Oscar Finalist List Predictions!

by Nathaniel R

On Monday (December 21st) we'll be hearing the Oscar finalists list in the 10 categories that use that process to winnow down the vast array of possibilities before nomination balloting. There were 9 previously but Oscar has added Sound into the mix this year. That category has had quite a rollercoaster of late, given that it was two categories just two years ago, it was conjoined for 2020, and now it joins the "bakeoff" groups; in short it's getting smaller and smaller each year! After Monday's massive reveal we can really dig in to each Oscar race (and closely revamp each Oscar chart) individually. Isn't it strange that the finalist lists in these 10 categories are coming so much earlier than the actual nomination ballots (which don't go out for another 5 and a 1/2 weeks.

Anyway, let's quickly predict the finalist lists, shall we? You can use this cheat sheet to laugh at me or praise me later, depending on my success rate. If there's a link we've previously written about the picture...

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FYC: "So May We Start" for Best Original Song

by Cláudio Alves

On December 21st, the Academy will announce their shortlists in several categories, including Best Original Song. As usual, some mainstream triumphs feel like locks already, maybe not for the final lineup but certainly the roster of 15 finalists. Even before the movie was released, Billie Eilish had already won a Grammy for her Bond theme, "No Time to Die." Beyoncé seems like an inevitable nominee thanks to King Richard's "Be Alive." As for Lin-Manuel Miranda's work for Encanto, it's never a good idea to bet against Disney. In the midst of it all, the weird glory of Leos Carax's Annette may be forgotten, despite its vast score of original songs by the Sparks (Ron Mael and Russell Mael). Please, dear reader, allow me to make the case for that musical's first and best tune…

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What's Encanto's best song?

by Cláudio Alves

Just as they did with their last animated musical, Disney has decided to focus their campaigning on a single song from Encanto. In total, Lin-Manuel Miranda composed eight tunes for the feature, but only "Dos Oruguitas" will get a chance to compete for Oscar gold. Considering the risk of hypothetical vote-splitting, it's an understandable move though Disney hasn't always been the best judge of their songs' quality. So who's to say they know which song would make the best contender? With 2019's Frozen II, not everyone agreed with the spotlighting of "Into the Unknown" to the detriment of "Show Yourself." Does history repeat itself with Encanto? As with Frozen II, let's settle the matter through some list-making fun. In other words, a ranking… 

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Esther Williams @ 100: Neptune's Daughter

by Camila Henriques

As we continue with our celebration of Esther Williams's centennial, we're thrown into the story of "a girl, a guy and a swimsuit". All in all, that's an accurate summary of Neptune's Daughter, the 1949 film directed by Edward Buzell that paired the star with one of her frequent onscreen partners Ricardo Montalbán. Like other Williams efforts, the picture relies on her screen charisma to succeed, and, when it does it's pure magic.

It's a funny coincidence that her centennial comes as we're invaded by the Olympic spirit. Williams herself was never able to compete in the games. Her big shot came the year they were cancelled due to World War II, in 1940...

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Oscar Predictions: Visuals, Score, Animation, and Sound

by Nathaniel R

The Oscar charts are finally going up. Best Animated Feature was the first a month ago but it's been tweaked to reflect Belle, rising, post its special Cannes screening, as well as Disney's stingy release of Luca. We're saving Cinematography and Costume Design for their own posts tomorrow but for now the rest of the Visual charts as well as Score and Sound are up. Yes, we're predicting a strong showing for House of Gucci, Dune, and Eternals in craft categories. Take a look and sound off in the comments.