Oppenheimer wins 7 Oscars (Best Picture) (film & awards)

[Former Crackhead Mike Lindell]

Two of the big movies this year - "Mank" and "Judas And The Black Messiah" - prominently feature historical American socialists: Herman Mankewicz and Fred Hampton.

Trial of the Chicago 7 heavily features Fred Hampton too!

[T'Chenka]

Two of the big movies this year - "Mank" and "Judas And The Black Messiah" - prominently feature historical American socialists: Herman Mankewicz and Fred Hampton.

Trial of the Chicago 7 heavily features Fred Hampton too!

I wouldn't say "heavily". Don't want to get in spoiler territory here so I'll leave it at that.

[NewYorkExpress]

Oscar nominees are in

I have to say, Disney/Pixar did really well for themselves, having two of their films be nominated for Best Animated Feature in Onward and Soul.

I certainly wasn't expecting Onward to get nominated, so I wonder what the committee saw in it.

[T'Chenka]

CURRENT SITUATION:

Front runner = Nomadland

Real contenders = Chicago 7, Pfomising Young Woman

Dark horses = Minari, The Father

Pretenders = Sound Of Metal, Judas

Will NOT be winning = Mank

The WGA and PGA awards coming in the next week the last chance for Sound Of Metal and Judas to gain any kind of momentum. After that, Minari could improve due to SAGs and DGA, whereas The Father could improve due to the BAFTAs.

The most likely outcome at the Oscars now is that Nomadland wins Director and faces off against the Original Screenplay winner (Chicago 7 / Promising) for Best Picture.

[T'Chenka]

2020 films - Oscars - Best Picture nominees
- Judas And The Black Messiah
- Mank (netflix)
- Minari
- Nomadland
- Promising Young Woman
- Sound Of Metal (amazon prime)
- The Father
- The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (netflix)

2020 films - Oscars - Best Director/Screenplay (but not Picture) nominees
- Another Round
- Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (amazon prime)
- One Night In Miami (amazon prime)
- The White Tiger (netflix)

[Progressive Pessimist]

I wasn't all that enchanted with 'One Night in Miami' but I am really shocked that it wasn't nominated for more. The Academy really missed an opportunity to pat themselves on the back for having it in the running for Best Picture or Regina King for Best Director.

Otherwise I'm not all that surprised by the other nominees save for Maria Balukova and Glenn Close getting nominated, for two different reasons: I didn't think 'Borat 2' would get any nominations (if 2020 was a great year for anyone it was Sacha Baron Cohen). Maybe it was the anti-Trump themes that put it over.  I'm happy for Balukova though. I really did love her in the movie. As for Close I heard that she was just over-the-top in 'Hillbilly Elegy' and that the movie in itself was kind of terrible. Also she looks like that guy from 'Trailer Park Boys' and I can't get past it.

Also I never even heard of 'Minari' or 'The Father' until the nominations were announced.

[T'Chenka]

I wasn't all that enchanted with 'One Night in Miami' but I am really shocked that it wasn't nominated for more. The Academy really missed an opportunity to pat themselves on the back for having it in the running for Best Picture or Regina King for Best Director.

Otherwise I'm not all that surprised by the other nominees save for Maria Balukova and Glenn Close getting nominated, for two different reasons: I didn't think 'Borat 2' would get any nominations (if 2020 was a great year for anyone it was Sacha Baron Cohen). Maybe it was the anti-Trump themes that put it over.  I'm happy for Balukova though. I really did love her in the movie. As for Close I heard that she was just over-the-top in 'Hillbilly Elegy' and that the movie in itself was kind of terrible. Also she looks like that guy from 'Trailer Park Boys' and I can't get past it.

Also I never even heard of 'Minari' or 'The Father' until the nominations were announced.

I use the app Letterboxd to make movie lists and check average ratinfs of movies by other users, and both Minari and The Father have very high average scores. I'd like to see both. As for One Night In Miami, it JUST missed Best Picture, and if they had nominated just one more film, it would have been that one. The Best Director race had a clear top 4 directors, and speculation on whi would recieve the 5th nomination circled around Aarom Sorkin, Regina King, Darius Marder, Florian Zeller and Shaka King. At one point earlier on, Regina King was the favourite. In the end, the Academy ignored all of those directors to select Thomas Vinterberg.

[T'Chenka]

Updated the first two posts and bumped.

Oscars are in 2.5 weeks on Sunday. I've watched all of the Best Picture nominees and am just waiting for the awards ceremony. Sadly, it seems EXTREMELY likely that The Power Of The Dog is going to win this year, so there isn't as much excitement. Still, it's been a decent year for film. Not amazing but not mediocre.

[T'Chenka]

My ranking of the Best Picture movies:

4.5 / 5 stars
- West Side Story
- Drive My Car

4.0 / 5 stars
- Dune
- Licorice Pizza

3.5 / 5 stars
- The Power Of The Dog
- King Richard
- Belfast
- CODA
- Nightmare Alley

3.0 / 5 stars
- Don't Look Up

[T'Chenka]

My predictions for the awards winners:

BEST PICTURE - The Power Of The Dog
BEST DIRECTOR - Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - Licorice Pizza
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - The Power Of The Dog

BEST ACTRESS - Jessica Chastain (The Eyes Of Tammy Faye)
BEST ACTOR - Will Smith (King Richard)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power Of The Dog)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE - Drive My Car
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - Encanto
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - Summer Of Soul

BEST EDITING - Dune
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - The Power Of The Dog
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - Dune
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - Dune
BEST COSTUMES - Cruella
BEST HAIR & MAKEUP - The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
BEST SOUND - Dune
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - Dune
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - "No Time To Die" (No Time To Die)

[T'Chenka]

Ranking the Best Picture winners:

AMAZING
- West Side Story
- Drive My Car

GREAT
- Dune
- Licorice Pizza

VERY VERY GOOD
- The Power Of The Dog

VERY GOOD
- King Richard

GOOD (ABOVE-AVERAGE)
- Belfast
- CODA
- Nightmare Alley

AVERAGE
- Don't Look Up

[T'Chenka]

My ranking of 2021 films:
https://letterboxd.com/kingtchenka/list/2021-films-ranked/

My ranking of the decade so far:
https://letterboxd.com/kingtchenka/list/decade-ranked-2020s/

[T'Chenka]

My list of "30 movies from 2022 most likely to get into Best Picture":

01. Babylon
02. Bardo (Or False Chronicle Of A Handful of Truths)
03. [Apple+] Killers Of The Flower Moon
04. Empire Of Light
05. [Netflix] Maestro (likely 2023 not 2022)
06. The Son
07. The Fabelmans
08. Canterbury Glass
09. Next Goal Wins
10. She Said
11. [Netflix] White Noise
12. Asteroid City
13. The Banshees Of Inisherin
14. Till
15. [Netflix] Rustin
16. Avatar 2
17. Thirteen Lives
18. Armageddon Time
19. [Netflix] All Quiet On The Western Front
20. Napoleon
21. Women Talking
22. Red White And Water
23. Tár
24. [Netflix] Knives Out 2
25. Three Thousand Years Of Longing
26. [Netflix] The Killer
27. Poor Things
28. Fever
29. Triangle Of Sadness
30. The Wonder

Even if you don't care much about the Oscars, a lot of the big dramas of the year are here. If you're big into action, comedy, horror, then most of those were left off of this list. Some of these will end up being "just okay" but some of these will be great movies. A handful may be delayed until 2023 possibly.

[kyc0705]

My ranking of this year's Best Picture nominees:

A:
Drive My Car
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

B:
Nightmare Alley
Dune
Licorice Pizza

B-/C+:
CODA
King Richard
Belfast

D:
Don't Look Up

[T'Chenka]

Everything Everywhere All At Once is now available on iTunes (and presumably digital VOD) and will arrive on DVD and Bluray on June 14th. EDIT - the iTunes and VOD release were quietly delayed 3 weeks unfortunately.

Make sure you check this out... most unique film of the decade and one of the best - possibly THE best - film of the decade so far. It has at least four genres mixed together, probably more, and you've NEVER seen a film like this. It's better if you don't look into the film too much or tell people too much about it before they see it. Just go in knowing very little or nothing and enjoy (and recommend to others). This is ALREADY a cult classic and it hasn't been out for 3 months yet.

Could be a big Oscars player but it isn't an "Oscars" type of film. So maybe not.

[nicholas.slaydon]

Everything Everywhere All At Once is now available on iTunes (and presumably digital VOD) and will arrive on DVD and Bluray on June 14th. EDIT - the iTunes and VOD release were quietly delayed 3 weeks unfortunately.

Make sure you check this out... most unique film of the decade and one of the best - possibly THE best - film of the decade so far. It has at least four genres mixed together, probably more, and you've NEVER seen a film like this. It's better if you don't look into the film too much or tell people too much about it before they see it. Just go in knowing very little or nothing and enjoy (and recommend to others). This is ALREADY a cult classic and it hasn't been out for 3 months yet.

Could be a big Oscars player but it isn't an "Oscars" type of film. So maybe not.

Unfortunately I don't think it will get any Oscar attention. It's unfortunate, as I don't think the studio really considered whether it could even have a chance at the awards, and I think it could. It really should have been released later in the years just to see whether it could have gotten some awards buzz, and I think it could have.

[T'Chenka]

With the trio of Venice, Telluride and TIFF kicking off on Wednesday, a little update for the Oscars...

Notable films leading the pack for BEST PICTURE:
- Babylon
- The Fabelmans
- Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful of Truths
- Empire Of Light
- The Son
- Everything Everywhere All At Once
- Women Talking

Notable performances for BEST ACTOR:
- Hugh Jackman (The Son)
- Austin Butler (Elvis)
- Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

Notable performances for BEST ACTRESS:
- Olivia Colman (Empire Of Light)
- Margot Robbie (Babylon)
- Cate Blanchett (Tár)

Notable performances for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
- Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
- Brad Pitt (Babylon)
- Paul Dano (The Fabelmans)

Notable performances for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
- Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)
- Jessie Buckley (Women Talking)
- Vanessa Kirby (The Son)
- Laura Dern (The Son)

[T'Chenka]

Everything Everywhere All At Once is now available on iTunes (and presumably digital VOD) and will arrive on DVD and Bluray on June 14th. EDIT - the iTunes and VOD release were quietly delayed 3 weeks unfortunately.

Make sure you check this out... most unique film of the decade and one of the best - possibly THE best - film of the decade so far. It has at least four genres mixed together, probably more, and you've NEVER seen a film like this. It's better if you don't look into the film too much or tell people too much about it before they see it. Just go in knowing very little or nothing and enjoy (and recommend to others). This is ALREADY a cult classic and it hasn't been out for 3 months yet.

Could be a big Oscars player but it isn't an "Oscars" type of film. So maybe not.

Unfortunately I don't think it will get any Oscar attention. It's unfortunate, as I don't think the studio really considered whether it could even have a chance at the awards, and I think it could. It really should have been released later in the years just to see whether it could have gotten some awards buzz, and I think it could have.

Everyone still seems to be predicting it now as we enter September, which is surprising. I think it has a decent chance of showing up at the Oscars now.

[NewYorkExpress]

I'm still thinking Elvis is going to be nominated for something, be it Best Picture, best Director for Baz Luhrmann, or Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor for Tom Hanks/Austin Parker.

[T'Chenka]

I'm still thinking Elvis is going to be nominated for something, be it Best Picture, best Director for Baz Luhrmann, or Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor for Tom Hanks/Austin Parker.

Butler for Best Actor is possible
Hanks for Supporting Actor is possible but fairly unlikely
Luhrmann for Director is possible but fairly unlikely
Best Picture is possible... maybe a 30ish% chance of happening?

Some tech noms like Hair & Makeup, Production Design are certainly possible. Costumes is likely.

[nicholas.slaydon]

Everything Everywhere All At Once is now available on iTunes (and presumably digital VOD) and will arrive on DVD and Bluray on June 14th. EDIT - the iTunes and VOD release were quietly delayed 3 weeks unfortunately.

Make sure you check this out... most unique film of the decade and one of the best - possibly THE best - film of the decade so far. It has at least four genres mixed together, probably more, and you've NEVER seen a film like this. It's better if you don't look into the film too much or tell people too much about it before they see it. Just go in knowing very little or nothing and enjoy (and recommend to others). This is ALREADY a cult classic and it hasn't been out for 3 months yet.

Could be a big Oscars player but it isn't an "Oscars" type of film. So maybe not.

Unfortunately I don't think it will get any Oscar attention. It's unfortunate, as I don't think the studio really considered whether it could even have a chance at the awards, and I think it could. It really should have been released later in the years just to see whether it could have gotten some awards buzz, and I think it could have.

Everyone still seems to be predicting it now as we enter September, which is surprising. I think it has a decent chance of showing up at the Oscars now.

It would really warm my heart for a it to be nominated, and I would even be quite happy if it won for Best Picture (though it has steep odds going up against the likes of Babylon and Thirteen Lives).

[Progressive Pessimist]

My ranking of this year's Best Picture nominees:

A:
Drive My Car
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

B:
Nightmare Alley
Dune
Licorice Pizza

B-/C+:
CODA
King Richard
Belfast

D:
Don't Look Up

I only saw 'Belfast,' 'Dune,' 'Nightmare Alley,' and 'West Side Story.'

I liked them all to different degrees and would rank them like this:

1. 'Nightmare Alley:' my favorite film of 2021, from what I've seen, and is possibly Del Toro's best film; definitely his best since 'Pan's Labyrinth.

2. 'Dune:' was a great set up for the next film which I think will be better and am really anticipating, but that last third dragged a lot and I still am just not a Timothee Chalamet fan. He didn't do much to make Paul Atreides interesting.

3. 'West Side Story:' superior to the 1960's film, but Ansel Elgort was a real weak-point, and I've always found it hard to buy into the romance.

4. 'Belfast:' cute and enjoyable but a bit on the aimless and forgettable side.

[T'Chenka]

Everyone still seems to be predicting it now as we enter September, which is surprising. I think it has a decent chance of showing up at the Oscars now.

It would really warm my heart for a it to be nominated, and I would even be quite happy if it won for Best Picture (though it has steep odds going up against the likes of Babylon and Thirteen Lives).

Apprently Thirteen Lives isn't going to be campaigned very hard for Best Picture. Some people have read the Babylon script - not me, I avoid spoilers - and say it's too weird to win Best Picture. We'll see.

Things will become more clear in the next few weeks, but I think the "big 5" of the year so far that could actually in Picture are Babylon Bardo Fabelmans Empire Son, with Women Talking and Everything Everywhere All At Once being the biggest contenders on the more "lowkey" side. Making the top 5 + those 2 into a "top 7". Most awards predictions right now from experts, insiders and film nerds have most or all of those top 7 in their predictions for the 10 films being nominated for Best Picture.

[nicholas.slaydon]

Everyone still seems to be predicting it now as we enter September, which is surprising. I think it has a decent chance of showing up at the Oscars now.

It would really warm my heart for a it to be nominated, and I would even be quite happy if it won for Best Picture (though it has steep odds going up against the likes of Babylon and Thirteen Lives).

Apprently Thirteen Lives isn't going to be campaigned very hard for Best Picture. Some people have read the Babylon script - not me, I avoid spoilers - and say it's too weird to win Best Picture. We'll see.

Things will become more clear in the next few weeks, but I think the "big 5" of the year so far that could actually in Picture are Babylon Bardo Fabelmans Empire Son, with Women Talking and Everything Everywhere All At Once being the biggest contenders on the more "lowkey" side. Making the top 5 + those 2 into a "top 7". Most awards predictions right now from experts, insiders and film nerds have most or all of those top 7 in their predictions for the 10 films being nominated for Best Picture.

Yeah, ever since Amazon bought out MGM and dumped Thirteen Lives into a late July release with next to no promotion of the film I knew they weren't going to be pushing it hard for Best Picture. However, I am still holding out hope for it to be a Green Book style dark horse contender. Why in the world Amazon didn't release Thirteen Lives in theaters in November as MGM was planning to do once it scored the highest of any MGM film ever shown at test screenings is beyond me. It really had the potential to be the crowd pleasing film that can generate the groundswell of support needed to win Best Picture.

I can't speak for the others like The Fabelmans, Empire of Light etc as they're not out yet, and their quality is as yet unknown. However, I don't place a whole lot of stock in what a lot of the professional predictions say, as I've seen some of them that even contain Amsterdam as a potential awards player (and I can assure you with 100% certainty that it is not).

[T'Chenka]

I can't speak for the others like The Fabelmans, Empire of Light etc as they're not out yet, and their quality is as yet unknown. However, I don't place a whole lot of stock in what a lot of the professional predictions say, as I've seen some of them that even contain Amsterdam as a potential awards player (and I can assure you with 100% certainty that it is not).

People were high on Amsterdam up until the spring and then soured on it around that time. I'm personally still slightly high on it (but not for Picture and DEFINITELY not for Director).