Oscars 2021: movies you should watch before the ceremony
On April 25, 2021, one of the most important galas in cinema will be held. And yes, we are indeed talking about the 93rd Oscars gala. Like many events that have taken place in recent months, the event will be marked by the pandemic produced by Covid-19, as the health emergency has caused great consequences in the world of cinema. Although this year the expected gala will be different, we want to dedicate this article to the best-nominated films that you must see before the ceremony.
Before recommending the best films you should see, we consider it necessary to mention some of the most important information you should know about the 2021 Oscars gala. As we have mentioned before, the ceremony will be held on April 25, 2021, and due to the health crisis, and exceptionally, it was delayed from February 28. The main reason the event was delayed is that theaters in the United States were closed for a long time and audiovisual productions were affected by the pandemic. In this way, the term of the films that can participate has also been extended since before, only those that had been released between January 1 and December 31 could do so. This year, the films that have been released until February 28 will be eligible to be candidates. As a result of the delay in the date of the gala, the nominations also had to be delayed, so the Oscars Nominations of 2021 will be announced on March 15th. The ceremony of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will take place in different locations throughout the length of the United States although, at the moment, those have not yet been confirmed. The only confirmed site is the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles since it is the place where the gala has been held in recent years.
Here, we’ll discuss some of the best movies you should see before the ceremony takes place. Despite the circumstances, great movies have been created that will win you over.
The first film we want to mention is Nomadland. After collecting the Golden Lion at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, this film has been considered one of the great favorites to become the best film at the Oscars. If Nomadland wins as best film, it would be a great success thanks to all the work done by its promising director, Chloé Zao, the actress Frances McDormand and the humanistic story that portrays what the world is like. Specifically, the story tells how after a great crisis the protagonist decides to become a nomad who travels the world in a van.
We wanted to include One night in Miami on this list as it is Regina King’s great debut as a director and she has managed to be the first African-American filmmaker to present a film at the Venice Film Festival. One night in Miami has become a film highly praised by critics who consider that this film should be on the list of nominations for best film. Through it, an imaginary story involving Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke is told and is based on the play by Kemp Powers.
Director Spike Lee could become the new candidate to win the Oscar thanks to his film Da 5 Bloods: Brothers of Blood, a Netflix production. Through telling the story of a group of veterans, the collective trauma suffered by an African-American community in the Vietnam War is vindicated. As a consequence of this, it is considered to be one of the riskiest options since, in addition, the critics have been very divided because many consider it a masterpiece, chaotic and lucid, and others think that Lee, this time has not managed to create a great movie.
At the Venice Film Festival last year 2020, Pieces of a Woman was also praised. The new film by Kornél Mundruczó was premiered at that festival, and Vanessa Kirby won the award for Best Actress for her leading role. Kirby as the star is one of the great aspects that critics have highlighted the most and it is believed that she could have a great opportunity to win the grand prize. In addition, it is important to note that Shia LaBeouf has become a great bet for the Oscars thanks to his great performance.
The next film we want to mention is again a great Netflix production and also, with the return of David Fincher and not in serial format as he did in another production on the same streaming platform. Through Mank, Fincher has managed to create a film considered one of the main candidates for the Oscars of 2021. In this film, a tribute is made to one of the best films in history because Mank narrates Herman J. Mankiewicz’s creative process and how he developed the Citizen Kane script. In addition, it is also necessary to highlight the fantastic cast since it is a film starring Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Charles Dance, and Tom Burke.
We could not fail to include in this small list the last great work of Christopher Nolan and it would be a great surprise to many if this film is not among the nominees for the Oscars. Although there are many people and critics who have not understood the plot of the film, we cannot deny that it is a great masterpiece and, that once more, Nolan does not disappoint. Tenet is a great action movie that talks about international espionage, time travel, and the evolution of it. It stars primarily John David Washington who is joined by Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh, and Clémence Poésy.