Oscar nomination snubs and surprises

Let's start this with a positive, ok? SO SO SO SO happy that the very deserving Marina de Tavira was nominated for "Roma." She delivers one of the best performances of the year.  Sorry Emily Blunt. I joked that my double prediction might have been a sign that she was going to get snubbed for both, and I was right. I think the only categories I got perfectly were Production Design and Animated Feature, two of the easiest to predict.

Let's get my biggest disappointment out of the way.

I saw the writing on the wall weeks ago for Timothee Chalamet. Multiple emails to Amazon went unanswered for months. Then, just when I thought I was going to land the interviews, silence, again. I simply didn't have the heart not to predict him. Sam Rockwell is fine in "Vice," But to say he is better than Chalamet is a joke. But the bleeding heart liberals in the Academy (and elsewhere) don't seem to care that the film is a mess because it reminds them that they are validated in their hatred of Cheney/Bush. I'm really irritated about this, but not at all surprised.

Dear Amazon, 

Next time, listen to me.

Thanks,
Brian

SNUBS

Bradley Cooper, Best Director

Again, Adam McKay over Cooper is ridiculous. That being said, I'm so happy that Spike Lee got in. Never underestimate the foreign faction of the directors branch. Many people (including myself) wondered if they would go for Lanthimos OR Pawlikowski. They went for both.

Won't You Be My Neighbor, Best Documentary

This is a real disappointment for me. I know people loved "Hale County This Morning, This Evening," but I found it boring and couldn't finish. I'll give it another shot today. This is a shock. "Free Solo" should have this in the bag now.

First Man, Original Score

Many people thought this was the front runner, including myself. Not quite.

SURPRISES

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
For a second there I thought we were going to see a Best Picture nomination for this. First the Costume Design nomination, then Adapted Screenplay and Song...but alas, it didn't happen. But I bet it was close!

Never Look Away
I didn't predict "Never Look Away" because I simply couldn't go against my beloved "Burning," which was robbed, but not surprisingly left off. But that Cinematography nom!?! Was anyone expecting that?

Willem Dafoe
I wouldn't say that Sam Rockwell was a surprise, but this is a bit of a shock to me. But, I haven't seen it. We were all wondering if Ethan Hawke or John David Washington would get in, and alas, it was neither.