Tag: Maxwell Jenkins

Oscar Predictions: Arcadian

Nicolas Cage’s movie this month is the post-apocalyptic horror tale Arcadian from director Ben Brewer. Out this weekend, it costars Jaeden Martell of It fame and Maxwell Jenkins as Cage’s twin sons. It was first screened at South by Southwest to mostly complimentary notices. The RT score is 85%.

The trio must battle dangerous creatures when the sun sets. Some reviews say the monstrous visual effects are its strongest feature. Yet I question whether Arcadian will still be in the minds of voters for that category many months down the road. And there will likely be potential heavy hitters in VE coming our way this summer and beyond. That’s in addition to Dune: Part Two which is already the frontrunner. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Watch: Good Joe Bell

Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Good Joe Bell has screened at the Toronto Film Festival and the drama is eliciting markedly different reactions from critics. It comes from co-writers Larry McMurtry and Dianna Ossana, who penned the Oscar winning adapted screenplay 15 years ago for Brokeback Mountain. Mark Wahlberg stars in the title role in this true story of a man walking the country following a tragedy involving his gay son.

The Rotten Tomatoes rating is currently 75%, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Some reaction is quite positive with Wahlberg’s performance being praised. Same goes for Reid Miller, who is said to be a breakout in the part of his child. Variety, on the other hand, deems the whole film “terrible”.

This seems to preview what could be wildly divergent opinions of the feature and that could spell trouble come awards time. Wahlberg has a limited history at the Oscars as he’s only been nominated once. That was a rather surprising nod for 2006’s The Departed. He was the only performer in the top 4 quartet of 2010’s The Fighter not to receive a nomination. Costars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo were victorious in the supporting fields.

I doubt that Wahlberg will make the final five in Best Actor a few months from now, but he might creep into the top 15 in my weekly Thursday nominations. The distributor’s best hope could be Miller if they mount a strong campaign in Supporting Actor. It’s just as possible that Bell is ignored completely in the races to come. My Oscar Watch posts will continue…