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Cultural Diversity is at an all time high at this year’s Oscars!

There is no doubt that this year’s Oscar ceremony is to be one that will be talked about for a long time to come.

For several years now, many in movie circles have said that there isn’t enough variation in the nominees lists, particularly from a cultural point of view. Well, they need not worry this year as it has already shaped up to be not only one of the most diversely varied to date, but also, has been touted as the most honest and fair “across-the-board” voting that Oscar may have ever seen.

One only has to look at the eight nominated movies to see exactly what they mean.

From superheroes, “Black Panther,” to incredible rock stars, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” from a racially divided history, “BlacKkKlansman,” to a politically divided present, “Vice.” From an emotionally charged tragedy, “A Star is Born,” to a very personal journey through childhood, “Roma,” and from a true story of music and social ethics, “Green Book,” to a witty, historical comedy, “The Favourite,” the diversity is stunning and it leads to yet another question on nominations: how can anyone really decide which movie is best from this list?

The two main front runners this year, “Roma” and “The Favourite,” both receiving 10 nominations, have been selected for very different reasons – “Roma” for its artistic and visually beautiful storytelling and “The Favourite” for its incredibly astute and witty script and subsequent performances therein.

Both are examples of technicians and performers working in perfect unison and, as a film scholar myself, I find it all the more amazing when the Oscars come around, that the very people who work in the industry get to vote on their favorites and, in turn maybe get voted for themselves. Do they get it right though?

Well, having studied the Oscars for most of my adult life I would say that for the most part there have been some good choices and some great choices. However, yes there have been some notoriously bad ones too.

“Black Panther’s” nomination for best picture is certainly a popular one and has become a benchmark for the superhero genre and, I’m sure, will make them strive for even better acclaim in the future.

Alfonso Cuaron’s 10 nominations for “Roma” is also somewhat of an oddity as it is also nominated for best Foreign Language Film and, if it happens to win best picture (a distinct possibility) then it will be the first foreign language movie ever to do so among eight previous nominees in this category.

“Cold War,” is certainly worth a mention here too as it is also nominated in the Best Foreign Film category and director Pawel Pawlikowski is nominated in the Best Director category too. So, along with Cuaron for “Roma,” this is another first for the Oscars with both having a real chance of winning here too.

“Green Book” is another one that seems to have become a firm favorite for voters this year, particularly for the two main performances by Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, both nominated. But there is much surprise that Peter Farrelly was not nominated for his very much acclaimed direction but, in fact, he just simply didn’t quite make the final cut of five so I’m sure it was close for him.

As the nominations take place and the final list is announced, all of the academy voters (some 6000 voting members) have to go back and vote again within the nominated lists. I do believe this is a fair and just system to arrive at the eventual winner(s) but, of course, one can not please everyone so there will always be the dissenting voices – but such is life.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” came out like a bolt from the blue early in November last year and as well as making an incredible $833 million to date at the worldwide box office, has garnered a slew of awards along the way. Rami Malek’s astonishing performance as the inimitable Freddie Mercury has led the awards charge for this movie and, despite some amazing challenges, seems to have become the firm favorite to win the Best Actor Oscar too.

For me, “A Star is Born” is my favorite from the list this year, for its sheer brilliance in all aspects of production. Although Bradley Cooper has surprisingly missed out on a Best Director nod, his achievement in bringing this classic Hollywood staple to the modern screen is nothing short of miraculous. It is his directorial debut and I have to say, his attention to every detail of the production and its performance nuances has all the hallmarks of that of cinemas greatest auteurs — which makes me wonder just what there is yet to come from Mr Cooper.

Spike Lee has always been counted on to bring out something special and poignant and of the very highest standard and this year he has excelled yet again. Garnering his first Oscar nomination for Directing, and his second nomination for writing, “BlacKkKlansman.” He has brought yet more worthy study to the history of racism in this country with its important social discourse and, more than any other director, has once again managed to bring it out at a time when this very subject is back at the forefront of every aspect of life today.

Melissa McCarthy is certainly worth a mention this year too as she has been nominated in the Best Actress category for her brilliantly emotional role in “Can you ever forgive me?” and, if she doesn’t win this year, is most certainly going to get her Oscar one day soon.

Adam McKay is no stranger to Oscar honors as his brilliantly made comedy drama, “The Big Short,” (2016) gave him his first nomination for Directing and his first win for the Adapted Screenplay. He is back again this year with “Vice” and eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for him. With some stunning performances by Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush and Amy Adams as Lynne Vincent Cheney (all nominated) this certainly has a chance of winning big this year. Especially Bale who has already won a Golden Globe and other awards thus far.

This year will be different for several reasons. For all the things I have discussed, but also, due to Kevin Hart’s exit from the hosting job, there will be no host this year and so I wonder just how it will play out with no opening monologue (there have been some great monologues over the years) and how will the expected laughs come about?

Perhaps this year, by some timely twist of fate, the laughs will give way to a more serious look at the movies and be able to appreciate just how special the selection of nominees actually is this year.

The political world has dramatically spilled over into the entertainment world in the last few years and so there may be a new kind of approach that, although it might well bring forth some dramatic and serious speeches, I certainly hope they will stick to talking about the movies first because. After all, this is turning out to be quite a special year in so many ways.

With the varied cross section of film makers and film making styles listed, the timely celebration of global cultural differences and the record number of female nominees across all categories this year, it should be celebrated for what it really is.

So as far as the answer to my earlier question of “how can anyone really decide which movie is best” goes, I would say that the answer to that is simply that as long as all of them are creating artistic discussion, social debate and, ultimately helping to change us for the better, then they simply are all equal winners.

Here are the nominees in the top 8 categories:

BEST PICTURE

— Black Panther

— BlacKkKlansman

— Bohemian Rhapsody

— The Favourite

— Green Book

— Roma

— A Star is Born

— Vice

BEST DIRECTOR

— Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman

— Pawel Pawlikowski – Cold War

— Yorgos Lanthimos – The Favourite

— Alfonso Cuaron – Roma

— Adam McKay – Vice

BEST ACTOR

— Christian Bale – Vice

— Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born

— Willem Dafoe – At Eternity’s Gate

— Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody

— Viggo Mortensen – Green Book

BEST ACTRESS

— Yalitza Aparicio – Roma

— Glenn Close – The Wife

— Olivia Coleman – The Favourite

— Lady Gaga – A Star is Born

— Melissa McCarthy – Can you ever forgive me?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

— Mahershala Ali – Green Book

— Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman

— Sam Elliott – A Star is Born

— Richard E. Grant – Can you ever forgive me?

— Sam Rockwell – Vice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

— Amy Adams – Vice

— Marina De Tavira – Roma

— Regina King – If Beale Street could Talk

— Emma Stone – The Favourite

— Rachel Weisz – The Favourite

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

— The Favourite

— First Reformed

— Green Book

— Roma

— Vice

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

— The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

— BlacKkKlansman

— Can you ever forgive me?

— If Beale Street Could talk

— A Star is Born

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