Water: The most nominated film of the ceremony at 13, this film’s director is none other than Guillermo Del Toro. Del Toro is a part of a group of directors known as the “Three Amigos of Cinema,” as him, along with Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu are three incredible directors all born in Mexico, and while Cuaron and Iñárritu have gotten Oscars, del Toro hasn’t been able to earn one yet, and considering del Toro is up against Nolan, Peele, Gerwig, and Paul Thomas Anderson, the competition is very fierce. But regardless of what happens, the winner will be well-deserved.
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: Sam Rockwell, a character actor who has yet to be given credit for his work, is finally nominated for Best Supporting Actor. His portrayal of a racist police chief has made him the frontrunner in all of the Supporting Actor races, against heavyweights like Willem Dafoe and Christopher Plummer. Can the actor, who has also appeared in Three Billboards director Martin McDonagh’s other film Seven Psychopaths, get Oscar gold after years of underrated performances? Only time will tell.
But regardless of who wins or loses, the 9 films above all have something special to them that only the magic of movies can provide.
