The Favourite - 10 nominations

Best Picture, Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos

Actress in a Leading Role, Olivia Colman
Actress in a Supporting Role, Emma Stone
Actress in a Supporting Role, Rachel Weisz
Cinematography, Robbie Ryan
Costume Design, Sandy Powell
Directing, Yorgos Lanthimos
Film Editing, Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Production Design, Fiona Crombie (Production Design); Alice Felton (Set Decoration)
Writing (Original Screenplay), Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara

GIRRRRRLLLLLLL FIIIIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHHTTTTTT!

England is at war and Queen Anne is ill with spiraling mental health.  Her childhood friend and lady lover Lady Sarah has positioned herself as the Queen's bestie, her spokesperson, and the de facto head of government.  They are as close as two women could be, and Lady Sarah is the sole person in Anne's life who speaks truth to power.  Sarah's cousin Abigail arrives on scene in search of employment having lived through severe abuse and loss of status and wealth.  Sarah takes pity on Abigail and finds for her a place in court, but not a great place.  Abigail is no dummy, and her manipulative ways get her in good with the Queen, at her service in - ahem - every way.  The two women vie for Anne's affections and for the power that comes with being the Queen's favorite.

The performances in this film are so good, but Olivia Colman is an incredible standout.  Without a word, she goes from elation to exasperation to sadness to despair.  She is easily manipulated and insightful and wise.  To see Colman win this nomination as a long working but rarely leading actor, it reflects the best of what The Academy can do with a truly exceptional performance.  Her always good peers in Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are very nearly dwarfed by Colman's Anne.

Of course with period pieces, well done costumes and production design are almost destined for nomination, but I highly recommend paying attention to both when watching the film.  The designs are gorgeous but also intricate and clever.  So much so that you leave the film with a premonition of Oscars noms.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Yorgos Lanthimos movies are not for everyone.  They are always a little bit twisted and sometimes very weird.  I discovered Lanthimos with his first Oscar nomination with the Greek film Dogtooth.  (SEE IT.)  I continued my devotion with The Lobster, and this film completes the perfect trifecta.  The Favourite is the most mainstream of his narrative films, but his signature strange peeks through.  If you're a Lanthimos person, you'll love this film.  I sure did.

Jodi's Oscars Blog - Year 5!

Welcome back to Year 5 of Jodi's Oscars Blog!

Today is always the first day, and yes, I have woken up at 5 a.m. to watch the announcements live at 5:20.  To quote Kumail Nanjiani, "I asked why we don't start at 5:15 and they say, no, that would be way too early."  (Way to go Kumail and Tracee Ellis Ross for a great job hosting this morning.) Thank you to all of you who have reached out to express excitement for another year of reviews.  It truly makes me so happy when someone says, "I wait all year for your reviews," or "I went to see this film on your recommendation, and I loved it."  Who knew that my lifelong obsession with the Oscars would bring so many friends together. 

Big news! This year, I'll be adding a Facebook Live component in which I will talk about one category at a time.  I hope you'll watch (and be kind, I'm no "on camera talent!")

Some quick thoughts about the nominees in general.

For those of you shouting, "Gaga, go get your Oscar," I hasten to remind you that Glenn Close is now the most nominated actor ever without having actually won an Oscar.  Seriously, Glenn Close has never won an Oscar.  Never mind that The Wife was a badass performance, the Academy doesn't like to let aging pros go into that good night without a win (not that Close is even close to dying nor would it be a pity Oscar!).  I know most people haven't seen that film, but you should if you want a Master Class in acting.  Having said all that, A Star is Born is now 4 for 4 on getting Oscars nominations for the actress playing the ingenue.  (and yes, I'll never get the time back on the rabbit hole that took me down - so I'll share my question with you... how many actors have been nominated for the same role for the same basic film/remake?  Off you go, fellow nerds.)

It's exciting to see Spike Lee nominated for what I think is his best film (yes, I liked most of his others).  I would like to see him take this category, though I suspect stopping the Roma train would be a lot like trying to stop a, well, train.  I'm a little shocked that Bradley Cooper wasn't nominated for Director, but when you look at the films in the category, he got shut out by some pretty impressive candidates.

This is the year of the Foreign Films!  Roma, Cold War, Never Look Away, and Border all busted through other categories usually restricted to North American films.  (Though Sweden has been on a tear with Makeup and Hairstyling, this year is no exception.) 

The final interesting thing about the nominees this year is that there is a lot of love spread throughout a number of films.  There are only 52 films nominated (sometimes goes as high as 60ish), and 8 of these films have 5 or more nominations.  That should make whittling down your list much easier this year, with The Favourite and Roma leading the pack at 10 each.  No spoilers, but there were an awful lot of terrific movies to see this year, so look for me to be a very positive reviewer in the next few weeks.

Welcome back to the blog, and thank you again for tuning in and let's get to it, movie lovers!