Originally posted Tuesday, January 22, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
“Black Panther,” shot in metro Atlanta, received seven Oscar nominations including best picture today.
The hugely successful Marvel film is the first superhero film to ever get nominated in that category.
It is not considered a favorite to win but otherwise, it’s a fairly wide open race.
Netflix’s first-ever nomination, an artsy black and white film “Roma,” is one of the favorites. It’s also the first best picture nomination with no reported theater revenue because it’s, well, streaming on Netflix. It has already won a slew of awards.
“A Star is Born” is better liked and simply being about show business, it has a great shot at winning because Oscar voters love movies about themselves. (See: “Argo.” “Birdman.” “The Artist.” “Shakespeare in Love.”)
GoldDerby has both those films as the most likely to take home the prize with each getting 7/1 odds.
“Green Book,” which won the Golden Globe for best comedy/musical, is in the mix. (GoldDerby gives it 15/2 opening odds.)
Not far behind is Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansmen" and historical period piece "The Favourite" at 17/2 odds. (Spike Lee, a Morehouse graduate, earned his first ever Oscar nomination for best director and best picture.)
GoldDerby placed “Black Panther” at 9/1 odds with “Vice” at 21/2.
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” which won a Golden Globe for best drama, got mixed reviews domestically. It was given the least likely shot at winning by GoldDerby at 13/1.
Films that were considered possibilities for Best Picture but didn’t make the cut include “First Man,” shot in Atlanta, “Crazy Rich Asians,” “A Quiet Place” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
Among best dramatic male actors, it's a race between Christian Bale ("Vice") and Rami Malek ("Bohemian Rhapsody") with Bradley Cooper ("A Star is Born") and Viggo Mortensen ("Green Book") less likely picks. William DeFoe ("At Eternity's Gate") is a long shot, especially since the film is barely known outside of Hollywood circles.
Glenn Close ( "The Wife") was a surprise winner at the Golden Globes and is competing most directly with Lady Gaga ("A Star is Born"). Others in the chase: Yalitza Aparicio ("Roma"), Olivia Coleman ("The Favourite") and part-time Atlanta resident Melissa McCarthy ("Can You Forgive Me?")
The only other films shot locally that received nominations were “Avengers: Infinity Wars” for visual effects and “First Man” for sound mixing.
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