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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 24 January 2018

'Wonder Woman' is left hanging and 8 other Oscar surprises

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It is a By now, everyone knows
mathematical impossibility how Ridley Scott replaced
for a group of Oscar nomi- Kevin Spacey with Chris-
nations to please everyone, topher Plummer as J. Paul
but this year came pretty Getty in "All the Money in
close with meaningful love the World" just six weeks be-
for "Get Out," ''Lady Bird" fore the film was set to hit
and "Phantom Thread," and theaters. That choice that
the history-making nomina- was officially validated in
tion of "Mudbound" direc- the best possible way for
tor of photography Rachel the film — a supporting Os-
Morrison, who became car nomination for Plum-
the first woman to ever be mer (his third).
nominated for cinematog- DIVERSITY GETS A BOOST,
raphy. BUT ONLY FOR SOME
Still, there were some signifi- The Oscars are not so white
cant surprises and even a anymore, but one group
few outright snubs: that remains marginalized
NO WONDER WOMAN is Latino actors, who have
It was a good day for wom- not gotten an Oscar nomi-
en, generally speaking, nation since 2012. In fact,
with the first ever nomina- only three have won in the
tion for a female cinema- last 20 years (Penelope
tographer (Rachel Morrison Cruz, Javier Bardem, and
for "Mudbound") and Greta This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Gal Gadot in a scene from "Wonder Benicio Del Toro). This year,
Gerwig becoming the fifth Woman." The Patty Jenkins-directed blockbuster received zero Oscar nominations Tuesday, Jan. Salma Hayek had the best
woman in history to get a 23, 2018, even in a year that was surprisingly friendly to big budget hits. shot for her role in the dark
best director nomination Associated Press satire "Beatriz at Dinner."
(for "Lady Bird"), but the 'JANE' GETS CUT OUT
love stopped short of one been at the forefront of the WWII South. "Mudbound" a Director's Guild or a Pro- Three days after Brett Mor-
of the most populist fe- awards race this year, es- was nominated for best ducer's Guild nomination gen's highly acclaimed
male-driven projects of the pecially when compared adapted screenplay, best for "Phantom Thread." Jane Goodall documenta-
year: "Wonder Woman." with, say Tom Hanks, who supporting actress (Mary THE STEVE JAMES CURSE IS ry "Jane" picked up the Pro-
The Patty Jenkins-directed wasn't nominated for play- J. Blige), best original song BROKEN ducers Guild Award in the
blockbuster received zero ing Ben Bradlee in "The Post" and best cinematography. Snubs were almost becom- documentary category,
nominations, even in a year (and hasn't been nominat- For some, it's been a ques- ing a way of life for docu- the film academy left it on
that was surprisingly friendly ed in 17 years). Washing- tion of whether the film mentary filmmaker Steve the cutting room floor.
to big budget hits (like "Lo- ton also perhaps took the academy had an anti-Net- James who time and time THE BABY CEO MOVIE IS AN
gan" and "Star Wars: The spot from James Franco flix bias. Whatever the case again churns out excel- OSCAR NOMINEE
Last Jedi.") for "The Disaster Artist." This was before, though, the lent work to not much film They can't take it back. A
DENZEL BREAKS THROUGH, is Washington's sixth lead times might be changing. Academy recognition. His film that has a 52 percent
FRANCO DOESN'T actor nomination (he's won 'PHANTOM THREAD' ECLIPS- "Hoop Dreams" was infa- rating on Rotten Tomatoes
You'd be forgiven if you twice). ES HEAVYWEIGHTS mously only nominated for — "The Boss Baby," in which
weren't aware there was a NETFLIX FINDS A NARRATIVE Paul Thomas Anderson's editing and then his sure Alec Baldwin voices a pint-
Denzel Washington film out WIN IN 'MUDBOUND' moody period piece is a bet, the Roger Ebert doc- sized, suit-wearing CEO —
this year. Dan Gilroy's crimi- The streaming service has favorite among hardcore umentary "Life Itself," was has been nominated for
nal court thriller "Roman J. gambled big in the past cinephiles, but many were also passed over. This year, best animated feature.q
Israel, Esq." came and went few years with would-be surprised Tuesday when An- James finally got nomi-
without much fanfare, to Oscar nominees, but found derson was nominated for nated for "Abacus: Small
middling reviews and box their first successful non- best director over both Ste- Enough to Jail," about the
office. Washington's perfor- documentary contender ven Spielberg ("The Post") family-owned community
mance as the activist law- in a film it acquired at the and Martin McDonagh bank that was the only
yer was the one bright spot Sundance Film Festival — ("Three Billboards Outside U.S. bank to face criminal
for many critics (although Dee Rees' American od- Ebbing, Missouri"). Ander- charges following the 2008
the New York Times said the yssey "Mudbound," about son, an eight-time Oscar subprime mortgage col-
film "doesn't serve" him). two families, one black, nominee (now twice for lapse.
Still, Washington has hardly and one white, in the post- directing), didn't even get RIDLEY'S BIG BET PAYS OFF