Oscar snobs and surprises: Daniel Craig is missing; Fernanda Torres Scores

When the Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning, “Emilia Pérez” and other films had something to sing about. But which potential suitors were greeted with sad paperclips? As a projectionist, here is my analysis of the biggest surprises and omissions of the morning.

Daniel Craig misses a nomination for best actor.

What must Daniel Craig do to receive his first Oscar nomination? Typically, academy members love it when a well-respected movie star goes against the grain, but Craig’s portrayal of a lovesick addict in “Queer” has always been overlooked: in a tight race for the spot final for best actor, Sebastian Stan (“The Apprentice”) landed the job instead. The first sign that Craig was in trouble came when his British contemporaries at their academy, BAFTA, failed to nominate him .Oscar voters didn’t managed to take over Maybe the surreal, sexually charged “Queer” was just too difficult for awards season.

Oscar voters choose Trump.

It was initially a rocky ride for the Donald J. Trump biopic, “The Apprentice,” which failed to find a major studio buyer after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, despite bringing in two stars, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Although the Trump team’s threats of legal action did not materialize, American moviegoers were not eager to come see “The Apprentice”: the film did much better abroad, raking in 13 million dollars abroad, compared to a meager $4 million in the United States. Still, the film rebounded on Thursday, earning a leading actor Oscar nomination for Stan’s Trump and a supporting actor nomination for Jeremy Strong as his mentor, lawyer and fixer Roy Cohn. How soon will Trump himself decide on the results?

The race for the best photo had some last minute surprises in store.

Just when it seemed like the Best Picture category was settled, Oscar voters looked to mix things up. Contenders like “A Real Pain,” “Sing Sing” and “September 5” were expected to vie for the final two spots for best picture, which instead went to Brazilian film “I’m Still Here” and the acclaimed by critics “Nickel Boys” – although “Nickel Boys” was passed over for a film nomination despite its astonishing first-person perspective. Yet at least the three films snubbed for Best Picture appeared elsewhere: all were nominated in the screenplay categories, while “Sing Sing” star Colman Domingo and “A Real Pain” supporting actor Kieran Culkin also scored nominations.

The Golden Globes are truly back.

After a few years of scandals that put the Golden Globes on the ropes, the influence of this awards body was felt everywhere in the Oscar nominations. Would “I’m Still Here” have outperformed – earning nominations for film, international film and lead actress Fernanda Torres – if Torres hadn’t won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama right before the long Oscar voting process begins? Would Demi Moore be considered an Oscar frontrunner if she hadn’t given such a dynamic speech at the Golden Globes? Even though the Globes don’t always do well, it’s hard to beat the impact of a televised awards show moment, and Oscar strategists will be eager to repeat those victories next season. Not bad for a ceremony that Hollywood has banded together to take off the airwaves in 2022.