Five 2022 Films That Are Sure to Be Recognized at This Year’s Oscars
The Top Five Films from the Hamptons International Film Festival that have the best shot of winning an Oscar!
If you’re paying close attention, you know that I attended the Hamptons International Film Festival over the past week or so… 10 days if you’re counting.
You may have read my preview…
That’s why I was MIA last week.
I was busy.
The festival is over and, as always, I saw some films that I just know will be in the running for that coveted gold statue.
Yes, the Oscars.
But don’t take it from me.
I not only watched the films myself, I also took an unofficial poll from industry insiders… so, the list you’re about to see?
It’s what many Academy voters think about these films… not just little ol’ me.
Here is an early look at what I think will be the most important films to watch as we head into awards season…
THE WHALE: There’s a reason why The Whale got a six-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It’s the movie everyone is buzzing about. Brendan Fraser plays a reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher who, as he’s dying, tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter, played by an outstanding Sadie Sink. Tough to watch, but definitely worth seeing. And a well-deserved comeback for Fraser, who — at this early stage — is seen as the frontrunner for the Oscar for Best Actor.
THE SON: If you happened to watch The Father, the 2020 film by Florian Zeller that won Sir Anthony Hopkins a Best Actor Academy Award (his second), then you’ll probably like, or maybe even love, Zeller’s second (of three) films, The Son. I did. Incredible cast — Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby and, yes, Hopkins makes an appearance as well. Zen McGrath, a newcomer, is great as the son.
TILL: The story of the brutal 1955 murder of Emmett Till has been told many times before, but never as a narrative film on the big screen. Till chronicles the activism of Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, played by Oscar early favorite, Danielle Deadwyler. And if these events seem too far in the past, as rogerebert.com put it, one only needs to be “reminded of this New York Times article whose headline is ‘Emmett Till Memorial Has a New Sign. This Time, It’s Bulletproof.’ As late as 2019, people were putting bullet holes in a sign that marked the site of [Emmett Till’s] lynching.”
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN: If you’re a fan of Martin McDonagh films (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri or In Bruges), then you’ll probably love The Banshees of Inisherin. Colin Farrell stars and is in the early running for a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED: It’s rare that a documentary wins the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, but this year All The Beauty And The Bloodshed did just that. Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras, the film tells the story of world-renowned artist Nan Goldin and her fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid crisis.