“The Shape of Water” Leads Oscar Nominations
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards have been announced, and “The Shape of Water” is in the lead with 13 nominations, becoming one of the most nominated films in history. “The Shape of Water” is up for Best Picture, Best Actress (Sally Hawkins), Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer), Best Supporting Actor (Richard Jenkins), Best Director (Guillermo Del Toro), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Film and Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Costume Design, Production Design, and Original Score. “Dunkirk” is close behind with eight nominations, among them Best Picture and Director. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” has seven, “Darkest Hour” and “Phantom Thread” have six each, “Blade Runner 2049” and “Lady Bird” have five each, and “Call Me By Your Name,” “Get Out,” “Mudbound,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” each have four.
“The Post,” a high-profile film nominated for Best Picture, was largely left out of other categories. The only other nomination it received was for Best Actress (Meryl Streep), allowing Streep to break her own record for number of acting nominations. Another noticably absent film from many categories is “The Disaster Artist.” It was only nominated for one award, Best Adapted Screenplay. “Wonder Woman” was not nominated for a single award, much to the chagrin of many fans. There was much speculation that Patty Jenkins would be nominated for Best Director.
Greta Gerwig, however, did receive a Best Director nomination for “Lady Bird,” becoming the fifth woman in history to be nominated for the award. The other four are Lina Wertmüller for “Seven Beauties,” Jane Campion for “The Piano,” Sofia Coppola for “Lost in Translation,” and Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker.” Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to have won Best Director. Jordan Peele paralleled Greta Gerwig’s achievement by becoming the fifth African-American nominated for Best Director, after John Singleton for ‘Boyz n the Hood,” Lee Daniels for “Precious,” Steve McQueen for “12 Years a Slave,” and Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight.” None of them won the award. Additionally, Rachel Morrison became the first woman nominated for Best Cinematography for her work on “Mudbound.”
The Best Picture race is anyone’s game. “Three Billboards” has gained a lot of momentum lately, winning big at the Golden Globes and other awards shows. “Lady Bird,” however, is a force to be reckoned with. “Get Out” is also a strong contender. “Shape of Water” and “Dunkirk” will likely win in technical categories, but probably will not take the top prize.
Sam Rockwell and Frances McDormand will almost certainly win Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress, respectively. Timothée Chalamet has a shot at Best Actor. Allison Janney may win Best Supporting Actress, but Laurie Metcalf and Octavia Spencer can challenge her.
It remains to be seen how the #MeToo and Times Up movements will affect the outcome of the nominations. Gary Oldman, who won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for his role in the “Darkest Hour,” is the frontrunner for Best Actor. However, domestic abuse allegations against him have resurfaced in the wake of #MeToo. His ex-wife, Donya Fiorentino, accused him of assaulting her in 2001. The most recent Best Actor winner, Casey Affleck, also had sexual misconduct allegations resurface during awards season last year. James Franco, who has recently been accused of sexual misconduct, was not nominated for his role in “The Disaster Artist,” despite winning a Golden Globe. Times Up, #MeToo, and sexual assault in Hollywood will almost certainly be addressed on the red carpet, by presenters, and Jimmy Kimmel, who is hosting the Academy Awards this year.
The 90th Academy Awards ceremony will broadcast on Sunday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. Hopefully the correct envelope for Best Picture will be read this year.