Nomination: Lead Actor
Verdict: Too
Much.
Denzel Washington is the correct part of this
lackluster movie to highlight if anything at all. The performance was too based
on the ticks and quirks though. Washington is more twitchy than eccentric. It's
not his best work.
Movie: The Florida Project
Nomination: Supporting Actor
Verdict: Too
Little.
Normally, I'd call this nomination "Just
Right" because Dafoe is the single best thing in a film so small that I
wouldn't normally expect Oscar voters to notice it. But A24 has proven with
Room and
Moonlight the last
couple years that they know how to get small films nominated. Given that, The
Florida Project should've been in the hunt for Best Picture, Best Actress,
Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Direction.
Movie: All the Money in the World
Nomination: Supporting Actor
Verdict:
Just Right
The narrative for this was written as soon as
Christopher Plummer was hired to replace Kevin Spacey, who was in the early
stages of an Oscar campaign himself before that. I'm not actually convinced
that Plummer had one of the five best supporting performances of the year by an
actor, but he's good enough in a movie that didn't really deserve any other
nominations.
Movies: All
the Foreign Film nominees (A Fantastic Woman, The Insult, Loveless, On Body and
Soul, The Square)
Nomination: Foreign Film
Verdict:
Just Right
The Academy cut out all the movies with any buzz
this year. Diane Kruger was a dark horse Lead Actress contender for In the
Fade, which didn't get nominated. BPM was the critical favorite and
it didn't get nominated. In a world where it's hard for any foreign films to
get additional nominations in the first place, none of the nominees this year
carried enough buzz for me to be surprised they didn't get more.
Movies: All
the Documentary Feature nominees (Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Faces Places,
Icarus, Last Men in Aleppo, Strong Island)
Nomination: Documentary Feature
Verdict:
Just Right
It's hard for any documentary feature to make an
additional splash. None of the critical favorites (Jane, City of
Ghosts) made the cut this year and none of the actual nominees I've seen
make much of a case for additional love.
Movies: The
Boss Baby & Ferdinand
Nomination: Animated Feature
Verdict: Too
Much
The field is somewhat thin, so maybe one of these
two make sense. My big question is "where's The Lego Batman Movie"? What does
the Academy have against Warner Brothers' LEGO franchise? 2014's The LEGO Movie also got
snubbed.
Movies: The
Breadwinnner & Loving Vincent
Nomination: Animated Feature
Verdict:
Just Right
Asking for more than the animated feature
nomination, historically, is a little much. Neither reach the point of cultural
touchstone or critical darling that would justify griping about a lack of
additional nominations.
Movie:
Wonder
Nomination: Makeup & Hair-styling
Verdict:
Just Right
This is simple enough. The movie is good but not
Oscar-good except for the makeup.
Nomination: Visual Effects
Verdict:
Just Right
Visual Effects is a category where normally money
does matter. I haven't looked back on all the potential nominees, but these two
movies have good enough cases for a nomination. I can't say that much else
feels required for them.
Nomination: Visual Effects
Verdict: Too
Little
Even as token nominations, Sound Mixing and/or
Editing would've been nice for separating this from your run of the mill
blockbuster nominee. This trilogy was far better than anyone had any reason to
expect. The dream of an acting nomination for Andy Serkis' work is a pipe
dream. Something else would've been nice though.
Movie: The Disaster Artist
Nomination: Adapted Screenplay
Verdict:
Right number, wrong category
I get why things played out like this. The James
Franco news, perhaps rightly, scared voters away from recognizing him. The
screenplay isn't tied to him, so that isn't off limits. However, the singular
strength of the movie is Franco's performance, not the screenplay. Nominate
Franco's performance or nominate nothing.
Movie:
Logan
Nomination: Adapted Screenplay
Verdict:
Just Right
I'll take the win. This is the first Marvel
screenplay to ever be recognized by the Academy, which is a considerable feat.
Trying to get any more, like a Supporting Actor nomination for Patrick Stewart
is too much to hope for. It could've snuck a Visual Effects nomination too, I
suppose, but Logan's effects certainly look more practical than digital,
which is where the Academy voters have trended historically with the award.
Movie:
Molly's Game
Nomination: Adapted Screenplay
Verdict: Too
Little
It is impossible for me to separate Jessica
Chastain's performance from that screenplay, so one without the other doesn't
feel right. It's hard to think of a Lead Actress nominee to kick out though, so
this may just come down to a numbers game.
Movie: The Big Sick
Nomination: Original Screenplay
Verdict: Too
Little
Like many of the single nominees this year, if it
had to be one, the one it got, Original Screenplay, is the correct one. That
said, it easily could've, and probably should've, gotten so much more. Holly
Hunter and Ray Romano give Oscar caliber performances. You could even talk me
into believing Kumail Nanjiani belongs in the Lead Actor discussion. It works
on every level well enough that Best Picture should've been a realistic
possibility. And if they wanted to throw in a Film Editing nomination for how the
four stories (Kumail and Emily, Kumail and his family, Kumail and Emily's
family, Kumail's stand-up career) were cut together, I wouldn't complain.
Movie:
Marshall
Nomination: Original Song
Verdict:
Just Right
It wasn't getting nominations anywhere else, and I
never argue about an Original Song nominee being too random*.
*Note: I will complain about a nominee being a bad
song or a film deserving more than one nomination in the category. Neither of
those apply to Marshall.
Movie: The Greatest Showman
Nomination: Original Song
Verdict: Too
Little
Frankly, there should be a Song Mixing nomination
set aside every year for whatever the most prominent musical at the time is. I
wouldn't be against a Production Design nomination either. Or how about another
Original Song nomination?
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