Here’s your guide to Sunday’s Oscars.
The Academy Awards telecast is Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC. Expect glamour in the form of Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie and the twice-nominated Scarlett Johansson to dominate the red carpet walkway. But many of the awards will be doled out to those who forged an unexpected path for cinema this year.
Walk on the Dark Side
This year the big nominee is Joker, with the box office hit’s Joaquin Phoenix favored to win Best Actor for his maniacal portrayal of the Batman villain in a grisly origin story. Joining him for potential top honors is Renée Zellweger, portraying the dark final pill-popping days in the life of celebrated songbird Judy Garland in Judy. Both films are now available for home viewing. If anyone could upset these two, it’s the two leads in the Netflix film Marriage Story – Johannson and Adam Driver – playing a couple on the brink as their bond collapses. Laura Dern is likely to win supporting actress as a divorce lawyer in the film. Brad Pitt is a bit of a shoo-in for best supporting actor playing the wry stuntman in the slow-burn nostalgic drama Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. The ultimate Golden Boy may finally win one for his mantle.
Behind-the-Camera Shuffle
Because of obscure rules governing certain categories, the Academy may opt to spread the wealth a bit. There’s lots of goodwill for Little Women writer/director Greta Gerwig and a strong possibility she’ll win Best Adapted Screenplay for her mixology of Louisa May Alcott’s inspirational American classic. The Original Screenplay category is a close race between Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood and Korean director Bong Joon-ho for the puzzle-box of a suspense thriller, Parasite. These two could also battle for Best Director. Parasite (just out on DVD as well this week) has so many fans that some believe it could win Best Foreign Film as well as upset for Best Picture. Many others believe the technical feat director Sam Mendes accomplished in the WWI film 1917 is so overpowering – much of the film is constructed to appear as one continuous shot – that it will be hard to overlook him for a Best Director and Best Picture win.
Battle of the Big Studios
Behind all the successes, surprises and snubs is an epic battle for the future of the movie business. Will big blockbusters such as 1917 and Joker keep people pouring into movie theatres? Or will the Netflix model which brought us The Irishman, indies such as Marriage Story and The Two Popes and even potential animated film winner Klaus get the most recognition this year? Or will “world cinema,” bigger than either camp, be the big winner, ushered in by a new kind of curiosity such as Parasite? And many are also asking when the Academy will start nominating more women and persons of color in many of the major categories. The winners this year could give a glimpse into the industry’s future.
The Oscar show is going host-less for a second year in a row, but expect lots of star power including comedy actors Will Ferrell, Mindy Kaling and Kristin Wiig to be among the announcers. Hopefully you can binge-watch a few more films before the big night to see what all the fuss and buzz is about.