Films To Keep An Eye On For Awards Season
Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway/ A24/Apple Studios/ IAC Films/Excellent Cadaver & Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once/ IAC Films/Gozie AGBO/Year of the Rat/Ley Line Entertainment
Of the films released in 2022, many media outlets and film critics have consistently considered several possible contenders for the Best Picture Oscar Award. These features will be the major titles vying for the Academy’s top honor, with some already picking up critical acclaim and festival accolades. The films are interpreted by their chances of making the final nominations and were based on a combination of insider information and research on the various projects that have them in contention. These works also have the potential to sway the entire awards season. Of the considerations, 12 involve people of color whose roles include the majority of the cast, lead actors, co-leads, major supporting characters, directors, and screenwriters.
The POC-related motion pictures are as follows:
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
20th Century Studios, December 18, 2022
Avatar: The Way of Water, which serves as a direct sequel to Avatar, chronicles the adventures of Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family. The new film is the long-awaited sequel to James Cameron's ground-breaking sci-fi epic, which received three Oscar nominations in 2010 for best picture, cinematography, and visual effects. Members of the original cast, including Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Worthington, appear in the plot. Many are watching this movie closely to see if it lives up to the lofty expectations set by its forerunner. Avatar: The Way of Water is the first of James Cameron's four proposed sequels to Avatar. Award-winning actors Edie Falco, Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, and Vin Diesel also join the cast.
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Disney/Marvel, November 11, 2022
Many actors like Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, and Angela Bassett reprise their roles in director Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The kingdom of Wakanda is grieving the loss of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and protecting itself against an underwater nation led by a powerful leader named Namor (Tenoch Huerta). The first Black Panther movie shattered several box office records, becoming the highest-grossing movie directed by a person of color. It was also nominated for seven Academy Award nominations, won three of them, and got countless additional honors. Black Panther was also the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture and the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to take home many awards. After Chadwick Boseman passed away in August 2020, the movie's production was altered. As a result of Boseman's unexpected removal, performers like Wright were given bigger roles in the movie to make up for it. Despite the absence of the original main actor, many fans are interested to see if this sequel will match the success of its predecessor.
BONES AND ALL
MGM/United Artists, November 23, 2022
Luca Guadagnino's beautiful and unnerving road trip thriller stars Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell as two young cannibals in love. Award-winning actor Mark Rylance gives a terrifying supporting performance. Guadagnino won the Silver Lion for directing at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, while Russell won the Marcello Mastroianni Award. For its leading performances, direction, cinematography, and blending of genres, the movie won praise from critics. The chemistry between Russell and Chalamet has received high accolades from commentators in many instances. Following its merger agreement with Amazon on March 17, 2022, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United Artists Releasing are purchasing Bones and All as their debut movie. This award season, the movie's actors, niche plot, and international recognition have drawn a lot of interest.
CAUSEWAY
Apple TV+, November 4, 2022
In Lila Neugebauer's feature film debut as a filmmaker, Jennifer Lawrence produced and starred as Lynsey, an Army soldier who returns to New Orleans after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in Afghanistan. Lynsey connects with Brian Tyree Henry's character, a fellow New Orleans native, as she gradually adjusts to civilian life and makes peace with the place she left behind. The movie has gotten good reviews since it came out, with critics applauding Lawrence and Henry's riveting portrayal of a wonderfully restrained look at the aftereffects of trauma. Henry's performance earned him a nomination for the Gotham Independent Film Awards' Outstanding Supporting Performance category. Neugebauer received the Best First Feature Award for Causeway's Rome Film Festival premiere. Many critics have noted that Lawrence's apparent return to the type of unpolished, quiet performance that made her famous and won her the first of her numerous Academy Award nominations caught their attention in Causeway.
DEVOTION
Sony, November 23, 2022
Jonathan Majors portrays real-life pilot Jesse Brown in the movie Devotion. Brown was the first Black aviator to finish the Navy's flight training course. In JD Dillard's motion picture, set during the early stages of the Korean War, Brown and his wingman Tom Hudner (Glen Powell) become closer despite the racial tension that permeates their ranks. Two months before its November 23 theatrical premiere, Devotion made an impression at the Toronto Film Festival. It is a straightforward but gratifying social justice film set against the backdrop of the war. The movie is more than just an inspiring example of Black exceptionalism; it also honors Tom Hudner, the one white officer who stood up for Brown, characterizing their friendship as something extraordinary in and of itself. Although audiences have seen the racial mistreatment of characters like Brown has to endure before, director Dillard's choice to largely focus on Hudner's perspective works well. There are still a few lessons for Hudner to learn about being an effective ally. This movie stands out from others that portray similar circumstances because of Dillard's method.
EMANCIPATION
Apple TV+, December 2, 2022
Antoine Fuqua’s historical thriller stars recent Oscar winner Will Smith as Peter, who escapes from slavery in Louisiana and joins the Union Army during the Civil War. Based on a true story, Emancipation is a film that has drawn attention, primarily based on two reasons: Apple TV+’s upset awarding of Best Picture Oscar with CODA in 2021 and the lead actor Will Smith. Apple TV+ made history with CODA becoming the first streaming service honored with Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Many expect great things from the studio that made all that possible. Emancipation also has many eyes on it through Will Smith’s association. Smith, who received his first Academy Award in March for his performance in King Richard as best actor, has been barred from the ceremony for ten years after hitting Chris Rock during the show. Many believe Will Smith's appearance will turn off Academy voters and cause them to make biased judgments about the movie.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
A24, March 25, 2022
The story revolves around Michelle Yeoh's character, a Chinese American immigrant, who learns during an IRS audit that she must communicate with alternate versions of herself to stop a powerful being from destroying the multiverse. This inventive sci-fi comedy stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Reviewers praised Everything Everywhere All at Once's creativity, visual effects, humor, direction, editing, performances (especially those of Yeoh, Hsu, and Quan), and handling of subjects including existentialism, nihilism, and Asian-American identity. It was also remarked that the film seamlessly incorporated aspects from many cinema genres and film formats (dark humor, science fiction, fantasy, martial arts movies, and animation). Having already won over a dozen accolades in previous awards ceremonies, Everything Everywhere All at Once continues to garner numerous nominations, especially in high-profile categories like Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Supporting Performances. The film has also been consistently ranked high in awards expectations by numerous media outlets.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO
Netflix, December 9, 2022
Renowned Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro makes his feature film directorial debut with this retelling of the well-known Carlo Collodi classic about a wooden puppet who comes to life and longs to be a real boy. But when Pinocchio comes to life during the 1930s Fascist Italy—instead of the mild-mannered and curious wooden boy most are familiar with—he shows himself to be the complete opposite—a mischievous youngster who plays cruel jokes. Many analysts predict del Toro will receive a second nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars with his stop-motion animated film (after Nightmare Alley in 2021). This Pinocchio movie, which Mark Gustafson co-directed, boasts a talented voice cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, John Turturro, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett. While receiving consistently positive reviews, the film was also praised for its musical scores. Many fans of del Toro and the fairytale have been waiting in anticipation for the film’s release since it was first announced in 2008 before going into development hell until 2018.
NOPE
Universal, July 22, 2022
Nope is a science fiction horror film directed, written, and co-produced by Jordan Peele under his Monkeypaw Productions banner. Peele’s latest motion picture critiques storytelling and spectacle born out of personal trauma. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer play siblings who discover an alien spaceship outside their California ranch. Together, they embark on a mission to capture images of a flying object and achieve fame and fortune. Nope has received praise for its ambition, performances, themes, cinematography, and direction. Peele’s mastery of misdirection is present through utilizing the peculiar and undeniable human instinct to fix our eyes upon horror and tragedy. Peele’s previous films, Get Out and Us, told horror stories that used America's past and blatant current-day racism to inseam its scares. The success of these films and Peele’s recognition of skills have drawn significant attention to Nope.
TILL
United Artists, October 14, 2022
This dramatization of Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), a woman who turned activist after her son Emmett, 14, was lynched, was co-written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu. As the woman whose grief rocked the nation, Deadwyler gives a heartbreaking portrayal of the victim of the 1955 murder, which served as a crucial turning point in the civil rights movement. Chukwu chooses not to depict the harm done to Emmett, but she is unrelenting in her portrayal of the aftermath of the lynching. She claims that this movie serves as a crucial reminder of the injustices present in the country. The film has been criticized for being controversial and brutal but drives home the point that racism and discrimination, which were the driving forces behind Emmett Till's murder and the civil rights movement, are still pervasive. The superb performance of Deadwyler and the social intricacies of race relations within Till draw in audiences and critics alike.
THE WOMAN KING
Sony, September 16, 2022
The Woman King, a film created by and starring award-winning actress Viola Davis, depicts Nanisca, a commander of an all-female warrior corps in the 19th-century West African kingdom of Dahomey. The historical drama, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, also stars John Boyega as the Dahomey ruler King Ghezo, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim as seasoned warriors, and Thuso Mbedu as a young recruit named Nawi. Critics gave the movie favorable reviews, praising both Davis's acting and the action choreography. Many critics have stated that Viola's performance in The Woman King is one of her best, praising her exceptional capacity to go deeply into her persona and convey the complexity and emotional depth that is truly impressive. What elevates the film is the fight choreography, the mostly Black female cast, and the fleshing out of its characters.