It's Early June, Have We Already Seen Any Serious Oscar Contenders?

There's no denying that the upcoming Oscar season is going to be a very special one. While every year brings with it a handful of worthy surprises, this one is framed instead by the world around it. For starters, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the shutdown of theaters and forced The Academy to allow streaming movies for the first (and probably only) time in their history. Even if we haven't yet gotten to the traditional awards season, it's interesting to ask the question: have we seen any big players yet? I'd like to think that we have, especially with the presence of such acclaimed movies like Shirley, Da 5 Bloods, and dark horse contender The King of Staten Island.

All of these films have one thing in common. They're thankfully good movies in a time when we're dried out with good-at-best titles. In fact, things are looking up in the month ahead as more streaming options give promising results. So, what does this Oscar season look like, and have we seen anything of value just yet? If we're looking at a case where theaters will be shutting back down due to an expansion of the virus, I'm willing to bet that we have a handful of things already on our docket, hopefully making for one of the most exciting and off years we've ever seen.

Wes Anderson Tells a Winding Story in "The French Dispatch" Trailer

Scene from The French Dispatch

Over his past few films, it feels like director Wes Anderson has perfected the art of getting your hopes up for the next Oscar season. Who could forget how The Grand Budapest Hotel released its first trailer on the heels of the 2015 Academy Awards, or how Isle of Dogs made 2018 feel like it would be a better year for animation? Well, it looks like he's outdone himself by dropping a trailer within the week following this year's ceremony. Just as everyone is wrapping up their thoughts on Parasite's historic win, Anderson is here to remind you that cinema is an evolving art form and that soon there will be a new class to talk about. With The French Dispatch, he adds his name to the 2020 prognostication early, making one excited to see his latest crowded fare look like another masterpiece that's going to dominate the conversation.

Palme d'Or Winner "The Square" is High on Concept in First Trailer

Scene from The Square

If you want one big difference between world cinema and the more distilled American brand, one need not look further than Cannes and the Palme d'Or. Every year, the festival honors the best in world cinema. This year was a pretty big deal, as Sofia Coppola won Best Director for The Beguiled, and Force Majeure director Ruben Ostlund won the top prize with The Square. What should be a sign of overall quality isn't often the case universally, as the last Palme d'Or winner nominated for Best Picture was Amour in 2012. However, it's still worth checking out what is considered the best in world cinema, and odds are that The Square at least looks to be tons of fun, even if The Academy doesn't think so.

The Runner-Ups: Elisabeth Moss in "Queen of Earth" (2015)

Scene from Queen of Earth

Every Oscar season, there are a handful of actors who get tagged with the "snubbed" moniker. While it is always unfortunate to see our favorites not honored with at very least a nomination, there's another trend that goes largely unnoticed: those who never even got that far. The Runner-Ups is a column meant to honor the greats in cinema who put in phenomenal work without getting the credit that they deserved from The Academy. Join me every other Saturday as I honor those who never received any love. This list will hopefully come to cover both the acting community, and the many crew members who put the production together.

A Katherine Waterston Appreciation Piece

Scene from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

This weekend marks the release of the latest movie from J.K. Rowling’s magical world: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Featuring the talents of returning director David Yates, the series serves as a prequel to the story we all know. With Eddie Redmayne as protagonist Newt Scamander, the journey looks to introduce a whole heap of new magical characters and lingo that will make fans happy. However, I would like to dedicate this entry not to the wonderful world of Rowling, but to the co-star that has had a phenomenal run over the past few years: Katherine Waterston.

Review: Thanks to Moss, "Queen of Earth" is a Masterpiece About Mental Breakdowns

Elisabeth Moss

Every now and then, there comes a performance that reminds you of the capabilities of "complex" women. I'm talking about ones that are insecure but not hopeless. Bette Davis made a career out of this. Rosamund Pike received an Oscar nomination (Best Actress - Gone Girl) for this. In director Alex Ross Perry's Queen of Earth, Elisabeth Moss joins the list with a performance that is intense yet nuanced, psychopathic yet controlled, and selfish yet smart. From the opening scene where her running make-up and withering voice introduces the audience to this world with an uncomfortable close-up, this is Moss' moment to prove that she's more than Peggy Olsen from Mad Men. She's an actress with capabilities that have yet to be fully explored. It is also why Queen of Earth may be one of this year's unassuming masterpieces.

The "Queen of Earth" Trailer Asks the Question: Just How Creepy Can Elisabeth Moss Be?

Elisabeth Moss

Among the lesser known great films of last year was director Alex Ross Perry's Listen Up, Phillip, which featured Jason Schwartzman as an arrogant writer as his life fell apart. The film was a success thanks to its instinctive deconstruction of the writer's ego and how it actually makes it both a tragic comedy and a preventative decline. With a unique style, it is exciting to see him back this year with Queen of Earth, which co-stars Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston in a film that looks very eerie and based on the first trailer, one of the most intense psychological dramas of the year.