Tag: Independent Spirit Awards

Oscar Predictions: A Little Prayer

Writer/director Angus MacLachlan’s family drama A Little Prayer premiered over two and a half years ago at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to critical appreciation. Sony picked up distribution rights, but the deal fell through and the indie pic is finally being released in limited fashion today after Music Box acquired it.

So while Venice and Telluride debut plenty of high-profile potential titles for the 98th Academy Awards over the weekend, this one is opening quietly. David Strathairn, Jane Levy, Celia Watson, Will Pullen, Anna Camp, and Dascha Polanco make up the ensemble. Nominated for Best Actor 20 years for George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck, Strathairn is drawing kudos for his work as is Levy.

Simply put, I just think Prayer won’t get the push it needs for consideration from the Academy. Perhaps some Indie Spirit love will come its way. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Oh, Hi!

Theaters are greeting Oh, Hi! in limited fashion this weekend after its premiere at Sundance in January. The dark rom com is directed by Sophie Brooks who also co-scripts with lead Molly Gordon. The supporting cast includes Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds, David Cross, and Polly Draper.

Park City reaction was mixed and that has carried over to the general critical mass. Rotten Tomatoes is at 63% with Metacritic at 62. Two years ago, Gordon’s co-direction and cowriting of Theater Camp received better notices and nabbed some Independent Spirit Award noms. Don’t expect the same for this from any awards show. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Bob Trevino Likes It

Dramedy Bob Trevino Likes It won the Audience Award at last year’s South by Southwest and is now in limited release after taking crowdpleaser prizes at other festivals including San Diego. Tracie Laymon directs and writes the indie (with distribution from Roadside Attractions) starring Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo, French Stewart, and Rachel Bay Jones.

Critics are saying it hits the emotional mark with 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 76 Metacritic. As for Cinemascore, it stands at a rare A+. The familial tale might be too small for the Academy to take notice. However, the picture and the cast and particularly the autobiographical screenplay could get some attention from the Gotham Awards or the Indie Spirits. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: My Dead Friend Zoe

My Dead Friend Zoe marks the feature-length directorial debut of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes. The dramedy is out in limited fashion this weekend. It premiered nearly a year ago at South by Southwest and stars Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales with support from Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris.

Reviews are mostly impressive with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 78 on Metacritic. The indie flick might be too small (and too early in the release calendar) to resonate with the Academy for next year’s ceremony. A stronger possibility could be the Independent Spirit Awards taking notice, particularly in Best First Feature for Hausmann-Stokes and maybe Lead Performance for Martin-Green. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Sorry, Baby

Eva Victor is making her feature film directorial, screenwriting, and starring debut in Sorry, Baby. The drama centered around trauma costars Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, and Kelly McCormack. It is one of the buzziest titles that premiered at Sundance.

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% and an 88 Metacritic, A24 outbid competitors for distribution rights. Victor is being hailed as a welcome new voice to the silver screen. Her original screenplay could draw attention from the Academy. I would especially look for the Indie Spirit Awards to take notice of it and that could apply to multiple categories. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Peter Hujar’s Day

Critics are liking the hang for Peter Hujar’s Day out of Sundance, the latest feature from indie auteur Ira Sachs. The two-hander casts Ben Whishaw in the title role of the real-life photographer known for his work in the 1970s and 80s. Rebecca Hall is his writer friend.

Originally meant to be a short film, it still is definitionally at a brisk 76 minutes. This is Sachs’s follow-up to his acclaimed 2023 Passages, which collected four Independent Spirit Awards including Best Film and Mr. Whishaw in Supporting Actor.

Known to many moviegoers as Q from Daniel Craig’s 007 run (or the voice of Paddington), Whishaw is getting lots of Park City praise for his lead role. The pic itself stands at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 85 on Metacritic. Like Passages, I’d say this is more Indie Spirit friendly than Oscar. The eventual distributor might be wise to campaign in that space. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Omaha

Omaha is not centered around the play calls of legendary quarterback Peyton Manning. Instead this Sundance premiere is a road trip drama anchored by John Magaro’s performance. He plays a father taking his kids (Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis) cross country in a directorial debut from Cole Webley.

Reviews are complimentary thus far with particular attention paid to Magaro. Despite receiving acclaim in pics like First Cow, Past Lives, and September 5, he’s yet to have his Oscar bait role. A distributor would really need to work some magic for Omaha to be that project. Maybe some Indie Spirit attention is likelier. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Backspot

Some critics are showing their enthusiasm for Backspot, out in limited release this weekend. The cheerleading drama marks the directorial debut for D.W. Waterson, known for the Toronto based web series That’s My DJ. Devery Jacobs (currently on FX’s heralded show Reservation Dogs) and Kudakwashe Rutendo headline with Evan Rachel Wood, Noa DiBerto, Thomas Antony Olajide, Oluniké Adeliyi, Wendy Crewson, and Shannyn Sossamon in support.

After hitting the Toronto Film Festival back in September, buzz was decent and now it sports an 84% RT score. A lot of the chatter is focused on Jacobs. The Academy won’t bite, but perhaps the Indie Spirits is a possibility for her. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: The People’s Joker

Batman’s most notable nemesis certainly has an Oscar history. Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s 2008 sequel The Dark Knight won him a posthumous Supporting Actor statue. Eleven years later, Joaquin Phoenix took the lead Actor prize as the title character in the Todd Phillips treatment of the demented clown. The other famous cinematic Jokers are also Academy recipients: Jack Nicholson (three times for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Terms of Endearment, As Good as It Gets) and Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club).

No, Vera Drew is not going to follow suit. However, The People’s Joker is drawing raves from many critics. A parody of superhero pics and an exploration of transgender issues, this Joker has had a fascinating and bumpy ride to the silver screen. Unveiled at the Toronto Film Festival in 2022, the film was shelved due to trademark and character rights complications.

A year and a half later, Drew’s crowd-funded concoction is out in limited fashion domestically. She stars, directs, and cowrites with a supporting cast of unknowns and familiar faces. They include Lynn Downey, Kane Distler, David Liebe Hart, Phil Braun, Maria Bamford, Christian Calloway, Tim Heidecker, Scott Aukerman, Bob Odenkirk, and Robert Wuhl (who was reporter Alexander Knox in Tim Burton’s first Batman).

Reviews are praising the filmmaker’s use of the 21st century’s preeminent genre to document her own transformation. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 96%. This doesn’t seem like something the Academy would honor, but the Indie Spirits could be another story and perhaps even DGA could put Drew in their First-Time Director race. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Problemista

The 2024 edition of South by Southwest recently concluded, but Problemista from Julio Torres premiered at the fest last year. Distributor A24 has at last put it into theaters this month. The quirky pic is written and directed by and stars Torres, a former SNL scribe who also co-created the HBO series Los Espookys. His directorial debut features Tilda Swinton, RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, and Isabella Rossellini.

Reviews are mostly complimentary for the black comedy with an 89% RT score and particular kudos for the script and Swinton’s work. The reaction isn’t strong enough for this to have any Oscar viability. Maybe the Indie Spirit Awards will give Torres a nod in the First Screenplay competition. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…