Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the shortlists of films in several categories which included three of this year’s superhero movies. This year Marvel’s Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers Infinity War were shortlisted while DC’s Aquaman was snubbed by the Academy.
Black Panther is this year’s superhero movie with the most categories up for nomination. The film was shortlisted in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Music (Original Score), Best Music (Original Song) and Best Visual Effects categories. Avengers Infinity War comes up next shortlisted in the Best Music (Original Score) and Best Visual Effects categories. And lastly, Ant-Man and The Wasp was shortlisted in the Best Visual Effects category.
Warner Bros. and DC’s Aquaman was snubbed in every category despite receiving critical praise in the Visual, Makeup and Hairstyling fronts. Several critics have stated that the Atlantean world created by director James Wan and production designer Bill Brzeski is one of the most spectacular features of the movie. Also, the costume designs by Kym Barrett have impressed fans that have seen the teasers and the critics who’ve seen the movie already.
The last time a superhero flick won an Academy Award was in 2016 when David Ayer’s DC Extended Universe movie Suicide Squad took the Best Makeup and Hairstyling statue home. The Oscars that year saw Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange nominated for Best Special Effects as well. 2017 saw James Mangold’s Logan going up for Best Adapted Screenplay and James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 up for Best Special Effects. Both lost in their respective categories.
Here’s Every Hero Who Appears In The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Trailer
Today, Marvel Studios released the first official trailer for Avengers: Endgame and revealed which heroes will likely be on hand for the re-match against Thanos.
Avengers: Infinity War united nearly every hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the showdown with Thanos and after a decade of films that proved to be an extensive roster. However, the Marvel Studios epic concluded with Thanos succeeding in his mission to acquire the Infinity Stones and use their power to erase half of the universe’s population, with many of the aforementioned heroes being included among the casualties. Fortunately, the original Avengers teammates survived Thanos’ decimation and it appears they will be joined by a few the new heroes who debuted since the group initially formed when they head into the second showdown with Thanos.
Iron Man
After being spared by Thanos, Tony Stark can be seen adrift in space with limited supplies and oxygen. Although Nebula appears to be with him, the unlikely companions seem to be lost with little chance of being rescued, though it is hard to imagine that Stark will spend most of what could be his final adventure away from the action.
Captain America
The First Avenger will unsurprisingly return for the conclusion of the first decade of Marvel Studios stories and he is determined to undo Thanos’ decimation. Of course, many fans are concerned that reversing the decimation could come at a great cost for Captain America considering Chris Evans’ contract expired with Avengers: Endgame.
Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a Black Widow, returns for Avengers: Endgame and it appears she’s been assessing the consequences of Thanos’ actions. Standing by Captain America’s side as they head to attempt to reverse the decimation, Black Widow seems confident that their plan cannot fail.
Thor
Although Thor nearly defeated Thanos by stabbing through the chest with Stormbreaker, The Mad Titan had enough energy left to use the Infinity Stones to heal himself while erasing 50% of the population in the universe. Now, a contemplative Thor can be seen in the Avengers: Endgame trailer and one can’t fault him for reflecting on the fact that victory was almost in his grasp.
Nebula
Nebula and Rocket Raccoon were the only Guardians of the Galaxy characters to survive Thanos’ wrath, with former being left alone on Titan with Tony Stark. With the film expected to conclude Thanos’ and Nebula having more reason than most to see the Mad Titan brought to justice, fans are hoping she will have an extensive role Avengers: Endgame.
Ronin
The new trailer also confirmed that Hawkeye will assume the Ronin mantle when he returns and the death of family is the likely reason for his new identity. It appears Natasha will attempt to recruit her old friend when they embark on a mission to defeat Thanos, but whether or not Hawkeye agreed to join them remains to be seen.
Ant-Man
After the mid-credits scene for Ant-Man and the Wasp, many were theorizing that the Avengers would have to rescue Scott Lang from the Quantum Realm and subsequently use the alternate dimension to travel back in time to defeat Thanos. While it appears Scott Lang managed to escape on his own, he may have brought the van containing the way to the Quantum Realm to the Avengers’ front door.
Bruce Banner
While the Hulk was absent from the first Avengers: Endgame trailer, Bruce Banner managed to make a brief appearance. The brilliant scientist could be seen assessing the list of casualties of Thanos’ decimation and it has clearly taken an emotional toll.
What do you think about the shortlist? Did Aquaman deserve to get snubbed? Do the three 2o18 Marvel movies deserve the nomination? Share your thoughts below!
The Oscar nominees will be unveiled January 22, with the 91st Annual Academy Awards taking place Sunday, February 24.
What We Learned About ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ At CCXP
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios shared some brand new information on their highly-anticipated sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home. The film, which is the follow-up to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming marks the return of Tom Holland as Peter Parker following the release of Avengers: Endgame and will also feature the cinematic debut of Mysterio, who is portrayed by Academy Award-nominee Jake Gyllenhaal.
Here are some of the things we have learned about Spider-Man: Far From Home following its presentation at the 2018 Comic Con Experience (CCXP) in Brazil. Click “Next” to find out.
1. Peter Parker & Michelle Will Be Involved Romantically
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, we saw Peter crushing on Liz Allan (Laura Harrier), who has since moved away from Queens, New York with her mother following the fallout of her father Adrian Toomes’ (Michael Keaton) crimes as the Vulture. With Liz now out of the picture, we have Michelle Jones (Zendaya) also known as “MJ” that Peter has his eyes on. In Homecoming, Michelle seemed to tow the line between cold and friendly to Peter, with hints that she was romantically interested in him the whole time.
Now, it looks like Peter and Michelle have since grown closer with one another following the events of Homecoming. Perhaps their romantic connection will play a significant role in Peter’s motivations in Far From Home.
2. Aunt May Supports Her Nephew As Spider-Man In Far From Home
Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) found out about her beloved nephew Peter’s secret at the end of Homecoming. Now that she’s aware that he continues his hero work as our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, she is also fully-supportive of him despite the fact that he continues to put himself in danger.
3. Happy Hogan & Aunt May Share A Romantic Affair
This one comes as a bit of a surprise. Based off of information from CCXP, it appears that Aunt May is romantically involved with none other than Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). This certainly won’t be awkward for Peter.
4. Spider-Man & Mysterio Start Are Brought Together By Nick Fury
The narrative for Far From Home will begin with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) bringing Spider-Man and Quentin Blake/Mysterio together for a mission in which they must hunt down the Elementals. Mysterio has some knowledge about the Elementals and wants to defeat them to make the world safer.
The unlikely duo has been described to have a “brothers in arms” dynamic. What could possibly go wrong?
5. Spider-Man & Mysterio’s Relationship Is The Central Focus
During the presentation at CCXP, Gyllenhaal revealed that Far From Home will be a unique Spider-Man film due to the relationship between the beloved hero and Mysterio:
“The central point of the film is the relationship of Peter with Mysterio, which is a completely new dynamic. Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man. There’s no one more professional than him.”
Seeing Holland and Gyllenhaal acting alongside eachother will certainly be a highlight.
