While I wake up super early every day of my life for work, there is something special about waking up early on the official day of Oscar nominations! 

It seems that, every so often, the awards circuit are faced with so many challenges with equality, and rightly so. A few years back, saw the campaign of #oscarssowhite take form. In 2018, today and now, amidst all the controversy and cultural change happening around the world, its finally time for women in the entertainment world to take their rightful place beside the men, thanks to such efforts as #metoo and #timesup.

So without further ado, here is the full list of nominees for the 90th Academy Awards (with a little commentary on my end), airing March 4th 2018 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

BEST PICTURE

Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST DIRECTOR

Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

BEST ACTRESS

Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post 

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: This is Meryl’s twenty-first Oscar nomination. I don’t know what that is, but, I just wanted to leave this right here. In addition to the Oh-so-great Meryl, is the next in line, Ms. Jessica Chastain, who could have easily knocked Robbie or Streep off this list for her powerful and wrought performance of Molly Bloom in Aaron Sorkin’s electric Molly’s Game. ALSO, since Amy Adams was not nominated for her powerful role in Arrival last year, does the Academy want to include on this list, just for the heck of it?

BEST ACTOR

Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: This is Denzel’s ninth nomination, while he faces off against the Actor who has the most wins in this category, Daniel Day-Lewis, with three wins. Oldman has only been nominated twice, which, given his filmography and acting history, is a shock in itself. Kaluuya and Chalamet are rookies in the category and both very deserving of their nominations. This year, unlike last year, which saw Ryan Gosling and Casey Affleck facing off, should be one of the easiest categories to predict.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: This is one category come Oscar night that I think will be a shock. While the majority of the major awards have been going in Allison Janney’s direction for her morbid yet hysterical role in I,Tonya, the race has always been between Janney and Laurie Metcalf. NOW, with what I think is one of the most deserving surprises of the year, with the inclusion of Lesley Manville for her role in PTA’s Phantom Thread, the race is pushed wide open and the race for the winner does not seem all that certain now.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: Easily the BIGGEST SNUB and my biggest peeve this year (not as bad as last year’s Amy Adam’s snub for Arrival…but) was Armie Hammer for his magnetic turn as Oliver in Call Me By Your Name. It is was up to me, Hammer easily competes with favourites Dafoe, Jenkins, Rockwell and Harrelson. What makes the snub even more disheartening is the fact that Christopher Plummer took his only spot. While we are HUGE fans of our fellow Canadian Plummer, his turn in Scott’s All The Money in the World is not Oscar caliber acting, and it isn’t hard to see that the Academy is making a statement in so many ways in recognizing the role that once belonged to a recently discovered sex offender and sexual predator. To put the icing on the cake, if it was not enough, Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays Elio’s father Mr.Perlman in Call Me By Your Name, single handedly has my favourite moment and scene in cinema in 2017 with a closing monologue between him and Elio that will give you chills. Stuhlbarg, who is quickly becoming this decade’s John Goodman (the Best Picture Actor Good Luck Charm) currently stars in one third of the Best Picture nominations this year with Call Me by Your Name, The Post and The Shape of Water. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Big Sick
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: Easily, one of the hardest and most complex categories of the year. I won’t be making my decision on this one until the day of for sure. Here is how I would describe it; The Big Sick is the most overrated script of 2017; Get Out is the most mandatory script of 2017; Lady Bird is the most nostalgic and dreamy script of 2017; The Shape of Water is the safest script of the year, while Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is the most ballsy script of 2017. Which will the Academy reward?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Call Me By Your Name
The Disaster Artist
Logan
Molly’s Game
Mudbound

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: While the original category is easily one of the most overwhelming categories of the year, adapted is one of the most underwhelming. While there are two easy front runners for the category, it is great to see Logan nominated for something this year, even if it doesn’t serve as a commemoration for Hugh Jackman and his contribution to the comic book film over the last two decades.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: Probably one of the easiest categories of the year? Or will COO of Pixar John Lasseter jeopardize this amazing cultural Mexican gem?

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Mighty River,” Mudbound
“Mystery of Love,” Call Me By Your Name

“Remember Me,” Coco
“Stand Up for Something,” Marshall
“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: Marshall’s Stand Up For Something is definitely this year’s Jim: The James Foley’s Story’s The Empty Chair.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Abacus (Small Enough to Jail)
Faces/Places
Icarus
Last Men in Aleppo
Strong Island

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

“Eden and Eddie”
“Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405”
“Heroin/e”
“Knife Skills”
“Traffic Stop”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A Fantastic Woman-Chile
The Insult-Lebanon
Loveless-Russia
On Body and Soul-Hungary
The Square-Sweden

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: Many people suspected In The Fade to be on this list, but the foreign language category has been historically known for flipping things on its head and always nominated some obscure foreign films, which is great, otherwise audience wouldn’t discover such gems, like Japan’s Departures in 2008. You can bet I will be watching all of these before March 4th.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Darkest Hour
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: I mean, does Wonder really deserve a nomination? It isn’t that bad. Its a much bigger and better step that when the Academy nominated Jackass: Bad Grandpa in this category. Yes, that was real life. If you don’t believe me, look it up!

BEST FILM EDITING

Baby Driver
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: It was so great to actually see Baby Driver in this category, one of the most deserving films in this spot, easily, of course alongside Christopher Nolan’s wartime epic Dunkirk. 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Blade Runner 2049
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: Kong: Skull Island? Did ANYONE see that one coming?

BEST SHORT FILM — LIVE ACTION

“Dekalb Elementary”
“The Eleven O’Clock”
“My Nephew Emmett”
“The Silent Child”
“Watu Wote/All of Us”

BEST SHORT FILM — ANIMATED

“Dear Basketball”
“Garden Party”
“Lou”
“Negative Space”
“Revolting Rhymes”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Dunkirk
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: This is easily one of the categories this year that is inherited by absolute masterclass geniuses. Bravo!

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Mudbound
The Shape of Water

Thoughts/Snubs/Surprises: With the nomination for Mudbound, this marks the first time that a woman is nominated in the Cinematography category, which is far and beyond a historical achievement, regardless of whether Rachel Morrison wins or not. Since Morrison has set the stage, history might also be made on that night for the impeccable and deserving Mr.Roger Deakins, who makes Leonardo Di Caprio’s Oscar hunger look measly in comparison. Deakins has been nominated for FOURTEEN Oscars and has yet to win one! Also just remember people, this is the same guy who shot The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Prisoners, Sicario and of course Skyfall! If there is one man deserving of that Oscar March 4th, its him! Lets not let the man wait any longer for this deserving accolade please and thank you Academy.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Victoria & Abdul

BEST SOUND EDITING

Baby Driver
Blade runner
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars :The Last Jedi

BEST SOUND MIXING

Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi