Jane Campion could be writing another piece of Oscar history. Once an underdog, “CODA” was able to defy early expectations and take home Hollywood’s top prize. And a British star could win the Best Actor award for his role as an American cowboy — as an American star who doesn’t win for playing Shakespeare’s Scottish sinner-made king. (Although they will all have a hard time surpassing Will Smith, a king in his own way.)
The 94th Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday night, with the main ceremony slated to begin at 8 p.m. EST at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater. (Eight categories will be awarded in a smaller event prior to the show.) This year’s awards are for films released between March 1 and December 31, 2021. Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are the hosts.
Best Picture nominees are ‘Belfast’, ‘CODA’, ‘Don’t Look Up’, ‘Drive My Car’, ‘Dune’, ‘King Richard’, ‘Licorice Pizza’, ‘Nightmare Alley’, ‘The Dog Power’ and ‘West Side Story’. Kyle Buchanan, DailyExpertNews award season columnist, thinks the top prize will be a showdown between “The Power of the Dog,” which has long been a favorite and is the night’s most nominated film (he received 12). ), and “CODA,” a smaller-scale drama that picks up momentum after victories with the actors, writers, and producer guilds. Campion, Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Kenneth Branagh compete for the directorial prize. Campion is the favorite, and a win for her this year would mark the first time that Best Director Oscar goes to women twice in a row. (Chloé Zhao won last year for “Nomadland”; Campion has already made history by becoming the first woman to be nominated for Best Director twice.)
In the Best Actor category,
Smith, who is favored for his starring role in “King Richard,” stands alongside Denzel Washington (for “The Tragedy of Macbeth”), Benedict Cumberbatch (for his role as a raunchy cowboy in “The Power of the Dog”), Javier Bardem and Andrew Garfield. The race for best actresses, arguably the most open of the top categories, is between Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart.
