Priyanka and Nick Jonas’ announcements of the Oscar’s nominations were more exciting than the nominations themselves. Priyanka gave the list her full Bollywood treatment. Sadly some of the nominations are so undeserving I felt embarrassed to see and hear Priyanka’s excitement.
At least three of the Best Picture nominations—Mank, Judas & The Black Messiah and Sound Of Metal—do not deserve to be nominated.And while Minari, an American film in the Korean language, is a wonderful film I think it is being given the same American Dream embrace by the Oscars as the highly-overrated Parasites last year.
I won’t waste my time disputing the Best Actor nominations,because Chadwick Boseman is getting it for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, with Anthony Hopkins’ blessings.So shall we move on? The Best Actress category is a tough nut to crack this year.Every nominee is a beaut. My favourites being Vanessa Kirby in Pieces Of A Woman and Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman. But how could they leave out Rosamund Pike’s insanely wicked performance in I Care A Lot? Maybe because it was insanely wicked?
I hunted for ‘grandma’ Youn Yuh‑jung and ‘grandson’ Alan S. Kim from Minari in the nominations list. Aren’t they the backbone of Minari? Honour the deserving films, by all means. But please make sure the awards go to the right people.
And now for our own Adarsh Gourav’s exclusion from the Best Actor nominations. It was only to be expected. The Oscars snub everything Indian because we are known to make sub-standard films. Korea, China, Iran even Romania is ahead of us. Isn’t it apt that a film about an underdog got royally snubbed , except for the nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay? Don’t get excited about it. In all likelihood they will give it to Nomadland.