Everything You Need To Know About This Year’s Oscar Nominations

Which film’s leading the nominations?

Not one, but two films lead this year’s nominations. Both period comedy-drama The Favourite and Netflix's black-and-white 70s drama Roma are at the head of the pack with ten nominations each. They’re swiftly followed by Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut A Star is Born, and Anchorman director Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney biopic Vice – starring Christian Bale – which are both up for eight awards.

What else has been nominated for best picture?

Box-office smash Black Panther has received Oscar recognition, with surprise nominations across seven categories – including best picture (it’s the first-ever Marvel superhero film to do so). Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book (which looks to be a frontrunner following its win at the Producers Guild Awards last weekend) and Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman (Lee’s first Oscar nomination) are also up for the award.

The best director nominations mirror much of the best picture category: Spike Lee for BlacKKKlansman, Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite, Alfonso Cuaron for Roma and Adam McKay for Vice. The only exception is Pawel Pawlikowski, the man behind the lens for Polish black-and-white film Cold War. We’re sure the lack of women up for the award will raise more than a few eyebrows.

Who’s in the running for best actress?

First up is Yalitza Aparicio for Roma, followed by Glenn Close for The Wife, Olivia Colman for The Favourite, Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born and Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me? While Colman is surely the frontrunner for her portrayal of Queen Anne (not to mention her recent Golden Globe win), remember that both Close and Gaga have been hailed by many critics as worthy winners in this category.

And best actor?

Another strong category, those up for best actor this year include Christian Bale for Vice, Bradley Cooper for his turn in A Star Is Born, Willem Dafoe in At Eternity's Gate (no, we hadn’t heard of it either), Rami Malek for his impeccable Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody and Academy regular Viggo Mortensen for Green Book.
 

What about supporting actor/actress?

Richard E Grant has received his first ever Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his role in the Melissa McCarthy-starring film Can You Ever Forgive Me? Grant’s been nominated alongside Mahershala Ali (Green Book), Adam Driver (BlacKKKlansman), Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born) and Sam Rockwell (Vice). Meanwhile The Favourite co-stars Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are up for best supporting actress, alongside Amy Adams (Vice), Marina de Tavira (Roma) and Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk).

Which Brits are in the running?

Following no-noms for Claire Foy (First Man) and Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), our highest hopes lie in the hands of The Favourite’s Olivia Colman, Vice’s Christian Bale and Colman’s co-star Rachel Weisz.

Is streaming the future of cinema?

The success of Roma has surprised many critics, who were expecting the Academy to hold a grudge against the Netflix film, based on Alfonso Cuarón’s memoir of childhood in 1970s Mexico City. But despite being released by the US streaming service, the foreign language film saw Yalitza Aparicio pick up a nomination for leading actress and Marina De Tavira nominated for supporting actress, alongside its nods for best picture and best foreign language film.

Did SL fave Mary Poppins Returns scoop anything?

Yes. While Emily Blunt wasn’t nominated for her turn as Mary Poppins (for which Julie Andrews won an Oscar of her own), Mary Poppins Returns has been put forward for best original song (‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’), best production design and costume design.

Any noticeable snubs?

The most noticeable omission is First Man, the Ryan Gosling-fronted film that explores NASA’s space launch via the life of Neil Armstrong. Considering Damien Chazelle’s La La Land swept the board in 2017, this snub for his latest film has come as a surprise for many. Twitter was also up in arms over the lack of Timothee Chalamet’s name when it came to Beautiful Boy. Mary Queen of Scots co-stars Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan were also noticeably absent. The film was nominated just twice for hairstyling/makeup and costume design.

Who on earth’s hosting?

Kevin Hart had a very short tenure as host of the 2019 Oscars. In December last year, Hart stepped down after old tweets resurfaced in which the comedian expressed homophobic views, leaving 2019's ceremony without a host for the first time in 30 years. Given that no further info was issued today, reports suggest the Academy will instead serve up a series of high-profile stars to announce each award. Watch this space.

When do the Oscars take place?

The full ceremony will be held on 24th February at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Brits will be able to watch the lot on Sky: red carpet arrivals begin from 12am, and the ceremony itself will kick off at 1:30am. Pass the coffee.

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