As the Oscar nominations were announced on the morning of February 8, 2022, one thing became clear. For all the love-hate relationship the Academy has with moviegoers, cinephiles, and pundits, the 94th Academy Awards promises to be a step toward the ‘love’ aspect of that wobbly dynamic.
As always, there are a few surprises with the Oscar nominations this year, which doesn’t necessarily mean a good thing. There are snubs too, which again does not mean it’s bad. From J.K. Simmons scoring a surprise ‘Best Supporting Actor’ nomination for his work in “Being the Ricardos” to Judi Dench getting the call and not Caitriona Balfe for “Belfast;” we’ve got our hands full for this year’s awards.
Here are a few quick thoughts on all the snubs, surprises, and everything else at the Oscar nominations.
Hidetoshi Nishijima and Tōko Miura in a scene from Drive My Car. (Image: Bitters End, 2021)
‘Drive My Oscar’: Hamaguchi’s Film Snags 4 Nominations, Including ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture’
This year’s Oscar nominations feature refreshing picks, one of which being a powerful and sublime examination of grief and forgiveness. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” manages to overcome the Academy’s default position of constraining foreign-language films to their own category (‘Best International Feature Film’). Instead, it snags an additional three nominations (more on this below), including ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture.’
Cynicism dictates that its ‘Best Picture’ nod might be a token vote, but no matter; “Drive My Car” is terrific film, and it deserves all the awards given its way.
Cruz and Stewart in Lead Acting; Gaga Shut Out
One of the most middling films of 2021 that nonetheless picked up steam early on was “House of Gucci,” specifically Lady Gaga’s performance. It’s a surprise that she didn’t make the final cut despite her portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani; but the film’s overall tepid reception might have played a role for her performance to be overlooked in favor of…
…Penelope Cruz and Kristen Stewart for “Parallel Mothers” and “Spencer,” respectively. Truth be told, both performances deserved the Oscar nominations (as much as Alana Haim and Renate Reinsve, both of whom didn’t make it); so them getting the call for ‘Best Actress’ is just about right.
Denis Villeneuve providing directions to Timothée Chalamet in a scene from “Dune.” (Image: Warner Bros. Pictures, 2021).
No Love for Denis Villeneuve for Directing
While I still believe that this category is Jane Campion’s to lose with “The Power of the Dog,” not nominating Denis Villeneuve is a crime. “Dune” for me belongs to the category of ‘unfilmable’ novels; so the fact that Villeneuve stayed faithful to Frank Herbert’s work and told a story that’s both timely and timeless speaks of the director’s vision. Let’s just hope that he tops this with “Dune: Part Two” and does a “Return of the King” trick by sweeping all the awards it would be nominated for.
‘The Power of Jane Campion’ (and the Year of Couple Goals)
Speaking of “The Power of the Dog,” the film’s dominion over the Oscar nominations include receiving nods for its four stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jesse Plemons, and Kirsten Dunst. Whereas Cumberbatch and Smit-McPhee were obvious locks, Plemons and Dunst (husband and wife in real life) now define what power-couple goals look like.
On a lesser note, this year’s Oscar nominations also include real-life couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, albeit for separate films. Couple goals, indeed.
Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst in a scene from “The Power of the Dog.” (Image: Netflix, 2021).
Foreign-Language Films Garnering Best Screenplay Nominations
As noted above, foreign-language films usually end up under a single category; so to see not one, but two films getting the nod for ‘Best Screenplay’ speaks of the Academy’s efforts to keep up. But more importantly, it speaks of the said film’s quality. Indeed, “The Worst Person in the World” and “Drive My Car” represent the best that the world cinema can offer moviegoers.
The Most Cutthroat Field This Year Doesn’t Come from the Acting Categories
Right off the bat, take a look at this lineup:
Best Cinematography
“Dune” – Greig Fraser
“Nightmare Alley” – Dan Laustsen
“The Power of the Dog” – Ari Wegner
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” – Bruno Delbonnel
“West Side Story” – Janusz Kaminski
Fraser’s work in recreating “Dune” on-screen has my vote to land the prize, but only by a hairline. Breathing down his neck is Wegner; she’s only the second woman in the Academy’s long history to receive nomination for this award. Her fluid working relationship with Campion produced some of the most breathtaking camerawork in recent years.
Rounding out the lineup are veterans whose track record themselves serve as a reminder of the power of great cinematography to bring the screenplay (and the director’s vision) to life—and never let go.
‘Flee’ and the Power of a Great Film to Buck Tradition in Nominations
Finally, one of the best movies of the year happens to be an animated film; and it’s not something from Pixar or Dreamworks. Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary film is a story so powerful, director Bong Joon-ho declared the film “the most moving piece of cinema I saw this year.”
As a result, “Flee” became the first film to receive Oscar nominations for three distinct categories not associated with one film: ‘Best Animated Feature,’ ‘Best Documentary Feature,’ and ‘Best International Feature Film.’ In effect, the movie successfully bucked the tradition that animated films should only play within their own category.
A scene from Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s powerful animated documentary film, “Flee.” (Image: Neon, 2021).
Oscar Nominations 2022: Other In-Betweeners
Of course, there are empty-getters in the end, and some of those films actually received critical acclaim as among 2021’s best movies. From “Mass” and “Red Rocket,” to “Passing” and “The French Dispatch;” the Zero-Nominations Club stamped on their foreheads shouldn’t sway the talk about the caliber of these films. After all, hindsight is always 20-20; years from now, films that haven’t received a single Oscar nomination end up leapfrogging those that dominated the awards circuit.
Just ask “Green Book.”
Did your picks make the cut? Let us know below. All in all, nevertheless, the awards ceremony on March 27 promises to be a blast—barring any unforeseen occurrences, that is.
For a full list of Oscar nominations, click here.
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