Surprises, Snubs & The Phantom Thread: Reactions to the 2018 Oscar Nominations

Well, if you’re a Phantom Thread fan, boy did you have a good day.

We can make all the prognostications and predictions we want, but there’s always going to be surprises. While a lot of nominations went as expected, there were SIGNIFICANT shockers that will have implications on Best Picture.

Let’s just get to it, because holy Best Actor, do we have a lot to talk about.

Here’s our reactions to the 2018 Oscar Nominations.

THE STUFF PEOPLE WILL BE PISSED ABOUT

Best Animated Feature

No Lego Batman Movie. Get over it. It’s a nice, clever little film, but the outrage for The Lego Movie’s snub back in 2014 was more warranted.

No Nominations for Wonder Woman

Look, Wonder Woman is a great movie, but if you really break down all the nominations, it was always going to be on the outside looking in. I try to warn people every year, but the path towards a superhero movie getting a Best Picture nomination is more difficult than beating Tom Brady in the playoffs.

The Big Sick – Not Nominated for Best Picture

I had it in, but I mentioned in my predictions column that I felt queasy about it. When I see films like Brooklyn and Philomena get nominated in the past, it gave me the confidence to push this film through. When Holly Hunter didn’t get a Best Supporting Actress nomination, I knew there was trouble in paradise.

It’s a really good movie, and I’m disappointed it didn’t get in, but not surprised at all.

THE TECHNICAL AWARDS

Quick hit on these. Dominated by Dunkirk, Blade Runner 2049, The Shape of Water and Baby Driver. No surprises.

BEST SCORE

Anytime John Williams gets nominated for a Star Wars movie, it’s just a great day.

Onto the big awards…

Nominations: Call Me by Your Name. Darkest Hour. Dunkirk. Get Out. Lady Bird. Phantom Thread. The Post. The Shape of Water. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

I predicted I, Tonya wouldn’t make it, but I was hoping for an upset. Oh, well.

There are really two big OMFG movies to talk about here: Darkest Hour and Phantom Thread.

I enjoyed Darkest Hour, but the nomination surprised me. Like most, I just thought it was the Gary Oldman show. As Darkest Hour kept getting nominations throughout the morning though, you could feel it. With all the love it got, I’m surprised Ben Mendelsohn didn’t sneak in a Best Supporting Actor nod.

The movie that came out of nowhere late in the game was Phantom Thread. With no guild nominations anywhere, this movie came in with an absolute fury. I’m thrilled. This is one of the best movies of the year, and I’m so glad it’s going to get attention now. Great stuff!

Nominations: Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Jordan Peele (Get Out), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread), Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water)

Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief – Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig made it. Fantastic. Both are very deserving, and snubbing them would have been Bad News Bears.

The real headline here is Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Out. Wow. I know there’s a lot of haters for Three Billboards, so I’m sure this makes some very happy. I could have gone either way on his nomination, but I’m much happier Paul Thomas Anderson made a surprise appearance here.

This significantly weakens the chances of Three Billboards winning Best Picture. With momentum that seemed to be scorching, it has now hit a massive brick wall. This may have just cleared the path for The Shape of Water, which after winning the PGA, is now the clear front-runner.

Long way to go.

Nominations: Timothee Chalamet (Call me by Your Name), Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.)

James Franco. Ouch.

Yup. It happened. Under normal circumstances, this would obviously be the snub to end all snubs, but we all know what the situation is. There’s no doubt the controversies cost him. After everything that happened this year, we shouldn’t be surprised at this.

Denzel’s nomination does irritate me. Look, it’s Denzel. He’s one of the greatest actors of all time. He’s perfectly fine in the film, but it’s Roman J. Israel Esq. The movie blows bags. There were so many other viable candidates here, like Tom Hanks (The Post).

Roman J. Israel? Come on, Academy.

While Gary Oldman is in the driver seat, I might be feeling a potential Daniel Day-Lewis upset…

Nominations: Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Meryl Streep (The Post)

No surprises here whatsoever.

If you’re surprised Meryl Streep got in, I can’t help you.

Nominations: Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project), Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water), Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Nailed it.

It was going to be tough to deny Plummer here. You can add Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) to the list of stuff people will be pissed about, but I warned you in my predictions column – Harrelson had a more Oscarey role.

Nominations: Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)

Just like Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street or Laura Dern in Wild, there’s always one shocker among the four acting categories. Lesley Manville is the recipient of that this year. I told you she was a dark horse though. Just as Holly Hunter not getting a nomination was a bad sign for The Big Sick, Manville’s nomination was a big indicator for Phantom Thread. Very deserving.

I knew Hong Chau would get snubbed. Nobody likes Downsizing.

Octavia Spencer is Octavia Spencer. One way or another, she was getting a nomination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xucHiOAa8Rs&t=1s

Nominations: Emily V. Gordon/Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Jordan Peele (Get Out), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Guillermo del Toro/Vanessa Taylor (The Shape of Water), Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

No surprises.

I was hoping for an upset I, Tonya entry over The Shape of Water, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. Whatever.

Nominations: James Ivory (Call me by Your Name), Scott Neustadter/Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist), Scott Frank/James Mangold/Michael Green (Logan), Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game), Virgil Williams/Dee Rees (Mudbound)

LOGAN! LOGAN! LOGAN! YEAH, BABY! YEAH!

Look, I’m sure people are sad that it didn’t get Best Picture, or that Patrick Stewart didn’t get a surprise Best Supporting Actor nod, but this is HUGE. This is the first ever major nomination for a superhero movie not in an acting category. This means something. Celebrate it. AWESOME! Logan, baby!

Other than that, no surprises.