ReelBob: My annual Academy Awards rant

By Bob Bloom

Bullshit! That is my concise and succinct opinion about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominations for what its members consider the best of 2019.

This is not a blanket condemnation of the nominations — I agree with the majority of them.

But the choices — as well as the snubs and oversights — in many of the major categories are terrible and stink of bias.

Let’s take the most obvious omission — Greta Gerwig as best director for “Little Women.” Overall, the movie received six nominations, including Saorise Ronan for actress in a leading role and Florence Pugh for actress in a supporting role.

The film also was recognized for best picture, adapted screenplay (written by Gerwig), costume design and original score.

So, did Gerwig simply stand behind the camera and shout action! No, her vision for the film informed every aspect of the movie.

Surely, she deserved more recognition that Todd Phillips who direction of “Joker” is more like Martin Scorsese-lite than an original vision.

Ten nominations for “1917,” or “Call of Duty: WWI,” is ridiculous. Two soldiers run around like avatars avoiding various life-and-death situations and confrontations. It’s no “All Quiet on the Western Front” nor “Paths of Glory,” the templates for outstanding features about World War I.

A big deal has been made about Sam Mendes directing the movie without cuts: Who cares. A movie does not live or die by such technical issues.

A movie’s emotional resonance, its depth of characterizations and its overall story arc is what qualifies as a memorable production.

Yes, the movie deserved its technical-category nominations, including Roger Deakins’ cinematography, but its nods for best picture and director reek of cronyism.

The absence of Lupita Nyong’o from the actress in a leading role category is shameful. And while Charlize Theron’s performance in “Bombshell” was very solid, it was not Oscar worthy. Plus, “Bombshell” was more of an ensemble piece with the focuses divided among Theron’s Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman’s Gretchen Carlson and Margot Robbie’s fictional Kayla Pospisil.

Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” received six nominations, including best picture, original screenplay (by Baumbach), original score and recognition for three performers — Adam Driver, actor in a leading role; Scarlett Johansson, actress in a leading role; and Laura Dern, actress in a supporting role.

This was a personal project for Baumbach, and his fingerprints can be found on every frame of the movie, yet he is snubbed as best director? I wish someone could explain that to me.

Here’s a radical idea. If the Academy nominations nine films for best picture, why not open nine slots in the best director category.

Movies do not make themselves. The director is the general who marshals all the other departments that comprise a production into a cohesive unit that brings the director’s vision to the screen.

It’s like giving the Nobel Prize for Chemistry to the assistants who delivered the test tubes to the scientists.

My last major disappointment was the absence of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” from the international feature film category. This was a lovely and melancholy romantic drama that was one of the best films of the year.

Other exclusions that irked me: Robert Eggers for The Lighthouse,” especially for he and his brother’s script, and Willem Dafoe for actor in a supporting role. He could have easily replaced Anthony Hopkins, nominated for “The Two Popes.”

On a positive note, the recognition of “Ford v Ferrari” in the best picture, film editing and sound mixing and editing categories were well deserved.

So was Cynthia Erivo’s nomination for best actress in a leading role for “Harriet.”

I am pleased that “For Sama” made the list for best documentary film, but am disappointed that “One Child Nation” was snubbed

Finally, I am overjoyed to see the love the Academy bestowed on Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” nominating the director, the picture for best picture and international feature film, the film’s editing and production design. It was one of the best movies of the year and deserves all the nominations it received.

I will post my predictions for Oscar winners either Saturday, Feb. 8, or early Sunday, Feb. 9.

The Academy Awards will be presented that night, airing on ABC.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.