HOLLYWOOD, United States, Feb 24, 2019 (AFP) – Hollywood’s A-listers will
hit the red carpet Sunday for the Oscars — the climax of a long, eventful
awards season that could yield some big surprises.
Alfonso Cuaron’s black-and-white cinematic ode to his childhood, “Roma,”
leads with 10 nominations and is a firm favorite for the coveted best picture
Academy Award. If it does win, it will be the first foreign-language film,
and the first from streaming giant Netflix, to earn the honor.
But civil rights dramedy “Green Book” has overcome controversy to remain on
the radar, and could benefit from the Academy’s complex preferential voting
system to snatch the top prize.
Hot on their heels are a variety of films, from offbeat royal romp “The
Favourite” (also with 10 nominations), to Spike Lee’s race drama
“BlacKkKlansman,” to crowd pleasers like superhero flick “Black Panther” and
musical romance “A Star Is Born.”
Two biopics — “Vice” about former US vice president Dick Cheney and
“Bohemian Rhapsody” about the band Queen — round out the list of contenders
for best picture.
The 7,900-odd voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences had bold choices in front of them — traditional art-house Oscar
bait, and big, rousing blockbusters.
“With eight best picture nominees, every film has passionate supporters,
but no film has a consensus,” Tim Gray, awards editor for showbiz trade
publication Variety, told AFP.
All will be revealed at the Dolby Theatre, in a ceremony beamed around the
world to millions of showbiz fans, with a twist — there will be no host for
the first time in three decades.
The Academy opted to take the risk after comedian Kevin Hart withdrew from
the gig in the face of a firestorm over past controversial tweets that were
slammed as homophobic.
“They still don’t have an answer to a question that’s been around since the
first TV showing in 1953: is this a presentation of every category, or is it
entertainment?” Gray said. “They want it to be both.”
The entertainment factor will be high when Queen opens the show with singer
Adam Lambert fronting the iconic band.
– Will Glenn Close finally win? –
For top acting honors, Christian Bale’s transformation into Cheney for
“Vice” gave him the early lead in the Oscars race, and several statuettes.
But Rami Malek won respect from his peers — and a Golden Globe, Bafta and a
Screen Actors Guild award — for his spellbinding turn as late Queen frontman
Freddie Mercury.
“In Christian Bale’s, I see an incredible actorly thing, but with Rami
Malek, you see a role that just really connected with audiences,” said
Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the newcomer disrupts in this case.”
The best actress race has a clear favorite: Glenn Close, who has swept the
prizes for her gripping work in “The Wife” as a woman on the edge when her
author husband wins the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Lady Gaga wowed fans and critics with her turn in “A Star is Born,” and
Yalitza Aparicio’s nomination for her first acting role in “Roma” earned
praise. But it looks to be Close’s night.
“It is not her strongest role, but it is an opportunity for her to really
own a small film, to carry it on her shoulders, and to remind the industry
that here is one of our real treasures as an actress,” Debruge said.
Mahershala Ali (“Green Book” and Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
are the odds-on favorites in the supporting acting categories.
– Better ratings this year? –
The Academy — desperate to boost television ratings that have plummeted in
recent years — is trying to stick to a three-hour telecast, but it hit a few
bumps along the way.
Controversies over its efforts to save time included plans to present a
handful of awards during commercial breaks, and to feature only a few of the
nominated songs. Both ideas have since been scrapped.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper will sing their power ballad “Shallow” from “A
Star Is Born.” Songstresses Jennifer Hudson, Bette Midler and Gillian Welch
will also perform.
But Variety reported that Kendrick Lamar and SZA would not perform “All the
Stars” from “Black Panther,” due to a “logistics and timing” issue.
The 91st Academy Awards begin Sunday at 5:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday).