By Award season is upon us, which means it’s time for the Oscar nominations, and the surprises and snubs that come with it.
The Academy Awards are taking place March 12 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and will once again be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
Some of the more notable nominees for Best Picture this year are “Women Talking,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Elvis,” “TÀR,” and of course the two movies that won the box office this year, “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar 2: The Way of Water.”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” and CSULB alum Steven Spielberg’s contribution, “The Fabelmans,” were also nominated for Best Picture along with various nominations in several other categories including Best Director, Best Score and Best Original Song.
The animated movie category is rather popular in the Long Beach State campus with several students citing movies from that category as their favorite nomination.
“The one that I’m surprised by, but I totally understand, is Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’,” said Michelle Salinas, a film studies major. “‘Pinocchio’ was always taught as a kid’s film, but when I saw it, it’s not exactly for kids.”
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. This is del Toro's 25th Oscar nomination. He's won seven times for both "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Shape of Water". Photo courtesy of Netflix.
The other animated film nominees included, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” “Turning Red,” “The Sea Beast” and the latest entry into the decades old Shrek franchise, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”
“I think ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ was a fantastic film, just fantastic. Just the art and everything,” said Caroline Smith, a creative writing major. “Obviously ‘[Guillermo del Toro’s] ‘Pinocchio’ is really good too, but personally I’m going to say ‘Puss in Boots: [The Last Wish]’ should win animation and it should have been nominated for Best Picture.”
Angela Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” her second nomination in almost 30 years. Jamie Lee Curtis netted her first nomination ever for her supporting role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and her co-star, Michelle Yeoh, also got the Best Actress nomination for her role in the same movie.
Angela Bassett reprises her role as Queen Romanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Bassett was first nominated in 1993 for her portrayal of Tina Turner in "What's Love Got To Do With It", which she lost to Holly Hunter. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” also saw the return of Ke Huy Quan, best known for his roles in the ‘80s as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and Data from “The Goonies.”
Quan was inspired to return to acting due to the success of “Crazy Rich Asians” and now, a handful of years later, he’s boasting a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Some students found themselves annoyed that their favorite movie from last year weren’t picked for anything.
“’Nope,’ in my opinion, was one of the better films of the year,” said Eddy Sandoval, a film studies major. “I thought that movie was so clever on so many levels and what it did technically was pretty insane and I mean just everything.”
Brendan Fraser was nominated for his career defining role in “The Whale” and both Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson were both nominated for their roles in “The Banshees of Inisherin”.
Other notable performance nominations include a Best Actress nod to Ana de Armas for her turn as Marilyn Monroe in “Blonde,” a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Brian Tyree Henry in “Causeway” and a Best Actor nomination for the up-and-coming Paul Mescal for his role in “Aftersun.”
