'The Power of the Dog' tops Oscar noms with 12; 'Dune' nabs 10
CTV
After a pandemic year that hobbled movie theaters and saw streaming services make new inroads into Hollywood, the Academy Awards put its strongest support Tuesday behind two films made with big-screen grandeur that were also streamed into homes: Jane Campion's gothic western 'The Power of the Dog' and Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic 'Dune.'
Netflix's "The Power of the Dog" led nominations to the 94th Academy Awards with 12 nods, including best picture, best director and recognition for all of its top actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Campion, a nominee for 1993's "The Piano," became the first woman to ever be nominated twice for best director. Last year, Chloe Zhao became just the second woman to ever win the award. Campion's director of photography, Ari Wegner, also became the second woman ever nominated for best cinematography. The only previous woman to do so was Rachel Morrison for "Mudbound" in 2018.
"Dune" followed closely behind with 10 nominations spread out largely in the technical categories that rewarded the craft of Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel. The Warner Bros. release debuted simultaneously in theaters and -- against the strenuous objections of its director -- on HBO Max.
The nominees for best picture were: "Belfast"; "CODA"; "Don't Look Up"; "Drive My Car"; "Dune"; "Licorice Pizza"; "King Richard"; "Nightmare Alley"; "The Power of the Dog" and "West Side Story."