Oscar Predictions: Sinners

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…

Oscar Predictions: Turning Red

Turning Red is the latest Pixar title and it is out Friday on Disney Plus. The coming-of-age tale comes from director Domee She, who won an Oscar in 2018 for her short film Bao (also from Disney/Pixar).

The review embargo is up today and the result so far is 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Red was originally slated for a theatrical release but the pandemic altered that plan. It will follow in the footsteps of Soul, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Luca. What do they all have in common besides their studio? All were nominated or won (in Soul‘s case) for the Animated Feature Oscar.

With bicoastal limited theatrical showings, Red will qualify for next year’s Academy consideration. For 2021, 60% of the animated movies (Raya, Luca, Encanto) are Mouse Factory products.

While it’s certainly early, critical reaction here indicates this could easily make the cut. It’s also worth noting that Billie Eilish and brother Finneas O’Connell penned some original tunes that could be Original Song hopefuls. If that pans out, Eilish could be gunning for her second nod in a row as she’s currently up for “No Time to Die”. There’s also Ludwig Goransson who scored Red and he’s a previous Oscar winner for Black Panther. 

The other Pixar product comes this summer with Lightyear. I wouldn’t write Red‘s inclusion in blue ink yet, but don’t be surprised if it’s listed a year from now. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…