OSCAR NOMINATIONS: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

After yesterday's announcement, the Oscar nominations have finally begun to sink in. And as always, there were many surprises in store. Here are my thoughts on this year's lucky nominees, in addition to the full list:

The Good:

• It was very gratifying to see foreign language films represented outside of their designated category, notably in Cinematography ("Roma" and "Cold War") and Director where there were multiple non-English films selected. Hopefully this will become a trend and we continue to see the Academy embrace films from across the world.
• Few people could have seen the nominations for "Roma" stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira coming, but I'm sure we can all agree that this was a welcome surprise.
• Spike Lee finally gets his long overdue nomination for Best Director, as "BlacKkKlansman" makes an impressive showing with 6 nominations.

The Bad:

• I wasn't expecting much, but the Academy really should have come through for "First Man" and "If Beale Street Could Talk". Both are towering cinematic achievements.
• Bradley Cooper's direction was essential to making "A Star is Born" such a successful film. It's a shame he isn't being recognized for his commendable filmmaking debut.
• I hope Toni Collette's "Hereditary" character haunts the Academy in their sleep for snubbing her in Best Actress.

The Ugly:

• The mediocre "Bohemian Rhapsody" continues to be a major presence during this awards season, displacing many more worthy films in the process.
• Sam Rockwell for "Vice"? Really?
• It's an absolute travesty that "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" was not nominated for Best Documentary Feature. If you claim that the filmmaking is too conventional, why nominate "RBG"?

Here is the full list of this year's nominees:

BEST PICTURE
Green Book
Roma
Bohemian Rhapsody
A Star is Born
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
Black Panther
Vice

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Adam McKay, Vice
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale, Vice
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity's Gate

BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott, A Star is Born
Sam Rockwell, Vice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Amy Adams, Vice
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Marina de Tavira, Roma

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Green Book
First Reformed
Roma
The Favourite
Vice

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
If Beale Street Could Talk
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
A Star Is Born
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roma
The Favourite
Cold War
A Star is Born
The Favourite

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Black Panther
The Favourite
Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Poppins Returns
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Black Panther
Roma
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns

BEST EDITING
The Favourite
Vice
Bohemian Rhapsody
Green Book
BlacKkKlansman

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Infinity War
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Christopher Robin

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
Vice
Mary Queen of Scots
Border

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Roma
Shoplifters
Capernaum
Cold War
Never Look Away

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Shallow" – A Star Is Born
"All the Stars" – Black Panther
"I'll Fight" – RBG
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" – Mary Poppins Returns
"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
If Beale Street Could Talk
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman

BEST SOUND MIXING
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
A Star is Born
Roma
Black Panther

BEST SOUND EDITING
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse
The Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Mirai

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Free Solo
RBG
Minding the Gap
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Of Fathers and Sons