What a crazy awards season this has been.
The Producers Guild of America furthered the crazy this afternoon by announcing its nominees. The PGA are the absolute best precursor for the Picture Oscar race.
And the nominees are:
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
The Whale
First of all, it’s safe to say that Banshees, Top Gun, EEAAO, The Fabelmans, and Tàr are our top five. Also, no female directed movies. Will “Women in Film” make another statement?
Will Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Glass Onion now get Oscar nominated? Many are still skeptical. I’d say, of the two, Glass Onion stands the best shot.
I’ve had a feeling, for several months, that Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” would fail on its quest to get Best Picture nominated. This afternoon the PGA snubbed Polley’s film. It can still get in, but it’s now a more difficult road ahead.
“The Whale” getting in is surprising. There’s a lot of passion for that movie though, it’s being driven by what people are calling the “Brenaissance” and as of right now nothing has stopped its movement on tracks.
“The Woman King” and “Babylon” also snubbed. I think they’re now officially dead. PGA voters preferred “Wakanda Forever” more than it did “The Woman King.”
Finally, a huge boost for James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” It’s probably right now a #6 or #7.