Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 1 March 2018
In Oscar best-picture race, an unprecedented nail biter

By JAKE COYLE two years, the film acad- the producers and directors films that could make histo- years ago when the best
AP Film Writer emy has added about a guilds, and it comes in with ry for either African Ameri- picture category expand-
NEW YORK (AP) — Even fifth of its membership, ush- a leading 13 nominations. cans or women. Yet neither ed from five to up to ten
supposing the right enve- ering in an influx of people Yet it lacks a crucial ingredi- earned a craft nomination, nominees. By ranking all
lope is read at the end of nine films, voters no longer
Sunday night’s Oscars, the simply choose a favorite. As
night’s final moment should a result, the most broadly
be one of high drama. liked film can often triumph
Usually by now, a consen- over the most passionately
sus favorite has emerged loved one.
after months of guild and “What it’s really going to
critics groups awards — or come down to is: What is
at least a front-runner along the least objectionable
with one or two potential of the plausible winners?”
underdogs. But not this says Feinberg. “They all try
year. Five films have a le- to make their argument
gitimate shot at the night’s now why they are of the
top award: “The Shape of moment and worthy of be-
Water,” ‘’Three Billboards ing admired: ‘Even if you’re
Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” not going to put it at num-
‘’Get Out,” ‘’Dunkirk” and ber one, put us at number
“Lady Bird” two or three on your ballot.
Rarely, if ever, has the Don’t write us off.’”
Academy Awards seen The season has seen film af-
such an open field of con- ter film vie for the most com-
tenders for its top award. pelling, of-the-moment sto-
A year after Barry Jenkins’ ry line. Steven Spielberg’s
“Moonlight” shattered the “The Post” aimed for both
overwhelming projection This image released by Fox Searchlight shows Frances McDormand in a scene from “Three the anti-Trump film and,
that “La La Land” would Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. in its female protagonist,
win — along with many tra- Associated Press a #MeToo movie, as well.
ditional ideas about what “Lady Bird,” though, reso-
“Oscar bait” looks like — of color, women and in- ent. Despite an impressive and they usually lost to ei- nated more as an emblem
pundits are wary of making ternational voters. At the cast that garnered three in- ther “Shape of Water” or of progress for women,
an emphatic best-picture same time, the person most dividual acting nods (Sally “Three Billboards” in precur- making Gerwig only the
prediction. responsible for tailoring the Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, sor awards. Christopher No- fifth woman nominated for
“It’s very, very, very un- modern Oscar campaign Richard Jenkins), “Shape of lan’s “Dunkirk” is an even best director. And after sev-
predictable,” says Sasha and catering to the tastes Water” failed to land a best odder sort of underdog de- eral years of scrutiny over
Stone, the longtime Oscar of the academy — Har- ensemble nomination from spite being easily the big- the Oscars’ poor track re-
blogger who runs Awards vey Weinstein — has been the Screen Actors Guild — gest budget and highest cord in diversity, “Get Out”
Daily . “This would be one exiled from the institution something every best pic- grossing entry of the bunch. skewered the very kind of
year I wish I could just opt he was once synonymous ture winner in the last 22 It aims to be the first film in white liberal prejudice that
out of the whole thing. I with. years has won. 85 years to win best picture Hollywood is frequently crit-
have no idea what’s going The voters are different. Even the historic upset of without receiving a screen- icized for.
to win.” Some of the major players “Moonlight” over “La La play or acting nomination. “It always struck me as a
Most of the other major are different. And the mov- Land” confirmed the pre- So with a pack of flawed year where we haven’t
awards appear to be all ies, too, are different. dictive sway of the SAG favorites, what’s an Oscar quite figured out what our
sown up. Frances McDor- “It’s a year of unconven- ensemble nomination: prognosticator to do? narrative is, what our story
mand (“Three Billboards”), tional kinds of movies being “Moonlight” had it, “La La “I just think you have to put is, who we are this year,”
Gary Oldman (“Darkest in contention,” says Scott Land” didn’t. it all in the same stew and says Stone. “The Weinstein
Hour”), Allison Janney (“I, Feinberg, the Hollywood Actors are easily the larg- not let one ingredient over- thing really upended Hol-
Tonya”) and Sam Rockwell Reporter’s awards pundit . est branch of the acad- power,” says Kristopher Ta- lywood. It really upended
(“Three Billboards”) all look “You do have a few of the emy and their choice this pley, Variety’s awards cor- the Oscars.”
like locks in the acting cat- kinds of movies that are year appears to be Mar- respondent . “Put it all in In the eyes of Oscar observ-
egories. Guillermo del Toro much more in the mold of tin McDonagh’s “Three there, don’t lean too heavi- ers, “Get Out” has surged
(“Shape of Water”) is ex- movies that won years ago. Billboards,” which won ly on there not being a SAG the most in recent weeks,
pected to win best direc- “Darkest Hour” and ‘The best ensemble from SAG nomination there, a direc- aided in part by a robust
tor. Post’ are traditional Oscar and best film bestowed tor nomination there. I think campaign by Universal
But in the night’s top cat- bait. But now the academy at the British film acad- ‘Dunkirk’ is very much in this Pictures. But despite the
egory, chaos reigns. is not the same academy emy awards, the BAFTAs. race. These stats are there controversy around “Three
Reasons for the pervasive that used to go for those Still, “Three Billboards” has until they’re not there.” Billboards,” Stone is leaning
uncertainly run from the kinds of movies. And you’ve suffered the most severe Still, Tapley favors “The toward it thanks to its twin
statistical to the instinctual. got movies that wouldn’t backlash of the nominees, Shape of Water” since it wins of SAG ensemble and
But behind them all is the have even been nominat- and McDonagh’s omission simply ticks the most boxes. BAFTA best picture.
same development: No ed, I don’t think, in the past from the directing catego- “I’m not trying to be coy,” The safe money might be
one really knows what an because they would have ry suggests for some a fatal he says. “I wouldn’t be on “The Shape of Water.”
“Oscar movie” is anymore. been dismissed as genre weakness. shocked if it lost, though.” ‘’But people are weirded
The Oscars, in their 90th movies — ‘Shape of Water’ But the underdogs are no What most bedevils the in- out by the fish thing,” says
year, may look much the and ‘Get Out.’” more statistically sound. creasingly round-the-clock Stone. “It’s not actually a
same on the outside. But Del Toro’s “The Shape of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” awards-season prediction fish. It’s some sort of mam-
under the surface, every- Water” has the most sterling and Greta Gerwig’s “Lady machine is the preferen- mal. But people are weird-
thing is shifting. In just last resume, with wins from both Bird” are both first-feature tial ballot reinstituted eight ed out by it.”q