The Shape of Water Is Leading The Oscars Nominations
Variety.com: “The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro’s romantic ode to the horror films of his youth, dominated the 90th Academy Awards nominations on Tuesday, picking up a leading 13 nominations.
It was followed by “Dunkirk” with eight nominations, and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” with seven nominations. All three films earned best picture nods. The rest of the category was rounded out by “Call Me By Your Name,” “Darkest Hour,” “Get Out,” “Lady Bird,” “Phantom Thread,” and “The Post.”
“This has been a remarkable year for the movies,” Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences President John Bailey said before nominations were announced.
Indeed it was, but as much for what happened behind-the-scenes as for the on-screen work on display. That’s because this year’s Oscars are unfolding at a time of tumult for the movie business. In October, dozens of women stepped forward to accuse mogul and producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault. Weinstein was a mainstay of awards season, credited with creating the modern Oscar campaign (a seemingly endless parade of celebrity grip-and-grins paired with a whisper network aimed at crippling the perceived frontrunners). Since the allegations broke, Weinstein has been fired from his company and drummed out of the industry. But the issue has only widened. Scores of big names — a group ranging from Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman to A-list director and film financier Brett Ratner — have all been accused of sexual misconduct or assault, often at the cost of their careers.
Spacey’s fall ended up working to the advantage of one nominee. Christopher Plummer was nominated for best supporting actor after he became a last-minute replacement for Spacey in “All the Money in the World,” filming his part as oil baron J. Paul Getty in a matter of weeks after principal photography had been completed. At 88, he is the oldest Oscar acting nominee in history.
Other performers were bruised by the scandal. James Franco had been viewed as a lead actor contender for his work in “The Disaster Artist.” But allegations of misconduct involving students at his acting school broke just before the end of Oscar voting, and last-minute ballots could have been affected. When best actor nominations were announced, Franco’s name wasn’t among them.
It was a morning of barrier-breaking in some important categories. Rachel Morrison, for instance, became the first woman nominated for a cinematography Oscar for her work in “Mudbound.” Greta Gerwig is only the fifth woman nominated in the best director category for bringing “Lady Bird,” a tender coming-of-age story, to the screen, while “Get Out”s’ Jordan Peele became the fifth black man nominated in the best director category. And Meryl Streep extended her record streak of nominations, picking up the 21st nod for her performance as a newspaper publisher in “The Post.”
It was also a day of notable snubs and surprises. Steven Spielberg failed to pick up a directing nomination for his work on “The Post,” while Tom Hanks was ignored for his performance as crusading editor Ben Bradlee in the film. Hong Chau, a mainstay of the early awards races, was passed over for her work as a Vietnamese refugee in “Downsizing.” Luca Guadagnino, the Italian auteur behind “Call Me By Your Name,” failed to pick up a directing nod despite earning rave reviews for helping the sun-dappled Italian romance. And even as “Three Billboards” demonstrated its awards heft, Martin McDonagh’s directing wasn’t among the film’s seven nominations. The film had been seen as the best picture front-runner after it picked up a Screen Actors Guild of America honor for its last weekend and nabbed a top prize at the Globes. McDonagh was recognized for producing the movie and for writing its screenplay.
The lack of a director nomination is a ding to “Three Billboards”s’ chances. It seems as tho