The 35 major films of awards season

Back to the old-fashioned question: Will the Oscar for Best Picture go to the movie the audience loves, or the smaller, more popular one? This season, major studios have real blockbuster contenders, including top-grossing Top Gun: Maverick of the year from Paramount, and Warner Bros. Elvis and Universal’s do not . Disney hopes to make the most of it with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in November and Avatar: The Way of Water in December Dominates multiple theaters, while Universal has a leading contender in The Fabelmans, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival (also directed by Steven Speer) Berg’s first feature film to premiere in a festival competition). The streamers will fight again ONE BEST PICTURE NOMINATION (Apple wants to repeat CODA Made Historic Victory With Liberation ) And Artistic Fare Makers Like Doomsday , Banshee of Inisherin, Empire of Light, Tár(​​ and Women Talking want to get The positive reviews will help carry the film to the finish line. THR Take a look at the major titles vying for the Academy’s highest honor.

After the sun

One24,October20

Writer-director Charlotte Wells makes her feature film debut, which she describes as an “emotional autobiography” about a woman reminiscing about the summers she spent with her father as a child (by Played by Paul Mezcal).

ARMAGEDDON TIME

Focus feature, October 24

Writer-director James Gray’s autobiographical drama follows Paul (Banksy Repeta) arrives at an early age 1955 Queens and learn first-hand about privilege and systemic racism. Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins co-star as Paul’s parents and grandfather, respectively, with Jaylin Webb as Paul’s only Johnny’s Black friend offers a compassionate twist.

Avatar: The Way of Water

0016 Century Studios, December

The long-awaited follow-up to James Cameron’s seminal sci-fi epic (which is set in won three Oscars for art direction, cinematography and visual effects, also won the most Best Picture nominee) brings back original stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Sigourney Weaver (the latter in a new role). The first of four planned sequels introduced new cast members in Edie Falco, Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh and Vin Diesel.

BABYLON

Paramount Corporation, December 23

Damien · Damien Chazelle has assembled an impressive array of star talent – including Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart, Tobey Maguire, Olivier Alex Wilde, Spike Jones and Flea – for his whirlwind tour Hollywood in the eyes of an aspiring young actor Diego Calva

INISHERIN The Banshee

Searchlight, October0016

Oscar-winning writer and director Martin McDonagh returns to his roots with this dark comedy, The show is set on a small island off the coast of his native Ireland. Reunited with In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, MacDonald’s latest A sudden rift between two old friends has completely shaken their countryside.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Disney/Marvel, November

Marvel hopes its latest big-budget adventure will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and won the Best Picture Award. Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett reprise their roles in director Ryan Coogler’s return to the MCU, the kingdom of Wakanda grieving the loss of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and protecting itself from A nation led by a powerful leader named Tenoch Huerta that threatens underwater inhabitants.

Bones and all

MGM/AP, November 10

Timothy Chalamet and Tyler Russell play two young cannibals in love in Luca Guadagnino’s Romance and Disturbance 1985s-set road trip drama, which also includes Oscar winner Mark Rylance providing a terrifying supporting role. Its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival earned Guadagnino the Director’s Silver Lion and Russell the Marcello Mastroianni Award.

Causeway Bay

Apple TV+, Nov. 4

Jennifer Lawrence as producer and director of Lila Neugebauer’s film directorial debut Starring as a veteran who returns to New Orleans after a traumatic brain injury in Afghanistan. When she reluctantly integrates into civilian life and must reconcile with the home she left behind, she finds herself with another New Orleans native, played by Brian Tyree Henry.

DEVOTION

Sony, November 24

Jonathan Majors as real-life pilot Jesse Brown, the first black pilot to complete the Navy flight training program. Set in the early days of the Korean War, director JD Dillard’s film sees Brown and his wingman Tom Hardner (Glen Powell) form a bond despite underlying racism within their own ranks.

ELVIS

Warner Bros., June 20

Baz Luhrmann latest The movie spectacle follows the life and career of the king himself, Elvis Presley. Austin Butler plays a pop culture icon from his early years as an emerging rock star and sex symbol to his final days as a Las Vegas mainstay, while Tom Hanks portrays Presley’s infamous manager Tom Parker Colonel, he controlled and manipulated the musician throughout his career.

Liberation

Apple TV+, Dec. 2

Antoine Fuqua’s historical thriller by recent Oscar winner ( and current Oscar nominee) Will Smith as Peter, who escaped from slavery in Louisiana during the Civil War and joined the Union Army. Based on a true story, the movie could be Apple’s best bet for Oscar honors this season — if Smith’s association hadn’t completely shut down Oscar voters.

Empire of Light

Searchlight, December 9

Oscar winner Olivia Colman at writer-director Sam Mendes giving the film ‘s love letter featured another exciting performance. Coleman plays Hillary, a lonely middle-aged woman who sparks a surprising relationship with Stephen (Michael Ward), a black man decades her junior, as they work together in an early British cinema 1930s.

Everywhere and everything at once

A22, marching20

Michelle Yeoh in this The creative, chaotic and absurd sci-fi comedy features a Chinese-American woman who discovers that she can connect with a parallel version of herself in the multiverse – something she must do to protect the forces of evil from destroying it all. Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis co-star in this film, written and directed by Daniels.

THE FABELMANS

Generic, November

Steven Spielberg made his most personal film to date – co-created with frequent collaborator Tony Kushner – inspired by his childhood love films and his complex family history. The show tells the story of the family of the same name, as he captures his parents (played by Paul Dano and Michelle Williams) through the eyes of eldest son and aspiring filmmaker Sammy (Gabrielle Rabell). ) and the happy and bittersweet memories of her sister. (See page 24 Learn more.)

Glass Onions: Demystified

Netflix, November 22

Rian Johnson for his Oscar nomination 2019 whodunit The follow-up sees the return of extraordinary inspector Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who is invited to an exclusive getaway on a private island owned by billionaire tech mogul (Edward Norton) – when one of its guests turns up dead , Murder had to be solved, of course. The sequel introduces a series by Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista and Leslie Odom Jr.

THE GOOD NURSE A new ensemble of oversized characters played

Netflix, October 24

Academy Award winners Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne star in this true crime drama Overburdened nurses Amy and Charlie develop a strong bond while working night shifts together. ICU. But their friendship is put to the test when a string of mysterious sudden deaths occurs in the hospital, and clues suggest Charlie may be the perpetrator.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO’s Pinocchio

Netflix, Dec. 9

The Mexican filmmaker is hoping for a second consecutive Best Picture nomination ( Following 2019’s Nightmare Alley) co-directed with Mark Gustafson of stop-motion feature films. In the 958 era against fascist Italy, Del Toro and Gustafson’s vision for Carlo Collodi’s Timeless Tale features an impressive cast of voice talent including Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, John Turturro, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett.

an examination

A24 , November10

Inspired by writer-director Grace Bratton, this drama tells the story of her own life, starring Jeremy Pope as a strange black man, After being abandoned by his mother (Gabriel Yoon), he joins the Marine Corps. As he navigates boot camp sadism in the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era, he finds an unlikely ally (and desire) in the friendly training coach played by Raúl Castillo Object).

Life

Sony Pictures Classics, December 0016

Director Oliver Herr Manus and screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro retell Akira Kurosawa’s 1930 Serial Life and Death (itself adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich ) Bill Nighy as Mr. Williams, a widowed bureaucrat living a boring life in of London. But after being suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer, he began to make the most of the time he had left and found meaning in his monotonous life.

A man named Otto

Sony, December 24

Adapted from Fredrik Backman’s international bestseller (previously adapted as 2018 Oscar nominated Swedish film A Man Called Ove ), a comic strip by Mark Foster Starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the eponymous character, a widower whose resolve to end his life is often disrupted by his new neighbors.

NOPE

Universal, July

Jordan Peele’s latest is a sci-fi adventure The film, which critiques the storytelling and spectacle that comes with personal trauma, stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as siblings who spot an alien spacecraft parked above their California ranch – and embark on a mission to capture images of the flight

she says

Universal Pictures, November 10

Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, respectively, as director Maria Schrader takes on the two reporters’ stubborn investigation of film mogul Harvey Weinstein’s rampant investigation Dramaticizing sexual harassment and abuse of women in the entertainment industry.

TÁR

Spotlight Feature, October 7

Cate Blanchett wins in Venice won the Volpi Cup and is aiming for her third Oscar for her role as fictional guru Lydia Tal, the greatest living composer, in writer-director Todfield’s explosive play One is also the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. As she is about to perform the highly anticipated Mahler Fifth Symphony and await the publication of her forthcoming memoir, Tarr’s blunt and reckless relationships plague her again.

Thirteen lives

United Artists/Amazon, July 24

Ron Howard directed this Intense drama with true story 2019 Tham Luang Cave Rescue, which Young Thai football players and their coach have been trapped in a cave system after massive floodwaters blocked their exits. Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton play three divers who embark on an adventurous mission to save the young man from a deadly fate.

TILL

Associated Press, October

Chinonye Chukwu co-created and directed this portrait of Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), who became an activist after she was lynched -year-old son, Emmett. 1955 The massacre was a key turning point in the civil rights movement, and Dedeville was the A woman whose grief rocked an entire nation gave a commanding performance.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Paramount, May 24

Tom Cruise’s Pete” Maverick’ Mitchell returns to train the Navy’s Top Gun program’s newest elite pilots for a dangerous aerial mission, only to discover Lt. Bradley “Cock” Bradshaw (Myers Steller) is a Aggressive young pilot, son of Maverick’s late wingman Goose. As the highest-grossing film of the year, the sequel may be the most populist option among the best picture contenders — and its soaring box-office success has helped reinvigorate the post-pandemic theater experience.

Sad Triangle

NEON, OCTOBER 7

Arvin Kananian (left) ) and Woody Harrelson in Neon Triangle of Sorrow. Neon

This2022 Palme d’Or winner – Ruben Ostrund’s second award-winning film after ‘s The Square (Oscar nominated for Best International Feature Film) — is a biting satire of rank and privilege on a luxury cruise ship. A group of characters like no other – from fashion influencers to Russian oligarchs to arms dealers – travel across choppy waters as chaos descends on the ship’s guests and crew.

Whale

One24, December 9

Brendan Fraser disappears into Charlie’s character, a 78 – A reclusive writing professor accidentally reconnects with his estranged teenage daughter (Sadi Zink) and is forced to admit past mistakes in the final days of his life. Darren Aronofsky directed the acclaimed adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play, which also stars Hong Zhou.

White Noise

Netflix, November 23

Three-time Oscar nominee Noah Baum Bach finally delivers on his passion project: an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s critically acclaimed 2019 novel . Adam Driver plays a Hitler studies professor at a liberal arts college in New England, whose life is turned upside down after an “airborne toxic incident” that befalls his small town after a chemical spill. Greta Gerwig and Don Cheadle co-star in this dark comedy.

Queen

Sony, September

Oscar winner Viola Davis produced the epic and played Nanisca in the West African kingdom of Dahomey Century. Directed by Gina Prince-Byswood and co-starring Suso Mbedu, this historical drama stars Navi, a young recruit to the Agoj warriors; Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim are seasoned fighters; and John Boyega as King Gezzo, ruler of Dahomey.

Woman talking

Associated Press, Dec. 2

by Michael Gibson /Orion Releasing LLC Provided

Jesse Buckley, Claire Fog Yi and Rooney Mara lead the ensemble film, in which a group of Mennonite women discover that the sexual assault they experience in their sleep is caused by men in their community, not demons (as suggested by the male elders) As a result, they hold a secret meeting to discuss a plan of action – stay and fight for themselves, or leave the only world they know. Producer Francis McDormand also has a small supporting role. Writer-director Sarah Polley adapted the novel by Miriam Tooth.

This story first appeared in the November 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. 2010Click here to subscribe 2010.