Pt 2 - Looking at Netflix's contenders in all Oscar categories

by Juan Carlos Ojano

As explained in Part One we're looking at Netflix's deep slate this year and pinpointing how they might be competitive in each of the 23 Oscar categories (it used to be 24 categories but Sound Editing and Sound Mixing have now become one category). In part two, which follows after the jump, we're discussing the "big eight" marquee categories, plus animated feature...

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Yes No Maybe So: Hillbilly Elegy

Can the movie world please slow down? After months of nothing much happening, everything is happening at once. Three more festivals start today and the trailers keep hitting. It's as if we're in a typical year's mid October even though Oscar nomination battles are not two months away (as they'd usually be) but four months away. Early buzz on Hillbilly Elegy has been a bit hard to read. Is it going to be bad? Is it going to be good? Is it going to be so bad it's good camp classic. Is it going to wow and compete for all the Oscars or none after face-planting? 

Glenn Close and Amy Adams Arguing About Who is Going to Win the Oscar First: The Movie (2020) pic.twitter.com/VDZgSVjQze

— Nathaniel Rogers (@nathanielr) October 15, 2020

We'd argue that the trailer does not answer these questions although there is a lot of capital A acting (which is always hard to judge out of context though lord knows everyone does when they see trailers) So we invite you to contribute your own Yes No and Maybe So in the comments as we're at a loss.

P.S. We've adjusted the Best Actress (Amy) and Best Supporting Actress (Glenn) charts to reflect the confirmed campaigns. 

April Foolish Predix Pt 3: Directors and Screenplays

The even more foolish (in light of the current pandemic) annual tradition of "April Foolish Predictions" continues. As ever we're trying to suss out the Oscar race a year in advance. Well, 10 months in advance if you're getting nitpicky. We've previously covered Animated Features, Visual Categories, Music and Sound. Here's the index of predictions.

SCREENPLAYS
Depending on what happens with the calendar in terms of movie theaters reopening and distributor confidence Original Screenplay will be slimmer than usual. But how slim...?

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Links: Madame X, Shelley Winters, and Martha Again

Link roundup starting with NEWS articles...

• NYT The great Swedish actress Bibi Andersson, a Bergman regular (Persona, Wild Strawberries) dies at 83
• Cartoon Brew Rich Moore, who delivered the Wreck It Ralph movies for Disney leaves to run Sony Animation
• Deadline Gabriel Basso (The Kings of Summer, Super 8) nabs lead in Ron Howard's movie adaptation of bestseller Hillbilly Elegy. Amy Adams and Glenn Close co-star.
• The Wrap talks to Ryan O'Connell, the creator and star of the gay & disabled sitcom Special on Netflix

Lots more after the jump including In the Heights, Bond 25, the influence of Big, new albums, declining sex in the cinema, and two must-reads online this past week in case you missed them...

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