Reel Corner - March 2018

12 Oscar Facts, Figures and Milestones
Academy Award Oscar’s Set for March 4th

Lucky 13? The Shape of Water is the tenth film in Oscar history to earn 13 nominations. The current record, which is 14 nominations, is held by three films: All about Eve (1951), Titanic (1998) and La La Land (2017).

Best Actor Mainstay: With his sixth Best Actor Oscar nomination, Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread) is now tied with Richard Burton for recognition in the category. Should he return from his retirement, he will need four more nominations to break Sir Laurence Olivier‘s record of nine.
Nearly Making Best Actor History: At age 22, Timothée Chalamet marks the third-youngest Best Actor nominee in Oscar history, trailing only the nine-year-old Jackie Cooper (Skippy) and 19-year-old Mickey Rooney (Babes in Arms).

Could Nearly Make Best Actress History: While Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) is not, at age 23, one of the all-time youngest nominees in the Best Actress catergory, she will be the fourth-youngest winner after 21-year-old Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God) and 22-year-olds Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) and Janet Gaynor for 7th Heaven and Sunrise, both in 1927.

Shattering a Record: At age 88, Best Supporting Actor nominee Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World) is the all-time oldest acting Oscar nominee, a record previously held by 87-year-old Gloria Stuart (Titanic).

First time since Bugsy: Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) are nominees this year in Best Supporting Actor. This is the first time a duo from the same picture has graced this category since Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley contended for Bugsy (1991).
Best Supporting Actress Favorite: Octavia Spencer’s nomination for The Shape of Water makes her the first performer to earn three Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations in a single decade since Cate Blanchett did so in the 2000s.

First Time is a Charm: Jordan Peele is the third person to earn Best Picture, Directing and Writing bids for his debut feature film as a director. Warren Beatty did so with Heaven Can Wait (1979), followed by James L. Brooks with Terms of Endearment (1984). Beatty shared the Directing and Writing nominations with Buck Henry.

Emmy favorites at the Oscars: Allison Janney (I, Tonya) and Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird) are the fourth and fifth Comedy Supporting Actress Emmy winners to earn Oscar nominations, following in the footsteps of Cloris Leachman (The Last Picture Show); Carol Kane (Hester Street); and Eileen Brennan (Private Benjamin).

Making History for Screenwriting: With her Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, Dee Rees (Mudbound) is the first African-American woman recognized in the category. Over in Best Original Screenplay, Jordan Peele (Get Out) is hoping to make some Oscar history as the first African-American winner in that category.

All Alone on Oscar Night: Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.); Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project); and Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World) represent the sole Oscar nominations for their films.

Back for More: Only three of last year’s Oscar acting nominees are up for recognition this year: Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.), nominated last year for Fences; Meryl Streep (The Post), who was a 2017 nominee for Florence Foster Jenkins; and Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water), recognized last year for Hidden Figures.

Sources: www.imbd.com, www.goldderby.com

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts­—especially films—she travels to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters—Coligny, Park Plaza and Northridge theaters. To support her habit of frequent movie going Donne is an executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.