| The Fabelmans
(Universal Pictures) |
Empire of Light
(Searchlight Pictures) |
Women Talking
(MGM/United Artists) |
Babylon
(Paramount Pictures) |
Bardo
(Netflix) |
| A semi-autobiography based on Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in post-war Arizona, from age seven to eighteen (IMDB) |
Plot unknown. Described as a love story set in and around a beautiful old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s. (IMDB)
|
A group of women in an isolated Mennonite religious colony in Bolivia as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a string of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. (IMDB) |
Set in Hollywood during the transition from silent films to talkies, focusing on a mixture of historical & fictional characters.
(IMDB) |
Follows a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker who returns home and works through an existential crisis as he grapples with his identity, familial relationships, the folly of his memories. (IMDB)
|
| TÁR
(Focus Features) |
The Son
(Sony Pictures Classics) |
Everything Everywhere All at Once
(A24) |
Elvis
(Warner Brothers) |
Amsterdam
(20th Century Studios) |
|
Set in the international world of classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár. widely considered one of the greatest living composer/conductors and first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra. (IMDB)
|
Peter as his busy life with new partner Emma and their baby is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife Kate turns up with their teenage son, Nicholas. (IMDB) | An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led. (IMDB) |
A look at the life of the legendary rock and roll star, Elvis Presley. (IMDB)
|
Set in the ’30s, it follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. (IMDB) |
* not eligible for WGA
2021 Results:
How I did with nomination predictions: 9/10 (missed Drive My Car – had tick…tick… Boom! instead)
Predicted CODA correctly
Just-Missed Contenders:
Avatar: The Way of Water (20th Century/Disney) – Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the planet of Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their planet. (IMDB)
White Noise (Netflix) – White Noise dramatizes a contemporary American family’s attempts to deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world. (IMDB)
She Said (Universal Pictures) – New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor break one of the most important stories in a generation — a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood. (IMDB)
The Whale (A24) – A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. (IMDB)
Bones and All (MGM/United Artists) – Maren, a young woman, learns how to survive on the margins of society (IMDB)
Armageddon Time (Focus Features) – A coming-of-age story about growing up in Queens in the 1980s. (IMDB)
Don’t Worry Darling (Warner Brothers) – A 1950’s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company may be hiding disturbing secrets. (IMDB)
Asteroid City (Focus Features) Plot unknown. Rumored to be a love story set in Europe. (IMDB)
Till (MGM/United Artists) – The story of Emmett Louis Till and the legacy of his mother who pursued justice for her lynched son. (IMDB)
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Apple TV+) – A man’s story of leaving New York in 1967 to bring beer to his childhood buddies in the Army while they are fighting in Vietnam. (IMDB)
Living (Sony Pictures Classics) – An English-language adaptation of the script of “Ikiru” (1952), set in London in the 1950s. (IMDB)
On the Radar:
Cha Cha Real Smooth (Apple TV+) – A young man who works as a Bar Mitzvah party host strikes up a friendship with a mother and her autistic daughter. (IMDB)
Shirley (Netflix) – Follows the biopic film about Shirley Chisholm, America’s first Black congresswoman. (IMDB)
Nope (Universal Pictures) – The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. (IMDB)
Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount) – After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. (IMDB)
The Wonder (Netflix) – A tale of two strangers who transform each other’s lives, a psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil. (IMDB)
Master Gardener (Still seeking US distribution) – A meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager. (IMDB)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix) – A darker version of the classic children’s fairy tale of a wooden puppet that transforms into a real living boy. (IMDB)
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (A24) – Feature adaptation of the animated short film interviewing a mollusk named Marcel. (IMDB)
The Menu (Searchlight Pictures) – A young couple travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises. (IMDB)
The Woman King (TriStar Pictures) – A historical epic inspired by the true events that happened in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. (IMDB)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix) – Plot unknown. Sequel to the 2019 film ‘Knives Out’. (IMDB)
Blonde (Netflix) – A fictionalized chronicle of the inner life of Marilyn Monroe. (IMDB)
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Sony Pictures Entertainment and TriStar Pictures) – The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom. (IMDB)
Other Films In Contention (alphabetical order):
Alice, Darling
The Banshees of Inisherin
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Causeway
Chevalier
The Inspection
Lady Chatterly’s Lover
A Man Called Otto
The Northman
The Pale Blue Eye
Raymond and Ray
Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies
Triangle of Sadness
Moved to 2023:
Killers of the Flower Moon; Rustin; Poor Things; Oppenheimer; Maestro; Emancipation; Napoleon; Golda; Disappointment Blvd