Mixing concert footage with the political upheaval that mark its early 70s timeline, One to One: John & Yoko opened in IMAX venues last weekend and is now on traditional screens. Kevin Macdonald, who made the Academy Award winning doc One Day in September and directed Forest Whitaker to a Best Actor Oscar for The Last King of Scotland, is behind the camera along with Sam Rice-Edwards.
The latest real-life exploration of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s union hit the fest circuit last year in Venice and Telluride. Critics were generally pleased with 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and 82 on Metacritic. However, those ratings likely aren’t effusive enough to imagine this contending for Documentary Feature next year. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
David Cronenberg’s body horror thriller The Shrouds is out on the coasts today before an expansion next weekend. Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, and Sandrine Holt star in the Canadian filmmaker’s latest which played at Cannes and Toronto last year.
In the mid 2010s, the director had a minor awards run when 2005’s A History of Violence received Oscar nods for Supporting Actor (William Hurt) and Adapted Screenplay and Viggo Mortensen was up for lead Actor in 2007’s Eastern Promises. In recent years, Cronenberg projects Cosmopolis, Maps to the Stars, and Crimes of the Future have not been in the conversation.
That should hold true for The Shrouds as well with its 69% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 59 on Metacritic. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
And we are off to the races with my first Oscar predictions for the 98th Academy Awards.
We are a month and change removed from the 97th ceremony so let us begin some ridiculously early speculation! These are my inaugural glimpses at the four acting derbies, Director, and Picture. They have been unfolding on the blog over the next few days. I already posted my takes for the four acting races and director and they can be accessed here:
That brings us to the biggest race of all – Best Picture. When I did my first projections for BP for the 97th ceremony back in April of 2024, I correctly named two of the eventual ten nominees in Conclave and Dune: Part Two. Three others – Emilia Pérez, Nickel Boys, and Wicked – were listed in Other Possibilities. Five other contenders – winner Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, I’m Still Here, and The Substance – were not yet on my radar screen.
Let’s get some caveats out of the way… it’s early. Some movies listed are likely to be pushed back or simply not turn out to be awards contenders. Others will rise up through the festival system much like Anora, Pérez, The Substance, and The Brutalist last time around.
This premiere post predicts part two of Wicked and part 3 of Avatar among the ten hopefuls as well as last year’s Toronto Film Festival People Choice’s winner The Life of Chuck. Unlike most prognosticators, I currently have Paul Thomas Anderson’s high profile One Battle After Another on the outside looking in. And while I don’t have Sinners in my ten, the 99% RT rating is really making me wonder. I came close to including it.
My initial ranked predictions in the six major races (as well as the screenplay competitions) will be posted soon. In the meantime, here’s the first glimpse at BP.
TODD’S FIRST OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR BEST PICTURE AT THE 98TH ACADEMY AWARDS
Rom com remake The Wedding Banquet opens in theaters on Easter weekend from director Andrew Ahn. Arriving 22 years after Ang Lee’s acclaimed pic (which was nominated in the international race at the Oscars), the new version stars Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Minari Supporting Actress winner Youn Yuh-jung.
After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, critical reaction was encouraging. The Rotten Tomatoes meter is at 97% with 72 on Metacritic. I don’t see this as an Academy contender for Bleecker Street (a distributor with a rough record at awards campaigning). Maybe they’ll give it a shot in the Musical/Comedy race at the Golden Globes, but they better up their game. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Warner Bros appears to have a hit rising on their hands this Easter weekend via Sinners. The 1930s set vampire tale casts Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers returning to New Orleans to face blood sucking nemeses. Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, and Delroy Lindo costar.
This is Jordan’s latest collaboration with his Creed and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. Many critics are saying this is the filmmaker’s most accomplished work. That’s evidence by its rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (after 45 reviews) and 83 on Metacritic.
Sinners is not the type of genre exercise that typically generates awards attention. Yet it might be hard for voters to ignore the praise (and likely incoming box office bounty). For down-the-line attention, Ludwig Göransson’s score is being singled out and he’s already a two-time Academy victor for Black Panther and Oppenheimer. He could certainly be nominated again for his composing. I wouldn’t discount nods in Sound and maybe even Production Design.
So could Sinners score above-the-line mentions? I think it’s possible, but I wouldn’t predict it at the moment. Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay could materialize depending on how competition shakes out in the months ahead. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
And we are off to the races with my first Oscar predictions for the 98th Academy Awards.
It is just over a month removed from the 97th ceremony so let us begin some ridiculously early speculation! These are my inaugural glimpses at the four acting derbies, Director, and Picture. They have been unfolding on the blog over the next few days. I already posted my take in the acting fields and they can be found here:
That brings us to Best Director. This is the one major race of these first six where I named none of the eventual nominees for 97th ceremony back in April of 2024. That means the winner Sean Baker (Anora) and the other quartet of contenders (Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, Coralie Fargeat for The Substance, James Mangold for A Complete Unknown) had yet to reach my radar screen. Two years ago, I already had eventual recipient Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) in my high five during the inaugural guesstimate.
Let’s get some caveats out of the way… it’s early. Some movies listed are likely to be pushed back or simply not turn out to be awards contenders. Others will rise up through the festival system much like Anora, Pérez, The Substance, and The Brutalist last time around.
This premiere post projects a return to competition for previous honoree Chloe Zhao with heavy hitters like Paul Thomas Anderson and Guillermo del Toro on the outside looking in.
Here’s the first snapshot with Best Picture up next!
TODD’S FIRST OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR BEST DIRECTOR AT THE 98TH ACADEMY AWARDS
And we are off to the races with my first Oscar predictions for the 98th Academy Awards.
We are just over a month removed from the 97th ceremony so let us begin some ridiculously early speculation! These are my inaugural glimpses at the four acting derbies, Director, and Picture. They will unfold on the blog over the next few days. I already posted my take in the supporting fields and lead actor and they can be found here:
That brings us to Best Actress. When I gave you my first picks in April of 2024, I did not name any of the eventual nominees in my projected quintet (unlike the other acting races where I got at least one or two). Only Karla Sofia Gascón was listed as an other possibility for Emilia Pérez. The eventual winner Mikey Madison (Anora) and fellow nominees Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, whose category placement was uncertain at the time), Demi Moore (The Substance), and Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) had yet to reach my radar.
Let’s get some caveats out of the way… it’s early. Some movies listed are likely to be pushed back or simply not turn out to be awards contenders. Actresses listed here could end up being campaigned in supporting. And there will be movies we are not even anticipating that will rise up with performances currently not on the radar. This was clearly the case last year when Cannes vaulted Madison and Moore into an eventual tight competition for the victory.
This premiere post projects a repeat nod for Ms. Erivo for the second helping of Wicked in as many years and Julia Roberts back in the mix 25 years after taking this prize for Erin Brockovich.
Here’s the first snapshot with Best Director up next!
TODD’S FIRST OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR BEST ACTRESS AT THE 98TH ACADEMY AWARDS
Inspired by a children’s book from Charles Dickens released some 60 plus years following his death, Angel Studios has the faith-based animated offering The King of Kings in multiplexes this weekend. Seong-ho Jang directs the bio of Jesus Christ with Oscar Isaac voicing him. Kenneth Branagh is Dickens with Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Griffin Davis, Forest Whitaker, and Ben Kingsley also providing behind the mic contributions.
Early box office indicators show this might perform well in the pre-Easter frame. Reviews are so-so with 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 48 Metacritic. It likely doesn’t have a prayer for a nomination in Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and precursor ceremonies. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
And we are off to the races with my first Oscar predictions for the 98th Academy Awards.
We are just over a month removed from the 97th ceremony so let us begin some ridiculously early speculation! These are my inaugural glimpses at the four acting derbies, Director, and Picture. They will unfold on the blog over the next few days. I already posted my take in the supporting fields and they can be found here:
We arrive at Best Actor. When I gave you my first picks in April of 2024, I correctly picked two of the eventual nominees with Colman Domingo in Sing Sing and Ralph Fiennes for Conclave. Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) was listed in Other Possibilities. At that early juncture, the eventual winner Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) and his probable runner-up Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) weren’t on the radar.
Let’s get some caveats out of the way… it’s early. Some movies listed are likely to be pushed back or simply not turn out to be awards contenders. Actors listed here could end up being campaigned in supporting. And there will be movies we’re not even anticipating that will rise up with performances currently not on the radar. For example, one year ago, Chalamet’s work as Bob Dylan was not expected to come out in 2024.
This premiere post projects a second nom in a row for Mr. Chalamet as well as return engagements for past winners George Clooney (a Supporting victory 20 years ago for Syriana) and Matthew McConaughey (lead for 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club). Unlike most prognosticators, I have Leonardo DiCaprio on the outside looking in for Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
Here’s the first snapshot with Best Actress up next!
TODD’S FIRST OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR BEST ACTOR AT THE 98TH ACADEMY AWARDS
And we are off to the races with my first Oscar predictions for the 98th Academy Awards.
We are just over a month removed from the 97th ceremony so let us begin some ridiculously early speculation! These are my inaugural glimpses at the four acting derbies, Director, and Picture. They will unfold on the blog over the next few days. I already posted my take on Supporting Actor and it can be found here:
We move to Supporting Actress. When I gave you my first picks in 2024, it yielded one eventual nominee and that’s Isabella Rossellini for Conclave. The eventual winner Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) as well as Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), were not identified at this early juncture.
Let’s get some caveats out of the way… it’s early. Some movies listed are likely to be pushed back or simply not turn out to be awards contenders. Actresses listed here could end up being campaigned in lead actor and vice versa when I get to Best Actress. And there will be movies we’re not even anticipating that will rise up with performances currently not on the radar. Last year in April 2024, I had Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) slotted in Supporting Actress in Other Possibilities. She ended up going lead and nabbing a nod.
This premiere posts projects Erivo’s costar Ariana Grande will be a repeat nominee for Wicked: For Good. I’m also forecasting that Gwyneth Paltrow will return to the awards mix over a quarter century behind her Shakespeare in Love Actress victory.
Here’s the first snapshot with Best Actor up next!
TODD’S FIRST OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR SUPPORTING ACTRESS AT THE 98TH ACADEMY AWARDS
Ayo Edebiri, After the Hunt
Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good
Angelina LookingGlass, The Rivals of Amziah King
Gwyneth Paltrow, Marty Supreme
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Other Possibilities:
Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine
Glenn Close, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
All My Life... I Wanted To Be A Blogster 