Oscar 2018 Thoughts #1

Does it surprise anyone that I have seen all of the nominees for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress and Director? It’s too bad I’m not a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences so I could actually vote. Oh well. So here are some of my thoughts on the nominations for 2017 that were announced on Tuesday. First, let’s talk about the omissions. The most glaring omission was Martin McDonagh, who wrote and directed “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and was not nominated for Best Director. Usually when a director is not nominated, it dooms the chances for the film winning Best Picture. In this case, that is a shame. Paul Thomas Anderson probably took his place for “Phantom Thread”, which was good but not great. Also omitted was Holly Hunter as Supporting Actress for “The Big Sick”. The film was wonderful and she was a stand out. Jessica Chastain, in “Molly’s Game”, was left out of the Best Actress category. Her spot was taken by Meryl Streep for “The Post’, in which she was very good, but I believe Chastain was more deserving. I cannot argue with the five Supporting Actor nominees, but it is a shame that Armie Hammer and Michael Stahlbarg in “Call Me By Your Name” weren’t recognized. Both gave great performances. And in the Best Picture category I am disappointed that “Wonder Woman” wasn’t nominated. It was one of the best films of the year.