A Few Silver Linings to Yesterday's Oscar Nominations

Yesterday I wrote about how all the Oscar nominations in the acting categories were given to white actors. I mentioned that it reminded me of 2011 when all the acting nominations went to white performers as well. What I didn't realize until today is that this is actually the second year in a row that this has happened. Although the lack of diversity is disappointing, I want to point out a few silver linings to Thursday's Oscar nominations.

1. An action movie is nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. Action movies don't get enough love from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The critically acclaimed ones sometimes get nominated in the tech categories ('The Matrix' is a good example), but are usually ignored for the Best Picture and Best Director slots. I'm still complaining about the snubs of 'The Dark Knight.' Was 'Frost/Nixon' more deserving of a Best Picture nomination over one of the most exciting action movies of all time? When was the last time you ever had a conversation with someone about 'Frost/Nixon'? The cultural impact of 'The Dark Knight' is far greater than most of the other movies nominated in 2009. 'Mad Max: Fury Road's spot in the Best Picture category was a really big deal because it was the first action movie since 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' to get a Best Picture nomination. Thursday was also the first time since 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' that an action movie was nominated for Best Director. 

2. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' did not get nominated for Best Picture. I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' on the Best Picture list yesterday. I was worried that its huge box office success and Disney's campaigning skills would have landed the film a spot in that category. I had quite a few issues with the sequel. All the fun bickering in the original movies between Leia and Han Solo was completely gone in this one. The chemistry between actors Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher was wasted in episode 7. There was also not enough build-up to the fact that Kylo Ren is their son. The revelation about Luke's father was so exciting because the truth was revealed after about two movies (this scene happens 1 hour and 52 minutes into 'The Empire Strikes Back'). Kylo Ren's identity felt like a cheap twist. That being said, I'll still go see episode 8 opening weekend. I'm looking forward to watching a movie that actually has Luke Skywalker in it.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio will finally win that Oscar. I think it's pretty obvious that Leonardo DiCaprio is the front runner in the Best Actor category for the drama 'The Revenant.' It's hard to believe, but he has yet to win an Academy Award, despite being the lead actor in two Best Picture ('Titanic' and 'The Departed') winners. He's been nominated six times (five for acting and one for producing), and in my opinion, he's been snubbed twice. The Academy should have nominated him in the Best Supporting Actor category for 'Django Unchained.' I also think that he should have received a Best Actor nomination for his work in the movie 'Revolutionary Road.' The internet will miss making fun of Leonardo DiCaprio over his lack of Oscar statuettes, but it's probably time that he gets one.