Tag: Sundance Film Festival

2021 SAG Awards Reaction: CODA Moment

The eyes of Oscar prognosticators were focused on this evening’s SAG Awards and it provided some further suspense as we figure out who will be taking the Academy’s gold.

Let’s get the particulars out of the way as I went 3 for 5 (just like last year). One burning question was whether Best Actress would continue to be a free for all of unpredictability. And it did as Jessica Chastain took SAG for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She was runner-up over my pick of Globe winner Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos). This puts Chastain in a better position to take the Oscar, but the race is far from decided.

As for Actor and Supporting Actress – SAG followed the Globes lead with Will Smith (King Richard) and Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) respectively. It solidifies their status as Academy frontrunners and matches my projections. I wouldn’t bet against either come Oscar time, but let’s see if the forthcoming BAFTAs can change the narrative.

I also called Troy Kotsur (CODA) for Supporting Actor yet that Academy competition is hardly over as Globes recipient Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) should make it interesting.

CODA turned out to be the big winner of the night as it also took Best Ensemble. Not bad for a Sundance darling that Apple TV purchased the streaming rights for. It was my runner-up pick to Belfast, which could have used a trophy this evening for momentum.

While CODA‘s impressive showing could lead to dark horse predictions for it to nab Best Picture in a month, I wouldn’t go too far down the rabbit hole as The Power of the Dog still looks to be the odds on favorite.

And there you have it, folks! My Oscar speculation will keep rolling for the next four weeks!

Oscars 2021: The Case of Troy Kotsur

Troy Kotsur’s performance as the randy dad in CODA is my second Case Of post for the Supporting Actor nominees. If you missed the first on Ciaran Hinds in Belfast, it’s here:

Oscars 2021: The Case of Ciaran Hinds

The Case for Troy Kotsur:

The deaf actor was the comedic and emotional highlight of CODA, which maintained its positive buzz from Sundance through Oscar nomination morning. Precursors have been kind as he’s nabbed nods from SAG, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice. It’s almost impossible to see CODA and not root for him.

The Case Against Troy Kotsur:

CODA tied Licorice Pizza for the least amount of nominations of the Best Picture contenders at 3 (costars Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin didn’t make the cut). It’s up for Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and here. There’s a very good chance it loses all of them to The Power of the Dog. In Kotsur’s case, it would be to Kodi Smit-McPhee (who took the Globe).

Previous Nominations:

None

The Verdict:

If Kotsur can win SAG tomorrow, this could be a real showdown between him and Smit-McPhee. If not, it probably means the latter is sweeping the season.

My Case Of posts will continue with Jane Campion’s direction of The Power of the Dog…

Oscars 2021: The Case of CODA

My Case Of posts covering the ten nominees for Best Picture comes to my second entry and it’s for Sian Heder’s CODA. If you missed my first write-up on Belfast, it’s right here:

Oscars 2021: The Case of Belfast

The Case for CODA

When it premiered at Sundance all the way back in January 2021, CODA immediately made a splash and found itself in the midst of a bidding war (won by Apple TV). At that festival, it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize and U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. Its momentum as a potential Oscar contender continued to pick up when it premiered on streaming over the summer. Of the ten BP hopefuls, it boasts the second highest Rotten Tomatoes score with 96% (behind only Drive My Car at 98%). With a meager budget of $10 million, it’s the kind of feel good story that voters could fall for.

The Cast Against CODA

Is it too small for the Academy to bestow its highest honor? Probably. CODA tied Licorice Pizza with the least amount of nods among the BP contenders at three. The only other mentions are for Troy Kotsur in Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay. For CODA to really have a chance, you’d think it would have nabbed Director or inclusions for Kotsur’s cast mates Emilia Jones and Marlee Matlin.

The Verdict

CODA‘s sturdiness in remaining a force throughout 2021 is laudable. However, it’s very much of a long shot for BP.

My Case Of posts will continue with Don’t Look Up…

Oscar Predictions: Sharp Stick

Lena Dunham gained notoriety through her HBO series Girls and five years after its conclusion, she’s brought her directorial effort Sharp Stick to Sundance. The comedy stars Kristine Froseth, Taylour Paige, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jon Bernthal, Scott Speedman, Tommy Dorfman, and Dunham herself.

Stick is measured at just 45% on Rotten Tomatoes and is one of the festival titles that drew a truly mixed to negative reaction. While Girls received plenty of Emmy nominations during its run, awards chatter is highly unlikely to materialize for Dunham’s cinematic project. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Navalny

Focused on the Russian opposition leader who was mysteriously poisoned in 2020, Navalny struck a chord with Sundance festival goers and won the documentary audience award and festival favorite prize.

It comes from filmmaker Daniel Roher and is slated for distribution on CNN and via HBO Max in the early portion of the year. Standing at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, this will attempt to carry its buzz forward through awards season and could absolutely be a factor in the Doc Feature competition at next year’s Oscars.

Sundance is often a successful launching pad in the genre. Last year, a third of the 15 doc contenders (including Flee, Faye Dayi, and Summer of Soul) got their starts in Park City. Navalny may be on the list this time in 2023 and my Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (that’s how the title is indeed punctuated) is based on a 2018 short film and the elongated version is a mockumentary starring Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown as Atlanta megachurch leaders whose congregation isn’t as mega as it used to be. Adamma Ebo directs the indie satire which premiered at Sundance.

Reviews so far translate to 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, but plenty of them point out that it’s flawed. Praise for the leads is there. In 2018, Hall picked up some critics awards for Support the Girls. It doesn’t appear that’ll happen here. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Am I Ok?

Comedian Tig Notaro and actress Stephanie Allynne, who are married in real life, direct the tale of a same sex couple in Am I Ok?, which debuted at Sundance. The dramedy stars Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno with a supporting cast featuring Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, Sean Hayes, and Notaro herself.

Critical reaction stands at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes though there’s a few notices that skew negative. Johnson is having a busy Sundance as Cha Cha Real Smooth is being called a crowdpleaser where some reviews hail it as her career best work.

Am I Ok? is unlikely to nab any awards buzz. Johnson’s other effort could be a different story. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Cha Cha Real Smooth

Cha Cha Real Smooth comes from writer/director Cooper Raiff and its Sundance premiere is garnering solid buzz (86% on Rotten Tomatoes so far). The filmmaker himself stars as a bar mitzvah party starter who befriends a single mom (Dakota Johnson). Leslie Mann and Brad Garrett costar.

Many reviews indicate this could be a breakout crowdpleaser. Whether that word-of-mouth means anything to awards voters is questionable. However it’s worth mentioning that Johnson is receiving some career best talk. Ever since (or in spite of) her breakout role in Fifty Shades of Grey, the actress is slowly becoming a bit of a critical darling. Her recent supporting turn in The Lost Daughter was well received and she’s got another lead part in another fest offering Am I Ok? (which I’ll get to on the blog shortly).

I doubt Cha Cha is the role that nabs Johnson her first Academy mention, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Resurrection

It’s happened a lot lately where films in the psychological thriller/horror realm feature lead female performances that have social media buzzing for their awards attention. Think Toni Collette in Hereditary or Lupita Nyong’o for Us. 

We could see that happen again with Rebecca Hall in Resurrection, which played at Sundance over the weekend. From director Andrew Semans, the dark tale features Hall confronting an ex flame and abuser (Tim Roth). The critical reaction is a bit mixed (76% currently on Rotten Tomatoes). However, the most positive reviews are really positive and nearly all write-ups praise Hall’s work (as well as Roth).

A quick study of the reviews will indicate this is not an Academy friendly experience. Don’t be surprised if there’s an Internet drumbeat for Hall to be recognized. She’s coming off a strong 2021 – making her directorial debut in the praised Passing and starring in the horror flick The Night House. 

Yet Collette and Nyong’o couldn’t make the Oscar cut and I wouldn’t expect Hall to. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Oscar Predictions: Breaking

Blogger’s Note (08/23): This post has been updated from its original January 24th publication to reflect the title change from 892 to Breaking. 

Abi Damaris Corbin’s debut dramatic thriller 892 has premiered at Sundance and features a performance from John Boyega that’s already drawing critical kudos. The pic recounts the events surrounding Lance Corporal Brian Brown-Easley’s attempted robbery of a Marietta, GA bank in the summer of 2017. Costars include Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, and Michael K. Williams in one of his final roles. It opens August 26th.

Boyega is, of course, best known as Finn from the most recent Star Wars trilogy. He recently nabbed a Golden Globe for Steve McQueen’s acclaimed TV anthology Small Axe. With 892, reviews are calling it some of his finest work. As far as Williams (who passed away in September 2021), perhaps there could be a push for a posthumous Supporting Actor nod.

Yet the notices themselves (81% on Rotten Tomatoes) don’t point to this being a major awards contender and it could be a struggle for Boyega or Williams to garner any momentum in next year’s Actor derby. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…