2019 Oscars at a Glance: November Preview – Suspiria, Fantastic Beasts & More

November begins the holiday movie season and it’s normally where we see a mix of the blockbuster fare and a few awards contenders films as well, so it’s another busy month at the movies. Here’s the list of films that I have my eye on that could have Oscar potential.

 

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | November 2nd

In another retelling of the Tchaikovsky classic, this time with more of an Alice in Wonderland feel, Disney brings the story of The Nutcracker back to life to open the holiday movie season. I’m not really looking forward to this one, but we’ll mention it for the chances of nominations in Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and maybe Best Visual Effects.

 

Bohemian Rhapsody | November 2nd

A much more highly anticipated film for me, this Queen biopic centering, of course, on frontman Freddie Mercury and his work will have a bit of controversy around it. Bryan Singer was fired from the production last December and replaced by Dexter Fletcher. However, since Singer had directed the majority of the footage, DGA rules dictate that Singer be listed as the sole director on the film. That alone already gives me the idea that a Best Director nomination may be absolutely out of the question. That being said, I’m thinking a Best Picture nomination is definitely possible, and particularly Rami Malek for Best Actor. We’ll see if it can land a screenplay nom as well as some craft nominations.

 

Boy Erased | November 2nd

Another film that I’m awaiting is Boy Erased, which focuses on a 19 year old who is outed by his parents for his homosexuality, then taken against his will to a conversion camp. We’ll see if a Best Picture nomination can come out of this one, and we’ll also see if Joel Edgerton can score nominations for his work on the film. He is the director, co-producer, writer, and also has a supporting role in the film. Lucas Hedges is the lead actor here, and I see him as a pretty early bet to score his second nom here, as well as Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman both getting some love in the Supporting categories as the parents. Boy Erased will screen in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

 

Suspiria | November 2nd

Call Me by your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s next effort has become my most anticipated film of the month here. That first trailer absolutely blew me away, and with screenings booked for the Venice Film Festival, I’m thinking this could be the rare horror film that breaks into the Academy in a few categories, like Get Out did last year. For me, I’m thinking the psychological horror film focusing on ballerina dancers could be a possible dark horse contender for Best Picture, and Guadagnino could conceivably score a Best Director nom if the pic breaks through, especially if it helps make up for his snub last year. Dakota Johnson might be a Best Actress contender, and there’s a slew of Supporting Actress possibilities in there, too, maybe Tilda Swinton standing above the rest. And we’ll see if it scores in some of those craft categories, too.

 

A Private War | November 2nd

Another film to keep an eye on in the first weekend of the month is the Marie Colvin biopic, A Private War. Rosamund Pike plays Colvin, who worked for almost 30 years as a journalist, ending with her death while covering the siege of Homs in Syria. This seems like a prime candidate for Best Actress for Pike, who would score her second nomination with this one. We’ll also see if celebrated cinematographer Robert Richardson, who’s on this project, can score another nomination, because if he’s got a film out, he’s usually nominated.

 

The Front Runner | November 7th

Next up is The Front Runner, the new film from Jason Reitman, and it’s a biopic about Gary Hart and his infamous 1988 presidential campaign, which was derailed by claims against him as a womanizer. Hugh Jackman plays Hart, and the supporting cast has a few notable names: Vera Farmiga, Sara Paxton, Mike Judge, Kevin Pollack, Ari Graynor, and J.K. Simmons, all of whom could be in the running for the Supporting Acting categories, with Jackman, of course, contending in lead. Maybe this will be a chance for Reitman to get back into the game with directing and writing noms possible. Best Picture is also a possibility here. We’ll see how it does at TIFF in September.

 

The Grinch | November 9th

I was almost physically sick after watching the trailer for The Grinch, the latest in Illumination Entertainment’s animated fare, so I’ll definitely be skipping this one, but again I’ll cover all bases here and say that Illumination usually has a fair shot at getting a nom for Best Animated Feature, and this might be the one for them this year.

 

The Girl in the Spider’s Web | November 9th

In a continuation of the Millennium franchise, Girl in the Spider’s Web sees Claire Foy take up the mantle of playing Lisbeth Salander, and while Foy will be competing in Supporting Actress, in all likelihood, for First Man, she’ll be front and center here with Best Actress being a possibility for her. We’ll see if it can extend to anything beyond that, but for now I’m thinking that’s the best bet for Sony and company.

 

Peterloo | November 9th

We can never discount Mike Leigh when it comes to the Oscars. While his last effort, Mr. Turner, only competed in the technical categories, Peterloo may see a turnaround for Leigh. The film covers the Peterloo Massacre, which very recently marked its 200th anniversary. Since this one is a period-piece, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design nominations have to be considered, and while there’s no big actors in this one, Leigh usually has a couple of possible acting nominees in his films. The film premieres at Venice.

 

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | November 16th

I, for one, was a little shocked that the previous film in this franchise won the Oscar for Best Costume Design a couple of years ago. So will the sequel also win? Maybe, because Colleen Atwood is back. But we could also look at Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, both the sound categories, and all that good stuff as possible nominations, too.

 

Widows | November 16th

November 16th’s most promising prospect, for me, is Steve McQueen’s follow-up to 12 Years a Slave, Widows. Following four widows who pick up the job that took the lives of their husbands, this could see Viola Davis pick up another nomination (she’s the lead), and it’s got a ton of possible supporting nominations with this cast: Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Jon Bernthal, Lukas Haas, Liam Neeson, and Robert Duvall, but the one I’m eying more so than the others is Daniel Kaluuya, who’s on a hot streak after his nomination last year for Get Out, and also for his supporting turn in Black Panther, so if he has a significant role here, I’d say he’s more likely than the other supporting fellas of getting his second nom. The film will screen at both TIFF and the London BFI Film Fest.

 

Ralph Breaks the Internet | November 21st

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vosclVeCQEA

The sequel to 2012’s Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature hits the screens this November, and while the original film did not win the Academy Award, it was a very competitive year. We’ll see if the sequel, which throws Ralph into the wide world of the internet, app games, and also sees Vanellope meet up with all the classic and modern Disney princesses, can fare a little better.

 

Creed II | November 21st

Another sequel, this time to the hit 2015 boxing sequel that we all want to call Rocky VII, Creed II sees Michael B. Jordan back in the ring as Adonis Creed, Sylvester Stallone back as Rocky, of course, and Tessa Thompson back as love interest Bianca. While Sly was robbed (in my humble opinion) of an Oscar three years ago, we can only hope that if he delivers as good or an even better performance this time that that oversight will be corrected. Otherwise it’s gonna be a bit of a crapshoot to try and predict what else, at this early stage, the film could be up for.

 

Green Book | November 21st

Peter Farrelly, better known for being one half of the Farrelly brothers, has made a name for himself with the gross-out comedy classics Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, and There’s Something About Mary. Now he takes a serious turn with this biopic about two men, a white Bronx bouncer and a black piano aficionado, taking a road trip through the southern US in the 60s. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali star in this one, and while it’s tough to call at this point whether they’ll both be lead or if Mahershala will be considered a Supporting Actor, I’m sure they’re both looking for another shot at Oscar gold. Being another period piece, let’s again consider Best Production Design and Best Costume Design as well. The film screens at TIFF before opening in November.

 

The Favourite | November 23rd

I know a number of fans of Yorgos Lanthimos, and his next directorial effort, The Favourite, definitely lends itself more toward the Oscar crowd than his more personal works in the past, like The Killling of a Sacred Deer and The Lobster, though Lobster did receive a nomination for its screenplay. The new film centers on Queen Anne, who’s juggling her affections for Sarah Churchill, and Abigail Masham, both of whom are fighting to be, you guessed it, the favourite. We get an awesome trio of ladies here with Olivia Colman as Anne, Rachel Weisz as Churchill, and Emma Stone as Masham. While Yorgos did not have a hand in writing this, he could get his first nomination for Best Director if the film really hits, and while Colman will likely be the only one of the three leading ladies up for Best Actress, Stone and Weisz could very well make a run for Best Supporting Actress. Also, again, being a period piece, Best Costume and Production Design come naturally for this 18th century setting, and its upcoming screenings at TIFF, the New York Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival show it’s one to keep an eye on.

 

If Beale Street Could Talk | November 30th

Barry Jenkins is back with this adaptation of the James Baldwin novel of the same name. The story follows a black couple who are harassed by white culture as the man is accused of rape while the woman is left pregnant and not knowing how much, if at all, her suitor will be involved in helping her raise the child. This sounds like it’s right up Jenkins’ alley, and while I wasn’t as enthralled with Moonlight as everyone else was, I am very much looking at this as a big contender not only for Best Picture, but also for Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Lead Actress for Kiki Layne, and I’m putting an early bet on Regina King to be nominated for Supporting Actress. We’ll have to see where Stephan James lands, in the lead category or supporting, but I’m leaning toward Supporting based on the trailer, and like Jenkins’ competitor two years ago, he’s bringing back most of his technical crew who earned nominations for Moonlight for Beale Street, so it could end up with a lot of love on Oscar nominations morning.