It’s almost time for the 94th annual Academy Awards, so our writers Abe Friedtanzer, Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi, Karen Butler, Karen Benardello, Matthew Schuchman, Nobuhiro Hosoki are making picks in 6 major categories.
Here’s Our List of Choices!
Abe Friedtanzer
Best Picture: CODA
Best Director: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Will Smith (King Richard)
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
We’re almost at the end of an eventful awards season. Four of these categories seem pretty locked up. While Kodi Smit-McPhee and Kirsten Dunst once seemed like frontrunners in the supporting races, Kotsur and DeBose have won more than enough prizes to assure their victories at the big event. The same goes for Smith, and the only person who could have defeated Campion would have been Denis Villeneuve, who didn’t even end up getting nominated for Dune. The remaining two categories are much more up in the air. The Power of the Dog was looking set to take Best Picture without much competition until CODA went and won at the Producers Guild Awards, following its triumph at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (where Dog wasn’t even nominated). There are some major statistical hurdles for CODA to cross, namely its lack of directing and editing bids, but it seems to have the momentum it needs to pull it off. Best Actress is more complicated since so many precursors have had different nominees. Nicole Kidman won the Golden Globe and Jessica Chastain won with the Critics Choice Association and the Screen Actors Guild, where onetime frontrunner Kristen Stewart wasn’t even nominated. Any of the nominees, including the surprise champ in 2018, Olivia Colman, or another past winner, Penélope Cruz, could theoretically score, but I think Chastain will take it.
Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
Best Picture: Belfast
Best Director: Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Will Smith (King Richard)
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
Belfast present’s Kenneth Branagh’s Northern Irish Amarcord in the utmost superb cinematic manner: the shots flaunt glorious artistry, the direction of the actors is impeccable and the story is one that provides profound empathy. Although I loathe remakes, Steven Spielberg manages to surpass the 1961 legendary film adaptation of West Side Story, remaining faithful to the original Broadway show and uplifting it beyond compare. Will Smith extraordinarily incarnates the father of Serena and Venus Williams in King Richard, allowing audiences to forget about the famous actor and fully focus on the father figure of two sports legends. Kristen Stewart, in the film Spencer, instills great dignity to the late Princess of Wales, with every gesture and voice inflection. J.K. Simmons bestows a magnificent tribute to William Frawley, in Being The Ricardos, portraying the legendary TV cast member of I Love Lucy playing Fred Mertz. Anita from West Side Story was first embodied on the silver screen by the prodigious Rita Moreno, it was difficult to fill her shoes but Ariana DeBose does so magnificently bringing great magnitude to this role.
Karen Butler
Best Picture: The Power of the Dog or CODA
Best Director: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Will Smith (King Richard)
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
If this season’s prior awards competitions are an indication of how Sunday’s Oscars ceremony will go, Power of the Dog or CODA will be declared the Best Picture of 2021. The Power of the Dog director Jane Campion will likely win Best Director, Will Smith will score the Best Actor trophy for King Richard and Jessica Chastain will take home the Best Actress statuette for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. In the supporting artist categories, Troy Kotsur will continue his winning streak for Coda and Ariana DeBose will add another award to her collection for West Side Story. For the most part, I would be happy if these were the outcomes, particularly if Smith and Chastain finally triumphed after being nominated several times previously for moving, memorable performances, but never actually managing to grab that Oscar gold. Kotsur and DeBose would also be worthy winners for their exceptional work on screen this past year. For me, the sticking point is The Power of the Dog. It is boring and, in my opinion, overrated, despite its many accolades. I’d much rather see the feel-good Coda or even the feel-bad, but laugh-hard Don’t Look Up win the top title on Oscar night. If I had a vote in the Best Director category, I would give it to Kenneth Branagh for his beautiful coming-of-age story, Belfast.
Karen Benardello
Best Picture: CODA
Best Director: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Will Smith (King Richard)
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
Films about people overcoming historical adversity to achieve their goals and triumph in society will surely take center stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood during this weekend’s 94th Academy Awards ceremony. The coming-of-age comedy-drama, CODA, should win the Best Picture Oscar, as it showcases the obstacles of Ruby Rossi, the eponymous CODA (child of deaf adults) as she balances her attempts to help her family’s struggling fishing business and her own life aspirations. Troy Kotsur also deserves to win Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance of Ruby’s father, the equally profane and heart-warming Frank. Jane Campion should win the Best Director Oscar for her Western psychological drama, The Power of the Dog, for her emotional examination of love, grief, resentment, jealousy, masculinity and sexuality. Will Smith deserves to win the Best Actor Academy Award for playing the titular Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, in the biopic, King Richard, for showcasing the character’s ability to overcome race and class injustices in the world of professional sports. Jessica Chastain should win the Best Actress Oscar for her humanizing portrayal of the eponymous disgraced televangelist in the biopic, The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Ariana DeBose deserves to win the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her spirited, fearless performance of Anita in the romantic musical drama remake, West Side Story.
Matthew Schuchman
Best Picture : The Power of the Dog
Best Director : Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
Best Actor in a Leading Role : Andrew Garfield (tick, tick…BOOM!)
Best Actress in a Leading Role :Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role : Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role : Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)
Normally, there is always one choice in any category of Oscar nominees that I can easily pick a favorite from. This year is different. This is one of those years where even though I’ve enjoyed the films and performances that are being recognized, the real winners weren’t even nominated. Most specifically, this year’s supporting actor/actress category is a sham. Kathryn Hunter in The Tragedy of MacBeth and Vincent Lindon in Titane both should have been not only nominated, but handed these awards without even thinking about it! So, what I’m left with this year is just picking not even what I want to win, but just what I think would be deserving out of the pool we are left with.
Nobuhiro Hosoki
Best Picture : Coda
Best Director : Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Best Actor in a Leading Role : Will Smith (King Richard)
Best Actress in a leading Role : Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role : Tory Kotsur (CODA)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role : Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
I personally think, “tick, tick…Boom” was much better musical than “West Side Story.” And the film like “Mass” should be nominated for the best picture instead of “Don’t Look Up.” But we are not choosing the ones that’s not nominated. As for Actress in a Supporting Role, Kirsten Dunst has never won the Oscar yet, this could be her year, but Ariana DeBose has been sweeping the awards. To me Tory Kotsur is shoed in for the Oscar, it’s so captivating about his performance. I personally like Kristen Stewart performance just as good as Jessica Chastain, but the recognition of her past works, I think her time to get the golden statuette. Will Smith is probably everyone’s favorite and his contribution in the film industry, he deserved the Oscar at this point. For the best picture, every time I see this film, I realized the magical moments in the film, regardless of remaking of French film, “LA FAMILLE BELIER,” from the Sundance to the Oscar, this is the film that why we fall in love with the films in the first place.