4 minute read
LET THE BUZZ BEGIN
Seven of this year’s film festival highlights that could become Oscar contenders
By Matthew Jacobs
THE LAST OSCAR CEREMONY OCCURRED LESS THAN SIX MONTHS
ago, but it’s already time to anoint a fresh batch of frontrunners that will chase after trophies in early 2022. Since the Venice, Telluride, Toronto, London, and New York film festivals kick-started the season in September and October, the upcoming awards derby has become a bit clearer. Of the premieres in those lineups, a handful are almost guaranteed to factor into the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Film Independent Spirit Awards, and Academy Awards competitions.
“C’mon C’mon” (A24)
A lovely slice-of-life dramedy shot in black and white, “C’mon C’mon” follows a radio interviewer (Joaquin Phoenix) tasked with babysitting his precocious nephew (newcomer Woody Norman) while his sister (Gaby Hoffmann) tends to a personal crisis. Writer-director Mike Mills’ last two movies, “Beginners” and “20th Century Women,” received one Oscar nomination apiece: best supporting actor for the former and best original screenplay for the latter. Maybe Phoenix, who won two years ago for the much darker “Joker,” will lead the charge on this one, though it could very well receive a screenplay nod thanks to its soft humor and tear-jerking conclusion.
“Dune” (Warner Bros.) This long-awaited adaptation of Frank Herbert’s futuristic space odyssey finally arrives following multiple release postponements and Warner Bros.’ controversial decision to drop the movie on HBO Max the same day it hits theaters. As far as awards go, “Dune” has the pedigree to match its sweeping scale: director Denis Villeneuve, following up “Blade Runner 2049”; a lead performance from “it” boy Timothée Chalamet; an imposing score by legendary composer Hans Zimmer; and visual effects that are sure to yield nominations in the craft categories. Whether the film will be a hit at the box office when people can watch it at home remains to be seen. Low cinema turnout could dampen the buzz needed to push the sci-fi epic across the Oscars finish line—and to secure it a sequel.
(Searchlight Pictures) Since premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in July, Wes Anderson’s newest romp has divided critics. The film is a heady, meticulous whirlwind set in and around an American newspaper office in a fictional French city. Three of his previous nine movies have received screenplay nods at the Oscars, so that’s probably the field in which “The French Dispatch” is likeliest to compete. But get a load of the cast: Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet, Henry Winkler, Jeffrey Wright, Benicio Del Toro— the list goes on.
Maggie Gyllenhaal makes her feature film directorial debut with this adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel about a woman who finds herself obsessing over a family she observes on a beach vacation. Boasting a supreme cast that includes Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Paul Mescal, Ed Harris, and Peter Sarsgaard, “The Lost Daughter” is a haunting conversation-starter about how the past never truly passes us by.
Pictures Classics) You never know how far Pedro Almodóvar’s movies will travel with the Academy. The beloved Spanish filmmaker has won two Oscars, and Penélope Cruz’s first Oscar nomination came for Almodóvar’s excellent “Volver.” His latest, “Parallel Mothers,” marks his seventh collaboration with the actor, who plays a photographer who becomes unexpectedly pregnant at nearly 40, only for a strange mishap to throw her life into chaos. Cruz is a strong best actress contender, even though Spain has selected “The Good Boss” (a comedy starring Cruz’s husband, Javier Bardem) as its international feature film submission.
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet in “Dune”
(Netflix) Jane Campion’s tense adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel has the look of a Western and the atmosphere of a menacing psychodrama. Benedict Cumberbatch plays a cruel rancher in 1920s Montana terrorizing his gentle brother (Jesse Plemons) and new sisterin-law (Kirsten Dunst). “The Power of the Dog” could yield a few Oscar firsts: Campion would be the first woman with two directing nods (the first was for “The Piano”), Dunst is an actor long overdue for a nomination, and Netflix could snag the best picture win that has so far eluded the streaming giant.
(A24/Apple) For the first time in his 37-year career, Joel Coen has directed a movie without his brother, Ethan. The elder Coen has crafted an electric thriller, casting Denzel Washington in a powerhouse performance as the famous Shakespearean antihero who just can’t wait to be king. Frances McDormand is his partner in crime, and it’s about time she got the chance to play Lady Macbeth. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” could be a bit too weird and cerebral for the Oscars’ taste, but its haunting cinematography (by five-time nominee Bruno Delbonnel) and score (by twotime nominee Carter Burwell) could be enough to make it a viable contender.
