The Screen Actors Guild have announced the nominations for the 2017 awards, and it's mostly the usual suspects, with a few surprises. Among the "usual suspects" I would count
"Fences",
"Moonlight",
"La La Land" and
"Manchester by the Sea".
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the inclusion of the indie dramedy
"Captain Fantastic", which received nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast and Male Actor (
Viggo Mortensen). The film received excellent reviews, but was largely ignored by pundits. Not the case anymore. It has just become a serious contender.
One other surprise is that
"Hidden Figures" similarly received nods for its cast and
Octavia Spencer's supporting turn. Now, we don't know much about this film, other than the fact that it looks like your typical Oscar bait biopic. Early reviews are mixed to positive and seem to support my assessment. It may be that the film is riding the political wave in these troubled and racially charged times.
Another unexpected nomination was that of
Emily Blunt for her role in
"Girl on the Train", a film that generated a lackluster response from critics, but performed well at the box-office. Could be that the SAG is trying to stay popular.
And the more negative surprise is that
Martin Scorsese's
"Silence" has been snubbed, following the shut out of the Golden Globe nominations. It seems that the period drama is about to become this awards season's biggest disappointment.
The TV shows nominated at the SAG Awards include
"Stranger Things",
"Orange Is the New Black",
"Modern Family",
"Grace & Frankie",
"Game of Thrones",
"Westworld" and
"The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story".
The winners will be announced during a ceremony that will be simultaneously broadcast live on TNT and TBS on January 29th at 8pm.
Check out the full list of 2017 SAG Awards nominees below.