My, how the mighty have fallen and things have changed at the Academy Awards. Not that long ago, Will and Jada Smith sparked the #OscarsSoWhite campaign. But the diversity movement was just getting started. Talented and accomplished women were the next to demand their voices heard.
At this year’s Golden Globe Awards, the red carpet was a sea of dazzling black. It was a show of solidarity for female professionals demanding equal pay and treatment. Oprah took center stage with a moving speech saying it’s time for change. Even the tuxedo-clad guys wore special pins to show their support.
Whatever they did, it certainly got the Academy’s attention.
In a matter of months, the vibe went from “#OscarsSoWhite” to “#OscarsSoDiverse.”
The breakthrough movie, “Mudbound,” garnered four Academy nods.
Best adapted screenplay went to Virgil Williams and, in what’s being called a milestone for women, Rachael Morrison is the first woman to receive a nomination for best cinematography.
Frances McDormand was unrecognizable with her makeup-free face, bandana and down home duds in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” The gritty flick has already snatched up the Golden Globe for best picture and could go all the way on Oscar night. McDormand has already landed best actress at the Screen Actors Guild and winner of the Critic’s Choice for best actress and best ensemble. It has earned a whopping seven Academy nods. It goes head to head with the magical, fantasy fairytale “The Shape of Water.” The film has 13 Oscar nominations, including best picture. It already picked up best director for Guillermo Del Toro at the Golden Globes, best picture at the Producers Guild and best picture in the Critic’s Choice Awards.
In another nod to diversity, the low budget hit “Get Out” has gained four Academy nominations including the biggies—best picture, plus best director, best actor and best original screenplay. While the inclusion of other voices is great for moviegoers, there are still plenty of old school choices.
Malibu’s Steven Spielberg and leading lady Meryl Streep are up for their deadline-driven story “The Post.”
Win or lose, the makeup should be a particularly interesting category. There are dreamy fashions to be found in period flicks like the “Victoria and Albert” but then again there is the remarkable transformation of Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill. Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick did a little “abracadabra and watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat” magic by changing Dracula into a spot-on, mirror image of cigar chomping Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour.” Oldman’s performance was also stellar and he has picked up every major acting award since the season started. When it comes to the Oscars, the winners are hard to predict but Malibu Seen says Oldman has this one in the bag.
Look out for locals of note like Steven Spielberg and Ray Romano, both have films in the running. But whether you are looking at vets like Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington and Octavia Spencer, newcomers like Mary J. Blige or legends like Christopher Plummer (At 88, he’s Hollywood’s answer to ageism.), this will be an awards show like no other.
Any way you look at it, there are new voices and new stories to be told. And the envelope, please…