Write On

 

My fingers are crossed that the winner of the 2021 Academy Award for Best Actor does not give an acceptance speech.

It’s because I have a favorite contender for the category. Should he win, he will not be taking the stage.

And as a longtime Oscar watcher, I’ve got a few other picks worth mentioning, as well as one thumbs-down.

Best Actor:

• Chadwick Boseman was absolutely outstanding in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom—and sadly, the world lost his talent in August when he died of colon cancer. But he filled his short lifetime with an array of stunning films and his latest role deserves this honor.
• I’m especially excited that Steven Yeun of Minari and Riz Ahmed of Sound of Metal mark the first time ever that two Asian stars are up for Best Actor. Plus, their nominations are the first time in 20 years that any actor of Asian heritage has been nominated for Best Actor.
• Anthony Hopkins has always been one of my favorite screen stars, so I couldn’t begrudge him a win for his role in The Father.

Best Actress:

• Among my favorite contenders are Viola Davis, star of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Andra Day of The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
• Their nominations are the first time two Black women have been up for the title since 1973. That year, Cicely Tyson was nominated for her role in Sounder and Diana Ross, also playing Billie Holiday, was for The Lady Sings the Blues.
• I’m also really into Frances McDormand’s portrayal of a van-living rambler in Nomadland.

Other Favorites:

• Soul is definitely my pic for Best Animated Film, although I might be a tad bit biased because I had the awesome opportunity to interview one of its animators, MontaQue Ruffin.
• Best Cinematography? News of the World was pretty darned cool on that front.
• As much as I vibed with One Night in Miami, I would have to go with Borat Subsequent Moviefilm for Best Adaptation. Watching that movie was the first time I’ve ever laughed so wildly since… well, before the pandemic.

And of course, there’s the category we all stay awake for: Best Picture!

• I’ll be clapping if either Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah, or Nomadland secures this one.

Finally, what I love about the Oscars is that the awards frequently reveal and offer conversation points into trends in films. So I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my least favorite:

• I’m not going to make any friends here, but it’s got to be Mank. Mank has racked up ten nominations so clearly, it’s doing a lot of things right. But I tried watching this film and was instantaneously bored.
• Perhaps more so than bored, I was annoyed that Gary Oldman was cast as Citizen Kane co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, who was 20 years younger in real life, while women’s roles are routinely cast with younger actors.

No matter which films and cast members win, there’s been plenty of time for Oscar enthusiasts to gather up anticipation. The 2021 Academy Awards mark the first time since 1988 that the event has taken place in April.

What’s on your list of hopefuls and oh-wells?