The Snubs and Surprises of the 2020 Academy Award Nominations
“Joker” Takes Lead, Scarlett Gets Two Noms and “Rocketman” is Snubbed
By: Keaton Marcus
It’s the clown prince of crime all the way at the 2020 Academy Award nominations.
In this article, we will be covering the surprises and snubs of the 2020 Academy Award nominations.
Surprise: “Joker” Nabs Massive 11 Nominations, Takes Charge
Among the biggest surprises this year was Todd Phillips’ comic-book origin story Joker, which nabbed an impressive 11 nominations at the Academy Awards. This is not only a lot, but it’s the most noms any film has gotten this year, topping the ten earned by The Irishman, 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The categories include a Best Actor nod for Joaquin Phoenix, Best Picture, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Music (Original Score), Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. Our final projections sit at around 5-8 wins for the clown prince of crime.
Snub: “Rocketman” Mostly Shut Out
The first snub on our list was Elton John biopic Rocketman which took home one nomination, but was ignored in other categories. The good news is that it still got attention for the Music (Original Song) category for “I’m Gonna Love Me Again”, and it has a solid chance of winning. What was most disappointing was Taron Egerton’s lead performance being shut out for Best Actor, and also ignored from the Best Picture, or even Best Direction. Also, there’s nothing for Costume Design either, which would have been a nice steal for the film. Despite being far more acclaimed than 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, I still don’t see five noms and four wins. Our projection is that Rocketman will win for Music.
Double Surprise: Scarlett Johansson Gets Two Noms in One Year
We were expecting Scarlett Johansson to be nominated for one, but obviously not two categories in one year. Well, predictions were wrong. Johansson has been nominated for best Actress for her performance in Marriage Story (nominated for six), and as well as being recognized in Best Supporting Actress for satirical comedy Jojo Rabbit (also nominated for six). Both films have been critical hits, and Johansson certainly has a chance of coming home with at least one award, favorably the former, but who knows? The last time an actor was up for two in one was Cate Blanchett during the 80th Academy Awards, and our final projections stand at one win for Johansson, with more of a chance at Best Actress.
Double Snub: SNL Stars Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler Are Empty-Handed
A double snub has arrived! I’m talking about how SNL stars Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler both got utterly ignored at the nominations, including their respective films Dolemite is My Name and Uncut Gems which were supposed to be big players. Both very critically acclaimed, this was a huge disappointment. No Best Costume Design or Best Actor for the former and no Best Picture and Best Actor for the latter, it was a mess. This is especially since Uncut Gems is Sandler’s first well-received feature film since 2014, and that his performance received some serious praise. Otherwise, the situation is similar for Murphy, who’s had a bit of a critical slump as well.
Last and Big Surprise: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, “The Irishman” and “1917” All Tie for 10 Noms
If you haven’t seen enough surprises already, this one’s gonna shock you. Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Sam Mendes’ 1917 all garnered a whopping 10 nominations each. The first was up for Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino and Joe Pesci), Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design and even Visual Effects. The latter two were up for similar categories, but Hollywood was the only one out of the three to get nominated for both Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt). Our final predictions land at six wins for the first, four wins for the second, and four to six wins for the third!