November is preseason for the Oscars, which is why it’s a good idea to discuss which films could grab Best Picture nominations. Right now, Belfast and Netflix’s The Power of the Dog rank higher than any other movie. Check out more information about those two films as well as every other top contender to grab the 10 nominations for Best Picture. Let’s jump right into action so you can plan your bets against the Academy Award odds.
Entertainment Betting News | Best Picture Predictions Update
2022 Academy Awards
- When: Sunday, Feb. 27
Are Belfast and The Power of the Dog locks to get Best Picture nods?
As of Nov. 1, Belfast and The Power of the Dog are the only two films we can safely say will grab Oscar nominations for Best Picture. That doesn’t mean either is a lock to win.
Golden eunuch noms don’t always translate to victories. Directed and written by Academy favorite Kenneth Branagh, Belfast is a coming of age story about a child growing up during the tumultuous 1960s in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Branagh shot the movie in black and white. Academy voters love when an auteur decides to forego color and shoot in black and white. For some reason, the lack of color adds prestige.
The Power of the Dog is in color. Jane Campion, who directed The Piano, adds veritas to what’s essentially a cowboy film about a real jerk who falls in love with his brother’s wife. The jerk happens to be played by the great Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock himself, so you know the move is grabbing a nom for best picture.
Assess the Will Smith vehicle King Richard’s chances of grabbing a Best Picture nom.
The chances are good because the film is about Serena’s and Venus’ dad, Richard Williams. The Williams sisters changed tennis forever. Serena might be the greatest tennis player, male or female, that’s ever picked up a racket.
Will Smith will be great, like always, and the movie talks about something audiences know. But although the film should get a nomination, it feels like the story is lacking.
Yes, Richard Williams is an intriguing individual. And, yes, he’s the main reason Venus and Serena are great tennis players, but the movie could have centered on the sisters. Right now, it feels more like a Will Smith vehicle than anything else.
How will voters treat Dune, Nightmare Alley, and tick, tick . . . Boom!?
In late 2019, Dune was a lock to grab a nom for 2020. Because the pandemic hit, Warner Bros. decided to release their epic based on Frank Herbert’s novel in 2021.
The movie has rocked it at the box office. Expect nominations all around: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, etc., etc.
Nightmare Alley is about a carney, yes, a carnival person, a psychiatrist, and is directed by Guillermo Del Toro. So, yeah, it should get a nomination.
Lin Manuel Miranda, Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton, produces and directs the Netflix film tick, tick . . . Boom! The movie is about an aspiring composer who wants to create a play.
Hollywood loves Miranda. But it’s difficult seeing this film grabbing an Oscar for Best Picture. Competition this year is fierce. So Miranda’s first feature length directorial debut could get lost in the shuffle.
Many feel The Tragedy of McBeth is a shoo-in for a Best Picture nod. Is that the case?
If this were June 2020, yes, that would be the case. The Tragedy of McBeth is an updated retelling starring Denzel Washington and directed by Joel Cohen.
The movie is shot in black and white. So it sure looks as if it will grab a nom. But let’s be frank. The Cohen Brothers have won numerous awards for more interesting films, including No Country for Old Men.
If Oscar voters believe it makes sense to award a Best Picture nom for one black and white movie, it will be Belfast. Also, McBeth is something that’s been done over and over again. Our guess is Academy voters shun the film save for a nomination going to Denzel.
