The 2021 Best Picture Oscar Nominees

Mar 17, 2021

"Oh. my. god.
The hammer pulled you off?!"

PINNED: this newsletter is supposed to be a friendly recapping of the movies in, and coming to, theaters. But things be real weird right now. So until that changes in earnest, I'll either be suggesting old favorites to revisit, pointing out recent flicks you may have missed or calling out notable new VOD / streaming options.

The Oscar nominations were announced on Monday. You probably already know this. But chances are are pretty low you've seen all, hell, even most of the potential winners.

So, even though the ceremony is still five weeks away (April 25th), I'm re-highlighting all eight nominees to give you a shot at becoming a Best Picture completist. While these are the "best" movies of the year as proclaimed by "the Academy," it's obviously by no means an objective best. However, there's a good chance there's at least something in here for everyone. But if not, maybe the following is more your jam...

The same week the most lauded movies of the year are being fetted, one of the most derided movies of 2017 makes a very odd comeback. Zack Snyder's Justice League drops tomorrow on HBO Max. If you're (still) unaware of this triumph of fan activism, a quick explainer: Zack Snyder, who directed Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, was hard at work on the original Justice League. It wasn't going great (in part because the two previous movies mentioned had done just ok critics / box office-wise). The studio was meddling and then legit tragedy struck when Snyder's daughter died. He left the project. Another director, Joss Whedon (now facing accusations of verbal abuse), who had successfully helmed the first two Avengers movies, came on to help fix it. It didn't work. Critics and fans both hated it. It also bombed at the box office (relatively).

Cut to "the internet," where fans start discussing an unreleased #SnyderCut of the movie. Momentum builds, HBO goes on to release their HBO Max streaming service. Needing something buzzy, the company greenlights the so-called #SnyderCut. It's not really a cut, so much as Snyder going back and editing what he wanted into a FOUR HOUR version.

Reviews are better (although not everyone is a fan), but you have to imagine the contrast with the first (poorly received) version is helping this one. If you're somehow unaware it existed until now, but still interested, here's the most recent trailer. And if you're feelin it, head on over to The Max (no, not that one) and succumb to the fact your ass will inevitably fall asleep (then off) as you enjoy the grey scale world filled with Batman, Wonder Woman, a resurrected Superman & more.

Btw, I'd be remiss not to mention the fact theaters are slowly starting to open up in New York and Los Angeles (the countries two biggest film markets). We don't quite have a "big" release yet, but it's coming. I'll likely slowly start to reintegrate actual theatrical releases back into this email now that we have them. Although, there's a good chance this newsletter still morphs into something differently entirely. To be continued...

Your 2021 Best Picture
Academy Award Nominees

(from top, left to right)

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH (HBO Max): the one with Daniel Kaluuya from Get Out / Black Panther where he plays an actual rising Black Panthers leader who scares the (white dominated) FBI so much they hire LaKeith Stanfield to infiltrate the org.

Other Notable Noms: Best Supporting Actor - both Kaluuya & Stanfield / Best Original Screenplay / Best Cinematography

MANK (Netflix): that black and white one with Gary Oldman as Herman J. Mankiewicz, the writer of Citizen Kane, and directed by David Fincher (whose own father wrote the script decades ago).

Other Notable Noms: Best Actor - Gary Oldman / Best Supporting Actress - Amanda Seyfreid / Best Director - Fincher / Best Cinematography

MINARI (VOD): the one that stars Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead where he plays one half of a Korean-American couple who move their young family from California to Oklahoma in hopes of creating a better life.

Other Notable Noms: Best Actor - Steven Yeun (first time ever for someone of Asian American decent) / Best Supporting Actress - Yuh-Jung Youn (first time a Korean actor has been nominated) / Best Director - Lee Isaac Chung

NOMADLAND (Hulu): the one where Frances McDormand protrays a nomad in the wake of the great recession and meets real life nomads cast . Also commonly thought to be the leader in this category.

Other Notable Noms: Best Actress - Frances McDormand / Best Director - Chloé Zhao (one of two females - the most ever in the category) / Best Adapted Screenplay / Best Cinematography

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (VOD): the one that contrasts a strings based version of the poppy Britney Spears song Toxic with the awful subject of sexual assault and its ramifications, with Carey Mulligan in the lead.

Other Notable Noms: Best Actress - Carey Mulligan / Best Director - Emerald Fennell (second of the two females in the category) / Best Original Screenplay.

SOUND OF METAL (Prime): the one where a punk band drummer (Riz Ahmed) starts to go deaf, forcing him to deal with not only that problem, but other deep issues in his life.

Other Notable Noms: Best Actor - Riz Ahmed / Best Supporting Actor - Paul Raci / Best Original Screenplay.

THE FATHER (Theaters): the one about dementia with really good acting from really good actors, Olivia Coleman and Anthony Hopkins.

Other Notable Noms: Best Actor - Anthony Hopkins / Best Supporting Actress - Olivia Coleman / Best Adapted Screenplay.

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (Netflix): the heavy on talking and acting one from Aaron Sorkin (of course) about the trial prosecuting activists for protesting the '68 Democratic National Convention.

Other Notable Noms: Best Supporting Actor - Sacha Baron Cohen / Best Original Screenplay / Best Cinematography

Highlights

Concrete Cowboy - Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin (from Stranger Things) are father and son in a story about urban cowboys. Based on the book Ghetto Cowboy which is based on a real area in Philly where there's a deep Black horse-riding culture.

In the Heights - Lin-Manuel Miranda's first stage production becomes a legit movie (not just a film version of the stage show, a la Hamilton). Had been delayed from last year. Note: there are two new trailers in here.

What's In Theaters +

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