And so the Oscar nominations are in and while many of the categories look like a re-run of the Golden Globes and last week’s BAFTA nominations, the all-important Best Picture category looks the most intriguing. It’s the only award that’s not suffering from an overwhelming feeling of deja vu.
The Joker leads the field with 11 nominations with Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Sam Mendes' 1917 and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman each earning an impressive 10 nods each. So far so BAFTA.
But, if you dig beneath the headline-grabbing stats then the true depth and complexity of this year's Oscar race becomes apparent. The films and performances sidelined by the Golden Globes and by BAFTA are here and in the running. Women and people of colour who were largely passed over in the high profile categories of earlier awards are here and in real contention. The Oscars really want to make a statement about diversity and inclusivity after being criticised as part of the #MeToo campaign and #OscarsSoWhite
This year the Oscars have decided to use the full scope of their flexible Best Picture category to reward a wide variety of worthy films. In addition to the four big-hitters, the Oscar voters have also chosen to shine a spotlight on Netflix domestic drama Marriage Story, the Korean-psychological thriller Parasite, holocaust satire Jojo Rabbit and Greta Gerwig's acclaimed re-make of the classic Little Women.
But, the most surprising addition to the Best Picture line-up has to be the boy's own racing movie Ford Vs Ferrari starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. The fact that the script was penned by British playwright Jez Butterworth (and is called Le Mans '66 on this side of the Atlantic) should give a clue that there is more to this film than revving engines.
It was also good to see that British actress Cynthia Ervio was nominated for her standout performance in the slave emancipation drama Harriet and Irish actress Saoirse Ronan received a well deserved nod for her quietly steely interpretation of Jo March in Little Women. Her co-star English actress Florence Pugh also got a nomination for the headstrong Amy March. It is sad that Little Women's writer-director Greta Gerwig didn't receive an acknowledgement for her work on the film.
The well-reviewed Parasite will be hoping to follow in Roma's footsteps and become the tenth foreign language film to win the Best Picture Oscar but with The Joker and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood both vying to be bookies favourite to carry off the golden trophy, it would be a big surprise for it to come out on top.
The Oscars will be held on Sunday February 9.
The main Oscar nominations are:
Best picture:
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Parasite
1917
Marriage Story
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Ford v Ferrari
Best actor:
Joaquin Phoenix - Joker
Adam Driver - Marriage Story
Leonardo DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Antonio Banderas - Pain and Glory
Jonathan Pryce - The Two Popes
Best actress:
Renee Zellweger - Judy
Charlize Theron - Bombshell
Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan - Little Women
Cynthia Ervio - Harriet
Best director:
Martin Scorsese - The Irishman
Bong Joon Ho - Parasite
Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
Sam Mendes - 1917
Todd Phillips - Joker
Best supporting actress:
Laura Dern - Marriage Story
Margot Robbie - Bombshell
Florence Pugh - Little Women
Scarlett Johansson - Jojo Rabbit
Kathy Bates - Richard Jewell
Best supporting actor:
Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Al Pacino - The Irishman
Joe Pesci - The Irishman
Tom Hanks - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins - The Two Popes
Best adapted screenplay:
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Little Women
The Two Popes
Joker
Best original screenplay:
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Knives Out
1917
Best foreign language film:
Parasite - South Korea
Pain and Glory - Spain
Les Miserables - France
Honeyland" - North Macedonia
Corpus Christi - Poland
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