The epic rebirth of the film industry, and why this year’s Oscars aren’t one to miss!
Daria Bocicova
Arts & Culture Section Editor
@Belfast @Dune @Nightmare Alley @Don't Look Up
The chaos that was the last two years is slowly but surely settling down, and the film industry is being reborn from the ashes like a phoenix. It is coming back as strong as ever, from Andrew Garfield's actor-in-a-leading-role nomination for his singing debut in tick, tick...BOOM!, a story of a young composer who worries that he chose the wrong career path, to international feature Drive My Car, to a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama, Belfast.
Netflix landed four nominations for its new original Don't Look Up, about two astronomers who desperately try to warn everyone that the end of the world is coming, only to discover that people are too ignorant to notice. With an all-star cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, it is a brilliant dark comedy that we didn’t know we needed.
Denis Villeneuve has yet again demonstrated why he is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award as he swept the audience off their feet with his new film, Dune. The new adaptation of a cult classic book of the same name, starring Timothee Chalamet, has received ten Oscar nominations, including one for best picture.
After earning thirteen nominations and taking home four Oscars with The Shape of Water in 2018, Guillermo del Toro is back in the race for best picture with his new neo-noir psychological thriller, Nightmare Alley. The film follows the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) as he joins a traveling circus to learn the art of deceit before he meets a psychologist who turns out to be even more dangerous than the conman himself.
Cate Blanchett made history this year being the actor in the most films nominated for best picture as she brought her number up to nine, surpassing Olivia de Havilland who had previously held a record at seven.
This award season is definitely not one to miss if you’re even remotely interested in film. The 94th Academy Award ceremony is set for the 27th of March 2022, 8:00 p.m. EDT. While we are all impatiently waiting for the moment of truth, I invite you to take a look at The Plant’s picks and predictions.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
The Plant's pick:
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
The Power of the Dog
The Plant's prediction:
ANDREW GARFIELD
tick, tick...BOOM!
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
The Plant's pick:
OLIVIA COLMAN
The Lost Daughter
The Plant's prediction:
KRISTEN STEWART
Spencer
BEST PICTURE
The Plant's pick:
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, Producers.
The Plant's prediction:
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, Producers.
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
The Plant's pick:
DON'T LOOK UP
Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota
The Plant's prediction:
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier