OSCAR BUZZ
These are awards season movies to watch out for
Needless to say, there’s never been a movie awards season quite like this year. h Because of the pandemic, several top film festivals either canceled or moved to a largely virtual format, big-name titles like Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” got pushed back to 2021 and the Oscars postponed its upcoming ceremony to Apr. 25 while allowing streaming-only movies to compete for the first time. h However, there are still plenty of highpedigree films with hopes of awards glory set to come out this fall and winter. A few movies have already made a big impression on this year’s film festival circuit, and more are to come, with some still planning a traditional theatrical release and others heading to streaming services. h Here are the movies to watch for this awards season, listed by their scheduled release date as of press time.
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ (Streaming now on Netflix)
“The West Wing” creator and Oscarwinning “The Social Network” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin writes and directs this film about the counterculture protesters put on trial for charges surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Oscars will likely recognize Sorkin again, and while its star-studded ensemble could be hard to narrow down, its best chances are probably “Borat” comedian Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman and recent Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-mateen II as Bobby Seale.
‘On the Rocks’ (In theaters and on Apple TV+)
This comedy reunites writer-director Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray, who costars as a playboy father who involves himself when his daughter (Rashida Jones) worries her relationship with her husband (Marlon Wayans) may be in trouble. Coppola won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar and Murray scored his first nomination for their earlier collaboration, 2003’s “Lost in Translation,” and both are potential contenders again here.
‘Ammonite’ (Nov. 13)
Inspired by the life of 19th-century paleontologist Mary Anning, this drama written and directed by “God’s Own Country” filmmaker Francis Lee depicts a romantic relationship between Anning (Kate Winslet) and Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan.) The two rank among the most celebrated contemporary actresses, with Winslet earning seven Oscar nominations (and one win), and four nominations for the 26year-old Ronan, so don’t be surprised if either or both get recognized again.
‘Mank’ (November in theaters, Dec. 4 on Netflix)
David Fincher’s latest film, from a screenplay by his late father Jack Fincher, centers on another screenwriter – Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), and the contentious process of creating cinema classic “Citizen Kane” with Orson Welles (“The Souvenir” standout Tom Burke.) Regularly considered one of the greatest modern directors, David Fincher has been nominated for two Oscars, but never won one. Perhaps this is finally his time, especially considering the Oscars’ love of movies about Hollywood.
‘Nomadland’ (Dec. 4)
Based on the nonfiction book of the same name, “Nomadland” stars Frances
Mcdormand as a woman who takes to the road after her town’s sheetrock facility closes, taking temporary jobs and living largely in her van. The first movie to win the top prizes at both Venice and Toronto International Film Festival, “Nomadland” is considered a frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar, with recognition likely as well for writer-director Chloé Zhao and Mcdormand for Best Actress, a category she’s won twice.
‘The Father’ (Dec. 18)
Florian Zeller brings his play to the big screen, centering on an elderly man (Anthony Hopkins) reluctant to accept assistance as he deals with the onset of dementia. Since its premiere at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, critics have suggested “The Father” could earn Hopkins his second Oscar following “The Silence of the Lambs,” with recent Best Actress winner Olivia Colman also a contender for her role as
his concerned daughter.
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ (Dec. 18 on Netflix)
Adapted from the play by Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” follows Rainey (Viola Davis), known as the Mother of the Blues, and her band during a tumultuous recording session in 1920s Chicago. Davis won an Oscar for her role in another Wilson adaptation, “Fences,” and the movie features what’s said to be Chadwick Boseman’s final film role after his untimely death earlier this year, playing the band’s trumpeter.
‘News of the World’ (Dec. 25)
Tom Hanks and “Captain Phillips” director Paul Greengrass reunite for this adaptation of the 2016 novel, following a veteran who after the Civil War travels reading news stories to audiences and is tasked with transporting a young girl recovered from captivity. The movie is the type of high-pedigree period piece the Oscars love that there are few of this year (provided, of course, it still comes out on its scheduled release date), and Hanks is a longtime Oscar favorite, recently nominated for “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
‘One Night in Miami’ (Dec. 25, Prime Video on Jan. 15)
This adaptation of the Kemp Powers play centers around a real night in 1964 Miami where four Black cultural icons – Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown – came together, imagining what their interaction might’ve been like. Director Regina King, who won an Oscar for her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” could be a contender in a new category, while a cast including Leslie Odom Jr. as Cooke, Aldis Hodge as Brown and Kingsley Ben-adir as Malcolm X might earn acting nods.
‘Soul’ (Dec. 25 on Disney+)
Pixar’s new film – which will skip a theatrical release and go straight to Disney+ – follows a musician (Jamie Foxx) whose soul leaves his body after an accident, as he tries to make his way back to Earth. Already a Best Animated Feature frontrunner, “Soul” may go even further with director Pete Docter (whose previous movies “Inside Out” and “Up” earned Best Picture and/or Original Screenplay nominations) and co-director Powers (also an Oscar contender this year for his “One Night in Miami” screenplay.)