It’s getting to be truly problematic for Oscar nominees to express opinions about almost anything these days, especially regarding something like cats, as well as other forms of artistic expression. Say the wrong thing while publicizing your movie, and the social media sore nerve doesn’t stop at merely tingling. It slaps back.
The biggest headline of the 98th annual Academy Awards was that “Sinners,” a wild and satisfying adventure involving gangsters in Chicago, the history of juke joints, and vampires as symbols of racial inequality, received a record 16 Oscar nominations. Normally, awards season would be a non-stop celebratory occasion, and it was for a while, but a couple of people misspoke, and billions of bytes all over the internet blew a figurative gasket. If you recall, last year’s frontrunner, “Emilia Perez,” saw its main awards chances go from almost a sure thing to don’t let the door hit you on the way out, after the lead actress’s old and vicious social media posts were unearthed.
Well, now we’ve got Irishwoman Jessie Buckley, who is probably still assured of winning the best actress Oscar for her performance in “Hamnet,” but who knows? Why? She set off a social media firestorm because she said she didn’t like cats. Not the movie or the stage musical, but those feline friends who are pets to hundreds of millions of people. I don’t have a cat, but while I enjoyed my sister Jeanmarie’s delicious homemade chicken soup at her house the other night, her cats Butter and Gandalf watched me eat. Of course, Buckley later backpedaled and said she likes cats.
Perhaps too close to the voting deadline to matter, but best actor nominee Timothy Chalamet generated his own miasma when he said he preferred making movies because they were more popular than musty old ballet or opera. He added insult to injury, and continued to keep his foot in his mouth, by emphasizing that nobody actually cares about ballet or opera. Gee, all those dance classes to which parents send their children are in support of an allegedly dead art form. The irony is that Chalamet’s mother and grandmother are former ballet dancers and teachers. The actor has been quiet for a week, but I think it would be terrific if he appeared onstage at the Oscars wearing a tutu and singing the aria “Nessun dorma” from composer Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Turandot.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences starts its ceremony this Sunday at 4 p.m. in Los Angeles so that the ABC network television program begins at 7 p.m. in the eastern United States. Former talk show veteran and current podcaster Conan O’Brien will host; therefore, don’t expect anything overly interesting from the monologue or comments during breaks with him on stage. It is important to remember that the Academy Awards are a movie industry popularity contest that was created by belligerent studio chiefs as a response to the unionization of Hollywood motion picture production. No one should think they are anything else. For many fans, myself included, the show is fun to watch.
Handicapping the Academy Awards is an annual ritual, and here’s a guide to this year’s 24 categories, which could help you win the grand prize at an Oscar party you might be attending. The newest category is for Best Casting. In 2028, Best Stunt Design becomes an award.
Here are the titles, actors and actresses, and craftspeople I think the 10,894 members have chosen.
The primary Best Picture contenders (out of 10) are: “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” and Chalamet’s “Marty Supreme.” “One Battle After Another” has been the frontrunner for a long time, but that’s going to change on Sunday. I think the Academy voters will honor “Sinners.” It’s an incredibly interesting and energetic film and its momentum is on the upswing. It won Best Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the recent SAG-AFTRA awards. Actors and actresses comprise the largest group of Oscar voters. “One Battle After Another” is a solid second-place finisher. “Frankenstein” is the spoiler.
The Academy’s choice for Best Actress will be the aforementioned Buckley for “Hamnet.” I thought the movie was good, but not great. Rose Byrne has a small chance at winning for the drama “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” which co-stars host O’Brien as a therapist. Kate Hudson, for the Neil Diamond tribute band picture “Song Sung Blue,” would be the spoiler. It would be fun to see the daughter of an Oscar winner (Goldie Hawn) be honored.
The Best Actor Oscar is a toss-up. I thought Chalamet’s performance in “Marty Supreme” as an aggressive and rude ping pong player who craves a championship had Oscar written all over it. The momentum has shifted, and it has nothing to do with Chalamet’s silly comments. Michael B. Jordan’s performance as twins in “Sinners” is terrific. His best actor SAG-AFTRA award is a solid signifier. The Oscar voters are going to honor Jordan. The spoiler is Ethan Hawke for the wonderful “Blue Moon.”
Supporting Actress will go to veteran Hollywood stalwart Amy Madigan for her turn as the creepy Aunt Gladys in the supernatural horror thriller “Weapons.” This is one of those so-called “career work” Oscars that often go to a longtime favorite co-star. Runner-up is Teyana Taylor for “One Battle After Another.”
The Academy’s Supporting Actor category is up in the air. Sean Penn for “One Battle After Another” has been raking in numerous honors, but there is a lot of support for Delroy Lindo for “Sinners.” A Lindo win would also be a career honor. Stellan Skarsgard for “Sentimental Value” is running just as strong, and he’s the spoiler. I think the Academy will choose Lindo.
The Directing category is genuinely questionable because, at least according to the members of the Academy, “Frankenstein” directed itself. There was no directing nomination for Guillermo del Toro for his imaginative film. This also happened last year when director Edward Berger wasn’t nominated for “Conclave.” The Oscar voters will choose Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another.” Ryan Coogler for “Sinners” is the runner-up.
The Academy’s choice for International Feature Film will be the multi-layered family drama “Sentimental Value” from Norway. My personal favorite is the powerful “torn from the headlines” docudrama “The Voice Of Hind Rajab” from Tunisia. Both very good features are streaming.
“Sinners” will receive the first-ever Best Casting award, which goes to the person or persons who place actors and actresses in many of the secondary roles. Directors and producers usually select the major stars. “Sinners” has a premium cast. In addition to Jordan and Lindo, the primary performers are Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and legendary blues musician Buddy Guy as Sammie.
The Academy’s other selections will be:
• Original Screenplay — “Sinners” by Ryan Coogler
• Adapted Screenplay — “One Battle After Another” by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Cinematography — “One Battle After Another”
• Film Editing — “One Battle After Another”
• Sound — “F1”
• Production Design — “Frankenstein
• Costume Design — “Frankenstein”
• Makeup and Hair — “Frankenstein”
• Visual Effects — “Avatar: Fire And Ash”
• Animated Feature — “KPop Demon Hunters”
• Documentary Feature — “The Perfect Neighbor”
• Live Action Short — “A Friend Of Dorothy”
• Documentary Short — “All The Empty Rooms”
• Animated Short — “Butterfly”
• Music Score — “Sinners”
• Original Song — “Golden” by “KPop Demon Hunters”