Tag: Two Women

Oscar Watch: The Life Ahead

Added to the long list of potential nominations for Netflix is the release of The Life Ahead on November 13th. The Italian drama marks a return to the silver screen for the legendary Sophia Loren at the age of 86. It’s a family affair as the feature is directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. Early reviews are out and they’re positive with much of the focus on its leading lady.

As has been discussed on the blog previously, Best Actress is shaping up to be a crowded field in 2020. Even with Respect delayed until summer 2021 which takes Jennifer Hudson out of the mix, there are plenty of hopefuls. Even without being screened at the moment, Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom seems like a safe bet. Same goes for Frances McDormand in Nomadland. Then it gets interesting. For the remaining three spots, there are plenty of contenders: Amy Adams in Hillbilly Elegy, Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman, Michelle Pfeiffer in French Exit, Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman, Kate Winslet for Ammonite, and Andra Day in The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Loren is absolutely part of the mix. In my rankings yesterday, I had Loren at sixth and just on the outside looking in. She is a previous Oscar winner and it was all of 59 years back for Two Women. Her last nomination was 55 years ago for Marriage Italian Style. The Oscars love a good storyline and Loren getting nominated after that long gap certainly constitutes one. In fact, it would set the Academy’s record for longest wait between nominations.

A Best Actress nod isn’t the only race where Life will contend. If Italy submits it as their International Feature player, it could certainly land recognition there. Furthermore, producer Diane Warren has the original song “Seen”. She’s an 11-time nominee who’s never won and early buzz suggests #12 is coming with this composition.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Loren enters the top five at some point and that chatter could increase once viewers get a look in a couple of weeks. My Oscar Watch posts will continue…

Early 2020 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress

My big announcement today is the selection of my first candidates for Best Actress in the 2020 Oscar field! If you happened to miss my predictions for the supporting categories and Best Actor, you can find them right here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2020/08/10/early-2020-oscar-predictions-best-actor/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2020/08/09/early-2020-oscar-predictions-best-supporting-actress/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2020/08/09/early-2020-oscar-predictions-best-supporting-actor/

Unlike Best Actor, none of my initial top 5 picks here have seen their pictures screened. As discussed in previous posts, 2020 is a mighty speculative year for these early August estimates. The potential contenders are certainly some heavy hitters and it was, frankly, hard to whittle the list to this quintet. 4 of my 5 choices here are past winners. Both Viola Davis and Jennifer Hudson are Supporting Actress victors for 2016’s Fences and 2006’s Dreamgirls respectively. Frances McDormand is a two-time lead Actress winner for 1996’s Fargo and 2017’s Three Billboards Outside, Missouri. Kate Winslet took this prize in 2008 for The Reader. The only non-winner is Michelle Pfeiffer and she’s been nominated three times. If she makes it here, it would mark her first nod in 28 years since 1992’s Love Field. 

This is in addition to acclaimed actresses such as Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, and Julianne Moore as possibilities and up and comers like Jessie Buckley, Liu Yifei, and Rachel Zegler. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s the silver screen return of cinematic legend Sophia Loren. She last won an Oscar for Two Women some 60 years ago. Elisabeth Moss has two already released pics for which she’s received solid reviews. Of the two, Shirley seems more viable than the horror hit The Invisible Man.

In 2019, my original late summer projections yielded a whopping 4 of the 5 eventual nominees: Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story), Saoirse Ronan (Little Women), and Charlize Theron (Bombshell). In my ten other possibilities, I also identified eventual trophy recipient Renee Zellweger as Judy. 

Lots of intrigue in this race and here’s the first take:

EARLY OSCAR PREDICTIONS: BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Jennifer Hudson, Respect

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit

Kate Winslet, Ammonite 

Other Possibilities: 

Amy Adams, Hillbilly Elegy

Jessie Buckley, I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Rashida Jones, On the Rocks 

Sophia Loren, The Life Ahead

Julianne Moore, The Glorias

Elisabeth Moss, Shirley

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Liu Yifei, Mulan 

Rachel Zegler, West Side Story

That completes the acting portions of the early predictions and Best Director is up next! Until then…