Expectations were both met and subverted this year with Anthony Hopkins showing what the home field advantage looks like and Frances McDormand bringing the total of televised awards to Best Actress nominees to 4 of 5. Poor Vanessa Kirby. Other than that, the British effect may have pulled The Father over the finish line in Best Adapted Screenplay, the only category other than Best Picture, where the expected Oscar frontrunner didn’t triumph. Also interesting is that Minari couldn’t top Another Round for Best Film Not in the English Language, which suggests the film isn’t about to plow ahead of all contenders and sweep into the Best Picture top spot. Nomadland desperately needed its performance here to push towards Oscar as another winner might have spelled its doom.
Awards Tallies
(5) Nomadland
(2) The Father, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Promising Young Woman, Soul, Sound of Metal
(1) Another Round, His House, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, My Octopus Teacher, The Owl & the Pussycat, The Present, Rocks, Tenet
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Mank continues as the frontrunner with also-nominated Tenet sneaking in a win that likely won’t repeat at the Oscars.
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And just like that the Oscar race for Best Visual Effects gets upturned. Whether Tenet can now win the Oscar is questionable. We shall see. It almost seems like this season has been about snubbing Christopher Nolan because he refused to let his film stream alongside its theatrical run. Who knows for sure, though.