April Foolish Pt 4 - Who might be in the 'Best Supporting Actor' discussion?

by Nathaniel R

Barry Keoghan announcing a wrap on Banshees of Inisherin via his social media

We all agree that Best Supporting Actor is the dullest of Oscar's Big Six, right? But it doesn't have to be! Too often the final lineup leaves a lot to be desired. But for the first Oscar predictions of the year, before much is known about the movies themselves, let alone their supporting* characters we can imagine all sorts of possibilities. Whose role are you most intrigued about? I'm most curious which never-nominated actor will join the club this year. Here's to hoping that Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Glynn Turman, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Harry Melling, Idris Elba, Colin Farrell, and even Chris Rock (no, really) MIGHT have the kind of roles that could get them there. They also might not (of course) but these are the April Foolish Predictions so you have to guess while essentially blindfolded.

Check out the new chart / predictions

You may have noticed that neither Leonardo DiCaprio or Jesse Plemons are on this chart. As far as we can tell  Killers of the Flower Moon is a two-lead film. Obviously films don't campaign two leads in the same category anymore (sigh) but we're not about to encourage the powers that be to commit category fraud so until campaigns tell us otherwise our new policy is to put them in the correct category.

Previously
Pt 1 Animated Feature Preview
Pt 2 Screenplays and Music Categories 
Pt 3 Visual Category Discussion

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Nightmare Alley (2021)

Welcome back to the series, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Nathaniel R. Each week we'll discuss a single movie via a particular shot. Anyone who'd like to participate can choose their own!

Best Prop

When you're reading your mark, as former circus psychic Pete (David Strathairn) teaches us, you're searching for external clues to internal damage. The fatal flaw of Nightmare Alley, up this year for Best Picture, may well be that Guillermo del Toro, though a gifted filmmaker, isn't much for interiority. But oh his surfaces! Overly lacquered beauty and the ugly rot it's faililng to hide are the greatest assets of his latest film. On that note we must pause to honor the funhouse sequence early in the film which operates like a veritable FYC ad for the Oscar-nominated Production Design. The set amazes and one particular prop in the 'funhouse', a mirror stating "TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF  SINNER" is a perfect offhand joke. We know very little about Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) but he already knows he's "no good". The camera lingers for a second on the mirror, to make sure we do... 

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Yes No Maybe So: "The Northman"

The 2021 film year will stretch well into 2022 -- that happens with late Oscar ceremonies -- but we finally have a title we're really excited about to look forward to the month after the Oscars. Robert Eggers' viking drama The Northman starring Alexander Skarsgård hits theaters on April 22nd. Let's discuss the trailer with our Yes No Maybe So™ system...

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Consider Oscar Isaac in "The Card Counter"

by Lynn Lee

Is it too early to start an “Oscar for Oscar” FYC campaign?  Because there needs to be one for Oscar Isaac in The Card Counter, stat.

Sadly, it’s not at all a given that he’ll get much traction.  Initial reception of The Card Counter among critics has been positive but rather muted, and the film hasn’t made much of a mark with general audiences.  It probably doesn’t help that the trailer gives the misleading impression of a snappy, heisty movie about a poker player with a shady past when in reality it’s a slow-burn Paul Schrader Dark Odyssey into the Mind of a Morally Tormented Man.  Schrader fans, at least, will get what they’re expecting; Isaac fans will get that and so much more...

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Yes No Maybe So: Spider-Man No Way Home

Hello, Peter! The internet has gone stark raving mad dissecting the first trailer for Spider-Man No Way Home, for easter eggs. We're less interested in trying to figure it out (we like to be surprised!) and more in what it's promising us. The familiar Tom Holland/Zendaya chemistry, mystical mayhem courtesy of Doctor Strange, and an attempt to relive the glory days of Sam Raimi's original Spidey trilogy (2002-2007).

We're in but let's do the Yes No Maybe So™ as we watch the trailer together after the jump...

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