Even with all the chaos that the coronavirus has wrecked on the world, Hollywood has decided that the (Oscars) show must go on. Even with so few films playing in theaters and delays in production and whatnot, there were still enough good movies released (or streamed) to qualify.
Many of the choices were not surprising: because Hollywood loves movies about its own history, David Fincher's MANK, about the writer of CITIZEN KANE, got multiple nominations. And because the Academy is made up of older people, FATHER, a film about an elderly man dealing with dementia, also is up for many awards. It's also not surprising that Shaka King's critically acclaimed drama JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH and Aaron Sorkin's THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, were well represented, since both were well acted period pieces about the kind of political upheaval that progressive Academy members can support. Personally, I think it's good to see nominations for low budget independent productions like NOMADLAND and MINARI, not to mention what is probably my favorite movie of the year, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. It's also noteworthy that Emerald Fennell being nominated for Best Director for PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and Chloe Zhao being nominated in the same category for NOMADLAND marks the first time that two women have been nominated for Best Director in the same year. And historical precedent aside, I think they both deserved it. I imagine that both will lose to David Fincher for MANK, given that he's never won before and that it's such a good looking film.
As for disappointments, although George C. Wolfe's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM got several acting nominations, I think it was good enough to be up for Best Picture, and I preferred it to MANK and THE SOUND OF METAL. I also think Regina King's ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI was also worthy of being up for the Best Picture award. But to me the big surprise and disappointment was the complete shut out of Spike Lee's DA 5 BLOODS. Maybe it was uneven and too long, but I much preferred it to most of the Best Picture nominees. I'm really surprised that Delroy Lindo, who's dynamic performance steals the film, is not even nominated. Perhaps because it came out to early in the year to be remembered? In any event, it's a shame.
The awards show this year will inevitably be a subdued affair, just like the Grammys and the Emmys were, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. (I'm not a big fan of all the glitzy trappings of the show itself). While it's hard to say what the favorite is, I think that MANK will probably win Best Picture because of the sheer number of nominations it received (ten in all). Despite the film's occasional historical inaccuracies, the strength of its performances, meticulous production design and stunning black and white cinematography will put it over the top. But of course, I could be wrong.
