The second edition of the Oscar awards in ‘the covid era’ will be held on March 27 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
Netflix has led the list of nominations with The Power of the Dog (12 nominations) directed by Jane Campion, who became the first woman in history to be nominated twice in the best direction category. The streaming giant added a total of 36 applications with Don’t look up, The dark daughter and the documentary The hand of God. Another platform, Apple TV +, will return to the Oscars with CODA, the tape that it acquired at the Sundance festival and that competes for the statuette for best film.
The big studios also started the Oscar race. MGM earned its first best picture nomination in decades for Licorice Pizza. While Warner Bros. managed to position itself among the favorites with Dune and King Richard (both on HBO Max), with 10 and 6 nominations. West Side Story and Belfast earned seven nominations, while King Richard was nominated in six categories.
In addition to the absence of Dune director Denis Villeneuve from the best directors list (and the absence of African-American actresses), for the New York Times, this year had several slights, such as the absence of Lady Gaga and Jared Leto. “House of Gucci went completely bare on Tuesday as former winners Lady Gaga and Jared Leto were snubbed by the academy. Few performances this year were talked about more – both by the public and by the two actors themselves – and the red carpet will be a little smaller due to their absence.
But it was the opportunity for Kristen Stewart, Beyoncé and Kirsten Dunst to be nominated for the first time. Although Dunst would be more likely to star in The Power of the Dog, Stewart has been praised by critics for her portrayal of Lady Di.
Another favorite is Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. The actress who won the statuette for playing Virginia Woolf said that her current candidacy for Being the Ricardos is “more intense, more appreciated.” “I think because of what was involved in playing both roles and trying to play Lucy Ricardo and Lucille Ball, and just the magnitude of it. It felt like a huge undertaking, but it’s also just joy. I think everybody’s like, ‘Oh, well, you just pick and choose. No, it’s very much about a director choosing you to play a role. I am very lucky to have this role.”
Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem nominated
Spain yesterday celebrated the nomination of the actor couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos and Parallel Mothers, respectively. “They have reached this milestone,” wrote El País. Meanwhile, the actress said that she received the news of her nomination for best actress next to her husband. “Every time I have experienced it with incredible emotion, but today has been stronger for me. For being nominated together with Javier (Bardem), for being a film by Pedro (Almodóvar) and for the way of living that character. I need to process it, ”said the Madrid actress. “He didn’t react, I had to yell at him.”
Cruz thanked Almodóvar and added that the film also talks about memory. “I like that historical memory is present through Pedro’s message, that he can travel. In addition, he does it from a place that speaks of human rights and goes beyond political debates. Each person will be able to look at his history and find some lesson so as not to repeat the same mistakes. I would have been very excited to see Pedro among the directors, but he couldn’t be happier for us”. ❖