Stats List: The Oscar Class of 2019

For eight of the nine films ("Parasite" being the exception) that got nominated in the 2019/2020, this has been an exceptional year in terms of big-name stars finding themselves in Oscar nominated films. "1917" would also be a little short of big name talent if not for the cameos but they still count. 

Here is a list in alphabetical order of actors in a 2019 Best Picture nominee:

Adam Driver, Alan Arkin, Al Pacino, Alfie Allen, Andrew Scott, Anna Paquin, Archie Yates, Austin Butler, Azhy Robertson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Camp, Bobby Cannavale, Bob Odenkirk, Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Bruce Dern, Chris Cooper, Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Dakota Fanning, Damien Chazelle, Dean Charles-Chapman, Eliza Scanlon, Emile Hirsch, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Frances Conroy, George McKay, Harvey Keitel, Jack Huston, Jesse Plemons, Joaquin Phoenix, Joe Pesci, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas, Julie Hagerty, Jung-eun Lee, Kang-Ho Song, Kurt Russell, Laura Dern, Lena Dunham, Leonardo , Luke Perry, Margaret Quayle, Margot Robbie, Mark Strong, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Mike Moh, Noah Jupe, Raphael Roncal, Ray Liotta, Ray Romano, Rebel Wilson, Richard Madden, Robert DeNiro, Roman Griffith Davis, Saiosre Ronan, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, So-Dam Park, Shea Whigham, Stephen Merchant, Sun-Kyun Lee, Taiki Wahiti, Timothee Chalemett, Timothy Olyphant, Thomasin McKenzie, Tracey Letts, Wallace Shawn, Woo-Shik Choi, Yeo-Jeong Cho, Zazie Beets

Here's a list of where each of these actors now stands on the all-time list of Best Picture nominee appearances:
11 Robert DeNiro: Godfather II, Taxi Driver, Deer Hunter, Mission, Raging Bull, Awakenings, Goodfellas, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Irishman, Joker
9 Leo Dicaprio: Titanic, Gangs of NY, Aviator, Departed, Inception, Django, Wolf of Wall Street, Revenant, Once Upon a Time in H'Wood
8 Brad Pitt: Babel, Curious Case of Ben Buttons, Inglourious B's, Tree of Life, Moneyball, 12 Years a Slave, Big Short, Once Upon a Time H'wood
8 Al Pacino: Godfather I, Dog Day Afternoon, Godfather II-III, Scent of a Woman, Insider, Irishman, Once Upon a Time in H'Wood
7 Meryl Streep: Julia, Deer Hunter, Kramer vs Kramer, Out of Africa, Hours, Post, Little Women
6 Harvey Keitel: Taxi Driver, Bugsy, Piano, Pulp Fiction, Grand Budapest Hotel, Irishman
6 Matt Damon: Good Will Hunting, Saving Pvt Ryan, Departed, True Grit, Martian, Ford v Ferrarri
5 Benedict Cumberbatch: Atonement, War Horse, 12 Yrs a Slave, Imitation Game, 1917
5 Tracey Letts: Big Short, Ladybird, The Post, Little Woman, Ford vs Ferrari
5 Christian Bale: Fighter, American Hustle, Big Short, Vice, Ford vs Ferrari
5 Sam Rockwell: Green Mile, Frost/Nixon, 3 Billboards, Vice, Jojo Rabbit
5 Saiosre Ronan: Atonement, GBH, Brooklyn, Ladybird, Little Women
5 Shea Wigham: Silver Linings Playbook, Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, Vice, Joker
4 Scarlett Johansson: Lost in Translation, Her, JoJo Rabbit, Marriage Story
4 Bruce Dern: Coming Home, Django Unchained, Nebraska, Once Upon a Time in H'Wood
4 Bill Camp: 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, Vice, Joker
4 Jesse Plemons: Bridge of Spies, The Post, Vice, Irishman
4 Colin Firth: Engl. Patient, Shakespeare in Love, King's speech, 1917
4 Joe Pesci: Raging Bull, Goodfellas, JFK, Irishman
3 Chris Cooper: American Beauty, Seabiscuit, Little Women
3 Alan Alda: Aviator, Bridge of Spies, Marriage Story
3 Margot Robbie: Wolf of Wall Street, Big Short, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3 Joaquin Phoenix: Gladiator, Her, Joker
3 Bob Odenkirk: Nebraska, Post, Little Women
3 Frances Conroy: Scent of a Woman, Aviator, Joker
3 Timothee Chalamet: Call Me By Your Name, Ladybird, Little Women

As we can see, where your name is on the marquee doesn't always align with how many great movies you're in. Some people like Tracey Letts, Shea Wigham, and Bill Camp just get all the breaks.

Others like Alan Alda and Phoenix get treated relatively shabbily by this metric (considering the cruelty that "Crimes and Misdemeanors" was snubbed while "Hannah and her Sisters" wasn't?) and poor Laura Dern never was in a Best Picture nominee before this so she gets shafted completely.

New Oscar nominees I saw 1917, Parasite, Little Women plus Judy (and JoJo Rabbit)

I watched "1917" "Parasite" and "Little Woman" and felt they were excellent choices for the Oscar. Although it's not in the video, "JoJo Rabbit" also blew me away.

With "Little Woman", I admit I had a bit of bias against both period pieces of this era and
films that seemed to be targeted to females. I had to push through those biases in the first half hour to keep my mind on the movie but once the love triangles and tuberculosis and family problems mounted, I am glad I stuck it through. The film is emotionally there but has its own sense of joy about those lucky
enough to be born to a family of sisters. The film celebrates an earlier era of courtship where people didn’t meet grinding on the dance floor or on dating apps while also commenting on the distances it might create. On the whole, it's a very emotionally satisfying movie.


"1917", "Parasite", and "Jojo Rabbit" all blew me away.


"1917" is a technical marvel that makes you aware of the additive value of good cinematography in the best possible way. Roger Deakins is perhaps the only household name among cinematographers and he will be even more famed after this. Like "Little Woman" the film starts off slow and it builds and someone on home viewing might give up on it but that would be a massive shame because the film is an emotional ride. It's almost existential as a man has to find his purpose and then his purpose overtakes him to the point of exhaustion and everything else.


"JoJo Rabbit" I was concerned about because I'd just seen "Death of Stalin" and "Life is Beautiful" so I thought this has been done before but I don't know why I made this foolish mistake in retrospect: How many films have there really been in this genre?  The film makes the right movie at every juncture of the story and is supremely clever in its view of the war from a child's point of view. Sam Rockwell, once again, is great (he's on quite a roll), and Scarlet Johansson steals the show. She handles the arduous task of raising a difficult child as a single mother with such joy and resolve that I have no problem with her winning an Oscar this year. It handles World War II with a mix British absurdist humor (not unlike Monty Python which tackled the same subject matter), poetry and sentiment.


"Parasite" is the kind of deep dive into class that you don't see too often. It's extraordinarily layered in symbolism and visually dense. The film's biggest trick is introducing us to a tragedy (the class divide), but showing a larger tragedy lurking underneath the surface and building up the tension until these two tragedies collide. It plays with time and dramatic irony (what some characters know while others don't) perfectly well.

"Judy" is basically a TV movie with a good performance but what's the point of a movie if only to show off a good performance?





And here's my JoJo Rabbit review (with two strangers)