Oscar 2019: The Noms, Snubs & Surprises

500 Days Of Film Reviews The 2019 Oscar Nominees

The big reveal has occurred. After months of speculation and debate, we now know who has a place in the Oscar race. The nominations for the 91st Academy Awards proved to be a dramatic event in itself - featuring (as they always do) both snubs and surprises.

Here are the nominations in full and the key talking points in each category:

BlacKkKlansman

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Favourite

Green Book

Roma

A Star Is Born

Vice

A truly eclectic mix of films form the category for Best Picture. There were no real shocks here - just a collective, disappointed sigh that the list failed to include (my favourite film of 2018) Leave No Trace or any film directed by a woman for that matter. 

Black Panther’s nomination (the first Best Picture nod for a superhero film) was very well received. However, it was the inclusion of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman that gave me all the feels - a timely and deserving nomination.

Christian Bale - Vice

Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born

Willem Dafoe - At Eternity's Gate

Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody

Viggo Mortensen - Green Book

I have not watched At Eternity’s Gate but am always glad to see Willem Dafoe recognised. However, I am disappointed that Ethan Hawke failed to get a nomination. His performance in First Reformed is breathtaking. 

Yalitza Aparicio - Roma

Glenn Close - The Wife

Olivia Colman - The Favourite

Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born

Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me?

What an incredible category. Incredible.Yalitza Aparicio’s story is utterly compelling. I would love for Olivia Colman to win here, my heart is with Glenn Close (particularly after her powerful and poignant Golden Globes acceptance speech).

Mahershala Ali - Green Book

Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman

Sam Elliott - A Star Is Born

Richard E Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Sam Rockwell - Vice

I was so relieved to see Sam Elliott’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He gives an incredible performance in A Star Is Born. Meanwhile, Sam Rockwell’s nod for Vice caused some consternation. I would have preferred to have seen either Timothée Chalamet (for Beautiful Boy) or Michael B. Jordan (for BlacKkKlansman). Meanwhile, the early money seems to be on Mahershala Ali for his role in Green Book. 

Amy Adams - Vice

Marina de Tavira - Roma

Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk

Emma Stone - The Favourite

Rachel Weisz - The Favourite

I am so thrilled to see Oscar recognition for Regina King. She is superb in If Beale Street Could Talk. Superb. Nods for Amy Adams, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz were expected. Marina de Tavira's nom (for Roma) was a real surprise - but so well deserved. My favourite performance is still Toni Collette in Hereditary, however.

Alfonso Cuaron - Roma

Yorgos Lanthimos - The Favourite

Spike Lee - BlacKkKlansman

Adam McKay - Vice

Pawel Pawlikowski - Cold War

So happy for Spike Lee. An icon in the world of film for so many years, this is nomination is long overdue. I do feel sad for Bradley Cooper, however.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

BlacKkKlansman

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

If Beale Street Could Talk

A Star Is Born

I would be so love any one of these films to win Best Adapted Screenplay. My heart, however, is with If Beale Street Could Talk.

The Favourite

First Reformed

Green Book

Roma

Vice

Paul Schrader’s response (in an interview with the Los Angeles Times) to his first Oscar nomination was priceless: “You know, this is a very difficult conversation because I have never really respected the Academy for their choices. On the other hand, I’m enormously gratified that they have selected me. So you live in a kind of conflicted world. Where on one hand you say it truly doesn’t matter. And on the other hand you say, ‘Well, I guess it does matter.’”

Capernaum - Lebanon

Cold War - Poland

Never Look Away - Germany

Roma - Mexico

Four incredibly powerful and impressive films. If Roma gets Best Picture, Capernaum or (perhaps more likely given its other nominations) Cold War could get a look in...

All The Stars - Black Panther

I'll Fight - RGB

The Place Where Lost Things Go - Mary Poppins Returns

Shallow - A Star Is Born

When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Dolly Parton’s loss (for Dumplin’) is The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’s gain. I was so glad to see Carter Burwell’s nomination in Best Original Song. 

BlacKkKlansman - Terence Blanchard

Black Panther - Ludwig Goransson

If Beale Street Could Talk - Nicholas Britell

Isle of Dogs - Alexandre Desplat

Mary Poppins Returns - Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

It is great to see recognition for Nicholas Britell and his wonderful work on If Beale Street could talk. I also love Ludwig Goransson’s Black Panther score. Meanwhile, I feel shocked and really sad that Justin Hurwitz was snubbed for his incredible First Man score.  

Incredibles 2

Isle of Dogs

Mirai

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

So, so glad that Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse has been given a nomination. It deserves the recognition and, if I was in charge, the Oscar.

Free Solo

Hale County This Morning, This Evening

Minding the Gap

Of Fathers and Sons

RBG

Dear Academy, please (pretty please) could you allow more films to be included in this category? I don’t want to bump any of these documentaries but would have loved to have seen Three Identical Strangers, McQueen, Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Shirkers added to the nomination list. Until then, RBG and Free Solo look like the frontrunners here.

Cold War

The Favourite

Never Look Away

Roma

A Star Is Born

I have not seen Never Look Away but (from the trailer) it looks absolutely stunning. I cannot wait to watch this film. Dominated by foreign language movies, this is a tough and competitive category. Cold War and Roma are both incredibly beautiful films and I would expect one of these two to win (and it will probably be Roma).

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Mary Zophres

Black Panther - Ruth E Carter

The Favourite - Sandy Powell

Mary Poppins Returns - Sandy Powell

Mary Queen of Scots - Alexandra Byrne

The costume design in all of these films is stunning. However, while I love Alexandra Byrne’s work in Mary Queen of Scots, Sandy Powell’s designs surely make The Favourite the, erm, favourite in this category.

Border

Mary Queen of Scots

Vice

While Christian Bale looks incredible in Vice, I would like this Oscar to go to Mary Queen Of Scots. Sad that Stan and Ollie didn’t get any recognition here. 

Black Panther

The Favourite

First Man

Mary Poppins Returns

Roma

Wow, what an impressive and, again, eclectic selection of films. While a case could have been made for Crazy Rich Asians and Fantastic Beasts, I am so happy with this category.

Avengers: Infinity War

Christopher Robin

First Man

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Oddly devoid of Best Picture nominees, Best Visual Effects is another impressive category (although I would have loved to see Black Panther and Mary Poppins here too). I am hoping that the lack of love for First Man will be rectified here. However, I would be happy with any win… apart, perhaps, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

BlacKkKlansman

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Favourite

Green Book

Vice

I would have liked to have seen First Man in this category. Meanwhile, having missed out on this and Best Director, A Star Is Born’s chances of winning Best Picture have well and truly nosedived. 

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

First Man

A Quiet Place

Roma

Good to see A Quiet Place in this category. It feels good that this is now officially an Oscar-nominated film. However, I think First Man is the front-runner here.

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

First Man

Roma

A Star Is Born

The sound mixing in each of these nominated films is exceptional. For me, A Star Is Born takes the prize as the sound mixing in this film is stunning.

Best animated short

Animal Behaviour

Bao

Late Afternoon

One Small Step

Weekends

Best live action short

Detainment

Fauve

Marguerite

Mother

Skin

Best documentary short

Black Sheep

End Game

Lifeboat

A Night at the Garden

Period. End of Sentence.

I am embarrassed to report that I have only seen two of the Oscar nominated shorts. However, I do intend to put this right asap. Meanwhile, I can report that I loved Bao and found End Game (available on Netflix) incredibly powerful.

This year (as in all years) there were a number of films and performances that I wish could also have been recognised. These include:

• Toni Collette should absolutely have been nominated for Hereditary.
• Women In Film - once again, the Oscar nominations were dominated by male filmmakers. Come on Academy - in a year with Leave No Trace and You Were Never Really Here (to name but two) this is no longer acceptable.
• After widespread critical and audience acclaim, Won’t You Be My Neighbor failed to secure a nomination. It would have been in my list, as would Three Identical Strangers… am just not sure what I would want to replace, however.
• Widows - Steve McQueen’s film deserved to be recognised by the Academy.
• Mission Impossible - if ever there was a film to reward this incredible franchise, it was surely Fallout. 
• Bradley Cooper - I was so impressed by Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut. I would have loved for him to get a nomination.

What do you think about the nominations for this year’s Oscars? Let me know in the comments section below or over on Twitter. You can find me @500DaysOfFilm.