And the Winners Are…
by Karen Kohler
As we come off the Golden Globes and saw Oscar nominations flood in earlier this week, contenders for the main awards have been a point of discussion. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” had quite a few wins at the Golden Globes and came in with 11 Oscar nominations. Michelle Yeoh won the best actress Golden Globe and has had a lot of well deserved buzz to win the Oscar as well. This film follows the story of an Asian family, particularly the mother (Yeoh) who essentially gets recruited by her husband from an alternate universe to save the multiverse, requiring her to jump through various parallel universes. The large scale effects required for this movie and how well they were executed are remarkable. There’s a lot going on in this movie and the plot is confusing yet wildly entertaining and makes you laugh with all kinds of ridiculous subplots, including a take on “Ratatouille” that instead features a raccoon. Yet the emotional story and the family connections in this movie are so profound and beautiful as well, there’s really nothing it lacks.
Another large contender for best actress is Cate Blanchett in “Tár.” This film overall is another with a lot of award attention and is a drama following the downfall of a conductor and composer. Blanchett has recently said, though quite vaguely, that she may quit acting now. She has had a very successful career, so this could make sense, though she would be greatly missed. If this is true it would be cool to see her win for this but ultimately Yeoh is just so incredibly deserving of it.
“Banshees of Inisherin” is another with the potential to win a lot of Oscars and won for the best Musical or Comedy Golden Globe. This film follows the story of two older best friends living on an island when one, Colm, played by Brendan Gleeson, tells the other, Pádraic, played by Colin Farrell, that he no longer wishes to be friends with him. This film isn’t necessarily as impressive or eventful as “Everything Everywhere All At Once” but it is thought provoking and the acting is incredible. Colin Farrell would certainly be deserving of the Best Actor Oscar for his performance.
“The Fabelmans” directed by Steven Spielberg won the Golden Globe for best Drama, was nominated for best picture Oscar and is likely a strong contender again. “Avatar: Way of Water,” “Aftersun,” “Elvis,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” are other popular films that probably won’t get as many big awards but are still attracting attention for their acting performances and visual effects.
