It’s not often that the seventh feature in a franchise is considered to be the strongest (sorry Diamonds Are Forever and Saw: The Final Chapter). However, plenty of critics are claiming that to be the case for Minions & Monsters. Out today and prepared to rule the Fourth of July holiday weekend, this is Illumination Entertainment’s latest entry in their blockbuster animated comedic adventures. Pierre Coffin directs and voices the adorable little yellow creatures once again. Familiar faces providing behind the mic contributions include Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, and Bobby Moynihan.
This is the third feature with the Minions moniker after the 2015 original and 2022 sequel Minions: The Rise of Gru. The series got started sixteen summers ago with Despicable Me and its three follow-ups. An ode to Hollywood in the 1920s, Monsters stands at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s the freshest RT score of the septet, topping Despicable Me‘s 80% and well ahead of Minions (55%) and Rise of Gru (70%). The 67 Metacritic lags only behind the first Despicable at 72.
The franchise’s Oscar track record got off to a promising start and then leveled off. In 2010, Despicable Me landed a Best Animated Feature nod. In 2013, the sequel was up in that race and also for the inescapable ditty “Happy” from Pharrell Williams in Original Song. None of those nominations resulted in victories and the four pics since haven’t received any recognition.
Monsters has the potential to change that with its better than expected reviews. A Best Animated Feature slot in the quintet is not out of the question. That said, competition is a factor. I’d put it behind Disney’s Hoppers and Toy Story 5 and upcoming releases like Wildwood, Ray Gunn, and Tangles are anticipated to contend. Time will tell if there’s room for the Minions and it might be an uphill battle. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
As we move closer to knowing whether Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey deserves its placeholder #1 rankings in Best Picture and Director, we have seen some new trailers for consideration in the two weeks since my last update. I have said that you can’t judge a movie by its trailer, but we can look for clues about who the studio will focus on.
Jesse Eisenberg’s follow-up to A Real Pain (which won Kieran Culkin a Supporting Actor Oscar) is not titled No One Cares (which was rumored to be a working name). The first preview reveals it is called The Debut with hints that it’s a somewhat of two-hander between Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. That said, I still have Halle Bailey listed as a possibility in Supporting Actress.
We got our first glimpse of Georgia Oakley’s Sense and Sensibility with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles vying for noms. And we witnessed a Digger promotional ad that certainly indicated the studio will be all in on Tom Cruise.
Also in the past two weeks, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day has proven to be a box office disappointment. In my estimation, its chances in BP and Emily Blunt in Best Actress have gone down.
Toy Story 5 also opened and while reviews were fine, many critics deemed it the weakest of the quintet. Unlike Toy Story 3 and like Toy Story 4, it should reserve a slot in Best Animated Feature but not Best Picture.
Finally, The Invite from Olivia Wilde opened in limited fashion before a nationwide rollout in July. Word-of-mouth is strong and I’m beginning to think it could at least manage an Adapted Screenplay nod… if not more.
You can read all the movement below including a new #1 in Best Actress and some serious shifts in Supporting Actress!
Best Picture
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Odyssey (Previous Ranking: 1) (Even)
2. The Black Ball (PR: 3) (+1)
3. Project Hail Mary (PR: 2) (-1)
4. Digger (PR: 4) (E)
5. Wild Horse Nine (PR: 5) (E)
6. Fjord (PR: 6) (E)
7. The Debut (PR: 7) (E)
8. Dune: Part Three (PR: 8) (E)
9. Obsession (PR: 10) (+1)
10. Cry to Heaven (PR: 9) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
11. A Place in Hell (PR: !3) (+2)
12. The Social Reckoning (PR: 11) (-1)
13. Sense and Sensibility (PR: 15) (+2)
14. All of a Sudden (PR: 12) (-2)
15. Fatherland (PR: 16) (+1)
16. Behemoth! (PR: 17) (+1)
17. The Invite (PR: Not Ranked)
18. Werwulf (PR: 18) (E)
19. The Adventures of Cliff Booth (PR: 20) (+1)
20. Disclosure Day (PR: 14) (-6)
21. Josephine (PR: 21) (E)
22. Jack of Spades (PR: 19) (-3)
23. Saturn Return (PR: 22) (-1)
24. Michael (PR: 23) (-1)
25. Club Kid (PR: 25) (E)
Dropped Out:
Being Heumann
Best Director
Predicted Nominees:
1. Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey (PR: 1) (E)
2. Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, The Black Ball (PR: 2) (E)
3. Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Digger (PR: 3) (E)
4. Martin McDonagh, Wild Horse Nine (PR: 4) (E)
5. Cristian Mungiu, Fjord (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Project Hail Mary (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Curry Barker, Obsession (PR: 9) (+2)
8. Tom Ford, Cry to Heaven (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Three (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, All of a Sudden (PR: 12) (+2)
11. Pawel Pawlikowski, Fatherland (PR: 10) (-1)
12. Jesse Eisenberg, The Debut (PR: 11) (-1)
13. Chloe Domont, A Place in Hell (PR: 13) (E)
14. Georgia Oakley, Sense and Sensibility (PR: 14) (E)
15. Tony Gilroy, Behemoth! (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Robert Eggers, Werwulf
Best Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Michelle Williams, A Place in Hell (PR: 3) (+2)
2. Julianne Moore, The Debut (PR: 2) (E)
3. Renate Reinsve, Fjord (PR: 1) (-2)
4. Mikey Madison, The Social Reckoning (PR: 5) (+1)
5. Sandra Hüller, Rose (PR: 9) (+4)
Other Possibilities:
6. Virginie Efira, All of a Sudden (PR: 4) (-2)
7. Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sense and Sensibility (PR 8) (+1)
8. Sandra Hüller, Fatherland (PR: 6) (-2)
9. Cynthia Erivo, Prima Facie (PR: 10) (+1)
10. Emily Blunt, Disclosure Day (PR: 7) (-3)
11. Ruth Madeley, Being Heumann (PR: 11) (E)
12. Mason Reeves, Josephine (PR: 12) (E)
13. Sophie Okonedo, Clarissa (PR: 13) (E)
14. Penélope Cruz, Bunker (PR: 14) (E)
15. Zendaya, The Drama (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Léa Seydoux, Gentle Monster
Best Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Tom Cruise, Digger (PR: 1) (E)
2. Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary (PR: 2) (E)
3. John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Sebastian Stan, Fjord (PR: 3) (-1)
5. John Turturro, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Matt Damon, The Odyssey (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Pedro Pascal, Behemoth! (PR: 7) (E)
8. Jaafar Jackson, Michael (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Nicholas Hoult, Cry to Heaven (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Robert Pattinson, Primetime (PR: 11) (+1)
11. Dominic Sessa, Tony (PR: 10) (-1)
12. Guitarricadelfuente, The Black Ball (PR: Not Ranked)
13. Rami Malek, The Man I Love (PR: 14) (+1)
14. Timothée Chalamet, Dune: Part Three (PR: 12) (-2)
15. Hanns Zischler, Fatherland (PR: 13) (-2)
Dropped Out:
Jordan Firstman, Club Kid
Best Supporting Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Mariana Di Girolamo, Wild Horse Nine (PR: 1) (E)
2. Inde Navarrette, Obsession (PR: 2) (E)
3. Penélope Cruz, The Black Ball (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Daisy Edgar-Jones, A Place in Hell (PR: 9) (+5)
5. Esmé Creed-Miles, Sense and Sensibility (PR: 10) (+5)
Other Possibilities:
6. Parker Posey, Wild Horse Nine (PR: 7) (+1)
7. Penélope Cruz, The Invite (PR: 11) (+4)
8. Anne Hathaway, The Odyssey (PR: 6) (-2)
9. Tao Okamato, All of a Sudden (PR: 5) (-4)
10. Sandra Hüller, Digger (PR: 3) (-7)
11. Sandra Hüller, Project Hail Mary (PR: 8) (-3)
12. Halle Bailey, The Debut (PR: 12) (E)
13. Lola Dueñas, The Black Ball (PR: Not Ranked)
14. Elizbeth Debicki, The Adventures of Cliff Booth (PR: 14) (E)
15. Gemma Chan, Josephine (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Scarlett Johansson, Paper Tiger
Lesley Manville, Jack of Spades
Best Supporting Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Paul Giamatti, The Debut (PR: 1) (E)
2. John Goodman, Digger (PR: 2) (E)
3. Sam Rockwell, Wild Horse Nine (PR: 3) (E)
4. Robert Pattinson, The Odyssey (PR: 4) (E)
5. Steve Buscemi, Wild Horse Nine (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Riz Ahmed, Digger (PR: 10) (+4)
7. Jeremy Strong, The Social Reckoning (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Andrew Scott, A Place in Hell (PR: 9) (+1)
9. James Ortiz, Project Hail Mary (PR: 12) (+3)
10. Jesse Plemons, Digger (PR: 7) (-3)
11. Edward Norton, The Invite (PR: Not Ranked)
12. Channing Tatum, Josephine (PR: 11) (-1)
13. Colman Domingo, Michael (PR: 8) (-5)
14. Milo Quifes, The Black Ball (PR: Not Ranked)
15. Miguel Bernardeau, The Black Ball (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Tom Holland, The Odyssey
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Cry to Heaven
Owen Cooper, Cry to Heaven
Best Original Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. Wild Horse Nine (PR: 1) (E)
2. Digger (PR: 2) (E)
3. The Debut (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Fjord (PR: 3) (-1)
5. A Place in Hell (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Obsession (PR: 6) (E)
7. Behemoth! (PR: 8) (E)
8. Club Kid (PR: 9) (E)
9. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York City (PR: Not Ranked)
10. Jack of Spades (PR: 10) (E)
11. Josephine (PR: 12) (+1)
12. Fatherland (PR: 9) (-3)
13. Primetime (PR: 11) (-2)
14. Saturn Return (PR: 15) (+1)
15. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (PR: Not Ranked)
