93rd Academy Awards Preview
By Peyton Schultze
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the 93rd Academy Awards will take on a unique presentation format with locations such as London and Paris, as well as the Dolby Theater and Union Station in Los Angeles (via Philly Voice).
The 93rd Annual Academy Awards are here.
It seems like forever between now and the last time that the Oscars were held in February of 2019 to celebrate films such as Parasite, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Jojo Rabbit, Marriage Story, Little Women, and Joker, but the time has finally come for the annual awards show to celebrate the best movies around the world over the past year. Taking place on Sunday, April 25th at 5 pm PT (8 ET) on ABC, the show will look to reward movies from the past year such as Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Minari, Mank, Judas and the Black Messiah, and many more with Oscar gold of their own.
In addition, viewers can expect some top-end presenters to take the stage across locations on Sunday night. Between all four setups in London, Paris, the Dolby Theatre, and Union Square in Los Angeles, some of the biggest stars in Hollywood should be making appearances for the ceremony. That list includes names such as: Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Laura Dern, Zendaya, Reese Witherspoon, Angela Bassett, Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger, Don Cheadle, Regina King, and Bryan Cranston.
With that said, here are a look at some of the top categories at this year’s Academy Awards, including ones such as Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Picture. Although Nomadland is the favorite to take home plenty of hardware on Sunday night, expect a lot of huge upsets in what should be a thrilling night around the world for the movie industry.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
** Last Year’s Winner: Renée Zellweger for Judy
There may not be a tougher race to predict in the entire field than the competition for Best Lead Actress, which has five noteworthy contenders competing for gold in one of the most difficult calls of the night.
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Having been nominated for Doubt and The Help in the past, as well as securing her first Oscar win for Fences back in 2016, Viola Davis is one of the elite actors of her time. That once again continues in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, where she commands each and every scene she is in as the popular musician, Ma Rainey, opposite a phenomenal cast. A win is certainly a strong possibility for Davis, especially considering the wide-open field at hand, and a potential second win could certainly be deserved considering her immense presence that is felt in every part of the film.
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Could an iconic figure win this category for the second time in as many years? That is the hope for Andra Day, who comes off an outstanding performance as the iconic, yet often struggling Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Holiday is subject of the film as the target of the American government to criminalize drugs based on her own background, but stands for a larger message at hand in the film. Day will be looking for the first Oscar win of her career in her very first try, which would put her in an elite status of young Oscar winners on their first go-around.
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Although it certainly did not gain a ton of attention after some mediocre initial reviews, Vanessa Kirby was widely praised for her performance in Pieces of a Woman opposite Shia LaBeouf. Playing a woman named Martha following the loss of her newborn baby, Kirby puts together the best performance of her cinematic career outside of Netflix’s The Crown. Kirby is a first-time nominee, and although she faces a very crowded field that will be tough to conquer, she appears to be set to return to the Oscars stage multiple times in the future after her potent performance in Pieces of a Woman.
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
As she is in almost every film outing, Frances McDormand is exceptional as a widow on the move following the death of her husband in Nomadland. Behind a picturesque scenery throughout the continental United States, McDormand plays her character so well, displaying the debate between a want and need for a “home” after her own tragic events on a physicals and metaphysical level. Nomadland expects to capture plenty of gold on Sunday, and another victory for the two-time winner would put her in the elite status of three-time winners alongside names such as Ingrid Bergman, Walter Brennan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Meryl Streep.
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman 🏆
Few films in this year’s class have signature moments that could easily go down in The Oscars’ all-time lore, but Promising Young Woman delivers plenty of them from the start of the film up until the final credits roll. This speaks to the power of Carey Mulligan’s performance as Cassie, a woman seeking revenge for the death of her best friend in one of the most chilling and shocking movies of the year. Mulligan is nearly perfect in this role, and although there is not a clear favorite at this point in the race, she may have an ever-so-slight edge over the rest of the field for her memorably impactful part.
Our Projected Order
Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
McDormand, Nomadland
Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Best Actor in a Leading Role
** Last Year’s Winner: Joaquin Phoenix for Joker
Although all five nominees present strong cases heading into the weekend, it appears to be a neck-and-neck race between Chadwick Boseman and Anthony Hopkins to capture Oscar gold, with Steven Yeun not trailing too far behind.
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
To casual filmgoers, Ahmed may be most recognizable for his supporting role next to Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler or for his minor gig as the Rebel Alliance pilot in Rogue One. But his role as the lead actor in Sound of Metal finally allows him to show off his true acting chops, which truly does not fail to impress. Ahmed is the highlight of this Best Picture-nominated film, and the pure mix of rage, uneasiness, panic, and horror inside of Ahmed’s Ruben Stone makes him a real contender for Best Lead Actor in this loaded 2021 class.
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 🏆
Few recent Hollywood passings have made as much of an impact on the industry than Boseman in 2020, which makes his elite performances across cinema in movies like Black Panther and 42 even more impactful. But Boseman’s final role is unquestionably his strongest, where he seems to put his heart and soul into every single piece of dialogue for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Music has a way of bringing people together in desperate times, and Boseman’s Levee plays the trumpet to the beat of his own sound in a truly masterful performance from the late legend.
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Anthony Hopkins has one of the most memorable Oscar wins of all-time in the form of his performance of Hannibal Lecter in 1992’s The Silence of the Lambs, but could he capture the second of his illustrious career 29 years later? After a masterful performance as an elderly man facing dementia in the last phases on his life in The Father, there is a real chance that the 83-year old actor could actually come out on top of this category. Sir Hopkins is a six-time nominee, and there is no doubt that this will go down as one of the finest performances of his historic acting career.
Gary Oldman, Mank
Oldman won this category back in 2018 for Darkest Hour for his role as the ever-so-powerful Winston Churchill, giving him the career pinnacle that sealed the deal for an all-time legacy in the industry. Yet Oldman returns to the Best Actor conversation for his role in Mank as one of Hollywood’s own historical figures in Herman J. Mankiewicz, the famed writer of Citizen Kane. Per usual, Oldman is truly exceptional alongside an outstanding supporting cast, and puts his own personal acting stamp on one of this year’s contenders for Best Picture.
Steven Yeun, Minari
Steven Yeun may not be one of the most recognizable names from this class, but he may ending up being one sooner rather than later after a career-best role in Minari. Yeun plays the head of the household of a hard-working Korean family that has moved the Arkansas in the 1980’s, powerfully commanding his family’s farm business while helping his family adapt to a new and unrecognizable lifestyle. It’s truly a film about the closeness of a family and staying together through thick and thin while facing unpredictable challenges, which lets Yeun shine when he is at his best and in the spotlight.
Our Projected Order
Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Hopkins, The Father
Yeun, Minari
Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Oldman, Mank
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
** Last Year’s Winner: Laura Dern in Marriage Story
The race for the Best Supporting Actress has been up-and-down all year long, but as the leadup to Oscar Sunday approaches ever-so-quickly, who is the final favorite for the winner in the very competitive category?
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The ultimate underdog story in this year’s Academy Awards? Certainly none other than Sacha Baron Cohen’s co-starring standout Maria Bakalova from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the satirical outlook on the state of American culture over the past presidential term leading up to 2020. It’s obviously a hilarious and highly-improvised performance from Bakalova, but it is really one of the gutsiest roles on the screen in quite some time considering the real-life events in the film featuring the current circumstances in the country. It would be the upset of the night, but don’t rule out a win quite yet for one of the year’s budding stars.
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Close is unfortunately known at the Oscars as the actor with the most nominations in history (tied with Peter O’Toole at eight, although O’Toole famously lost for his part in Lawrence of Arabia to one of the iconic film performances of all-time from Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird) without a final win. But does her latest performance in the shaky Hillbilly Elegy give her any sort of edge in this year’s field? It is tough to say considering the film never saw a ton of high approval, but Academy voters could finally feel like time is running short for Close to win an Oscar. That could potentially put her on top by the end of the night, in what would be an award that has been a long time coming for the famed actress.
Olivia Colman, The Father
The former Oscar winner for an exceptional performance in The Favourite, Colman is once again a welcome sight among Oscar nominees. Yet her role in The Father is nothing short of striking with so many curveballs thrown throughout the film, which allows for Colman’s Anne to show just about every single emotion in the acting playbook of angst and uncertainty in the film. It may be tough for anyone to compete with the acting chops of Anthony Hopkins (although Jodie Foster has famously accomplished that before), but Colman does just about as good of a job as you could possibly expect in this thrilling drama inside the dark confines of a London flat.
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Oldman is fantastic as usual in Mank, but the standout performance of the film could easily go to Seyfried for her memorable outing as the infamous Old Hollywood actress Marion Davies, one of the key pieces of inspiration for the screenwriting process of Citizen Kane. Academy voters always seem to have a knack for loving actors playing former stars in their early years (see: Rami Malek in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody) which could bode very well for Seyfried on Sunday, who has been regarded as the favorite in this category in the past despite some slowdown in recent weeks. Seyfried is a real contender for this award, and it would not shock many if she ended up slipping through to get a win.
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari 🏆
Minari is full of exceptional acting at nearly every single age, but the most memorable performance of the excellent film certainly goes to the role Yuh-Jung Youn’s elderly grandma, Soonja. Youn does not enter the film until about one-third of the way through the runtime, but what she does in her little screen time is certainly worthy of this nomination. For a true masterclass on acting with other great actors, look no further than Youn’s impressive facial reactions and charismatic interaction with every single member of the newly-minted Arkansians in this remarkable story.
Our Projected Order
Youn, Minari
Seyfried, Mank
Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Colman, The Father
Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
** Last Year’s Winner: Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
This year’s Oscars may have plenty of wide-open races, but even in such a packed field full of awesome performances, Daniel Kaluuya is the favorite to take home Oscar gold on Sunday night. Can he lock it down for his first-ever win for his impactful part in Judas and the Black Messiah?
Sacha Baren Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
The odds may be stacked against one of the industry’s funniest players, but Sacha Baren Cohen is truly excellent in The Trial of the Chicago 7. As a part of a large ensemble made up of elite actors in the film, Baren Cohen is the clear standout in the film with such charismatic words and entertaining actions over the course of the two-hour runtime. He plays an activist trying to start a social and political movement in the film with the character of Abbie Hoffman, but it is clear that few actors could have played this part quite as well.
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah 🏆
There are few near locks in this year’s field, but Kaluuya is as close as it gets. Much like this same race in last year’s field, the supporting actor race is very clear with Kaluuya at the top, who is fresh off his career best performance in Judas and the Black Messiah as the infamous leader of the Black Panther party in the Illinois chapter, Fred Hampton. Kaluuya demonstrates as there is to know about the impact that Hampton had on his followers, and it is truly a delight to see one of the best young actors in Hollywood once again deliver on such a powerful role.
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Perhaps the one foil to Kaluuya’s bid for the win in this category, the Hamilton veteran wowed audiences around the world with his emotional turn as Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami. It is as impressive as anything that Odom Jr.’s Cooke stands out among the bunch in the film, full of iconic historical figures such as Malcolm X, Cassius Clay, and Jim Brown, and his character’s turn from the beginning of the film to the end is extremely deep and moving. And in finishing off the film with Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come”, Odom Jr. found a way to inspire others in a very inspiring performance, letting others know that there is always time to understand and evolve to help the next generation.
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
The most surprising nomination of this year’s field goes to Raci, a veteran actor who receives his first ever nomination at the Academy Awards. And although he has some big names to contend with in this field, Raci is as deserving as anyone for a spot among this elite group. His appearance as Joe in Sound of Metal is as vital to the story as any other character in the film, and he plays the character with such ease and precision, making it easy to forget just how hard it can be to deliver informational monologues. A great performance that would rank much higher in other years.
Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
It is tough that Stanfield has to compete against one of his own co-stars from the same field in this year’s race, but that just speaks to the power of the acting in Judas and the Black Messiah. A film that centers around trust and loyalty amid crisis, Stanfield plays notable snitch William O’Neal, the key piece in the film who ends up causing even more problems for Hampton and the rest of the Civil Rights Movement at the time. Pitting Stanfield’s O’Neal against his own governmental system is gut-wrenching and tough to watch, which makes his turn all the more shocking in an incredible role for the upcoming superstar actor.
Our Predictions
Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Baren Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
Raci, Sound of Metal
Best Adapted Screenplay
** Last Year’s Winner: Taika Waititi for Jojo Rabbit
Adapted and original screenplay awards often flow right into the Best Picture conversation as the night goes along. Will a shocker in one of these categories signal some chaos at the end of the night, or will the path for a film like Nomadland become even more clear?
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
How can Borat gain a nomination for an adapted screenplay? The Academy makes it clear that all sequels are technically allowed to fit in for this category, which could be great news for the film’s massive writing room. Yet what makes this all the more shocking is that the in-the-moment acting is largely improvised, which means that the film’s writers formulated a way to get real life people into these situations. It would be a shock if this actually won, but what remains even more crazy is that this film actually has a decent chance. Very nice, indeed.
The Father 🏆
For all of the weirdness in The Father, there is no denying that this adapted screenplay is certainly worthy of an Oscar win. Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman are exceptional with the material they are given, but it is key to note that the screenplay never allows for the viewer to understand or become complexly comfortable with what they are watching. It’s a spin-around or a complete 360 at every turn in this film, and the fact that it takes place in one setting the entire time makes it even more impressive. This is a masterful and controlling script, which could edge out a win on Sunday.
Nomadland
Nomadland seems like the favorite to take home the most Oscars on Sunday night, but will adapted screenplay be one of them? The only thing holding this film back from this award is that the film is so visually stunning, and it may even overshadow some of the writing in the film. Often times, this film is so precise with its camera and overall cinematography that limited dialogue is the perfect choice. Yet Academy voters could get this confused with a lack of a strong script and overlook this film’s writing on Sunday. This is a very tough race, and it seems like a neck-and-neck race to the crown.
One Night in Miami
One Night in Miami is a pleasant viewing experience in bringing four iconic figures together in the same room for most of the movie, which speaks to the creativeness of the screenplay that was adapted from the play of the same name. Director Regina King is outstanding in her debut directorial appearance, and this film is so overpowering with a flow of emotions from these characters throughout. It can be a little cliched at times in the films, but the amount of character study and storytelling themes makes this script so impactful. It will be tough to win, but this screenplay is the art at its finest.
The White Tiger
Netflix’s The White Tiger came on late in the year as a nominee in this category as an adaption of the book of the same name, which follows a young Indian man escaping from the hardships and poverty of his hometown in India. The film largely focuses on the trouble of escaping one’s hometown for the sake of opportunity, while also touching on how decisions regarding family and friends can make-or-break one’s true connection with the outside world. It’s a very deep dive with many layers of thought, which makes it a worthy nominee in a loaded field.
Our Predictions
The Father
Nomadland
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
One Night in Miami
The White Tiger
Best Original Screenplay
** Last Year’s Winner: Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won for Parasite
The winner for best original screenplay could reveal which film could present the biggest challenge to Nomadland for Best Picture, which is a telling sign for just how great the screenwriters in this category were over the past year.
Judas and the Black Messiah
Broken trust and turning face on someone that you believe in highlight the back-breaking themes of Judas and the Black Messiah, a thrilling film that was released at the perfect time in America. Yet instead of taking a biopic route with Fred Hampton at the center of the movie, the screenwriters made a very interesting choice of exploring the complicated relationship between the people and the government, showing how one figure can united, or even upend, an entire movement. It is a very complicated film that leaves audiences with plenty of unanswered questions, yet stands out as a case study in what has caused such disconnect between the American government and minority communities over time.
Minari
If Minari is going to ride its late momentum toward a Best Picture win, the film’s best shot may be through a win for original screenplay. Taking place in Arkansas in the 1980’s, the film highlights the closeness of a Korean family adapting the circumstances in rural America, facing all sorts of challenges and experiences along the way. Yet at the end of the day, nothing is more of a challenge than the internal makeup of the family itself, growing up in a new environment and mixing plenty of old ways with new ideas. Many people may think it is a great representation of immigration in America; no, it’s a great representation of how a family can push through thick and thin with one another in order to survive.
Promising Young Woman 🏆
This is a very deep field full of potential winners, but no film in this class burst onto the scene with such power than Promising Young Woman. A flat out force to be reckoned with, the film touches upon so many controversial topics, none more loud than the heights (and even limitations) of anger and righteous rage. It’s a subject that has not been explored nearly enough times in films, and the fact that Carey Mulligan’s Cassie ends up meeting a harsh fate makes the strength of her actions even more impactful. It’s a true thriller from beginning to end, and one that is certainly deserving of a screenwriting award considering its relation to the American culture in the present-day.
Sound of Metal
Few movies in this year’s class are as chilling as Sound of Metal, a film that touches on how the loss of hearing impacts the life of a young and restless drummer. Ruben, the eccentric drummer, needs his hearing in order to perform, and the fact that he scrambles to find a solution without many clear answers makes viewers queasy and puts them on the edge of their seat at all times. It’s a film about someone understanding their flaws and limitations when exposed to the outside world, and the screenwriters did an exceptional job of making a character as energetic as Ruben so vulnerable to the outside world.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin is notably the most accomplished screenwriter of this crop for his past work on projects such as The West Wing and The Social Network, which is bound to make The Trial of the Chicago 7 a legit contender on Sunday. The film has excellent pace that keeps viewers interested at all times, but witty dialogue and precise diction are Sorkin trademarks that guide this film throughout. A creative retelling of the events of the Chicago 7 may limit voters from opting for this film, but there is no doubt that this is a step forward for the industry as an inclusive story that must be told to a wider audience. A real contender that would not be a major shock if it won over the weekend.
Our Predictions
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Minari
Judas and the Black Messiah
Sound of Metal
Best Director
** Last Year’s Winner: Bong Joon-ho for Parasite
In what appears to be a potential crowning achievement for Chloé Zhao on Sunday night, the race for Best Director seems to be one of the easiest in the field to predict. But could there possibly be a major upset on the books?
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland 🏆
Nomadland is not really a film that everyone will love due to its pace, but there is no denying that Zhao simply puts together a masterclass in directing over the course of the film’s two-hour runtime. From every outstanding wide-shot to reveal the spaciousness of the American West to the near-perfect timing in the usage of dialogue and sound, the film is a piece of art from a technological, behind-the-scenes perspective. Adding a key performance from McDormand and a supporting cast full of authenticity only helps Zhao’s case for the weekend, which puts her in a prime position for a win. Nomadland is a pure cinematic art, and Zhao’s stamp of greatness is trademarked all across this film.
David Fincher, Mank
A film that took a long time to develop and get put onto the screen from the initial mind of his own father, David Fincher puts together another work of art in the form of Mank. Much like Nomadland, the film is not for every crowd and may bore some audiences due to a slow pace throughout. But subtle nods to the craft are sure to impress many diehard viewers in the industry, which is both a pleaser and a sense of great awareness. After all, the film is literally about the screenwriting process of the most cherished film in the history of American cinema. It’s a tribute to what Hollywood used to be, and how Citizen Kane came to represent what America stands for at its best, and at its worst. That may be a heavy thought to deal with, but Fincher makes it look so easy once again.
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
The key theme among the directing nominees this year is the excellent pace that they use in their films, which may come as a turn-off to many viewers. Yet Lee Isaac Chung uses this to his own benefit in Minari while telling this much-needed story, which relates across generations. Even though the film takes place in the 1980’s, it is very easy to imagine Chung’s film right now in the present-day, which speaks to his universal themes that apply to all audiences around the world. Throw in the fact that the film uses some outstanding camera angles to capture the imagery of the family on their own in Arkansas, and it only helps build up Chung’s resume for this film. Another example of exceptional directing in the field this year, Minari is a top film at this year’s awards and could be a contender in this category if some votes break their way and the film continues to ride some late momentum.
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
The only international film of the bunch, Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round is a bold movie that has one of the most creative stories of any film represented at the Oscars this year. Starring well-known actor Mads Mikkelsen and centered around four teachers who experiment with how drinking can impact their creative minds for better or worse, the film explores that depths that many people can reach through dire needs. Reminiscent of 8 1/2, it may be a strange concept to American filmgoers, but Vinterberg deserves a ton of credit for such a unique vision that has rarely been seen before on-the-screen. Combining that with how much Vinterberg has overcome in the past few years only makes this film even more of a feel-good story at the Oscars, which would be a major upset in this category on Sunday.
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Fiery, focused, and impactful. Those are the three words to describe the flow of Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, a film that takes viewers on a thrilling roller coaster that will leave viewers thinking about it for days to come. That’s really all you can expect out of a great film, which speaks to the clear vision that Fennell had in mind when creating this film. It helps that she also wrote this script for this thriller, but that does not take away from the directing aspect of the film that clearly brings out the best of the cast and crew. It may not have the technical achievements of Nomadland or the industry ties of Mank, but Promising Young Woman has plenty of hard-throwing fastballs to match up with a wipeout slider whenever needed.
Our Predictions
Zhao, Nomadland
Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Fincher, Mank
Vinterberg, Another Round
Isaac Chung, Minari
Best Picture
** Last Year’s Winner: Kwak Sin-ae and Bong Joon-ho for Parasite
From Casablanca to The Godfather, and from Schindler’s List to Parasite, the Best Picture winner at The Oscars stands out as the premiere award of the night. So which film from the past year will join the legacy of some of the greatest films of all-time at the 93rd Annual Academy Awards?
The Father
Often more impressive than entertaining, especially in the creative misdirection throughout the film, The Father may be a film being slept on by many going into the weekend. Likely to have a strong pull among older Academy voters due to an impressive cast with Oscar history on their side, The Father looks like a film that keeps gaining steam as it looks to pull off the upset for Best Picture. The main reason this could get to the top? Not only do Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman act their hearts out, but a very clever adapted screenplay could be the biggest contributor to this cause. If they can somehow steal the category from Nomadland, watch out for this dark horse thriller.
Judas and the Black Messiah
Did any film have better timing in this class than Judas and the Black Messiah? Coming out just at the right time following social movements across the United States in 2020, the film tells a clever story about trust and betrayal in the fight for freedom and equality in the late 1960’s. It’s a dark film that often digs very deep into the backbones of its characters, including manipulating Lakeith Stanfield’s O’Neal at every corner, but few films over the past year have dared go in the directions that this film does. Considering this film was somewhat of a surprise in the Best Picture race, the odds may be stacked against them. But with a late push with Daniel Kaluuya on deck to possibly capture an Oscar for his supporting role performance, maybe Oscar glory is soon ahead for the 2021 release.
Mank
If Citizen Kane was notably robbed at the Oscars, what makes anyone think that Mank will be able to win on Sunday? The film is a great inside look into the writer’s room in the former days Old Hollywood, largely focusing on the screenplay then known as American, and soon to be directed by wunderkind phenom, Orson Welles. But although the film has some of the best production design and top-end acting available in any film from this past year, David Fincher’s newest film reads as more of a tribute to the little-known writers throughout the industry that have long been overlooked. That could be their strongest case heading into the weekend for sympathetic voters, which gives Mank an underdog chance this weekend as a film that the industry loves to sit back and enjoy.
Minari
A late release that entered the Best Picture race just in the nick of time, Minari is another creative film that excels when it is at its most calm. There are several iconic acting performances in this film (really from all types of ages) that help guide the plot along, but the true power of this film lies in the setting of the film, and how the characters react to their surroundings. A Korean family moves to Arkansas in the 1980’s with very little money and very little hope, where everything seems foreign and the family feels disconnect from many of the people around them. Yet they find a way to ultimately balance things out (especially in a surprising final 15 minutes of the film), and see potential hope on the horizon for the future. It’s not the story of the American Dream; it’s the story of how friends and family are really the only things that we all have at the end of the day in the face of uncertainty.
Nomadland 🏆
The clear favorite heading into the ceremony, Nomadland may be the most unique film of the year. Yet it’s slow-paced, reserved in the development of its plot, and often times nearly silent. So why would this film rank near the top of Best Picture nominees? While the film’s breathtaking cinematography deserves a fair share of credit on its own, the vision of director Chloé Zhao brings new life to the industry with such a blank canvas on display. There are plenty of thematic elements of typical Hollywood classics throughout: moving on from life following a death, learning to adapt over time, and finding one’s true self through experiences. But the real punch? It’s a film so simple, yet different in its approach, that it could have been made in nearly any decade. But being retold through new industry technology in the present-day to a new audience gives this film a timeless touch, one that makes viewers think this could have some lasting power for all of time. That’s as impressive as it can get for any film in terms of revolutionary filmmaking.
Promising Young Woman
There are plenty of films that can try to make claims toward upsetting Nomadland on Sunday, but the one film that provides the most interesting foil is Promising Young Woman. A film that truly explodes off the screen from the minute the film begins, director Emerald Fennell brings such a unique vision to a story that has not been touched upon enough in film. While it may be easy to just say this is a revenge film centered around Carey Mulligan’s dynamic Cassie, the film is much more interested in understanding the strengths and limitations of pure rage (as evident in the shocking turn of the third act), while bringing about much-needed awareness to uncomfortable situations that women around the world face on a daily basis. It is a film that will likely have a lasting impact in the industry, and like many other films in this class, is the perfect film for the day-and-age being reflected on the screen.
Sound of Metal
An uneasy viewing experience can often take a big whiff at the plate, but Sound of Metal truly hits a hard line drive into the gap. The film explores how a upstart, young drummer losing his hearing adapts to his evolving world, and how it takes so much trial-and-error before he can accept the prospect of his situation at hand. It is a dark story without the most promising of endings, but the film deserves a ton of credit for addressing a topic that has very rarely ever been seen on the screen. Yet sensational use of sound (or rather, the lack of sound) and the performance from lead actor Riz Ahmed are the real highlights of this film, which makes this an interesting film to watch out for on Sunday. It does not look like a top-end favorite, but things could quickly change if this film can pick up some key wins in important categories along the way before the final award of the night in announced.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
People are starting to refer to this film as the Green Book of this year’s Best Picture nominees, which stands out as a clear contrast to the favorite this year with Nomadland. Yet The Trial of the Chicago 7 may be the safest picture to vote for if voters are unsure about the expansive step from Nomadland, which gives this film a real chance at the top award on Sunday night. It is easy to say that this film may have the most basic format of any film in this class, but director Aaron Sorkin puts his own spin on the story with clever dialogue and key performances from what would initially appear to be some odd casting choices. Yet it all ties together in the end, and while it may not be a very aggressive film, it is the right kind of historical story that must start being told to a wider audience. It seems to be a top-three contender on Sunday, which could potentially signal greatness on the horizon for the film.
Our Projected Order
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Minari
Judas and the Black Messiah
Sound of Metal
Mank
The Father
Our Personal Order
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Mank
Judas and the Black Messiah
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Nomadland
The Father
Sound of Metal
Other Projected Winners
Animated Feature Film: Soul
Costume Design: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Cinematography: Nomadland
Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Film Editing: The Trial of the Chicago 7
Production Design: Mank
Original Score: Soul
Original Song: “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami
Sound: Sound of Metal
Visual Effects: Tenet
Live Action Short Film: The Letter Room
Animated Short Film: If Anything Happens I Love You
International Feature Film: Another Round
Documentary Short Subject: A Concerto is a Conversation
Documentary Feature: Time