Amy Adams and Aaron Taylor-Johnson may not be having their best Tuesday morning. Mel Gibson, on the other hand, might be.
Adams, whose intense performance in “Arrival” was a major reason the film did well at the box office and even better with critics, failed to garner a best actress Oscar nomination on Tuesday, when the Academy made the announcements. The film, though, was nominated in the best picture category.
Like Adams, Taylor-Johnson was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in “Nocturnal Animals.” Unlike Adams, he won, which makes his exclusion from the Academy’s list of best actor nominees all the more curious. While the film had a decent-to-good reaction from critics, it fell far short of the response received by other best picture nominees, which probably didn’t help Johnson’s cause. It also proves again that while the Globes are considered a precursor for the Academy Awards, they are in no way a guarantee of Oscar success.
In a mild surprise, Tom Hanks, who was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of “Miracle on the Hudson” hero Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, didn’t garner a nomination. Same for Joel Edgerton, for “Loving.”
Annette Bening, also nominated for a Golden Globe, had a shot at an Oscar nomination for “20th Century Women” — that didn’t happpen. There was also talk that Martin Scorsese could squeeze into the best director category for “Silence,” which came out in limited release in late December and probably didn’t have time to build any momentum. Tom Ford, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work on “Nocturnal Animals,” was also shut out, despite the film winning a Grand Jury Prize last year at the Venice Film Festival.
And completing what has to be one of the great comebacks in Hollywood history, Gibson was nominated for best director for his intense World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge,” which was also nominated for best picture. The film’s star, Andrew Garfield, garnered a best actor nod for his portrayal of conscientious objector Desmond T. Doss, the army medic who refused to carry a gun, yet saved 75 soldiers during the battle of Okinawa.
The Academy Awards happen Feb. 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Reading this on your phone? Stay up to date on Bay Area and Silicon Valley news with our new, free mobile app. Get it from the Apple app store or the Google Play store.
