-New Urban Cinema News- Mary J. Blige, and the hit film "Get Out" Earn Multiple Nominations Among Those Named for Oscars

Mary J. earns her first Academy Award nomination as an actor while this year's Oscars race sees the return of  perennial favorites Denzel Washington and Octavia Spencer

Yesterday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 2018 Oscar race, and there were few surprises among the artists up for consideration.   Among the familiar faces we've seen through the years, there were also newcomers making the rounds on their freshman outing into the Hollywood world of major motion pictures, and we've got the list of some of our favorite black creatives who made the cut for this year's Academy Award race.  Check out the list and film clips below to see who's up for Oscars in the most notable categories of one of the most important nights in film and motion pictures.

BEST PICTURE

"GET OUT"

In this surprisingly fresh and thought-provoking comedic-horror film, cable show actor/ comedian Jordan Peele pays unique homage to the iconic horror classic, "Stepford Wives", with an interesting twist into a genre the writer/director/producer refers to as "social thriller". In "Get Out", we are introduced to Chris, a New York City photographer invited for the first time to meet his white girlfriend's family during a swanky weekend at their countryside estate.  Before long, the trip and the family's over- accommodating politeness progresses into a string of disturbing incidents that lead to terrifying discoveries.

BEST LEAD ACTOR

DENZEL WASHINGTON, "ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ."

In "Roman j. Isreal, Esq.", 9-time Academy Award nominee (and 2-time winner)  Denzel Washington stars as the title character, Roman J. Israel. Roman is a strong-willed attorney characterized by idealism, who suddenly at middle age finds himself in a turbulent sea of events, leading to a crossroads in his life requiring extreme reflection and action.

DANIEL KALUUYA, "GET OUT"

Daniel Kaluuya is a British writer and actor new to American audiences. In his first starring role in Jordan Peele's critical hit social thriller, he gives an outstanding performance as the film's protagonist who, for a film that gives intriguing commentary about race in America, has everyone, regardless of race creed or color rooting for him in the end. In addition to "Get Out" being Kaluuya's debut on American film screens, the vehicle has earned him his first Academy Award nomination.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 MARY J. BLIGE, "MUDBOUND"

 Although it's not her first dramatic acting role, Hip-Hop Queen of Soul Mary J. Blige has earned her first-ever Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the Dee Rees film, "Mudbound".  In this post-WWII period piece, Blige plays the quiet, but staunch Florence Jackson, the matriarch of a family of sharecroppers in rural, impoverished Mississippi. Mudbound is a film with a theme Blige has often explained as using love to unite humanity in the midst of overwhelming derision and injustice.

OCTAVIA SPENCER,  "THE SHAPE OF WATER"

In what is undoubtedly one of the oddest, quirkiest films of Oscar season, Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer ("The Help", 2012) earns her third nomination with director Guillermo del Toro's romantic sci-fi fantasy, "The Shape of Water". In speaking of what attracted her to the film that appears to be the film industry's biggest critical darling alongside "Get Out", Spencer says "I've played women in this ear before, but never like this. Never with a point-of-view that is more about me being a woman, instead of one with societal constraints."  Octavia Spencer and fellow Academy Award winner Viola tie as the most nominated black actresses  Oscars' 90-year history.

BEST DIRECTOR

JORDAN PEELE,  "GET OUT"

Well loved across America for his comic impersonations of President Barak Obama, Jordan Peele is an actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director who has taken his talents from the small screen comedy sketch show "Key and Peele",  to big screen success with the blockbuster movie "Get Out".  The rookie film director earns his first Academy Award nomination with the provocative social thriller that employs comedy as a welcome counterbalance to it's more terrifying moments - engaging the viewer in a cinematic experience that is as inventive as it is gripping.

BEST ANIMATION FEATURE

"COCO"

In this Pixar animated feature, we encounter
Miguel, a young Latino boy who dreams of becoming a musician despite his family's generations-long ban on music. During the traditional Mexican holiday devoted to remembering and praying for family & loved ones who have died (The Day of the Dead), Coco meets a mischievous new friend- and together, they embark on a journey to discover Coco's family history. Coco is a bonafide tear-jerker with a lot of heart, so get your tissues ready for this one.  In addition to Anthony Gonzalez in the title role, Coco also stars Academy Award nominee Edward James Olmos (Stand & Deliver), and superstar actors Benjamin Bratt and Gael García Bernal.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"MIGHTY RIVER",   MARY J. BLIGE & RAPHAEL SAADIQ

Last but not least in black excellence arts news,  in the music category Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Mary J. Blige makes Academy Award history this year by being the first person ever to be nominated for both an acting performance AND an original song in a single year.  Blige's song, "Mighty River", is the theme of her film, "Mudbound",  and was co-written with powerhouse r&b producer Raphael Saadiq. Blige will be competing in the Best Original Song category against good pals and fellow music stars (and Academy Award nominees) Common and Diane Warren.

"STAND UP FOR SOMETHING" by LONNIE LYNN (aka 'COMMON') and DIANE WARREN

Featuring the robust vocals of anthemic vocalist Audra O'Day, Oscar Award-winning songwriter and hip-hop star Common ("Glory", 2015) pens another uplifting hit with co-writer Diane Warren for one of the most moving theme songs of the year next to Mudbound's "Mighty River". In an age where things feel darker than they have in decades, we sure appreciate sentiments in conscious hip-hop that reach out to remind us, " The greater plan's the Creator's plan. Let's all rise like the day began. Reach out and touch with the Savior's hand... Let the ways of love be the ways of man..." Indeed, Common Sense, indeed.

All major studio released films covered today can be watched digitally via Google Play if you don't want to wait until German theatre releases in Spring. "Mudbound" and "Stand for Something"'s "Marshall" are both Netflix releases. We hope you've enjoyed today's coverage of black excellence during 2018 creative and performing awards season, and hope that you'll join us for fresh news in coming posts for arts, film, and culture.  Til Then,

Xoxo,
NUY 40+