Category: Oscar: Case Of

Oscar movies

Oscars: The Case of Jodie Foster in Nyad

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five big races. Today we arrive at our fourth performer in Best Supporting Actress and that’s Jodie Foster in Nyad. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

Taxi Driver (Supporting Actress, 1976); The Accused (Actress, 1988, WON); The Silence of the Lambs (Actress, 1991, WON); Nell (Actress, 1994)

The Case for Jodie Foster:

The legendary actress hit the Globes/SAG/Critics Choice trifecta of precursors. Foster’s fifth Oscar nod comes nearly 40 years after her initial supporting try and almost 30 years since her last leading nomination. It may not hurt that she’s just coming off an acclaimed TV role on HBO’s True Detective: Night Country.

The Case Against Jodie Foster:

In addition to Foster missing BAFTA, Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) has won everywhere and appears easily headed toward the victory. While costar Annette Bening is up for lead actress, Nyad showed up nowhere else in the Academy’s mentions.

The Verdict:

This is Randolph’s prize.

My Case Of posts will continue with Ryan Gosling in Barbie…

Oscars: The Case of Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our fourth performer in Best Actor and that’s Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

None

The Case for Cillian Murphy:

Mr. Murphy’s sixth collaboration with Christopher Nolan earned him his first Academy nod. Oppenheimer is far and away the BP frontrunner and he is the title character. Already the victor at the Globes and BAFTA, Murphy picked up a key award last night at SAG. 17 out of the past 20 SAG recipients went on to take Actor at the Oscars.

The Case Against Cillian Murphy:

Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) was named in Musical/Comedy at the Globes and he took Critics Choice where 16 of the last 20 winners have won Oscar.

The Verdict:

SAG has put Murphy out front in the competition. Giamatti is still viable, but the star of the future BP winner is now the likely winner.

My Case Of posts will continue with Jodie Foster in Nyad…

Oscars: The Case of Carey Mulligan in Maestro

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our fourth performer in Best Actress and that’s Carey Mulligan in Maestro. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

An Education (2009, Actress); Promising Young Woman (2020, Actress)

The Case for Carey Mulligan:

After likely coming up just a little short to Frances McDormand (Nomadland) in 2020 for Promising Young Woman, Mulligan has made the cut at key precursors with the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTA, and SAG. As Leonard Bernstein’s spouse Felicia, she has a number of Oscar clips to choose from alongside costar Bradley Cooper.

The Case Against Carey Mulligan:

So do Emma Stone (Poor Things) and Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) and they’ve taken the hardware in ceremonies that have already occurred.

The Verdict:

The third time won’t be the charm for Mulligan.

My Case Of posts will continue with Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer…

Oscars: The Case of Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our third filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Directing Nominations:

Dunkirk (2017)

The Case for Christopher Nolan:

Where to begin? Oppenheimer is easily the frontrunner for BP and leads all nominees with 13 overall. Nolan, one of the most visible and well-known filmmakers of the 21st century, has won all significant precursors. That includes the DGA (which has a sterling track record of matching with Oscar), the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA.

The Case Against Christopher Nolan:

There’s not much of one honestly. However, the Academy does have a history of snubbing Nolan. He missed the cut for Memento, The Dark Knight and Inception even though he picked up DGA nods for all three.

The Verdict:

If Nolan were to lose, it would be a jaw dropper. This is one of the easiest races to forecast. For someone whose pictures consistently deal with the concept of time… it’s his time with the Academy.

My Case Of posts will continue with Carey Mulligan in Maestro…

Oscars: The Case of Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five big races. Today we arrive at our third performer in Best Supporting Actor and that’s Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

Chaplin (Actor, 1992); Tropic Thunder (Supporting Actor, 2008)

The Case for Robert Downey Jr.:

It could be considered the capper for one of the most remarkable comeback stories in Hollywood history. In the mid 90s, Downey Jr.’s career appeared over due to drug abuse and legal woes. By 2008, he was starting run as star of the biggest franchise of all time with the MCU and multiple appearances as Tony Stark in the Iron Man and Avengers series. His role as the scheming AEC Chairman Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic has swept the season thus far at the Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA. SAG is likely to follow suit next weekend. This could be seen as a career achievement prize and his peers are probably eager to give it to him (similar to Jamie Lee Curtis last year in Everything Everywhere All at Once).

The Case Against Robert Downey Jr.:

Frankly, it’s difficult to come up with one. Maybe the voters will look at Supporting Actor as a place to honor Barbie and give it to Ryan Gosling. The same logic could apply to Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things or Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon.

The Verdict:

At this point, anything other than a Downey Jr. victory would be a significant upset.

My Case Of posts will continue with the direction of Christopher Nolan in Oppenheimer…

Oscars: The Case of America Ferrera in Barbie

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five big races. Today we arrive at our third performer in Best Supporting Actress and that’s America Ferrera in Barbie. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

None

The Case for America Ferrera:

Every performer wants that obvious Oscar clip and Ferrera has it playing Gloria as the single ma tells the challenges of being a woman. That speech likely propelled the Globe, SAG, and Emmy winner for TV’s Ugly Betty to her first Academy nod. Alongside fellow nominee Ryan Gosling, she was singled out for plaudits in Greta Gerwig’s billion plus grossing phenomenon. A Critics Choice mention preceded this.

The Case Against America Ferrera:

Ferrera didn’t make the cut at SAG, BAFTA, and the Globes (unlike Gosling) and the acting branch didn’t recognize lead Margot Robbie. Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) has won the key precursors so far and stands as the favorite.

The Verdict:

I wouldn’t bet on Ferrera making a speech from the podium on March 10th.

My Case Of posts will continue with Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer…

Oscars: The Case of Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five big races. Today we arrive at our third performer in Best Actor and that’s Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

Cinderella Man (Supporting Actor, 2005)

The Case for Paul Giamatti:

He has an Emmy and a Globe as the title character in HBO’s John Adams from 2008, but Paul Giamatti has just one Oscar nod for his supporting work in Cinderella Man. For that nomination, he was in the mix but came up short to George Clooney in Syriana. That means he was snubbed for 2003’s American Splendor and, most notably, 2004’s Sideways. There could be an overdue narrative brewing. As temperamental teacher Paul Hunham in his second collaboration with Alexander Payne behind Sideways, Giamatti has won the Globe for Actor in a Comedy/Musical and took the Critics Choice Award. He’s also in contention for BAFTA tomorrow and SAG next week.

The Case Against Paul Giamtti:

That the Oppenheimer love will translate to Cillian Murphy being named. He is the recipient of the Globe for Actor in a Drama. Perhaps voters will feel The Holdovers is being properly honored in Supporting Actress where Da’Vine Joy Randolph is the frontrunner.

The Verdict:

Giamatti stands an excellent chance… as does Murphy. My suspicion is that Murphy takes BAFTA and Giamatti is out front as SAG. If that pans out, we are in for a showdown on the evening of the Academy’s festivities. If either of the performers win BAFTA/SAG, consider them the strong favorite.

My Case Of posts will continue with America Ferrera in Barbie…

Oscars: The Case of Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five big races. Today we arrive at our third performer in Best Actress and that’s Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

None

The Case for Sandra Hüller:

The German actress earned raves for her turn in Justine Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or winning French legal drama which earned five overall nods including Picture. She also added to her impressive 2023 with her role in BP nominated The Zone of Interest (where she probably came up just short in Supporting Actress). The Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA put her in their mix and she’s received a few regional critics prizes.

The Case Against Sandra Hüller:

Hüller has yet to win a key precursor as those have gone to Emma Stone (Poor Things) and Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon). She missed SAG. France dropped the ball by selecting The Taste of Things as their International Feature Film contender instead of Anatomy. If they had, it might have taken that race (over The Zone of Interest) and those coattails could’ve helped.

The Verdict:

Stone or Gladstone are the favorites. However, if an upset did occur, Hüller could pull it off and that’s especially true if she wins the BAFTA. I wouldn’t bet on it, but I wouldn’t totally dismiss the possibility.

My Case Of posts will continue with Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers…

Oscars: The Case of Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our second filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things. Let’s get to it!

Previous Directing Nominations:

The Favourite (2018)

The Case for Yorgos Lanthimos:

From his 2009 Greek psychological drama Dogtooth to the 2015 pitch black satire The Lobster and 2017 medical thriller The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos has emerged as one of the most acclaimed directors of the 21st century (with some comparisons to Kubrick). Absurdist costume period piece The Favourite was his awards breakout with 10 nods and an Actress victory for Olivia Colman. His follow-up absurdist costume period piece Poor Things did that one better with 11 and it has its hardcore supporters. He’s picked up DGA, Critics Choice, and Globe mentions.

The Case Against Yorgos Lanthimos:

That all important DGA precursor went to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer and he also received the Globe and Critics Choice. It looks like it’s simply his year. Lanthimos was also snubbed for BAFTA.

The Verdict:

Actress for Emma Stone and Production Design are Oscar things his film could get. Not this category.

My Case Of posts will continue with Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall…

Oscars: The Case of Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten BP contenders and now it alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the five other big races. Today we arrive at our second performer in Best Supporting Actor and that’s Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

The Godfather Part II (Supporting Actor, 1974, WON); Taxi Driver (Actor, 1976); The Deer Hunter (Actor, 1978); Raging Bull (Actor, 1980, WON); Awakenings (Actor, 1990); Cape Fear (Actor, 1991); Silver Linings Playbook (Supporting Actor, 2012)

The Case for Robert De Niro:

As a crime boss wreaking slow havoc on the Osage nation, De Niro enters his sixth decade in awards contention for his 10th collaboration with Martin Scorsese. He hit the quad of major precursors with nominations at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, SAG, and BAFTA. If he were to emerge victorious, he would do so in the same race where he nabbed his first OScar 49 years earlier as Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. That’s an admittedly cool storyline.

The Case Against Robert De Niro:

Robert Downey Jr.’s narrative for Oppenheimer is also compelling and he’s the frontrunner as he’s picked up the Globe and Critics Choice already. Killers has shown vulnerability with omissions for costar Leonardo DiCaprio and in Adapted Screenplay.

The Verdict:

Not even a legend as large as De Niro seems able to disrupt Downey Jr.’s momentum. The film’s best chance at an Oscar lies with Lily Gladstone.

My Case Of posts will continue with the direction of Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things…