By Danny Gutmann
Troy Kotsur has become the first deaf man to claim an Oscars nomination for his role in CODA while Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog lead’s the way with 12 nominations.
Film critic Ben Rolph from Discussing Film and Screen Rant spoke to Quays Media about the surprises, his top picks and his predictions for the winners later this month.
After watching the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, he said: “As always, there were many surprises and snubs throughout the nominations announcement.
“There’s something so exhilarating about watching the live announcement and reacting to the shocks.”
Although predictable in certain categories, he was pleased to see certain films gain the recognition they deserved.
He said: “Many films were awarded that truly deserved recognition, like The Worst Person in the World, Licorice Pizza and Nightmare Alley.
“Delightfully The Worst Person in the World scored a Best Original Screenplay nomination, Nightmare Alley got into Best Picture, Drive My Car received Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture and thankfully, Kristen Stewart got Best Actress, along with Penelope Cruz surprising.
He has tipped Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley to perform well next month: “Cinematography-wise, Nightmare Alley has proven to be beloved amongst members, but as voting opens up to the Academy’s entire voting membership.”