Oscars 2017: Which movies are contenders so far?
We're only halfway through the year, but it's never too early to start talking about our favorite six-letter word: Oscars. By this week last year, eventual winners Mad Max: Fury Road, Ex Machina and Inside Out had hit theaters. While the 2016 slate isn't quite as promising, here are our best bets from what we've seen so far:
Finding Dory
Our take: Thirteen years after Finding Nemo made waves at the summer box office and eventually won best animated feature at the Academy Awards, its sequel (in theaters Friday) shifts the spotlight to absentminded, quotable blue tang fish Dory (Ellen DeGeneres). Although this installment's critical reception hasn't been quite as bubbly (Paste BN's Brian Truitt gave it **½ out of four), an animation nod seems like a sure thing, thanks to Disney/Pixar's near-unstoppable track record.
The consensus: "It's not as strong as the first one, but it's got great messages for people with disabilities, and it looks magnificent," says Erik Davis, managing editor for Fandango.com and Movies.com. "It's their strongest sequel since Toy Story 3."
Zootopia
Our take: We won't know if Moana, with music by Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda, will be a heavyweight animation contender until it hits theaters Nov. 23. So for now, Disney's billion-dollar sensation Zootopia is the category's frontrunner. Following idealistic bunny Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) as she jumps into the police force of an animal-inhabited metropolis, the heartfelt action comedy not only delivers laughs, but explores timely themes of police brutality and prejudice.
The consensus: "It's as much for kids as it is for adults," says Clayton Davis, owner of AwardsCircuit.com. "The Academy loves animated films that are smart and cheeky and appeal to both."
The Jungle Book
Our take: Blockbusters Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice could muscle into a couple of technical categories. But neither can compete with Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book, a CGI-heavy remake of Disney's 1967 animated musical that was a surprise box-office smash. Expect the star-studded adventure to lead the pack in visual effects, and possibly swing over to sound mixing and editing as well.
The consensus: "It is a lock for visual effects," AwardsCircuit's Davis says. "However, with science fiction films coming out this year like Story of Your Life and Passengers, they typically are (closer to) the Academy's tastes."
The Lobster
Our take: The absurd dramatic comedy won critical acclaim at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and has so far been a sleeper hit at the specialty box office (earning $5.5 million). While its oddball subject matter — a dystopian society where single people are turned into animals if they can't find mates — could put off some voters, its best shot is in original screenplay (co-written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou).
The consensus: "It's a weird, darkly comic film," AwardsCircuit's Davis says. "Some Academy members may get it, some may not. It will need the critics to keep it in the conversation."
Weiner
Our take: Another under-the-radar film gaining traction is Weiner, a cautionary tale disguised as a warts-and-all documentary, which follows disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner's 2013 run for New York mayor. A cringeworthy, fly-on-the-wall look inside his campaign as he tries to navigate sexting scandals, the movie should be a shoo-in for documentary feature, especially if its real-life parallels to this year's circus-like presidential election resonate with voters.
The consensus: "I would be shocked if it wasn't a nominee," Fandango's Davis says. The film is similar to Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour, which won best documentary in 2015, "where you're shocked that the camera was there to catch it happening, but you're also wildly entertained."
A Bigger Splash
Our take: Festival darlings The Birth of A Nation, Manchester By the Sea and Loving feature Oscar-caliber performances, but none open until later this year. The only viable contender already in theaters is Ralph Fiennes, who plays the eccentric ex-lover to Tilda Swinton's rock star in A Bigger Splash. Sadly, the black comedy may have faded too quickly from multiplexes to be remembered.
The consensus: "That film just dipped and went," AwardsCircuit's Davis says. “I don’t see a performance (nomination) coming out of (anything released in) the first half of the year.”
