Almost done! Thus far in our weeklong run-up to the Oscars, we’ve looked at the lead actors, their supporting counterparts, the big techies, and the little ones. This morning, we’re analyzing the screenplays before we return this afternoon for a look at the big prizes.
Let’s start with the weaker of the two categories:
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
NOMINEES Borat Subsequent Moviefilm—Sacha Baron Cohen et al. The Father—Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller Nomadland—Chloé Zhao One Night in Miami—Kemp Powers The White Tiger—Ramin Bahrani Read More
NOMINEES Riz Ahmed—Sound of Metal Chadwick Boseman—Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Anthony Hopkins—The Father Gary Oldman—Mank Steven Yeun—Minari
WILL WIN All year, everyone has been assuming that Boseman has this locked up. He probably still does. But after Hopkins defeated him at the BAFTAs, some prognosticators started rumbling that this is now a legit race. Nothing’s guaranteed, of course, but I don’t buy it—partly because The Father is an extremely British film, and partly because of, er, certain circumstances. Boseman wins a posthumous Oscar for his final performance. Read More
And now, we get to the good stuff. Having already analyzed the technical categories at this year’s Oscars, both large and small, it’s time to dig into the races that you really care about. Today, we’re looking at Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress; tomorrow, we’ll move on to the lead actors.
Ladies first:
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
NOMINEES Maria Bakalova—Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Glenn Close—Hillbilly Elegy Olivia Colman—The Father Amanda Seyfried—Mank Youn Yuh-jung—Minari Read More
We’re running through the 20 feature categories at this year’s Oscars. Yesterday, we analyzed seven categories that receive a relatively low profile. Today, we’re moving on to five additional below-the-line fields that are somewhat more significant. I mean, they’re significant in my eyes; you might care more about Best Costume Design than Best Film Editing, but this isn’t your website.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES Judas and the Black Messiah—Sean Bobbitt Mank—Erik Messerschmidt News of the World—Dariusz Wolski Nomadland—Joshua James Richards The Trial of the Chicago 7—Phedon Papamichael Read More
It’s mid-April, and this year’s Oscars still haven’t been held yet, which raises two questions: What is time, and what is Time? I’m not a capable enough philosopher to answer the first, but I can tell you that the second is one of the five nominees for this year’s Best Documentary Feature award. And so, even with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the cinematic landscape and the Academy’s schedule, it’s (ahem) time for everyone’s favorite time (oh come on) of year: our annual Oscar predictions.
You know how this works. Over the next week, I’ll be filing a series of pieces that briskly walk through each of the 21 20 feature categories (sorry, short subjects, I care for thee not), with predictions, preferences, and assorted thoughts. Does any of this matter? That’s up to you. The Oscars are a gaudy ceremony of self-congratulation, often better remembered for what they got wrong than right. They’re also significant as a marker of history, and they tend to honor some pretty good movies. There are more important things in the world, and more important things to complain about, too.
Today, we’re running through seven categories that are rather less high-profile than other races. But if you want to win your office pool (do people do office pools for the Oscars? Do people still work in offices?), this is where you can separate yourself.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
NOMINEES Onward Over the Moon A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Soul Wolfwalkers Read More
