OK now. It’s time for one special event for every film buff. The Oscar circuit. Or Oscars 2021. Indeed, the magical time of the year in which the best of the best in Hollywood are rewarded. And the ultimate prize of that time is the one and only Oscar award. That beautiful gold statue that everyone wants but it’s so damn hard to get.
Oscars 2021: A Very Different Road To The Oscars
Well, thanks to the ongoing Pandemic, the road to the Oscars is very much different now. Unlike most of the 2020 events (the Olympics or plenty of film festivals for instance), the 2021 Oscar ceremony was not postponed dramatically. Or even canceled for that matter. But yeah. The Oscar ceremony was rescheduled from February 25th to April 25th, 2021. And the Golden Globes ceremony was put on the original February 25th date.
But 2021 proved to be a difficult year even for Hollywood. With difficult productions and mostly closed movie theaters, Hollywood resorted to streaming services. Netflix, Hulu and plenty of other services became our BFF and main source of entertainment. From Mank to the Monster Hunter movie. And those stream services will begin the fight for the Oscars in 2021. Frankly, Tenet is probably the only Oscar contender that had a full cinema release, but it didn’t do very well in terms of box office returns.
Oh, and speaking of Monster Hunter World and Iceborne are available for purchase here at IndieGala. Hurry up and get them while they’re hot. You’re welcome.
Looking Back In The Past Thanks To The Oscars 2021
The year 2020 was such an unprecedented year, and we really got the true meaning of the phrase „new normal“. But in terms of the Oscar ceremonies from the past, there has been past postponing’s of the ceremony as well. Several times in fact, but surprisingly not because of a global pandemic. First and foremost there’s the 1938 ceremony, which was postponed due to heavy floods in Los Angeles. Secondly, there was 1968, and the year of Martin Luther King Jr’s Assassination. And lastly, the 1981 ceremony, which was postponed because of the assassination attempt on then-president Ronald Reagan.
Funny enough, every movie theater in the USA remained open during the Spanish flu pandemic, but there weren’t any Oscars back then. Why? The first annual Oscar ceremony was back in May 1929.
What the Oscars 2021 Ceremony Will Look Like?
Well, as I mentioned it’s supposed to be held on April 25th in the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. On the usual place, but a different date. We’ll just have to wait and see if the actual ceremony will take place. At all. Since the COVID-19 situation is fairly unpredictable of course. There will be no host this year, and there will be a limited audience in the Dolby Theater too. But for now let’s focus on the movies, actors and directors. Which movies, actors, actresses and even directors can hope for an Oscar nomination? Who are the Oscar favorites for April 2021?
The Movies
Well, there are blatant, obvious favorites for the Best motion picture Oscar. And I’ll mention all of them here. First and foremost for the first time in years, there won’t be a Marvel movie in this bracket. The Oscar nominated motion pictures. Since there wasn’t a Marvel movie released in 2020. There was a DC movie release (Wonder Woman 1984) but not a Marvel one. But yeah. Wonder Woman 1984 sadly (or fortunately) didn’t snag nominations even in the technical categories (CGI, sound mixing, editing).
However, from the Oscar darlings (heavy dramas and biopics), here are some of the obvious frontrunners. First and foremost David Fincher’s Mank got 10 Oscar nominations in total. More than any other movie. Nomadland is getting a lot of exposure lately, and deservingly so. Furthermore, Nomadland snagged 6 Oscar nominations, along with Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah and the Father.
Mank Is Leading, Nomadland Follows
But Nomadland is a hard-boiled drama with the wonderful Frances McDormand in the lead. And yes, this is a favorite to win in plenty of categories. Best picture, best leading actress and of course best director for Chloe Zhao. Indeed Zao could become the second female Oscar winner in the best director category. More than a decade after Kathryn Bigelow’s win for The Hurt Locker.
Then there are the other Biopics. Such as the courtroom drama The Trial Of Chicago 7, the period piece drama/biopic Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The Trial Of Chicago 7 got 6 Oscar nominations while Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom got 5. And as you may know, the latter one is the last movie of Chadwick Boseman. His posthumous Oscar nomination wasn’t for nothing, as he’s incredible in his last role prior his untimely death.
Speaking of dramas there are plenty of more to name here. Dramas like Hillbilly Elegy (that got 2 nominations) Promising Young Woman (5 nominations) and Minari (6 nominations) are also in high consideration. And there’s Tenet. Not a drama, but a very special movie. It’s the only movie of 2020 that got a full cinema treatment. Furthermore, it’s complex, as one can expect from Christopher Nolan but rather good. Tenet also got 2 nominations for the 2021 Oscars.
The Actors And Actresses
Which actors and actresses are frontrunners for Oscar win you might ask? Well, as I mentioned Frances McDormand is the number one favorite for a win in the Best leading actress. A win that would make her only the second actress with 3 Best Actress in a leading role Oscars. Only Katharine Hepburn has more Oscars than her in this category. She has 4. There’s the fabulous Viola Davis and her role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, but don’t dismiss the wonderful Carey Mulligan. She’s exceptionally good in Promising Young Woman.
Rookies And Veterans
And last but not least, there’s the fantastic Olivia Colman in the best Supporting role. An Oscar winner herself, she’s really good in The Fathe. A drama in which she shares the screen with a fellow Oscar winner- Anthony Hopkins. Another Oscar favorite (and a legend) of course in the Best Actor category, but I don’t think the Academy will be so generous. Steven Yeun became the first Asian actor that got an Oscar nomination in the best Leading role, but his chances for winning are slim. So are the chances for Riz Ahmed, but miracles do happen. Especially at the Oscars.
As I mentioned, Chadwick Boseman is looking at a posthumous Oscar win (his first), but Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins are also the favorites here. Gary Oldman plays Joseph Mankowitz in David Fincher’s Mank. While Hopkins plays a father who struggles with aging. Watch out for these two. However, the rookie nominees in this category are the wonderful Steven Yeun (for Minari) and the ever talented Riz Ahmed (for The Sound of Metal).
Paul Raci, LaKeith Stanfield and Leslie Odom Jr. are first time Oscar nominees in the Best supporting actor category, and their chances for a win are slim. But Sacha Baron Cohen for The Trial of the Chicago Speaking of rookies, Maria Bakalova is also a first time Oscar nominee (for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan). So are Amanda Seyfried for Mank and Youn Yuh-jung for Minari. But Glenn Close is a true veteran here. The Oscar nomination for Hillbilly Elegy is her 8th and it’s time that she wins. Don’t you think?
The Directors
And last but not least, there are the directors. As I mentioned earlier in this post, Chloe Zhao could the second female Oscar winner in this category (for the drama Nomadland). David Fincher is another strong favorite as well for the win (for Mank). Lee Isaac Chung is a low-key favorite for Minari, but so is Thomas Vinterberg (for Another Round). It’s a stretch but it’s quite possible. And last but certainly not least, Emerald Fennell is the second lady in this category for her steady direction in Promising Young Woman.
Your Picks For The Oscars 2021
Which movie you’re most excited to watch? Which Oscar favorite are you most excited about? And from the movies you’ve seen so far, which one is your pick for the win in April? Let us know. We’ll see how things will unfold with the pandemic, and if there will be another postponing of the Oscars 2021 ceremony. So far, it’s a no, but there’s plenty of time until the April date. We’re all hoping for the best, in order to back to the „old normal“ but we’ll just have to wait for that.
