- Amandla Stenberg, THE HATE U GIVE
For me, one of the most impressive performances of the year, specially coming from such a young actress. Amandla Stenberg has already proved her acting chops before, but The Hate U Give will be remembered as the movie that rised her to "promising performer" status. Highly charismatic both on-screen and off-screen, Stenberg missed key Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations in order to build solid Oscar buzz, but the Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Actress nomination, the Hollywood Film Award for Breakthrough Actress and a big couple of critics associations nominations makes Miss Stenberg the "black actress most likely to get a Best Actress nod" this year. The AMPAS doesn't want another #OscarSoWhite and it happens delivers an impressive performance in the right movie - The Hate U Give is a tale about racial issues!
- BLACK PANTHER
An amazing all-black team is behind the biggest cultural phenomenom of the year (and the second-biggest box-office hit of the year worldwide). The perfect balance between action/super-hero movie and a family drama with some funny scenes, Black Panther is on its way to a Best Picture nomination after a kind precursor award season. 3 Golden Globe nominations, 2 SAG Award nominations (including Best Ensemble Cast), 12 Critics' Choice Awards and 7 MTV Movie Awards nominations (4 wins) - Black Panther is the perfect balance between critics' love and audiences' enthusiasm... and Marvel/Disney keep campaigning for this super-sized production! After two acclaimed smaller productions (Fruitvale Station and Creed), Ryan Coogler's movie seems close to be part of Oscar history. Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects seem likely to happen and Michael B. Jordan seems solid enough to land a Best Supporting Actor nomination...! And maybe Ryan Coogler might show up in Best Director or Best Adapted Screenplay!
- PROMISING STARS: Kiki Layne & Stephan James, their godmother Regina King and their godfather Barry Jenkins
Based on James Baldwin novel of the same name, If Beale Street Could Talk is no box-office hit like Black Panther but it is said to be a magnificient piece of cinema. Stephan James and Kiki Layne both look like black versions of Barbie & Ken, but while Layne delivers her acting debut, James has already impressed audiences in Selma and Race. A male black star and a female black star were born? I think so! While critics pointed the lack of chemistry between them two, Layne and James do have some acting chops. But who got truly lauded by critics was Regina King - the TV star seems secure to land her first Oscar nomination after a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress and sweeping (almost) all the critics associations prizes in that category. Barry Jenkins' direction and (specially) screenplay also found warm reception from award organizations and he's also a strong contender for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. And after a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture - Drama, a Critics' Choice Award nod for Best Film or an Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature, If Beale Street Could Talk seems like a future Best Picture nominee! After Moonlight, it seems Jenkins brought the audiences another "black movie" that's a "black cinematic pearl".
- CRAZY RICH ASIANS
An unexpected critical and box-office hit, Crazy Rich Asians surprised even the most optimistic movie geeks when it got rave reviews AND when it grossed over $238M worldwide against a production budget of $30M - it became the highest-grossing romantic-comedy in the last 10 years and the 6th highest grossing of all time. And guess what? It is the first film by a major Hollywood studio to feature a majority Asian American cast since 1993. And while it is not clear if Crazy Rich Asians is a strong Best Picture contender, truth is the AMPAS always finds a way to honor these successful movies. A Best Costume Design nomination? A Best Production Design nod maybe? Who knows... maybe a Best Adapted Screenplay? I don't know but... fact: Crazy Rich Asians is nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical AND for Critics' Choice Award and SAG Award for Best Ensemble. Interesting, right?
- DON'T STOP "MR. ROBOT" NOW - Rami Malek as Farrokh Bulsara AKA Freddie Mercury
Son of Egyptian immigrants, Rami Malek had a troubled begin of career due to "being ethnical, but not ethnical enough" to get a part. Then, when Sam Esmail casted him in Mr. Robot TV series, Malek delivered his breakthrough performance as a mentally-unstable computer hacker and he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the show's Season 1. This year, he transferred his success to movies after portraying Freddie Mercury, Queen's frontman, in Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek was a struggling actor trying to impress the world as Mercury was a struggling man trying to sing for the world - funny, right? Right now, Malek is set as one of the strongest Best Actor contenders and he's currently nominated for a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards (Best Actor and Best Ensemble) and a Critics' Choice Award... He carries the movie!
- BLACK & WHITE DUO FUELS GREEN BOOK
The story of an unlikely friendship that won the People's Choice of 2018's edition of Toronto International Film Festival and it has been considered a major Oscar player since then. An unexpected award contender, Green Book marks Peter Farrelly's departure from non-serious comedies and welcomes both Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in the awards race once again. Mortensen is a Danish-American actor and Ali is an African-American who converted to Islam. Two actors with a rich cultural heritage lead a movie about racial issues and an unlikely friendship based on an incredible true story.
- BLACKKKLANSMAN
When you tell a tale of hate in a funny way, things might not work... but if you have a sensitive touch like Spike Lee's...! The biggest accomplishment of BlacKkKlansman is dealing with a serious matter in such a light way without losing its dramatic core. Adam Driver goes supporting and John David Washington takes the lead in his breakthrough performance. It's such a charismatic duo of actors! Plus, Spike Lee might finally get the Oscar recognition he's overdue for. Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing... BlacKkKlansman is cinematic gold in the chase for AMPAS' golden men.
- ROMA: CAPITAL OF MEXICO'S CINEMATIC EMPIRE
The critics' darling, Alfonso Cuarón latest movie is an intimate epic when compared with Gravity - his extravaganza epic. Yalitza Aparicio, the indigenous star of Cuarón's latest, does make a huge impression in this one as the center piece of the whole movie. Yalitza's heart beats Roma and her lungs breathe Roma... and it is "just" a Mexican production! In fact, Roma has been the favorite of most critics associations, it got nominated for 3 Golden Globes (Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language, Best Director and Best Screenplay) and 8 Critics' Choice Award nods. A masterpiece that's likely to get a spot in Oscar's Best Picture nominees shortlist, while it is almost sure to win in the Best Foreign Picture field. Nominations for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing also seem solid bets... and HOW LOVELY IT WOULD BE TO HAVE AN INDIGENOUS ACTRESS LIKE YALITZA APARICIO IN THE BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES SHORTLIST!
Comments