Halle Berry in new fight – with Gaga for Oscar
We finally have a real best-picture race.
Ever since early September, Kenneth Branagh’s sentimental “Belfast” has led the pack for the Oscars’ top prize after bringing home a bevy of audience awards from North American film festivals, including Toronto. But the Irish coming-of-age story may be more vulnerable than we think.
Netflix’s star-studded “Don’t Look Up” (in theaters Friday, streaming Christmas Eve) opened to strong first reactions, with journalists praising director Adam Mckay’s sharp satire of climate change deniers and Trumpian politics. The streamer’s “The Power of the Dog” also opened in theaters ahead of its Netflix debut last week, and the darkly erotic Western continues to draw raves. “Dune” surpassed box-office expectations with more than $350 million worldwide and could handily sweep the Oscars’ technical categories for its jawdropping visuals, sound and score. And then there’s “Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s totally charming ’70s romance.
Here’s where other key races stand:
Lady Gaga, Halle Berry may duke it out for best actress
Best actress is quickly becoming one of this year’s most crowded races, and Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”) and Halle Berry (“Bruised”) have been hard at work to ensure they’re not left out.
Gaga slathers on a thick Italian accent to portray the scheming Patrizia Reggiani, delivering a broad but insanely watchable performance that proves her “A Star is Born” acting chops were no fluke. Gaga could ride the film’s crowdpleaser status to her second Oscar win (after best original song for “Star is Born” duet “Shallow”).
Berry does a 180 from her glamorous movie star persona in “Bruised,” playing a down-on-her-luck MMA fighter. It’s a gritty, vanity-free performance not unlike her Oscar-winning turn in 2002’s “Monster’s Ball,” for which she became the only Black woman who has ever won the best-actress prize. Despite lukewarm reviews (65% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), some voters will surely admire Berry’s unwavering commitment to bring “Bruised” to the screen, including making her directorial debut.
Where to watch: “House of Gucci” is now in theaters; “Bruised” is in theaters and streaming on Netflix.
Nicole Kidman could get the last laugh after initial skepticism
Word to the wise, awards watchers: Never discount Nicole Kidman. The Aussie’s casting as Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos” was met with skepticism, and the jeers only multiplied with a recent pair of trailers that conspicuously masked her appearance. But the drama started screening for industry members, and reactions have been surprisingly glowing.
Aaron Sorkin’s kinetic script imagines a momentous week of production of the sitcom “I Love Lucy” as Ball and husband Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) battle tabloids, TV execs and each other. After a somewhat jarring start, Kidman eases into the role and convinces you she’s Ball during the film’s engrossing second half. You can safely bet on Kidman to land her fifth Oscar nom, after winning best actress nearly two decades ago for “The Hours.”
Where to watch: “Being the Ricardos” is in theaters Friday and streaming on Amazon Prime Dec. 21.
Andrew Garfield throws a grenade in race for best actor
Up until now, it’s been all but assumed that Will Smith will walk away with the best-actor statue come Oscar night for “King Richard,” playing Serena and Venus Williams’ fiercely dedicated father. Although he’s still the presumed front-runner – with Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) hovering over his shoulder – Andrew Garfield will give them both a run for their money with his astounding work in Lin-manuel Miranda’s “Tick, Tick ... Boom!” Garfield explodes off the screen as late “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson, and his tearful, heart-wrenching ballad at the film’s climax is what Oscar clips are made of.
Where to watch: “Tick, Tick... Boom!” is now in theaters and streaming on Netflix.