Gautam Anand
5. Wonderstruck
Director: Todd Haynes
Starring: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Amy Hargreaves
Synopsis: Set in 1927 and 1977, Rose escapes her home in New Jersey to catch a glimpse of her idol Lillian Mayhew while Ben, who lives with his family in Minnesota, runs to New York after his mother dies after he finds a mysterious note.
Oscar Prospects: Todd Haynes returns to film-making after his highly acclaimed ‘Carol’ with another period drama; and what’s there to be not excited about? Adapted from an acclaimed novel (of the same name) and starring a powerhouse cast including Julianne Moore and Michele Williams, ‘Wonderstruck’ looks quite impressive. And despite the fact that ‘Carol’ couldn’t crack the Best Picture nomination list, I am hoping this one does.
4. The Glass Castle
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson
Synopsis: A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of nonconformist nomads with a mother who’s an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would stir the children’s imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty.
Oscar Prospects: Destin Cretton made a small indie film with relatively unknown actors in 2013. Little did he know that his little film will grab the attention of every film critic in town and its actress would go on to win an Oscar just two years later. Yes, I am talking about ‘Short Term 12’ that catapulted Brie Larson into A-League actress and Cretton as a serious talent to watch out for. Based on the novel of the same name, ‘The Glass Castle’ sounds very interesting and with a talented cast to boot, I am sure this one is making its way right into the list of Best Picture nominees.
3. Dunkirk
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Aneurin Barnard, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy
Synopsis: Allied soldiers from Britain, Belgium and France are surrounded by the German army on the beaches on Dunkirk and evacuated in Operation Dynamo between 26 May and 4 June 1940 during the early stages of World War II.
Oscar Prospects: Christopher Nolan: One of the finest contemporary filmmakers with arguably the biggest fan following. And yet, only one film of his — ‘Inception’ — has received Best Picture nomination. An epic war drama retelling the famous Dunkirk battle between Germany and the Allied troops in World War II. Will this be his ticket to the Oscars? At least, Nolan has checked off the “world war” box, a genre that does particularly well with the Academy. Rest depends on how good the film is. Though, even if I may not be sure about ‘Dunkirk’ winning Best Picture, I am relatively confident that it will get nominated.
2. Phantom Thread
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis
Synopsis: A drama in the fashion world of London in the 1950s.
Oscar Prospects: The last time P T Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis collaborated in a movie, they gave us the modern masterpiece ‘There Will Be Blood’ with Day-Lewis giving one of the finest performances of all time. The idea of the two cinematic geniuses coming together after the phenomenal success of their previous venture together is almost too good to be true. I think considering Anderson has yet to make an average film, this probably is my safest bet. On top that, this is going to be the last film of Daniel Day-Lewis. That makes it even more special.
1. Detroit
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, John Krasinski, John Boyega
Synopsis: A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest citizen uprisings in the United States’ history.
Oscar Prospects: After giving us two brilliant pieces of work — in the form of ‘The Hurt Locker’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ — the team of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal are back again. While ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ was unnecessarily dragged into politics, this one sounds intentionally political. Taking into account the American political climate, this film will fall right into the zeitgeist and therefore, is possibly the strongest Best Picture contender.
Read More: The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2017
