The Buzz

Special Edition! The Oscars

Award season is upon us, recent weekends jam-packed with ceremony after red carpet after gala. The date for the biggest stage for performing actors, The 98th Academy Awards is set for Sunday, March 16. There, we’ll find out which of the highly regarded films will take home the big categories like Best Picture, Cinematography, and Directing. Equally important, are the actors themselves. Any actor nominated is crossing their fingers for the Actor/Actress in a Leading Role or Actor/Actress in a Supporting Role. Will the culturally resonant One Battle After Another take it home? Will tragically beautiful Hamnet win it for Chloe Zhao? Will genre-fluid and supernatural Sinners sweep the floor? The Buzz has written a special edition detailing some of the most recommended of these Oscar-nominated films. 

Sinners

It’s simply impossible to not have heard of this film. Every talk of what to go see next, or any kind of pop culture news has been infiltrated by this monster of a movie – that its horror, its awesome, its a directorial dream. Ever since the Golden Globes in January, this film has been dominating the award shows for its intoxicating storytelling, vivid 1930s Southern setting and not one but two Micheal B. Jordan characters. It tells the story of a pair of brothers trying to escape their past and return to their hometown to start over. There, they bring along their musically talented cousin to help them start up a juke joint where they come face to face with a terrifying evil. 

Director: Ryan Coogler

Principle Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton & Delroy Lindo

MPA: R 

Rating (IMDb): 7.5

Nominations: 16

Hamnet

Although it wasn’t a blockbuster favorite, this film was the classic drama that has been sweeping the floor at the awards for everything from Original Score to Costume Design. This tear-jerker had been described as wildly intense and a true exploration of what it means to grieve. With stunning performances from Jesse Buckley (who’s already won multiple awards for her acting in this) and Paul Mescal, the pair delivers a raw portrayal of love, loss, and connection. Set in 1580s England, the story of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes comes to life. The film dramatizes their relationship and explores the death of their 11-year old son to the plague. 

Director: Chloe Zhao

Principle Cast: Paul Mescal, Jesse Buckley, Jacobi Jupe & Joe Alwyn

MPA: PG-13

Rating (IMDb): 7.9

Nominations: 8

One Battle After Another

Another award-sweeper, One Battle After Another has been on the rise ever since its release. It didn’t do particularly well in the box office but took off in the eyes of critics with 13 whopping nominations for the Oscars. Renowned for its chaotic nature but intense cinematography, this film has an absolutely star-studded cast and high-stakes action that still connects us with the characters. We meet a retired revolutionary who lives life in a stoned delusion – that is, until his self-sufficient daughter is captured by his nemesis and he is forced to find her despite the consequences of their pasts. 

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Principle Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyanna Taylor, Regina Hall & Benecio Del Toro

MPA: R

Rating (IMDb): 7.7

Nominations: 13

Marty Supreme

It seems Timothee Chalamet is always in the news for something, and this massive project might cement him as a modern day A-lister. This tense sports film is not what it may seem – sure it’s about ping-pong, but we’re all crazy about something, right? It is highly acclaimed for its wild yet stylish portrayal of chasing glory for the sake of a sport that is rarely depicted in such an acute way. It travels to 1950s New York where Marty Mauser, a table-tennis hustler, gambler, and shoe salesman will stop at nothing on his manic quest to become the best. His story devolves as he gets closer to his goal through the gritty underworld of ping-pong that involves affairs, theft, and international competition. 

Director: Josh Safdie

Principle Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Odessa A’zion, Gwenyth Paltrow & Tyler the Creator

MPA: R

Rating (IMDb): 7.8

Nominations: 9

Sentimental Value

This film has been a quiet success in the award ceremonies, winning here and there but managing to collect 9 nominations to put it in the running against dramas like Hamnet. Known for its authentic portrayal of complex family dynamics, Sentimental Value is a film that showcases how art can bring people together through the toughest of times. It’s a realistic emotional journey that also has brilliant editing and cinematography that pulls it together completely. Following their mother’s death, sisters Nora and Agnes deal with their returning father Gustav in this beautiful Norwegian film.

Director: Joachim Trier

Principle Cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Elle Fanning, Renate Reinsve & Ings Ibsdotter Lilleaas 

MPA: R

Rating (IMDb): 7.8

Nominations: 9

Honorable Mention

More renowned movies nominated for the Oscars that didn’t make the final draft!

The Secret Agent

Frankenstein

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Song Sung Blue

Bugonia

Weapons

Train Dreams

F1