31 flavors til Oscar nominations

by Nathaniel R

i tonya = pink bubblegum

I plan to eat my feelings all week long to close out 2017 and gain back every pound I lost in 2017. So on this 31st day before the Oscar nominations are announced, I'm thinking of 31 flavors (and then some) of ice cream. So let's reinterpret Baskin Robbins yumminess as this year's Oscar players...

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FYC: Lucas Hedges in "Lady Bird"

By Spencer Coile 

Lucas Hedges arrived last year with his performance in Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea. His portrayal of Patrick Chandler, a 16 year-old dealing with the loss of his father, was quickly lauded and showered with awards attention -- including a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He was only 20 at the time!

Now, Hedges is having another banner year with notable SAG nominated ensemble work in Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. While both films are prime Oscar consideration across the board, Hedges' work is being severely overlooked -- particularly his performance as Danny O'Neill in Lady Bird... 

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7 Makeup & Hairstyling Finalists. Where is _____ ?

by Nathaniel R

We can't be constrained by the now! Yesterday the Academy announced the 7 finalists hoping to nab one of the 3 nomination spots for Best Makeup and Hairstyling but we were too busy listing the past 35 (no 37) winners of this category to mention it. So here we are a day late without a stitch of makeup on to share / discuss and grouse about the exclusions. Join us after the jump won't you?

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70 Original Songs Eligible for Oscar

Chris here. Though the conversation around Oscar's Original Song category sways negative these days, there is the potential this year to have one of the strongest lineups in some time. And we now have the massive list of 70 tracks eligible this year to support that claim.

While there are the annual "huh?!" titles among the contenders, the lineup has some strong outsider fare like Patti Cake$, Step, and The Meyerowitz Stories. Among the things you won't see in the longlist are "I Get Overwhelmed" from A Ghost Story or "Cut to the Feeling" from Leap, as both of those weren't explicitly written for their films. Also two musicals, Coco and The Greatest Showman, are only eligible for their biggest tracks - however both remain likely players here, though curveballs should be expected in this category at all times.

Let's take a look at the eligible songs/films:

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Visual Effects Race Narrows Further

Chris here, with a quick update on the visual effects Oscar race. Two weeks ago this year's longlist of twenty eligible CGI wonders dropped but the VFX branch is already down to the next bake off round, slicing those contenders in half. Those not tough enough to stick around included many of the early year releases (like Beauty and the Beast and Logan) and every superhero film with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

But fear not, humble porg, for you and the fish nuns of The Last Jedi are still in the hunt. Here's the ten films that advance:

• Alien: Covenant
• Blade Runner 2049
• Dunkirk
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Kong: Skull Island
• Okja
• The Shape of Water
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
• War for the Planet of the Apes

Interesting to see smaller art house fare like Okja and The Shape of Water advance in a category that traditionally favors studio pictures. The win two years ago for Ex Machina (and to a much lesser extent last year's Deepwater Horizon nomination) suggests that supporting visual effects actually stand a chance against showier work. Along with the seemless, unflashy Dunkirk these make for curious potential nomination threats against the flashier sights of likely nominees Last Jedi and Apes. What five do you think are the eventual nominees?