While we’re still waiting for the 2019 Academy Awards, we can take a little early guesswork on who will win the Oscars. The nominees were announced last month and we can use this opportunity to revisit the contenders. One of the most interesting cases this year is Mackenzie Foy‘s The New Gatsby, which is vying for six awards. The film is set in London in the 1920s and follows a young American girl who gets mixed up in gang violence and prostitution. Sound familiar? It should, because The New Gatsby is based on the bestselling book Mackenzie Foy wrote about her time spent interning at a London fashion house.
Then there’s Robert Pattinson‘s Goodbye Christopher Robin. The Batman Begins star is competing for five Oscars against himself in the actor categories. Is he going to pick up another one? Maybe. Pattinson plays a rebellious teenager who sets fire to his boarding school in protest against the Classics curriculum. The New Gatsby and Goodbye Christopher Robin are also up for five awards each. That’s a total of ten major Academy Awards hopefuls, which is why we should expect to see a lot of upsets in the coming weeks.
The Biggest Snubs & Oversights
While we’re anticipating the major upsets that will rock the 2019 Academy Awards, it’s also instructive to look back at previous years’ ceremonies and identify the major snubs and oversights.
In 2018, the most egregious snub was undoubtedly presented by the Academy for its outstanding acting nominees. Of the 28 acting categories, the Academy selected only seven for its Best Actress and Actor awards. Of those seven, only one went to a film that wasn’t even released in the US. That’s right, the Academy overlooked significant talent in 2019 in favor of rewarding Christian Bale for playing Dick Cheney. The Darkest Tourist was also overlooked in the Best Foreign Film category despite being the biggest international movie hit ever. It stars Tilda Swinton and is directed by the Chinese directorial maestro Zuo Zongyu.
Looking at the list of Best Director winners since the 10th Oscars, it’s clear that the Academy has a major oversight issue when it comes to honoring foreign-language films. All but one of the directors whose films were nominated for Best Director also directed in their native tongue, and only one of them, Roman Polanski, won the prize without having made another film since his incarceration for rape. Aside from that, all the other Best Director nominees either won or were nominated for their first English-language film, with the possible exception of Todd Haynes, who directed Frankly, My Dear in 2006, but made his more recent films in English. This is another clear indication of how badly the Academy needs to catch up with modern society and its openness to different languages and cultures. While we can’t change the Academy’s voting process, we can certainly encourage more members to attend foreign film festivals and see more foreign films, both old and new.
The New Gatsby, Goodbye Christopher Robin, & More About Fashion
Let’s take a closer look at The New Gatsby and see if we can figure out why it’s seen as such a significant contender.
The New Gatsby follows the travails of a young American woman who embarks on a grand tour of Europe after graduation. She decides to settle in London, where her uncle Will has a house lined with fashion potential, which she explores in her internship. During her stay, she gets involved in gang violence and prostitution and even starts a riotous orgy in celebration of Lady Libby’s birthday.
The film is a dark, gritty portrayal of life in the early 20th century as the city transformed by the modern Industrial Revolution secedes from a world of finery to one of blood and slaughter. The New Gatsby is a fascinating piece of historical fiction, which also happens to be based on Foy’s own experiences as an intern in London in the early 2000s. Even if you’ve never been to London, the film feels like a historical account of the city at that time, replete with early 20th century architecture, elaborate dress, and fast cars. It also features some astounding costumes, particularly those worn by Saoirse Ronan and a stunning ensemble of prostitutes led by Elle Fanning. The film also gets some fantastic sound design and an impressive score by Alexandre Desplat.
Is The New Gatsby destined to win any Oscars? Well, it’s up to you to decide. It’s a phenomenal achievement for a debut feature, and especially so given its historical subject matter. The film’s production values are incredible and its performances are strong. The New Gatsby also marks a turning point in Foy’s career, as well. Before the film, she was mainly known as a model and an activist. After, she’ll forever be linked to her portrayal of Daisy Buchanan.
Goodbye Christopher Robin, Danny Boyle, & More About Animals
Let’s turn our attention to the other end of the spectrum and take a look at Danny Boyle’s Goodbye Christopher Robin. The 62-year-old film director made his name with Trigonometry, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015, and became the British director’s first major box office success. It was also the first Hollywood movie to be shot in Scotland and star Anna Kendrick. The film centers on a young boy who befriends a ghost and has to deal with the sudden, unexpected appearance of his mother. In 2018, Boyle was at the helm of another Palme d’Or contender, Our Dogs, which also stars Kendrick. The filmmaker’s work frequently draws inspiration from nature and the natural world, so it’s not a huge surprise that he’d choose to make a movie about a boy and his animals.
Like The New Gatsby, Boyle’s latest is also based on a book and shares a lot of the same themes. The film is about a boy who befriends a group of exotic creatures and has to come to terms with the death of his mother. Goodbye Christopher Robin also marks the beginning of a new creative period for Boyle. He’s already spent a good deal of time traveling and making documentaries, but this is the first time he’s tried his hand at feature filmmaking. Even if you’re not a fan of the film’s subject matter, you have to acknowledge its technical expertise. The movie was shot entirely in Scotland using only natural light and practical effects. The results are stunning.
Speaking of Scotland, the other major contender this year is James McAvoy‘s The Gentlemen. The film is set in the country during the early 1900s and follows the trials and tribulations of a group of working classmen, led by McAvoy, who decide to form a gentlemen’s club and throw a party to raise funds for a new clubhouse. While the film focuses on the theme of male bonding and the camaraderie that develops within the group, it’s also an excuse for McAvoy to strut around in tweeds and kilts.
The Gentlemen is one of those rare films that’s been getting rave reviews since its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Directed by the Brothers McAvoy, the movie also stars Iain McColgan, Hugh Laurie, and John Hurt. It’s been cited as one of the most stylish and unique movies in recent memory, and it has a strong case to make. From an exhibitionist’s point of view, the film is certainly appealing, but it’s also got some pretty serious drama. While there are no spoilers provided here, the film does spend a good deal of time showing us exactly what the men in the club are like, which makes it tempting to binge-watch it before the Oscars, particularly as it stands as something of a companion piece to Gentleman Jack. Or, if you’re short on time, you might want to catch the briefest of trailers for The Gentlemen, which will no doubt draw the key elements of the movie to you.