NBR, AFI, Spirit Noms and More / Oscar Updates: Animated Feature, Production Design, Score and Song / The Gurus are Back

 NBR, AFI, SPIRIT NOMS AND MORE

If you are a fan of Oscar precursors, you have to have been giddy with delight this week as a cascade of  high profile organizations revealed their choices for the best films of this pandemic marred year.  Herewith a breakdown of the major awards news of the week with emphasis, of course on films that were selected to play at the Telluride Film Festival.

NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW

The NBR list named Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods as film of the year.  TFF #47's Nomadland was touted as having the Best Cinematography for the year.  Nomadland also was named as one of the top ten films of the year in addition to TFF #46's First Cow.  Other TFF #47 films making the NBR grade:

Apples on the list of five Best Foreign Language Films

All In: The Fight for Democracy and The Truffle Hunters on the list of five Best Documentaries 

The Climb (from TFF #46) as one of the 10 Best Independent Films

Missing from the NBR lists: The Father, Ammonite, The Assistant, Notturno, The Way I See It, MLK/FBI, Charlatan and Never Going to Snow Again.

Here's Deadline's coverage of the NBR lists.

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE

The AFI list of the ten best films for 2020 included Chloe Zhao's Nomadland.  It was the only TFF film from either #47 or #46 to make the list.  

Nomadland joined Da 5 Bloods, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Soul and Sound of Metal as films honored by both NBR and AFI.

The complete AFI list is here from Next Best Picture.

SPIRIT NOMINATIONS

Then there were the nominations this week for the Independent Spirit awards. Never rarely Sometimes Always lead all films with seven total nominations.  TFF #47's Nomadland was well represented with five including Best Feature, Best Director (Zhao), Best Female Lead (McDormand) Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

TFF #46 films First Cow and The Assistant also landed Spirit nominations.

First Cow is nominated for Best Feature, Director (Reichardt) and Supporting Male (Lee)

The Assistant is nominated for Female Lead (Green), Best First Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

Indieiwire can be accessed here for the complete list of all Spirit nominees.

USC SCRIPTER

The USC Scripter nominees were also announced this week.  The award goes to the best adaptation of existing material into a screenplay.  The five nominees included: Nomadland (TFF #47) and First Cow (TFF #46).  Other nominees were One Night in Miami, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Bad Education.

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE

Telluride films that were lauded by the NYFCO on their top ten list included The Assistant, First Cow and Nomadland.  Also singled out for specific praise by the group were Nomadland's Chloe Zhao for Best Director.  Nomaldand was also heralded for Best Cinematography.

The Way I See It was named Best Documentary Feature.

The organization named Minari as Best Film of the Year.

The complete listing of all of the NYFCO awards is here from Variety.

OSCAR UPDATES: MORE FRESH PREDIX

Last Monday I began adding Oscar categories to my ongoing listing of Oscar nomination predictions.  Beyond the eight major categories that I have been tracking for months I added Documentary and International Features as well as Best Cinematography and Film Editing.

Today I'm going to add first time nomination predictions for Animated Feature, Production Design, Original Score and Original Song.   Here goes nothin'!

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1)Soul

2) Wolfwalkers

3) Over the Moon

4) Onward

5) A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

6) The Willoughbys

7) Trolls: World Tour

8) Earwig and the Witch

9) The Croods: A New Age

10) Demon Slayer

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1) Mank

2) Mulan

3) News of the World

4) Emma

5) The Personal History of David Copperfield

6) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

7) Tenet

8) The Trial of the Chicago 7

9) Midnight Sky

10) One Night in Miami

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1) Soul

2) News of the World

3) Mank

4) Midnight Sky

5) Minari

6) Tenet

7) The Trial of the Chicago 7

8) Da 5 Bloods

9) The Little Things

10) One Night in Miami

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1) Speak Now/One Night in Miami

2) Seen/The Life Ahead

3) Rocket to the Moon/Over the Moon

4) Wear Your Crown/The Prom

5) Hear My Voice/The Trial of the Chicago 7

6) Husavik/Eurovision Song Contest

7) Wuhan Flu/Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

8) Just Sing/Trolls World Tour

9) If Only You Could Save Me/Mank

10) Fight for You/Judas and the Black Messiah

THE GURUS ARE BACK

For the third straight year I've been invited to be a Guru of Gold for Movie City News.  The first posting of that cumulative Oscar prognostication group went up yesterday morning.  In addition to yours truly, the site includes such Oscar predicting luminaries as: 

Awards Daily's Sasha Stone

TCM's Dave Karger

The Playlist's Gregory Ellwood

Collider's Jeff Sneider

The Wrap's Steve Pond

The Film Experience's Nathaniel R

The Toronto Star's Pete Howell

Awards Daily's Good as Gold's Mark Johnson 

Black Film and TV's Wilson Morales

MCN's David Poland 

and Oscar experts Thelma Adams and Robyn Bahr

Looking at the first pass from the Gurus...I land in agreement with collective at the #1 spot in all five categories that are included: Best Picture, Director, Actress, Actor and Animated Feature.

Here's the link to the brand new Gurus.

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Oscar Update-New Categories: International Feature, Documentary, Cinematography, Film Editing / NYFCC and More / Kershaw Talks Truffles

    OSCAR UPDATE: NEW CATEGORIES!

After several weeks of posting and updating the topline Oscar categories (Picture, Director, Acting and Writing), here's my first stab at additional categories beyond those eight.  As always, TFF films are in Bold.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

1) Another Round

2) Quo Vadis Aida

3) Collective

4) I'm No Longer Here

5) The Night of Kings

6) The Two of Us

7) Dear Comrades

8) A Sun

9) My Little Sister

10) Charlatan

Other Possibles: Sun Children, This Is a Burial Not a Resurrection, Notturno

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Stacey Abrams from All In: The Fight for Democracy

1) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

2) Dick Johnson Is Dead

3) Collective

4) Boys State

5) Time

6) All In: The Fight for Democracy

7) Welcome to Chechnya

8) The Truffle Hunters

9) John Lewis: Good Trouble

10) The Dissident

Other Possibles: The Way I See It, MLK/FBI, Totally Under Control, The Social Dilemma

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1) Mank

2) Nomadland

3) News of the World

4) Tenet

5) Judas and the Black Messiah

6) Minari

7) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

8) Da 5 Bloods

9) The Trial of the Chicago 7

10) First Cow

Other Possibles: One Night in Miami, Midnight Sky, I'm Thinking of Ending Things

FILM EDITING

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7

2) Nomadland

3) Mank

4) News of the World

5) Tenet

6) The Father

7) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

8) One Night in Miami

9) Da 5 Bloods

10) Judas and the Black Messiah

Other Possibles: Minari, Sound of Metal

NYFCC AND MORE

The New York Film Critics Circle awarded their superlatives for film in 2020 last night.  The NYFCC announcement kicks off a week that will see a number of major film awards announcements including the American Film Institute, the National Board of Review and The Independent Spirit nominations among others.

From the NYFCC, TFF winners:

Best Picture: First Cow

Best Director: Chloe Zhao/Nomadland

KERSHAW TALKS TRUFFLES

The Truffle Hunters has come on like gangbusters as we have moved through the end of 2020 into the beginning of 2021 as a serious threat in the Oscar race for Best Documentary Feature.  The TFF #47 selection from Sony Pictures Classics sits in my first pass at predicting the nominees for that category just outside the possible nominees at #8 (in an incredibly competitive category).  Meanwhile Variety's Clayton Davis has the film at #3 and Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter has it at #5.

In light of all of that, Gold Derby featured an interview with co-director Gregory Kershaw this week.

You can take a look at that using this link.

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Oscar Updates: Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Original Screenplay / Online Film Critics Announce Nominations

OSCAR UPDATES: SUPPORTING ACTRESS, SUPPORTING ACTOR, ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

 I'm continuing what I began last Monday with an acceleration of updating Oscar nomination predictions as we move closer to the announcement on Feb. 28th.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Supporting Actress updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 31st.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Amanda Seyfried/Mank (1)

2) Youn Yuh-jung/Minari (3)

3) Olivia Colman/The Father (2)

4) Maria Bakalova/Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (6)

5) Ellen Burstyn/Pieces of a Woman (4)

6) Glenn Close/Hillbilly Elegy (5)

7) Jodie Foster/The Mauritanian (9)

8) Helena Zengel/News of the World (7)

9) Saoirse Ronan/Ammonite (8)

10) Candace Bergen/Let Them Talk (10)

Other Possibles: Dominique Fischback/Judas and the Black Messiah, Julianne Moore/The Glorias

Hot: Youn Yuh-jung/Minari, Maria Bakalova/Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Jodie Foster/The Mauritanian

Hey think about: Valerie Mahaffrey/French Exit, Swankie/Nomadland

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Supporting Actor updated since I last posted this category on  Jan. 4th.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Daniel Kaluuya/Judas and the Black Messiah (3)

2) Leslie Odom, Jr./One Night in Miami (2)

3) Sacha Baron Cohen/The Trial of the Chicago 7 (1)

4) Chadwick Boseman/Da 5 Bloods (4)

5) Paul Raci/Sound of Metal (6)

6) Bill Murray/On the Rocks (5)

7) Stanley Tucci/Supernova (7)

8) Mark Rylance/The Trial of the Chicago 7 (8)

9) David Stratharin/Nomadland (9)

10) Charles Turman/Mank (10)

Other Possibles: Glynn Turman/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Frank Langella/The Trial of the Chicago 7, Eddie Redmayne/The Trial of the Chicago 7, Yayha Abdul-Mateen II/The Trial of the Chicago 7

Hot: Daniel Kaluuya/Judas and the Black Messiah

Not: Sacha Baron Cohen/The Trial of the Chicago 7

Hey think about: Arliss Howard/Mank, Will Patton/Minari

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Jan. 7th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) Nomadland (1)

2) One Night in Miami (3)

3) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (4)

4) The Father (2)

5) News of the World (5)

6) First Cow (6) (TFF #46)

7) I'm Thinking of Ending Things (7)

8) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (8)

9) Pieces of a Woman (10)

10) The White Tiger (-)

Other Possibles: The Mauritanian, The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Hot: The White Tiger

Not: The Mauritanian

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Original Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Jan. 11th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (1)

2) Promising Young Woman (2)

3) Mank (3)

4) Minari (4)

5) Soul (5)

6) Never Rarely Sometimes Always (7)

7) Judas and the Black Messiah (6)

8) Da 5 Bloods (8)

9) Sound of Metal (9)

10) Palm Springs (10)

Other Possibles: Malcolm and Marie, On the Rocks, The 40 Year Old Version, Ammonite

Hot: Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Not: Judas and the Black Messiah

ONLINE FILM CRITICS ANNOUNCE NOMINATIONS

Earlier this week the Online Film Critics Society announced its nominees for film excellence in 2020.  Here's how TFF  films fared:

Nomadland: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (McDormand), Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography

First Cow (TFF #46): Best Picture, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography

The Father: Best Actor (Hopkins), Supporting Actress (Colman)

The complete list from the OFCS is linked here from Awards Watch.

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Oscar Updates: Director, Actress, Actor

 OSCAR UPDATES: DRIECTOR, ACTRESS, ACTOR

In this post, I catch up on my latest predictions and, for the first time this Oscar season, I include more than one category in a post.  As we get closer to the announcement nominations, it's time to accelerate predictions to begin to include categories beyond the major eight (picture, director, actress, actor, Supporting actress, supporting actor, adapted and original screenplays).  This week's posts (today's and Thursday's) will update the major eight categories and then next week I'll begin to add in some of the others.

BEST DIRECTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Direction updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 21st.  A director's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) Chloe Zhao/Nomadland (1)

2) David Fincher/Mank (2)

3) Aaron Sorkin/The Trial of the Chicago 7 (3)

4) Regina King/One Night in Miami (5)

5) Lee Isaac Chung/Minari(4)

6) George C. Wolfe/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (6)

7) Paul Greengrass/News of the World (8)

8) Spike Lee/Da 5 Bloods (9)

9) Florian Zeller/The Father (7)

10) Shaka King/Judas and the Black Messiah (10)

Other Possibles: Emerald Fennell/Promising Young Woman, Darius Marder/Sound of Metal, Christopher Nolan/Tenet, Kelly Reichardt/First Cow (TFF #46)

Hot: Emerald Fennell/Promising Young Woman

Not: Florian Zeller/The Father

BEST ACTRESS

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Actress updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 24th.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Frances McDormand/Nomadland (1)

2) Venessa Kirby/Pieces of a Woman (2)

3) Viola Davis/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (3)

4) Carey Mulligan/Promising Young Woman (4)

5) Andra Day/The United States vs. Billie Holiday (5)

6) Michelle Pfeiffer/French Exit (7)

7) Sidney Flanigan/Never Rarely Sometimes Always (-)

8) Kate Winslet/Ammonite (9)

9) Meryl Streep/The Prom (6)

10) Sophia Loren/The Life Ahead (8)

Other Possibles: Zendaya/Malcolm and Marie, Amy Adams/Hillbilly Elegy, Meryl Streep/Let Them Talk, Nicole Behaire/Miss Juneteenth

Hot: Sidney Flanigan/Never Rarely Sometimes Always, 

Not: Meryl Streep/The Prom, Sophia Loren/The Life Ahead

BEST ACTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Actor updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 28th.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Chadwick Boseman/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1)

2) Anthony Hopkins/The Father (2)

3) Riz Ahmed/Sound of Metal (3)

4) Delroy Londo/Da Five Bloods (4)

5) Steven Yeun/Minari (8)

6) Gary Oldman/Mank (5)

7) Tom Hanks/News of the World (6)

8) Kingsley Ben-Adir/One Night in Miami (7)

9) Ben Affleck/The Way Back (9)

10) LaKeith Stanfield/Judas and the Black Messiah (10)

Other Posssibles: Colin Firth/Supernova, John David Washington/Malcom and Marie

Hot: Steven Yeun/Minari

Not: Gary Oldman/Mank

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Oscar Update: Best Picture / The Truffle Hunters on a Hot Streak / Nomadland Leads the Gothams

 OSCAR UPDATE: BEST PICTURE

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Picture updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 14th.  A film's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) Nomadland (1)

2) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (3)

3) Mank (2)

4) One Night in Miami (5)

5) Minari (4)

6) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (6)

7) The Father (7)

8) News of the World (8)

9) Judas and the Black Messiah (9)

10) Promising Young Woman (-)

Other Possibles: Da Five Bloods, Sound of Metal, Pieces of a Woman

Hot: The Trial of the Chicago 7, Promising Young Woman

Not: Da Five Bloods, Mank

THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS ON A HOT STREAK

The past week has been a very good one for Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's documentary The Truffle Hunters.  The film has picked up serious critical and awards season love over the past few weeks including nominations for Best Documentary of the Year from the London Critics Circle Film Awards and the Denver Film Critics Society .  Last week, the film was named Best Documentary by Capri, Hollywood-The International Film Festival.

Additionally, The Truffle Hunters were highlighted this week as a part of Deadline's Contender Series which features an interview with Dweck and Kershaw.

And if all that wasn't enough, Oscar experts are weighing in on the film's chances of ending up with an nomination for Best Documentary.  Currently the Truffle love is showing up in predictions from:

Clayton Davis at Variety who lists the film at #3 on his list of potential Oscar nominees.

Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter at #5.

Erik Anderson at Awards Watch at #5.

Matt Neglia at Next Best Picture at #8.

NOMADLAND LEADS THE GOTHAMS

TFF #47 selection Nomadland was on top at the recently announced Gotham Awards.  The film picked up wins for Best Feature and the Audience Award.

Other main winners including Riz Ahmed for Best Actor for Sound of Metal.  

Nicole Behaire for Best Actress for Miss Juneteenth.

Kinglsey Ben-Adir as Breakthrough Actor for One Night in Miami.

Variety has the complete list of nominees and winners for the Gothams linked here.

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Oscar Update: Best Original Screenplay / NSFC Names Winners / Feinberg on Docs and International Features

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Original Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 10th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (1)

2) Promising Young Woman (5)

3) Mank (2) 

4) Minari (3)

5) Soul (4)

6) Judas and the Black Messiah (6)

7) Never Rarely Sometimes Always (8)

8) Da 5 Bloods (7)

9) Sound of Metal (-)

10) Palm Springs (9)

Other Possibles: On the Rocks, the 40 Year old Version, Ammonite

Hot: Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal

Not: On the Rocks

Coming on Thursday...a new look at Best Picture.

NSFC NAMES WINNERS

The National Society of Film Critics met this past Saturday and decided on their superlatives for 2020.  TFF #47 selection Nomadland was the big winner as it grabbed four prizes including Best Picture.

Here's the list of winners or runners-up from TFF #47 OR TFF #46:

Best Picture: Winner: Nomadland, Runner-up: First Cow (TFF #46)

Best Direction: Winner: Chloe Zhao/Nomadland, 2nd Runner-up: Kelly Reichardt/First Cow (TFF #46)

Best Actress: Winner: Frances McDormand/Nomadland

Best Screenplay: Runner-up: Kelly Reichardt/First Cow (TFF #46)

Best Cinematography: Winner: Nomadland

Best Foreign Language Film: Runner-up: Beanpole (TFF #46)

Take a look at all of the winners and runners-up at Gold Derby using this link.

FEINBERG ON DOCS AND INTERNATIONAL FEATURES

The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg posted an article on Saturday focusing on the race for Oscar nominations in the Documentary Feature and International Feature categories.  Feinberg lists three TFF #47 films, one in both categories in the body of the article:

Docs:

All In: The Fight for Democracy

The Bee Gees: How Do You Men a Broken Heart

Notturno.

Feinberg also puts Notturno in the International Film category as well.

You can catch the rest of the article by clicking here.

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Oscar Update: Best Adapted Screenplay / Indiewire Lists: Top 50 of 2020 / Indiewire Listrs: Contenders for Best International Feature

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 7th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) Nomadland (1)

2) The Father (3)

3) One Night in Miami (2)

4) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (4)

5) News of the World (5)

6) First Cow (7)

7) I'm Thinking of Ending Things (6)

8) Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (8)

9) The Mauritanian (-)

10) Pieces of a Woman (10)

Other Possibles: The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Midnight Sky, The White Tiger

Hot: The Mauritanian, First Cow

Not: Billie Holiday

I'll have a look at Original Screenplay on Monday.

INDIEWIRE LISTS: TOP 50 OF 2020

Indiewire posted its list of  the best 50 films of 2020 according to the 200+ critics they surveyed.  That story was posted on Jan. 5th.  Among the 50 films were five films from either TFF #46 or the TFF #47 list of films that would have played the fest.  Here's where those five films landed:

#27 Ammonite

#22 The Assistant

#6 Beanpole

#3 First Cow

#1 Nomadland

The complete listing of all 50 films is linked here.

INDIEWIRE LISTS: CONTENDERS FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Meanwhile, Indiewire's Anne Thompson published an updated selection of what she considers the frontrunners for the Best International Feature Oscar.  Among her frontrunners are three films that would have been screening in Telluride last Labor Day had the fest occurred. 

Thompson's list included:

Charlatan

Apples

Notturno.

The four other frontrunners she names include Another Round, I'm No Longer Here, Collective and My Little Sister.

Thompson's article can be found here.

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Oscar Update: Best Supporting Actor / Variety's Biggest Movies / Deadline's Most Influential Films of the 21st Century / NBP's Best Bets for International Feature

 OSCAR UPDATE: BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Supporting Actor updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 3rd.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Sacha Baron Cohen/Trial of the Chicago 7 (2)

2) Leslie Odom Jr./One Night in Miami (1)

3) Daniel Kaluuya/Judas and the Black Messiah (7)

4) Chadwick Boseman/Da 5 Bloods (5)

5) Bill Murray/On the Rocks (3)

6) Paul Raci/Sound of Metal (-)

7) Stanley Tucci/Supernova (8)

8) Mark Rylance/Trial of the Chicago 7 (4)

9) David Stratharin/Nomadland (6)

10) Charles Dance/Mank (-)

Other possibles: Glynn Turman/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Eddie Redmayne/Trial of the Chicago 7, Aldis Hodge/One Night in Miami, Frank Langella/Trial of the Chicago 7.

Hot: Daniel Kaluuya/Judas and the Black Messiah, Paul Raci/Sound of Metal, Charles Dance/Mank

Not: Bill Murray/On the Rocks, Mark Rylance/Trial of the Chicago 7, David Stratharin/Nomadland

On Thursday I'll update predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay.

VARIETY'S BIGGEST MOVIES

In a story entitled "The Most Anticipated Movies Coming in 2021, Variety chronologically names 33 films to their list.  Of that 33, seven are films that I feel like could be TFF #48 films:

The French Dispatch (which Variety says is a "summer" release)

Dune (10/1)

The Last Duel (10/15)

Nightmare Alley (December)

And films for which a release date has yet to be announced:

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Soggy Bottom (or whatever Paul Thomas Anderson ultimately calls it)

Annette

The complete listing of all 33 films from Variety is linked here.

DEADLINE'S MOST INFLUENTIAL FILMS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Deadline staff folks have come up with a listing of what they say are the most influential films of the 21st century (so far).  There are 21 films named.  Of that 21 six where TFF films:

Parasite

Roma

The Shape of Water

Moonlight

Slumdog Millionaire

There Will Be Blood (which I always count as a TFF film due the screening of a chunk of the film as part of the 2007 tribute to Paul Thomas Anderson)

I can't really argue with the choices from TFF but a surprising omission, to me at least, is Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave.

The complete list and commentary can be found via this link.

NBP SAYS THESE ARE YOUR BEST BETS FOR INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Next Best Picture's Tom O'Brien writes in a piece dated  Dec. 30, 2020 that there are 10 films out in front of the pack in the International Feature Oscar race.  Of his list of 10, a couple would have played at a TFF #47: Charlatan (Czech Republic) and Never Gonna Snow Again (Poland).

I would toss in the notion that there are a couple of other TFF #47 choices that could also land in the convo:  Apples (Greece) and Notturno (Italy).

The complete list from NBP is linked here.

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