The Shape of Water dominates Oscars with 13 nods

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy thriller The Shape of Water led all Oscar contenders Tuesday with 13 nominatins, including best picture.

The film's surprising dominance came during one of the most unpredictable Oscars seasons in recent memory.

Also contending for best picture are: Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Women continued to make inroads into Hollywood’s male dominated industry that has been turned upside-down by scathing allegations of sexual misconduct prompted by the #MeToo movement.

Rachel Morrison is the first woman to be nominated for best cinematography. She is nominated for her work on Mudbound.

Greta Gerwig, who wrote and directed Lady Bird became the fifth woman to be nominated for best director. She is competing against Christopher Nolan for his work on Dunkirk, Jordan Peele for Get Out, Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread, and del Toro.

Meryl Streep notched her 21st Academy Award nomination for her role as Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham in The Post.

"I am honored beyond measure by this nomination for a film I love, a film that stands in defense of press freedom, and inclusion of women’s voices in the movement of history," Streep said in a widely-reported statement.

Peele, the comedian turned director, is the fifth black director to be nominated in the category.

Nolan’s Dunkirk, which chronicled the allied evacuation from the eponymous French coastal town in World War II, was second only to the Shape of Water for total nominations. It landed eight nods, including best picture, cinematography, and production design.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri totaled seven nominations, including actress in a leading role,Frances McDormand, and two nominations in the actor in a supporting role category, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell.

Blockbusters also had strong showings, including Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to the iconic 1982 sci-fi/noir film. The 2017 sequel received five nominations, including for cinematography, sound editing and visual effects.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi had four nods, and Baby Driver had three.

Jimmy Kimmel will host the 90th Academy Awards on March 4.

Here is a selected list of major categories and their nominees.

Best Picture

Call Me By Your Name

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

Get Out

Lady Bird

Phantom Thread

The Post

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actor In A Leading Role

Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread

Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Actress In A Leading Role

Sally Hakwins, The Shape of Water

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Meryl Streep, The Post

Actor In A Supporting Role

Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water

Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actress In A Supporting Role

Mary J. Blige, Mudbound

Allison Janney, I, Tonya

Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread

Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Best Director

Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Jordan Peele, Get Out

Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird

Paul Thomas Anderson, Phanton Thread

Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

Best Cinematography

Roger A. Deakins, Blade Runner 2049

Bruno Delbonnel, Darkest Hour

Hoyte van Hoytema, Dunkirk

Rachel Morrison, Mudbound

Dan Laustsen, The Shape of Water

Best Visual Effects

Blade Runner 2049

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Kong: Skull Island

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

War for the Planet of the Apes

Best Music (Original Score)

Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk

Johnny Greenwood, Phantom Thread

Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water

John Williams, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Carter Burwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri