MJ's View. 2026 Oscar Nominations: The Overlooked, The Underrated, and One "Song Sung Blue."

Oscar-nominated Kate Hudson and Co-star Hugh Jackman in Craig Brewer's Song Sung Blue.

With apologies to Neil Diamond...

Song sung blue.

Everybody's knows one.

Oscar gold.

Everybody wants some.

Funny thing, but you can see it when the noms are revealed.

All the snubs and slights emerge, no offenses concealed.

It's been a fairly uneventful week in terms of Oscar nominations. Critical darling One Battle After Another showed continued awards season momentum. Sinners emerged as a force to be reckoned with, securing a record-setting sixteen nominations. Frankenstein remains a movie to watch (and to see, if you haven't already done so). And F1 is proof that all those technical folks really do vote and support the craft of movie-making. Well, that and, you know....Brad. Who isn't mad for Brad?

That's a rhetorical question, so naysayers can sigh, groan...and move on.

The annual Oscar nominations announcement always provokes speculation about who should have been nominated, who might have been snubbed, and - worst of all - who might have received a nomination undeservedly. Yikes! Can there really be this much hoopla over a 13.5 inch, 8.5 pound statue minus its genetalia?

Apparently, there is, though this year most of the nominees were pretty much expected, given reviews, box office receipts, and early awards recognition. Still, there were a few categories with some surprises and one or two perceived snubs (Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande), raising more questions about what we might expect on Oscar night.

I'm not a great believer in overt snubs, unless there is pretty substantial, documented proof that someone (actor, director) or something (a movie) is deliberately being blocked from consideration. Except for my ongoing rant that smaller, independent movies that generate modest financial returns are often lost in the Oscar race (you can revisit some of my previous Oscar predictions and reviews on this blog), I try to keep my awards slight list small and (hopefully) focused. This year, there were a few movies and performances that merited more recognition (re: an Oscar nomination), but I can't say there were too many egregious oversights, except maybe in the Best Picture category.

More on that in a minute.

As far as acting noms go, I was surprised that Jeffrey Wright didn't get more love for his pivotal supporting role as an anxious father whose son has been mistaken for the offspring of a weathly recording producer (Denzel Washington) and kidnapped in Spike Lee's under-appreciated Highest 2 Lowest, a re-imagining of Akira Kurasawa's High and Low (1963). Wright is a consummate actor who always brings a touch of intelligence and intensity to any role he plays. Working opposite the iconic Washington could be daunting for some actors, but it's Wright you remember long after the credits role. Wright delivers what may be the best line in the entire film with an off-handed panache only he could pull off. Unfortunately, this gem of a performance got lost in the awards season shuffle, and I blame the early fall release as one reason for it slipping off the recognition radar.

Several other pre-Thanksgiving released performances also went unrecognized, notably, Kirsten Dunst in Roofman, the based-on-true-story account of real-life serial robber Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), who hid in a ToysRUs store after escaping a North Carolina prison in the early 2000s. Tatum is no slouch, either, and the movie got generally positive reviews after its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Directed and co-written by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines), Roofman is a mostly satisfying character study about one man's determination to provide for his family...or create one in their absence. Dunst has already secured a Film Independent nomination in a supporting role, so not sure why she didn't grab the attention of AMPAS voters.

When critics talk about "star-making breakthrough" performances this year, the focus has been on Chase Infiniti, who plays Leonardo DiCaprio's young adult daughter in One Battle After Another. You'll get no argument here, except that I wasn't convinced she should have been touted as a lead actress. There's really only one leading role in Battle, and it belongs to DiCaprio. That said, Infiniti's co-star Teyana Taylor has locked up a supporting nom and Infiniti wasn't as strong - or well-known - enough to get a leading nod. Not sure if I'd call this a snub, given the other nominees in the Best Actress category. Maybe just too many others whose performances captured more votes.

But my choice for a "star-making breakthrough" performance this year is Tonatiuh, whose poignant turn as gay window dresser Luis Molina, imprisoned for public indecency during the last days of Argentina's "Dirty War," went completely unnoticed. The movie, a musical version of Manuel Puig's 1976 novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman, was a box office bomb, yielding only $2M against $30M budget. Guess even Jennifer Lopez's star power couldn't bring audiences to the theater.

Too bad. Playing the same character that won William Hurt the Best Actor Oscar in 1986 for the non-musical adaptation of Puig's politically charged story, Tonatiuh brings a quiet grace and sorrowful optimism to a role that could easily dissolve into camp. I was moved by this performance and a bit sad so few people have seen it. Kiss of the Spider Woman has its flaws, but it also has its moments: every time Tonatiuh is on screen.

As for Paul Mescal, whose portrayal of a young, slightly loopy Will Shakespeare in Hamnet was expected to garner a nom alongside fellow lead actress, Jesse Buckley, I'm guessing he was partly overshadowed by Buckley's strong presence (though I'd argue he's the counter-balance to her overwhelming grief), and mostly unpersuasive depicting the Bard as a clueless oaf unable to articulate his suffering. Maybe we're just not ready for a dreamboat Will. Ah, yes. What a falling-off was there.

Now about Adam Sandler and Will Arnett. Despite the enduring notion that comedians can't be great actors - I'm still annoyed that Steve Martin was overlooked for All of Me and Roxanne - and that's over forty years carrying a grudge, Sandler and Arnett delivered subtle, understated performances: a movie's long-suffering manager and a financial analyst who turns to comedy as therapy during a painful marital separation, respectively. In both cases, there were just too many other actors whose performances were really strong.

That neither Jay Kelly or Is This Thing On? were box office hits didn't help. Hey, if George Clooney and Bradley Cooper can't get butts in seats (or streaming customers), Oscar is probably not interested. I will say, though, that Adam Sandler could have easily taken that fifth supporting slot over Stellan Skarsgård, whose underwhelming turn in the equally tedious Sentimental Value would not have gotten my vote. But I'm just a film historian and movie blogger. What do I know?

One nomination I had on my wishlist is Keanu Reeves as a low-ranking turned rogue guardian angel in Good Fortune. Aziz Ansari's genial comedy-drama may have its faults, but Reeves brings just the right amount of his surfer-dude deadpan and weary world wisdom to a role that might otherwise have been a throwaway. As fantasy films go, this one doesn't quite measure up to Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait, but its heart and humor make it worth checking out.

All of these, of course, are just MJ's picks for actors who deserved an Oscar nomination, though those who read my blog regularly know that Oscar nominations have as much to do with politics, marketing campaigns, and popularity as they do great artistry. That said, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were not snubbed or overlooked. Simply put, Wicked: For Good wasn't. As comedian Nikki Glaser quipped at the Golden Globes, it should have been called Wicked: For Money.

Instead of making a grand movie adaptation of one of Broadways most beloved recent musicals, director Jon M. Chu and Universal Productions got greedy and shamelessly opted to make two overlong, CGI-bloated installments designed to sell more merch and pump up the box office. Both Erivo and Grande were nominated last year (Lead and Supporting Actress). Neither won. Why anyone would expect a repeat nomination with different results hasn't checked out the definition of insanity, especially when Wicked: For Good, like the second act of the musical, wasn't as strong or compelling as the first part of the story.

Speaking of mezmerizing performers and their stories, the highly anticipated Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere was touting Oscars for lead actor Jeremy Allen White and supporting actor Jeremy Strong as the iconic rock star/manager duo, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Landau, as early as last summer. The 2025 Oscar ceremony was barely over when news of next year's likely winners White and Strong was all over social media. Despite the hype, including Springsteen's "expanded" re-release of his Nebraska album (the making of which is part of the movie's focus), Deliver Me went nowhere at the box office and received mixed reviewed from both critics and The Boss's fans.

Truth be told, I suspect there is a bit of rock-star biopic fatigue right now. After Timothée Chalamet's Oscar-nominated portrayal of Bob Dylan in last year's A Complete Unknown, the release of Deliver Me less than a year later (and after six months of events, interviews and concerts proclaiming its greatness) seemed ill-timed, at best. Too, it comes after several recent biopics of famous musicians, including Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Elvis. The subdued nature of writer/director Scott Cooper's story, based on Warren Zanes's book of the same name, didn't generate the excitement typically associated with Springsteen or one of his concerts, which is a shame because the movie is quite affecting at times, and both Jeremy's deliver with sincerity and authenticity the core relationship that drives the narrative.

Never fear, though. Another rock star biopic is on it's way. I've already seen trailers for Michael - you guessed it: an upcoming April 2026 release about "The King of Pop" starring none other than Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson in the title role. I can't wait.

If there was one name I was truly disappointed about not receiving an Oscar nom, it's Joel Edgerton whose quiet, introspective portrait of a Northwest railroad worker at the turn of the 20th century really gives Train Dreams its heart and soul. Edgerton has been on and off various critics "best" lists this year, and I'm guessing that Wagner Moura's Golden Globes win as Best Actor in a Drama for The Secret Agent was the international performance some AMPAS voters were looking for to create a more diverse Oscar pool. No cries of "Oscars So White" this year, as more international films and actors of color have been recognized, which is a good thing. If I could swap Edgerton for one of the five nominees, it would probably be for Leonardo DiCaprio, whose aging stoner in One Battle After Another was mostly one-dimensional and more eye-rolling to me than the other four, more nuanced performances in the lead actor category.

Now, for the real snubs: Best Picture nominees. You'd think if AMPAS insists on keeping the film nominations at ten, they would really be able to evaluate the best of the best and include movies that (re: non-box office winners) that have merit. Instead, we get F1 with four fucking nominations, including Best Picture, and ZERO for Eephus, Sorry, Baby and Nouvelle Vague. F1 was expected to get a nomination for Best Sound. However, its inclusion in the Visual Effects and (especially) Editing races, probably among AMPAS's technical guilds, gave it the push it needed into the Best Picture category, which also fits nicely into Oscar's attempts to recognize "popular" movies that will encourage a wider viewing audience come Oscar night.

I didn't really expect Richard Linklater's second release this year, the hauntingly evocative Nouvelle Vague (and second film tribute to New Wave cinema genius, Jean-Luc Godard), to get much Oscar love. It was, arguably, too much of a Hollywood insider movie, appealing mostly to cinephiles, movie geeks and film snobs. I was actually surprised that Ethan Hawke survived the final cut for Best Actor from Linklater's other movie, Blue Moon, and that the tale of one critical night in the life of lyricist Lorenz Hart also received a nod for Best Original Screenplay.

Two of the most honored independent films, Sorry, Baby and Eephus, received no Oscar love, which is a shame because they were two of the best films of 2025. In addition to various regional film societies, both received Film Independent Spirit nominations, so it's possible we'll see some recognition there. Of the two, Eephus, an elegaic treatise on baseball, is one of the loveliest, understated tributes to the passing of time I've seen. There is such hushed eloquence in every frame of Carson Lund's touching remembrance of one last amateur game played by a group of middle-aged men against the backdrop a late autumn day somewhere in New England.

Other than that, the ten Best Picture nominations were pretty much expected, leaving the lingering question of how the awards will be doled out. Will we see another Oppenheimer-like sweep for One Battle After Another or Sinners? Or will Oscar's awards be more evenly distributed among several other excellent films, including Frankenstein, It Was Just an Accident and Marty Supreme. The next few weeks, which will see SAG/Actor Awards, BAFTA's and multiple guild gatherings, should provide clues to the opening of envelopes on Oscar night.

My last question (for now): What happened to Mickey 17, Parasite director Bong Joon Ho's eagerly awaited follow-up to his Oscar sweep several years ago? Like much of Ho's work, Mickey 17 was another genre-defying blend of satire, sci-fi and black comedy, with a cast that included Robert Pattinson in the title role, and supporting turns from Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yuen and Toni Collette. I think it played about a week here in Chicago before disappearing from view. Might be worth streaming.

Sometimes the best movies aren't on Oscar's short list, nor the best performances. For me, the oddest omssion was Guillermo del Toro's for Best Director. He's already been nominated by the Director Guild of America (DGA), so how did Joachim Trier nab a spot for Sentimental Value? Methinks the timing of POTUS #47's bullying toward Norway, and the sudden inclusion of multiple nominees from Sentimental Value is suspicious, especially given some of Hollywood's political contingencies. Did I say that?

*******

Song Sung Blue

Whenever Oscar nominations are announced, there's usually one or two movies or performances that I haven't seen, and now thanks to streaming, I'm able to access them before the ceremony. I'll be updating on a few of the international films in the coming weeks, but the one that eluded me most recently was Craig Brewer's Song Sung Blue, a dramatization of the 2008 documentary of the same name, about a Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond tribute band led by real-life married couple Mike and Claire Sardina.

The duo, who called themselves Lightning and Thunder, overcame many personal setbacks between 1989 and 2005, becoming one of Milwaukee's most popular and beloved local acts. Song Sung Blue was a Christmas theatrical release, simultaneously opening along with Marty Supreme, and one which I'd pretty much crossed off my list of "must-see" movies, given that the trailer played like a Hallmake made-for-TV rom-com.

I listened to Neil Diamond's music as a kid. The first single I bought was "Cracklin' Rosie" in 1970, but it was "Song Sung Blue," released in 1972, and Diamond's 1978 duet with Barbra Streisand, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," really spoke to me musically and emotionally. I learned later that "Song Sung Blue" was inspired by Mozart's Piano Concerto #21, which only made me appreciate it more. When I first started teaching around 1979, I used to play Neil Diamond albums to my seventh and eighth grade classes when they took exams, my way of creating a more serene environment (and the sisters probably wouldn't have appreciated Van Halen - "Hot for Teacher" probably wasn't a good option).

Though I rarely listen to Neil Diamond anymore, I finally saw him in concert in 2017, during his "50th Anniversary World Tour." He was already experiencing symptoms of what would be diagnosed as Parkinson's disease and relied on audience participation to sing most of the songs. My husband was none too impressed, so the idea of spending two hours watching a Neil Diamond tribute band was not appealing to him. I couldn't even use my usual, "Okay, I'll go by myself," as movie-going bait.

Then last Friday afternoon, as the temperatures in Chicago dropped below zero, snow beckoned, my Zumba Gold class was cancelled due to the weather, and after I submitted my Bruce Springsteen conference paper for publication review, I decided I'd treat myself to Song Sung Blue and anted up the rental fee on Amazon Prime. My husband opted to take a short winter nap and then read (though I could see him looking up from time to time with an eye roll).

My initial expectation (or lack thereof) about the movie's quality was not exceeded after watching it. Song Sung Blue boasts some of the lamest dialogue since Titanic. Even worse, the movie looks bad: poorly lit and cheesy in its depiction of Milwaukee's blue-collar community. Hugh Jackman, earnest in his portrayal of Vietnam veteran and recovering alcoholic Mike Sardina, may be wearing the ugliest wig ever designed to complement his aging rock star wannabe persona. The challenges faced by Mike and Claire (Kate Hudson) play like a second-rate soap opera, and their ongoing ability to overcome some of the odds stacked against them seem phoney and implausible. The movie makes significant changes to the documentary's narrative, altering events for dramatic purposes, but the timeline doesn't add up and the movie's climax seems ham-fisted and forced, as a result.

But tthen there is Kate Hudson, working the best mid-western (re: Wisconsin) accent this side of Frances McDormand in Fargo and, like Jackman, doing her own singing. It's hard not to feel empathy for Claire: her resillience in the face of adversity and her stealy determination to find the silver lining in every cloud. Whenever Hudson is on screen, the movie brightens a bit, so much so that the rest of film drags in comparison. I kept thinking that Claire was, in some ways, the possible adult version of Hudson's first movie role as rock and roll groupie Penny Lane in Almost Famous, a performance that earned her a first Oscar nomination as supporting actress.

It's been over twenty-five years since Hudson has received any real critical acclaim for her film résumé, which mostly consists of forgettable rom-coms, so her last-minute resurgence to gain both SAG/Actor and Oscar noms may seem surprising to some. It's no secret that Hudson's mother, Oscar-winner Goldie Hawn, has been hosting receptions of late to chat up Kate's performance, so there is some underlying grumbling that Hudson manuevered Chase Infiniti out of competition.

I dunno. Hollywood is nothing if not fickle, and the behind-the-scenes drama that regularly occurs during awards season is the stuff dreams - and movies - are made of. Unlike many movie critics, I didn't see the lead actress race as overly crowded this year. There were histronics, for sure, as evidenced by Jesse Buckley's front-running status as the grief-stricken mother in Hamnet, but nowhere near the number of great male lead performances.. When you have acting the caliber of Joel Edgerton in Train Dreams, George Clooney in Jay Kelly, Oscar Isaac in Frankenstein, Jeremy Allen White in Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere and Denzel Washington in Highest 2 Lowest, you know the competition is stiff.

I thought maybe Julia Roberts might stir up some interest as Best Actress for After the Hunt, a not-very-good movie in which she gives a terrific performance. But then, great performances in bad movies rarely win Oscars, so not sure how competitive Hudson will be as Oscar voting begins. She clearly has deeply-rooted industry ties, but that doesn't always translate to Oscar votes, especially when several critics declared Jesse Buckley the Best Actress winner last summer.

The other Best Actress nominees - Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Emma Stone in Bugonia and Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value - don't appear to have much momentum right now. Like Hudson, Byrne is the sole nominee for her movie. Two-time Oscar recipient Emma Stone has been better in better films, and Reinsve amy be the least known to American AMPAS voters in a movie few people saw. It's a role understated to the point of oblivion as movies go.

That leaves Hudson as a kind of comeback candidate, a cross between Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres's nominations last year. Song Sung Blue is very high on the entertainment scale. I've heard from a few friends who saw it, cried a bit, and left the theater smiling. Guess it doesn't get more old Hollywood than that.

*******

Song Sung Blue is still playing in some theaters and also available on various streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime, Apple TV+. It is rated PG-13 for adult themes, car violence and critical health emergencies.

MJ's reviews for the movies mentioned in this post can be found on MJtheMovies home page.