With just three days left for Academy members to submit their votes for the 2018 Oscar nominations Tuesday night found contenders working the room for support at multiple events across Los Angeles and New York.
At the London Hotel in West Hollywood, NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer and Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley saluted “Darkest Hour,” its Best Picture hopes revived thanks to nine BAFTA nominations, with star and Golden Globe winner Gary Oldman on hand. In New York a plethora of stars Tuesday night at the National Board of Review dinner where films such as “The Post,” “Get Out,” “Call Me By Your Name,” “The Florida Project” and “Lady Bird” were celebrated in one category or another.
Rachel Morrison becomes first female ASC Award Nominee for “Mudbound”
Back in Los Angeles, however, and just a five minute drive from The London, Netflix held a post-screening reception for Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” at the famed Chateau Marmont. The event was hosted by Sandra Bullock and Trevante Rhodes with Rees, her co-screenwriter Virgil Williams (well on their way to an Adapted Screenplay nomination), Garret Hedlund (heading to Sundance next week for the debut of “Burden”), Jason Clarke and Cinematographer Rachel Morrison, among others, enjoying the festivities.
Bullock, who looked as fierce as always, had a throng around her as she chatted with Blige (also, obviously, fierce), but I did get to chat with Morrison who was still in disbelief over her historic ASC Awards nomination earlier in the day. Morrison became the first woman to be nominated in the film category, but was disappointed that somehow not one other female was nominated in three TV categories (15 potential nominations).
Morrison said she found out about the recognition from her peers while on a tech scout for an upcoming project and that she’d also found out about her NYFCC win for Best Cinematography while doing the same thing. We joked that she should find a way to be doing yet another tech scout when the Oscar nominations are announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23 even if that meant being in the middle of nowhere at 5:30 AM.
I also asked her about her reunion with her “Fruitvale Station” collaborator Ryan Coogler on the upcoming blockbuster “Black Panther.” Morisson admitted that before she jumped into “Panther” the most CG she’d ever worked with before hand were some New York City backdrops in an indie (she also had just two weeks off between finishing the very indie budgeted “Mudbound” and segueing into the Marvel Studios tentpole). It was a whole new world, but she added Disney allowed both she and Coogler “to work in a very big sandbox.” Morrison also noted that the sometimes “bland” (my word, not hers) look you see in some Marvel movies has much more to do with shooting outside in Georgia than anything else. Unlike California, it can get overcast when its not optimal. Especially if you’re got a big set piece scheduled that day (it’s most notable during a big hanger sequence in “Captain America: Civil War”). Considering she had to light Atlanta for Africa it wasn’t always easy even knowing there would be digital backgrounds. That being said, she’s very happy with what they pulled off.
As consultants and studios scramble to put together last minute events before voting ends it should be noted Barry Jenkins held an event for Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” over the weekend and Wednesday night will find Tim Robbins hosting a screening and reception for Michael Showalter’s “The Big Sick.”
Academy voters have until 5 PM PT this Friday, January 12, to submit their nomination votes.
