Welcome to the weirdest Oscar season ever.
Every aspect of the 2021 race is unprecedented: with many contenders having barely played a brick-and-mortar theater, the glamorous ceremony will almost certainly not be held in person and it has been pushed to April 25 due to the epidemic. However, the contest for the trophy is in full swing, with the Golden Globes airing on Sunday.
Now, The Post kicks off its annual Academy Award tracker – Gold Digger. First, here’s Who’s Who for Best Picture, a category that will feature 10 films when the Oscar nominations are announced on March 15.
“Nomad”
Director Chloe Zhao’s social-issues drama, starring as a struggling woman by Oscar winner Francis MacDormand, who decided to make it home from her van, has been the best-picture front-runner since early fall. When other nervous contestants were kicking off their theatrical release in 2021, “Nomadland” instead showed its sword by having a well-received rolling premiere at the all-important Venice and Toronto film festivals. At TIFF, it snatched the people’s choice award, which was also taken home by the 2019 Best Picture winner “Green Book”. Oscar-beth to the core, it has already been named Best Film of the Year by a group of at least 13 critics, and has been nominated for Best Drama in the Film Category at the Golden Globes. However, like in any normal year, voters get tired of a month of Goliath, and the enthusiasm decreases.
“Test of chicago 7”
If “Nomad” is for deep thinkers, then Aaron Sorkin’s historical drama “Vote Your Heart” is the choice. Low on genre, but big on passion, most of the Netflix film’s award recognition comes courtesy of Golden Globes, where it is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Film (Sacha Baron-Cohen), Best Original Song (“Listen to my voice
“) As well as screenplay and director (Sorkin). The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) gave it an excellent cast in the motion picture node – and the actors are considered to be the biggest voting block of the Oscars. SAG + Globe = Look out, Francis.
“Munk”
Screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz of David Fincher’s biopic about “Citizen Kane” would appear to be a Primer Oscar contender by normal standards: it’s about the film business (Czech), set in LA (Czech), and Gary Oldman ( Czech). Hell, it’s black and white too (jackpot!). not so fast. For one, the old intellect that Hollywood loves itself is flawed. (Although he is the leading drug addict, who no longer translates to awards.) The final flick about LA moviemaking to win Best Picture in 2011 was “The Artist”. But the theme of the more inaccessible hill is: Ores Wells and “Kane”. Today, cinephiles are preferred with TCM subscriptions – not the average middle-class audience. Nevertheless, “Manak” is the most nominated film in the Golden Globes, with six nods.
“Minari”
The shock success of Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” last year changed the game for foreign films. Beyond just a few, he was re-included in the Best Foreign Language Film category, instead allowing for big marriages. But that memorable Best Picture win for “Parasite” has kept the momentum going for subtitles, this time for a Korean-American film called “Minery”. That said, this Gentler family drama is a very different film – not an exciting thriller like Joon-ho’s – and will have a hard time getting votes. But its SAG nomination for Outstanding Artist secured it for an Oscar.
“One Night in Miami”
A shoo-in for the nomination, but a long shot to victory, is the direction of Regina King, who influences the friendship of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Highly popular with critics, the Amazon film has had an intriguing time on the awards circuit, mostly for its actors, notably Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke, and occasionally nods to King. A glimpse of hope: The film was the runner-up exclusively for the People’s Choice Award at TIFF last year. Recent Best Picture winners to make the same difference include “Parasite” and “Spotlight”.
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