Right now, as it currently stands in the Best Picture race, there are quite a few movies that practically look like sure-things for a nomination: “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “TÁR,” “Women Talking,” “Elvis” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
That’s eight movies, although ‘The Way of Water’ has been slipping a tad since its release, but let’s pretend that it’s in for now. That leaves us with two empty spots and that, to me, is the most interesting and pertinent mystery in this race. We can speculate all we want about who will win, but it’s best to just leave that conversation for another time (probably after the ten nominees are announced).
What I find most interesting to concentrate on are those two elusive spots. If we go by the Gold Derby rankings then it’ll be a battle between “Babylon,” “Glass Onion,” “The Woman King,” “RRR,” “The Whale,” “Triangle of Sadness,” and “She Said.”
As of today, December 20th, I have absolutely no idea which two movies will take those remaining spots. Of course, I can ultimately guess, but it would honestly be illogical since I can’t seem to figure out which of the movies mentioned above are currently tracking the strongest. It’s impossible to really know.
Will Academy voters actually watch a 3-hour Indian action-musical? Are they are as reluctant to honor “Glass Onion” as they were “Knives Out”? Will Damien Chazelle’s silent-era epic be embraced by voters or will it continue to polarize much like it did with critics?
If you had to choose the two movies to fill out next year’s Best Picture lineup, which would they be?
“Hope,” Na’s first film in ten years — his last one being the exemplary “The Wailing” —is a gloriously messy, blood-soaked sci-fi epic that may become a cult classic despite—or because of—its polarizing nature.