Saoirse Ronan and Greta Gerwig on set of ‘Lady Bird’. © A24
Oh the mighty Award Season! In the second half of every year, fans of cinema everywhere, long forgotten their sufferings in the first half, start to say: “I wish Award Season was here already!”. And then before we know it, it’s here! Oh no… Our favourites are losing. Everyone is angry at each other. Non-Americans are staying up all night to watch red carpets just to see their favourites for 5 seconds then to suffer through bad jokes in award shows themselves. And then before you know it 2-3 awards have passed, three weeks till next one. “We needed a break.” says the fans of cinema, oh no they forgot their suffering and ask “It’s been a week c’mon when’s the next one?!” and the circle of life keeps going until the Oscars. Everyone is exhausted by then, friendships are torn, predictions are off the roof! And then, whoever wins wins. Everyone goes to bed and sleeps off the season exhaustion for 14 hours, wakes up next morning saying: “Did I dream that or did Annette Benning’s husband actually announced Best Picture wrong?”
Well don’t worry, Much Ado is here to give you a little bit of help in this award season of surprises. Here are eight films from some of this season’s best nominees to help you pass the time and help with withdrawals!
1. Saoirse Ronan, Best Actress Nominee for Lady Bird
Irish actress Saiorse Ronan (or as RuPaul says Sir Shaw Ronan) is only 23 but already has two Oscar nominations for “Best Supporting Actress” for her role in Atonement and “Best Lead Actress” for last year’s Brooklyn. If award season so far is any prediction, she will be receiving her third nomination of Greta Gerwig’s directional debut for her titular role in Lady Bird. So far Ronan has won many awards for her role, including “Best Actress in a Comedy” at Golden Globes.
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: Brooklyn
2. Guillermo Del Toro, Best Director Nominee
Del Toro is a man who needs no introduction. Mexican auteur has been doing films for more than twenty years and although he got himself an Oscar nomination for his Pan’s Labyrinth screenplay, his achievements in directing had been unnoticed by popular awards, up until The Shape of Water. It took a fairytale-like human female/fish man love story to finally get him the attention he’s deserved for a long time and he’s won many awards so far for his directing in the film, including a Golden Globe and Critics Choice, which makes him the strongest contender for the Oscar.
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: The Devil’s Backbone or Crimson Peak
3. Michael Stuhlbarg, Best Supporting Actor Nominee
Key to making a successful film: Put Stuhlbarg in it. He’s in not only one, not two, but three award contenders this year: Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water and The Post. He may not be getting as many nominations and wins for his supporting role in the first one, but he’s certainly called the most snubbed actor of the season and everyone’s favourite underdog for the Oscars. We don’t know of Stuhlbarg will melt the cold stoned hearts of Academy voters with his performance, but he already makes us wish he was our dad.
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: A Serious Man.
4. Sally Hawkins, Best Actress Nominee
Although it may seem to many that Sally Hawkins appeared out of thin air, the British actress has been around for a long time. She won a Golden Globe for her lead performance in Mike Leigh’s Happy Go Lucky (and went on to become one of the three actresses to win a Golden Globe and not get an Oscar nomination) and got a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance in Blue Jasmine. But it took the actress, who hates being on the spotlight, to play a mute janitor who falls in love with a fish man to get to spotlight. Her ethereal and moving performance in The Shape of Water is a favourite amongst critics and us.
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: Happy Go Lucky
5. Christopher Plummer, Best Supporting Actor Nominee
♪ The hills are alive / With the sound of music / With songs they have sung / For a thousand years / The hills fill my heart / With the sound of music / My heart wants to sing ev’ry song it hears ♪
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: Beginners
6. Luca Guadagnino, Best Director Nominee
Luca Guadagnino and sensuality go hand in hand. From the exuberant I Am Love to the swooning-worthy romanticism of Call Me By Your Name, Guadagnino’s films promise a full sensory experience beyond the eyes and ears, possessing a transportive quality that can make even the chilliest of cinemas radiate the heat of the Italian summer. His peachy masterpiece Call Me By Your Name has been garnering awards for its star Timothée Chalamet, but Guadagnino has been notably absent from directing nominations. Hopefully, the Academy will recognise his achievement in crafting one of the most beautiful love stories in recent memory.
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: I Am Love
7. Timothee Chalamet, Best Actor Nominee
It’d not be wrong to say Timothee Chalamet is the most talked about actor of the season. The young actor has been acting since he was twelve years old. The young boy in Interstellar? That’s him! But he came to everyone’s attention with his role Elio in Call Me By Your Name. Since the film’s premiere in Sundance, the actor’s name has been on everyone’s lips as the strongest contender for Best Actor. His emotional and sensual performance stole everyone’s heart and soul. Hopefully many awards and a great career awaits him.
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: Miss Stevens
7. Greta Gerwig, Best Director Nominee
She’s Greta Gerwig. We love her. Have you seen our website’s header?
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: Frances Ha
8. Willem Dafoe, Best Supporting Actor Nominee
When you google Willem Dafoe, the definition of iconic comes up (at least for us). He’s not only one of the greatest actors of our time but also one of the most well known faces. Is it possible to find a young adult who will see his face and not immediately say “Green Goblin!”? It is no wonder that Sean Baker, the most underrated director of the season, chose Dafoe for the role of Bobby in The Florida Project. He has the Oscar nomination in the bag, and hopefully a win!
Much Ado Must Watch Suggestion: Death Note. We’re kidding, it’s Spider Man. No no seriously, it’s Platoon
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