The Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday and, like every year, the nominees were fairly standard with only a couple of categories yielding surprises.
I wrote about my Oscar nomination predictions on Monday and ended up doing all right. The biggest surprise, as far as I’m concerned, was Amy Adams missing out on a Best Actress nomination for Arrival. The film itself picked up Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography nods, with a few more technical noms as well, but Adams herself missed out due to the annual Meryl Streep nomination and the inclusion of both Isabelle Huppert and Ruth Negga. It’s unfortunate because Adams is the crux of the entire film and she helps make this sci-fi film with huge implications feel deeply personal. Also, she just needs a damn Oscar already.
Another big surprise was Michael Shannon getting a nomination for Nocturnal Animals. This was a good surprise though. Shannon is the kind of actor who deserves a nomination for every one of his performances, in my opinion, so I couldn’t be happier about it. Now, moving on to some opinions about the nominations as a whole:
The Good
There were nine best picture nominees this year and it’s a very solid list. I could only really argue about one or two of the picks and there’s only one film that I dislike. It’s definitely a strong category. La La Land managed to pick up a record-tying 14 nominations in total, which is great news for director Damien Chazelle in particular, this only being his sophomore effort. The beautiful, heartbreaking Moonlight also managed to pick up a bunch of much-deserved nominations and, along with Hidden Figures, Lion, and Fences, shows the power and importance of hearing a wide-variety of voices in the Academy.
I’d also like to specifically single out the Best Original Screenplay nomination for The Lobster, a movie that was criminally under-seen, and I’m glad it wasn’t totally forgotten.
The Bad
The most controversial nominations this year are the Best Actor nomination for Casey Affleck and Best Director nomination for Mel Gibson. Affleck has been accused of sexual harassment and Gibson, well… I’m sure you know all about Mel Gibson. It’s a real “one step forward, two steps back” kind of situation with the Academy. Even if their argument is that they separate the art from the artist — which is really only useful when individually appraising a piece of art, not when you’re literally celebrating the artist — it’s a bad one. Nate Parker’s road to the Oscars ended early when the rape charges against him resurfaced. The Academy, and Hollywood as a whole, can be very selective when they choose to be.
The Weird
Academy Award Nominee Suicide Squad.
Complete List of Nominees
Best Picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Best Director
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Best Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
Best Actress
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Best Original Screenplay
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
Best Cinematography
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
Best Film Editing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight
Best Visual Effects
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Production Design
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers
Best Costume Design
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
Best Original Score
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
Best Original Song
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
“City of Stars,” La La Land
“The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story
“How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
Best Sound Editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully
Best Sound Mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Best Animated Feature
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia
Best Documentary
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America
13th
Best Foreign Language Film
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann
Best Documentary Short Subject
Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets
Best Live Action Short
Ennemis Entreniers
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode
Best Animated Short
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper
Expect to see more articles about the 89th Academy Awards as we get closer to the date, including my predictions for the winners. The ceremony airs Sunday, February 26.
