Oscar, Oscar, Oscar

With a compressed schedule, the Oscar announcements happened so soon I was barely prepared. (No big deal, since I wasn't nominated for anything.)

Let's go over the list with some comments.

Best Picture
“Ford v Ferrari” (Disney/Fox)
“The Irishman” (Netflix)
“Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight)
“Joker” (Warner Bros.)
“Little Women” (Sony)
“Marriage Story” (Netflix)
“1917” (Universal)
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Sony)
“Parasite” (Neon)

No surprises.  All titles are notable and well-reviewed. And--this is important--not a single flop, no Bombshell or Richard Jewell.  No Knives Out, though that was probably considered too trivial.  No Uncut Gems, but there's not room for everything, and the Academy didn't cotton to it.

Best Director
Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”)
Todd Phillips (“Joker”)
Sam Mendes (“1917”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”)

No Greta Gerwig (or any woman), though it's nothing personal--the Academy has nominated her before (and she got one for screenplay this year). There are only five slots so there are a bunch of people missing--also no Noah Baumbach (he and Greta are a couple so they can commiserate) or Taika Waititi.

Best Actor
Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”)
Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”)
Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”)
Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”)

It was a very competitive category, and all these names were expected, which means a bunch of other names didn't make it. Perhaps a bit of a surprise Pryce (in his first nomination) got in over other illustrious names.  Maybe the biggest surprise is no Robert De Niro.  Also, no Adam Sandler, which makes it clear the Academy wasn't that impressed with Uncut Gems.  No Christian Bale.  No Taron Egerton (good thing--his movie was weak).  No Eddie Murphy (which would have been fun).

Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”)
Scarlett Johansson (“Marriage Story”)
Saoirse Ronan (“Little Women”)
Charlize Theron (“Bombshell”)
Renee Zellweger (“Judy”)

One big surprise--no Awkwafina. (I believe The Farewell was entirely skunked--maybe it was released too early in the year.) I'm a little less surprised there's no Lupita Nyong'o.

Supporting Actor
Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”)
Al Pacino (“The Irishman”)
Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”)
Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)

I'm surprised Tom Hanks got in.  You may think he's an Academy favorite, but they've been skunking him for years.  And with De Niro missing, it's interesting to see his costars Pacino and Pesci making it.  Considering Two Popes isn't a Best Picture nominee, the Academy sure like the acting.  It would have been fun to see Willem Dafoe but The Lighthouse was just too weird.

Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates, (“Richard Jewell”)
Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”)
Scarlett Johansson (“Jojo Rabbit”)
Florence Pugh (“Little Women”)
Margot Robbie (“Bombshell”)

One of the biggest shocks--no Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers.  Whether or not she deserved it, it was expected.  I guess the Academy just felt the whole film was too seamy.  Scarlett was a bit of a surprise--maybe the halo effect from Marriage Story helped--note she's never had a single nomination before and now she's got two (while the kids in Jojo didn't get any nominations).

Adapted Screenplay
Taika Waititi (“Jojo Rabbit”)
Steve Zaillian (“The Irishman”)
Anthony McCarten (“The Two Popes”)
Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”)
Todd Phillips and Scott Silver (“Joker”)

No surprises.  I believe they've all been nominated before.

Best Original Screenplay
Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”)
Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”)
Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won (“Parasite”)

No surprises.  Note there are five directors nominated.  If Quentin wins, it'll be his third writing Oscar (and none for directing).

Animated Feature
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
“I Lost My Body”
“Klaus”
“Missing Link”
“Toy Story 4”

Another shock.  No Frozen 2.

I could continue with the other categories, but no one really cares.