Tag: Golden Globes

Oscars: The Case of Justine Triet for 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 five other big races. Today we arrive at our fifth filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Justine Triet in Anatomy of a Fall. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Directing Nominations:

None

The Case for Justine Triet:

The buzz for French legal drama Anatomy of a Fall started building when it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last summer and culminated with five nominations, including BP. Triet nabbed a BAFTA nod as well.

The Case Against Justine Triet:

No DGA, Globe, or Critics Choice nomination. France also dropped the ball by not submitting Anatomy of a Fall as their International Film Feature pick (voters might’ve wanted to make up for that by honoring Triet with a slot in this race). As with any of the other four contenders in Director, they’re not named Christopher Nolan. He’s taken every precursor that counts for Oppenheimer.

The Verdict:

Triet could be an Oscar recipient a week from now… in Original Screenplay alongside her cowriter Arthur Harari.

My Case Of posts have concluded! Whew. That means my FINAL Oscar predictions are coming to the blog in short order…

Oscars: The Case of Mark Ruffalo in 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 fifth performer in Best Supporting Actor and that’s Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things . Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

The Kids Are All Right (Supporting Actor, 2010); Foxcatcher (Supporting Actor, 2014); Spotlight (Supporting Actor, 2015)

The Case for Mark Ruffalo:

For his role as a true louse in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things, Ruffalo notched his fourth bid in Supporting Actor and perhaps voters will feel he’s overdue. He doesn’t have to worry about splitting votes with Willem Dafoe (his costar who was omitted) and he received noms at the Globes and Critics Choice.

The Case Against Mark Ruffalo:

He did not receive mentions at key precursors SAG and BAFTA. His leading lady Emma Stone is receiving the only potential winner buzz. Most importantly, Ruffalo’s fellow Avenger Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) has taken all the trophies at preceding ceremonies.

The Verdict:

It’s Iron Man and not Hulk happening here.

My Case Of posts will conclude (!) with Justine Triet’s direction for Anatomy of a Fall…

Oscars: The Case of Da’Vine Joy Randolph 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 five other big races. Today we arrive at our fifth performer in Best Supporting Actress and that’s Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers . Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

None

The Case for Da’Vine Joy Randolph:

It’s significant. After capturing the attention of many critics and moviegoers in 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name, Randolph has had a sterling precursor season by sweeping at the Globes, SAG, BAFTA, and Critics Choice. Heck, she even picked up the Indie Spirit Award for good measure in Alexander Payne’s acclaimed dramedy.

The Case Against Da’Vine Joy Randolph:

I’m struggling to come up with one. Randolph has won everywhere she needs to and no other rival emerged as a threat. I suppose if Oppenheimer greatly exceeds expectations, Emily Blunt could benefit from it. However, that hasn’t played out anywhere including BAFTA (where some suspected she could be a surprise recipient).

The Verdict:

Randolph will be holding an Oscar in the building come March 10th.

My Case Of posts will continue with Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things…


Oscars: The Case of Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction

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 fifth performer in Best Actor and that’s Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

None

The Case for Jeffrey Wright:

The veteran thespian and Tony and Emmy winner for Angels in America finally gets into the Academy’s mix with Cord Jefferson’s dramedy. The Globes, SAG, and Critics Choice all included him. The film itself easily matched expectations with 5 nods (including for Wright’s costar Sterling K. Brown) and it could get honored somewhere.

The Case Against Jeffrey Wright:

That somewhere is likely to be in Adapted Screenplay and not Best Actor where Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) is favored with Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) as runner-up. BAFTA didn’t bite and he won none of the precursors.

The Verdict:

You’d be wrong to bet on Wright.

My Case Of posts will continue with Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers…

Oscars: The Case of Emma Stone in 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 fifth performer in Best Actress and that’s Emma Stone in Poor Things. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

Birdman (Supporting Actress, 2014); La La Land (Actress, 2016, WON); The Favourite (Supporting Actress, 2019)

The Case for Emma Stone:

Stone has posted significant wins this season with the Globes for Musical/Comedy, BAFTA, and Critics Choice. As Bella in Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest multi-genre concoction, she leads the picture with the second most overall nominations after Oppenheimer.

The Case Against Emma Stone:

Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) has key victories of her own at the Globes (Drama) and, most notably, SAG last weekend. Voters may opt to honor her in what would be a history making win over Stone’s second statue in seven years.

The Verdict:

This appears to be the one acting derby coming down to the wire. Between Stone and Gladstone, I’ll be pondering it all the way to final predictions in the coming days.

My Case Of posts will continue with Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction…

Oscars: The Case of Martin Scorsese for 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 other five big races. Today we arrive at our fourth filmmaker in Best Director and that’s Martin Scorsese in Killers of the Flower Moon. Let’s get to it!

Previous Directing Oscar Nominations:

Raging Bull (1980); The Last Temptation of Christ (1988); GoodFellas (1990); Gangs of New York (2002); The Aviator (2004); The Departed (2006, WON); Hugo (2011); The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); The Irishman (2019)

The Case for Martin Scorsese:

Being one of the most celebrated directors in the history of the medium helps. For this epic historical drama, Scorsese nabs a 10th nod for his behind the camera work (moving ahead of Steven Spielberg’s 9). That’s second only to William Wyler’s 12. DGA, Globe, and Critics Choice mentions preceded this.

The Case Against Martin Scorsese:

It’s Christopher Nolan’s year as Oppenheimer glides to a BP crowning. That should easily correlate to this race. Scorsese also missed the BAFTA cut.

The Verdict:

The stats will be 1 for 10 for Marty when it comes to victories as Nolan is taking this.

My Case Of posts will continue with Emma Stone in Poor Things…

Oscars: The Case of Ryan Gosling 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 fourth performer in Best Supporting Actor and that’s Ryan Gosling in Barbie. Let’s get to it!

Previous Oscar Acting Nominations:

Half Nelson (Actor, 2006); La La Land (Actor, 2016)

The Case for Ryan Gosling:

For his third nomination and first in the supporting field, Gosling has been mentioned everywhere that counts (Globes, SAG, BAFTA, Critics Choice). His show stopping performance of “I’m Just Ken” was a highlight of the year’s biggest blockbuster.

The Case Against Ryan Gosling:

He’s lost all of those precursors to Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer. It’s also rare for comedic performances to get victories in any of the acting derbies. Barbie underperformed a tad with omissions for Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig (though America Ferrera made the cut).

The Verdict:

I’m just saying Downey Jr. is looking solid for gold. Gosling might be runner-up, but distantly.

My Case Of posts will continue with Martin Scorsese’s direction in Killers of the Flower Moon…

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…