And the Oscar goes to.....

The nominees are out ans there are snubs, just ask Bradley Cooper , who should have been nominated for best director.

BEST PICTURE

• “Black Panther”
• “BlacKkKlansman”
• “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• “The Favourite”
• “Green Book”
• “Roma”
• “A Star Is Born”
• “Vice”

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Amy Adams, “Vice”
• Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
• Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
• Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
• Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
• Adam Driver, “BlackKKlansman”
• Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
• Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me”
• Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• “Capernaum”
• “Cold War”
• “Never Look Away”
• “Roma”
• “Shoplifters”

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)

• “Black Sheep”
• “End Game”
• “Lifeboat”
• “A Night at the Garden”
• “Period. End of Sentence.”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• “Free Solo”
• “Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
• “Minding the Gap”
• “Of Fathers and Sons”
• “RBG”

ORIGINAL SONG

• “All The Stars” – “Black Panther”
• “I’ll Fight” – “RBG”
• “Shallow” – “A Star Is Born
• “The Place Where Lost Things Go” – “Mary Poppins Returns”
• “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” – “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

• “Incredibles 2”
• “Isle of Dogs”
• “Mirai”
• “Ralph Breaks the Internet”
• “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
• “BlacKkKlansman”
• “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
• “If Beale Street Could Talk”
• “A Star Is Born”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• “First Reformed”
• “Green Book”
• “Roma”
• “The Favourite”
• “Vice”

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

• Christian Bale, “Vice”
• Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born
• Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
• Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

• Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
• Glenn Close, “The Wife”
• Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
• Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
• Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

DIRECTOR

• Spike Lee
• Pawel Pawlikowski
• Yorgos Lanthimos
• Alfonso Cuarón
• Adam McKay

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• “Black Panther”
• “The Favourite”
• “First Man”
• “Mary Poppins Returns”
• “Roma”

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• “Cold War”
• “The Favourite”
• “Never Look Away”
• “Roma”
• “A Star Is Born”

COSTUME DESIGN

• “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
• “Black Panther”
• “The Favourite”
• “Mary Poppins Returns”
• “Mary Queen of Scots”

SOUND EDITING

• “A Quiet Place”
• “Black Panther”
• “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• “First Man”
• “Roma”

SOUND MIXING

• “Black Panther”
• “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• “First Man”
• “Roma”
• “A Star Is Born”

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• “Animal Behaviour”
• “Bao”
• “Late Afternoon”
• “One Small Step”
• “Weekends”

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

• “Detainment”
• “Fauve”
• “Marguerite”
• “Mother”
• “Skin”

ORIGINAL SCORE

• “Black Panther”
• “BlacKkKlansman”
• “If Beale Street Could Talk”
• “Isle of Dogs”
• “Mary Poppins Returns”

VISUAL EFFECTS

• “Avengers: Infinity War”
• “Christopher Robin”
• “First Man”
• “Ready Player One”
• “Solo: A Star Wars Story”

FILM EDITING

• “BlacKkKlansman”
• “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• “Green Book”
• “The Favourite”
• “Vice”

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

• “Border”
• “Mary Queen of Scots”
• “Vice”

 The 2019 Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, live from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.

She returns

It took 54 years, but we finally have a sequel to “Mary Poppins” flying into theaters this week. I am pleased to report that while “Mary Poppins Returns” predictably pales in comparison to the original movie, it’s still a delightful bit of holiday entertainment.

The film is a loving recreation of everything that made the first film so special. The problem is that some young audiences may find it to be a bit too old fashioned for their contemporary tastes. This is one of those movies that will make mom and dad happy, while their kids may want to sneak over and see the cooler movies like “Bumblebee” or “Aquaman” in the theater next door.

The story brings Mary (Emily Blunt) back to London just in time to help the now-grown Jane and Michael Banks (Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw) as they face eviction from the family home. As was the case in the first film, Mary signs on as the nanny and escorts Michael’s children through a series of magical adventures, all of which are filled with big song and dance numbers.

These musical sequences are a lot of fun, although the songs aren’t that memorable. Only the lamplighter number, “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” gets close to the quality of the music from the first film. The rest are mostly energetic but forgettable numbers that shine because of a game cast and some great animated effects work.

Here, “Mary Poppins Returns” outshines the original. The filmmakers have taken great care to make this film look like the original, and they absolutely succeed. Once again, some of this 2D animation may seem boring by today’s standards, but true fans will get a nostalgic kick from many of the visual images.

Fans should also enjoy Emily Blunt in the title role, and Lin-Manuel Miranda playing the lamplighter who is always ready to give Mary a helping hand. Blunt has a wonderful singing voice and she is very good in channeling Julie Andrews’ performance. Miranda is great at bringing energy to the screen, plus his British accent is pretty good.

That’s more than can be said for Dick Van Dyke.

All of which adds up to a very family-friendly movie. Perhaps it’s a bit too saccharine at times, but you’ve got to love a wholesome movie filled with actors who just want to entertain and filmmakers who will stop at nothing to fill the screen with a never-ending barrage of amazing images.

The good-but-not-great music is the only thing that keeps me from saying that “Mary Poppins Returns” is practically perfect in every way. Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait another 54 years before we get another sequel.