Best Picture Nominees: BlacKkKlansman


Eight films have been nominated for Best Picture this year. I will be taking a look at each of the nominees leading up to the big awards on February 24.

BlacKkKlansman
Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, and Ryan Eggold
Directed By: Spike Lee
Total Nominations: 6
Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Driver), Best Director (Lee), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score
About: This film was released during the summer to strong reviews, and that's carried over to award season. The film was recognized at the Golden Globes, has been recognized by many other awards and critic associations, and ended up with six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Lee was also recognized for his work on the film, directing and co-writing. And Driver was the sole actor recognized for the film. But what is the best chance for this movie to win at least one Oscar? Well, that's an interesting question. I don't think this will win Best Picture. It has a chance, but I'd see it near the bottom of the eight nominees in terms of odds. In the Supporting Actor Race Driver isn't a front-runner, but he's got a decent chance. So that's a possibility. That sums up my feelings for Lee in the directing race, too. He's got a chance, but I'd expect that award to likely go else where. In fact, that's probably the case for most of the awards where "BlacKkKlansman" is nominated. I feel like the film's best chance at an award might be in the screenplay category, especially if voters want to spread the love a bit. It's also possible this ends up as a well regarded film with many nominations and no awards on February 25. For my part I enjoyed the film and the performances for the most part, though the final act sort of went flat for me. This is based on a true story set in the town I live, and I was disappointed Lee didn't make more of an effort to actually film here or even make it look like Colorado instead of upstate New York, where he chose to shoot. I also was a bit disappointed to learn after the fact that filmmakers made so many changes to the real life events.
Rating: R for language throughout, including racial epithets, and for disturbing/violent material and some sexual references.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

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