Breaking Down the 2020 Oscar Nominations

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences looked to the past for its 2020 Oscar nominations, favoring nostalgic throwbacks from established masters (The Irishman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), handsome works set during the World Wars (Jojo Rabbit, 1917), and a comic-book movie rooted in the gritty crime dramas of the 1970s. In fact, Todd Phillips’s Joker received the most nods of the day with 11, encapsulating an Oscars already defined by controversy, in part because it nominated just one actor of color and an all-male Best Director lineup.

There were some bright spots, perhaps the most heartening being the tremendous. It received six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Astonishingly, it was the to even receive an International Feature nod, but after a year of critical acclaim and strong ticket sales, also managed to vault into the main category, where it is a threat to win. The Best Picture favorites, however, appear to be Quentin Tarantino’s and Sam Mendes’s