Keeping you informed on all of the years biggest movies and their standings in the Awards Season.
It’s that magical time of year where each week at least one movie comes out that is going to be in contention at the SAGs and Golden Globes in January, and the Oscars in February.
I follow movies much like everyone else follows football. I see every movie, write reviews, make predictions, follow the buzz, all leading up to—much like football— a booze-fueled evening with a lot of cussing, a lot of booing, and sometimes a deep sense of bitter anguish the following morning.
But not everyone really cares about movies as I do, and that’s ok—but you might find yourself at a cocktail party or something where people are discussing their picks for awards and you realize you don’t have a single clue who or what an Iñårritu is.
That’s where I come in.
Each week I am going to give you an update on which movies to see, which actors and actresses to follow, all with the hope that you will be able to make educated decisions when you find yourself at an Oscar party and someone asks you to fill out a ballot.
Let’s begin:
Between the months of May and August is a little period called “Blockbuster Season” where you have your big movies like Jurassic World, Mad Max, Avengers, etc. Not all are “Oscar-worthy” but there are a few worth noting.
This first post will catch you up to the beginning of October.
“Mad Max: Fury Road”:
Fury Road has been undoubtedly one of the best films of the year—it garnered glowing reviews and made a lot of money at the box-office which is a pretty big deal for a summer blockbuster. While it won’t be nominated for its acting, it could sneak in there as a dark horse for best picture (unlikely, but possible). It will most likely get nominated for all of the technical achievements—since it is a major technical feat. Though, there have been more surprising nominations for Best Picture (District 9, anyone?)
“Inside Out”:
Ever since upping the Best Picture nominees to somewhere between 8 and 10 movies, animated films now stand a bigger chance. Up was nominated, as was “Toy Story 3”, and Pixar’s return to greatness (after duds in “Monster’s University” and “Cars 2”) could end up being a contender (though the chances of it winning are slim to none).
“Straight Outta Compton”:
This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the summer when it topped box offices for several weeks and earned a lot of praise. The biopic of the founding of the rap group NWA, it is timely in a number of ways but it is also just an exceptionally made movie dropped into the “dump month” of August where studios throw out movies that they’ve been resting on that don’t qualify as blockbusters or awards films. Well, “SOC” might just be the ticket for Best Pic and maybe some acting nods, though based on last years white-washed nominees, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was ignored entirely. Let’s hope it isn’t.
“Black Mass”:
Johnny Depp is the one to look out for in this biopic of the infamous Boston gangster, Whitey Bulger. While the movie lacked many other significant roles (hardly any female ones at that) Depp reminded us that he can actually be a serious actor—and he does so by blowing us out of the water with a tremendous performance that will surely be ranked as one of his best. Hey, if he can come back from “Mortdecai” and deliver this immense of a performance, then anything is possible.
Check back next week for more on what needs to be seen!
Happy watching!
