But the academy has always been averse to nominating younger men of color who are rising stars. Coupled with that, it has perennially undervalued director Todd Haynes’ work, and it didn’t seem to know what to do with “May December,” which got generally snubbed all around this morning, other than a very deserved Original Screenplay nomination for writer Samy Burch. Real fans will not forget Melton and “May December,” and I suspect this is one of those snubs we’ll talk about for a long time. — Marina
Melton came into the race with so much well deserved fire months ago, and that has since fizzled out for reasons I can’t quite figure out. The Best Supporting Actor category is really tight this year, with the exception of Sterling K. Brown, whose performance is nowhere near on the level of what Melton is doing in “May December.” That definitely should have been Melton’s slot. And I’m really shocked that “May December” only managed a screenplay nomination, especially since virtually all the precursor awards recognized actors Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. Though, it is a really strong screenplay, so I’m always glad to see actual quality recognized. — Candice
I’m shocked by the lack of performance nominations for this film, too. Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman were so so good in this film. I felt like Melton’s role was more substantive than Sterling K. Brown’s role in “American Fiction.” In the same breath, I liked Brown in “American Fiction,” which is a film I have a lot of strong feelings about (and have definitely been in the minority when talking about the film with friends!). — Erin
I also thought Brown was great, but his role was so underdeveloped! — Marina
Yes, this is exactly it. — Erin
