Awards season began this year with a whimper, not a bang. I think it’s just one of those timing things – people are paying attention to politics and thinking about the holiday season. The biggest films of the year are not the ones which will get big award nomination, like Creed 2, or Black Panther. But I also think there’s just been a fundamental shift over the past decade, and even more so in the past couple of years – the awards season is boring. It’s a slog. Some of the worst films end up winning the biggest prizes. And so people have really checked out.
All that being said, I have high hopes for this awards season. One, Black Panther actually came to play, and I feel like there will be hell to pay if BP doesn’t end up with some Best Picture nominations. Two, there are a couple of “hit films” which will end up being major contenders, like A Star Is Born. ASIB was a financial and critical success, and Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga let it be known that they were coming for #AllTheOscars back in AUGUST. And their plan seems to be working out – the prestigious National Board of Reviews gave their biggest awards to Green Book and ASIB.
The National Board of Review on Tuesday revealed its 2018 award winners, naming Green Book as its pick for best film. In addition to Green Book receiving the top honor, Viggo Mortensen, the star of the Universal release, was named best actor.
Bradley Cooper’s box-office and critical-smash remake of A Star Is Born, from Warner Bros., received three awards from the NBR; Cooper was named best director, with star Lady Gaga tapped as best actress and co-star Sam Elliott named best supporting actor.
Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight follow-up If Beale Street Could Talk, which Annapurna is set to release in theaters starting Dec. 14, won two awards: best supporting actress for Regina King and best adapted screenplay for Jenkins. Other major winners include Paul Schrader’s First Reformed script (best original screenplay), Incredibles 2 (best animated feature), Leave No Trace’s Thomasin McKenzie (breakthrough performance), Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade (best directorial debut), RBG (best documentary), Crazy Rich Asians (best ensemble) and Cold War (best foreign-language film).
I say this every year, but I put a lot of stock in what the NBR says – while they don’t have the best record with picking winners, their awards usually help narrow the field and predict early front-runners. I feel like Green Book is going to stumble, if it hasn’t already, by the time the Oscar nominations come out. But A Star Is Born? That’s here to stay. Lady Gaga will get nominated for Best Actress across the board, I’m absolutely sure. Bradley Cooper will get nominated for Best Director. ASIB is a huge Oscar contender.
Also: the Gotham Awards happened this week, and they are not a good prognosticator of what will happen later in the awards season. You can see this year’s Gotham winners here.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Black Panther was a good Marvel movie but it certainly doesn’t deserve an Oscar nomination.
Black Panther is a great movie and is certainly worthy of an Oscar nomination. In fact, so many of the so called popular movies this year are worthy of awards season love but unfortunately will get overlooked for the same old Oscar bait stuff.
And then afterwards people will wonder why there’s a disconnect between audiences and The Academy.
BP was a pretty by the numbers super hero movie. Entertaining and exciting but not groundbreaking. And the CGI looked quite odd at times. It didn’t offer anything special or outstanding that would set it apart from any other movie. The Oscars aren’t supposed to be about popularity.
@Zee I didn’t say the Oscars are about popularity. Just pointing out that there are various so called popular movies that are better than the Oscar bait films that have been released this year. Black Panther deserves it.
Black Panther definitely should receive Oscar nominations and should be a serious contender for awards in costume, set and production design. An entire country was created for this movie and the design teams did an outstanding job.
The Post got a bunch of love last year from the National Board of Review and didn’t do much at The Oscars.
So I’m taking all of this with a grain of salt.
Exactly.
I’m happy for BCoop that he got Best Director (and I’m sure he’s happy for himself, as I’ve read that’s where his focus is, rather than Best Actor) but MAN, I have a sinking feeling he’s going to lose every Best Actor nom he gets. And that is such a shame to me- he’s the best he’s ever been in this role. I’d really love to see that recognised.
Better than he was in ‘American Sniper’? To me, that was his Oscar worthy performance. I think he would have won if he wasn’t going up against Eddie Redmayne that year.
I think so, yeah. He’s put in a lot of brilliant performances over the years (I’m still a little disappointed he didn’t get more recognition for how good he was in Silver Linings Playbook- which feels odd to say because I do know he got a slew of nominations for it haha! But it kind of felt to me like that got lost in the JLaw narrative that year. To be fair, she was also excellent.) but ASIB, to me? This is the performance of his career so far.
I agree, he deserves a nod. This AND American Sniper were his best to date IMO. Gaga was good but I do not think she is best actress material.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but is Lady Gaga’s acting really that great? I thought a more veteran actress would have been chosen. Maybe Glenn Close or Olivia Coleman.
I’m more than a little surprised by her actually winning, and I don’t know if I can see her sweeping awards season or anything- but to be fair she is really, genuinely good in the role. I was actually surprised by just how believable, and natural, and GOOD she was in the part. I mean, to be fair to them, Sam Elliot and Bradley Cooper were both better, and Coop definitely did some of the heavier lifting acting-wise. But I don’t say that to be mean- it’s been their job their entire lives, and this was both men at their peak. Of COURSE they were better. But she held her own, and I thought she was really really good. I still think some of the bigger awards will end up going to women who are more established in the industry, but I wouldn’t think it at all undeserved if she did end up taking home more Best Actress wins.
I think she was solid, but in no way best actress material.
As far as Black Panther goes, the plot itself wasn’t something we haven’t seen a thousand times in other superhero movies. I like MBJ, but him as Killmonger was almost painful. I just couldn’t “believe” him as the antagonist. I was really excited for it when it came out, but when I left the theater I just felt underwhelmed. It’s a good movie, but it’s not a GREAT movie.
Give ASIB and BP all the Oscars. They deserve it.
I’m a bit grossed out by Gaga‘s thirst to be honest.
Yay Greenbook! Saw it and loved it.