This year’s Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning.
With the nominees hot off the press, The Show invited Phoenix Critics Circle President Monte Yazzie to the studio for some instant analysis.
Full conversation
DINGMAN: All right so, Monte, we are talking on a record-setting day for the Oscars. I think we should start there — 16 nominations for Ryan Coogler's "Sinners."
YAZZI: It's a wonderful film, and to see Ryan Coogler get his praise is pretty great.
DINGMAN: Yes. It does seem to me like there is one surprise within the unsurprise of the film getting so much recognition, which is a best supporting actor nomination for Delroy Lindo.
YAZZI: Oh, Delroy's so good in this film. And I was really rooting for him from the beginning. I thought Delroy should get some acknowledgement for his work in this film. He has one scene that I tell people in "Sinners" is still on my brain. And the fact that he does such an amazing job in that movie, but really does define what the movie's about in one scene is ... it's just a statement to the caliber of actor he is.
DINGMAN: Which scene?
YAZZI: It's a scene where he's sitting in the back of a car talking about his experience. Like in that time period.
[MOVIE CLIP PLAYS]
YAZZI: You know, he's the elder in the group and has seen a terrible life. "Sinners" takes place in 1930s Mississippi, with the Jim Crow South still at its peak. You have a diverse group of people — African American, Asian American — that are trying to make it ahead in America and get beyond the racism that's happening at the time.
And for two young brothers, two twin brothers who are veterans of a war, they come back to their old stomping grounds to start a juke joint. And trying to get ahead in this world by creating a place where people like them can come and enjoy a night after the hard day's work that they've had.
DINGMAN: That's one of my favorite things about "Sinners" is the way it has this kind of breakneck, horror-movie energy. And then it sits so heavily in these surprising moments in, like, the reality of how intense this time period was for the people who this movie elevates. The white characters in this movie are not really at the forefront.
YAZZI: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Definitely. It is definitely a story about people of color and them trying to get ahead in an America that doesn't want them to get ahead.
DINGMAN: Yeah. OK, so let's go through some of the other interesting surprises here. Best picture nomination for "F1." Were you surprised that — I mean, oftentimes in the Oscars, there's at least one kind of big commercially successful movie that maybe has not gotten as much critical acclaim elsewhere but has really captivated audiences that gets into the best picture list.
I had been assuming this year that that would have been something like "Avatar."
YAZZI: Yeah. You know, I thought maybe "Wicked: For Good" would get a nomination. I thought "Avatar" would get it.
DINGMAN: Yeah. What were some of the other things that took you by surprise, Monte?
YAZZI: You know, I feel like some of the supporting actor categories were really good. Delroy, we talked about a little bit already. But Jacob Elordi for "Frankenstein." And for "Frankenstein," getting quite a few nominations this morning as well too, is really great. I think Guillermo del Toro is a visionary and what he does with the Frankenstein tale, something so familiar to people, is a real great film because it is a very beautiful film.
DINGMAN: I think it's interesting that "Frankenstein" is getting such high profile recognition. I think somewhat surprisingly, particularly in a year where AI has been such a dominant story and Guillermo del Toro has been so public in denouncing AI.
YAZZI: Yeah, he's still using fleshy latex makeup effects, and goes to the extent of making things feel real and authentic and touchable.
DINGMAN: A couple of snubs I thought were we talked about "Wicked," which again, received no nominations after getting so many last year. Nothing for Gwyneth Paltrow in "Marty Supreme," which had an otherwise very big morning.
YAZZI: Yeah, nothing for Gwyneth Paltrow for that film, but still a lot for "Marty Supreme." We have a new category this year, which is for casting. And when I look at that, I think of, like: How many people were in "Marty Supreme"? Like in different roles. And I think that part of that is the reason why it was so hard to maybe acknowledge one person for that film, because there are so many different roles.
DINGMAN: One of the things that's exciting to me about this new casting Oscar is that I feel like it really recognizes the ability to make a movie feel a certain way by putting very specific folks in it. One of the things I think is exciting about "Marty" getting it is, if I understand correctly, a number of the actors in "Marty Supreme" are not professional actors.
YAZZI: Not at all. Not at all. There's some people in there who are internet stars. You've got basketball players who have never acted before. You get an amazing turn from Tyler, the Creator, a hip-hop artist who really should be doing more acting, because he is really, really good in "Marty Supreme."
But yeah, during that whole movie, I remember sitting there thinking to myself, like, "Where do I know them from?" And I'm like, "Oh, they're like from an infomercial." Or that person's an NBA legend or that person is from this area. That's Penn Jillette. You know, I think in the casting role, that's probably the film I'm rooting for the most.
DINGMAN: One of the other things, just to stay with the casting decisions in "Marty Supreme" for a moment. One, I think it's a nice recognition of something the Safdie brothers have done a lot in their films, which is put people who aren't traditionally thought of as actors — not just in the movie as kind of a nudge-nudge, wink-wink — but in very prominent roles.
Tyler, the Creator, as you mentioned, he plays a very significant role in the film, plays a kind of con artist cab driver who Marty has run a series of scams with. And that makes me think also of in "Uncut Gems," putting — it was Kevin Garnett, right?
YAZZI: Kevin Garnett playing a big role in that movie as well, too.
DINGMAN: NBA star.
YAZZI: Yeah. You know, the Safdie brothers are big NBA fans. So you see a lot of characters kind of cross over in that realm. And I love that. I love that idea that, "Hey, we're going to make a movie about about a gambling addiction. And we're going to incorporate this whole idea of like a very defined moment in NBA history and then put a major star in there."
DINGMAN: Yeah. Have to say this phenomenon also, not to stay on this too much — I realize it's not the main story — but again, in a year where there's been so much talk about AI and humanity being sort of rinsed out of movies. The idea of casting, just making these interesting non-professional actor choices in a movie of that scale and this much prestige is heartening.
YAZZI: Yeah, yeah. And I think you look at all the, all the categories, that idea that many of the films are technical feats, right? "Frankenstein," with its production design; the cinematography that you have for "One Battle After Another;" the dynamic editing that you have for "Marty Supreme."
It's not depending on that idea that we're going to find AI to do this for us. We're going to instead get real people behind this, real talent behind this.
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