Hollywood’s biggest night arrives with ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Sinners’ locked in a tight race for best picture, while key acting categories remain wide open
HOLLYWOOD: Hollywood’s awards season culminates tonight with the 98th Academy Awards, where the best picture race is a nail-biting contest between two frontrunners. The political thriller ‘One Battle After Another’ and the bluesy vampire horror ‘Sinners’ are considered neck-and-neck for the industry’s top prize.
Variety awards editor Clayton Davis told AFP either film could “break multiple Oscar records.” He added that until “the final envelope is opened for best picture, we’re not going to know who’s going to win.”
The ceremony, hosted again by Conan O’Brien, will feature live performances from the cast of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and ‘Sinners’. Both leading films have a chance to break the all-time record of 11 Oscar wins, currently held by ‘Ben-Hur’, ‘Titanic’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’.
‘Sinners’, a tale of gangster twins in the 1930s Deep South, has already made history with 16 nominations. Its director, Ryan Coogler, could become the first Black filmmaker to win best director in Oscars history.
He faces stiff competition from Paul Thomas Anderson, director of ‘One Battle After Another’, who has never won despite 11 previous nominations. One anonymous Oscars voter told AFP they backed Anderson “because of his body of work,” calling the choice “very tough.”
The acting categories are similarly unpredictable. Timothee Chalamet was once a favourite for ‘Marty Supreme’ but his campaign has faltered. The best actor race is now a tight contest between Michael B. Jordan for ‘Sinners’, Leonardo DiCaprio for ‘One Battle’, and Ethan Hawke for ‘Blue Moon’.
Supporting categories are also wide open. Sean Penn seeks a third Oscar for ‘One Battle’, competing against Stellan Skarsgard and Delroy Lindo. The supporting actress race features contenders from ‘Weapons’, ‘One Battle’, and ‘Sinners’.
Best actress appears to be the sole certainty, with Jessie Buckley for ‘Hamnet’ described as “the steamroller all season.” The best international film award will be contested between Norway’s ‘Sentimental Value’ and Brazil’s ‘The Secret Agent’.
The in memoriam segment will honour Robert Redford and the late Rob Reiner. The fictional girl group HUNTR/X from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ will perform the nominated song ‘Golden’.
The Sun Malaysia
