Would love to see a serious/analytical approach to the Oscar season, like Mark Harris used to do for Grantland. Other than a series of run-on sentences and off-topic jokes, this article didn’t actually have much content.

Why are this years best actress nominees different than past years? Based on the info here it seems like a list of the usual nominees in their usual type of roles…

What is Silence about and what categories is it likely to do well in? Other than a “boring” title, isn’t there something else worth noting about a Martin Scorcese passion project?

Why is McConaughey getting nominated for Gold surprising or funny? The guy just won an Oscar a few years ago and is in a movie made by an Oscar winner.

What about other unmentioned (and still unseen by the public) movies such as The Founder, Live By Night, Nocturnal Animals, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Allied, Lion, & Hacksaw Ridge? Could the fact that 6 out of these 7 movies have a male lead be why the Best Actor race “seems thin”?

Who is the Best Director race actually between? Aside from La La Land & Moonlight, there are about 10+ other plausible contenders that could reel in a Best Director win, but none are mentioned.

Any discussion of these topics would’ve been nice. Perhaps a more serious author would be better suited for this topic going forward.