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’Tis the season … awards season, that is! We’re getting to that stretch of the calendar year when we get a glut of great movies all clustered together. You can hold two thoughts in your head: campaigning for statues and trophies is a shallow exercise that distracts from the real celebration of artistry … and the attention is necessary to get a number of these films made in the first place.
Like many budding young cinephiles, the Oscars telecast served as an early entry point into the world of “serious adult cinema.” While the compass does not always point to true north (stares in #OscarsSoWhite), it’s a good bet that the institution at large helps lead people toward good movies. I’ve moved away from the more breathless handicapping that I did in the late ‘00s and early ‘10s when I started writing for a number of reasons, many of which culminated in the devastating defeat of my beloved Boyhood at the hands of the bombastically bloviating Birdman. To quote MJ from The Last Dance, a show I know only through the memes:
Nonetheless, questions from friends and family persist. The ask starts in any number of ways — this movie is getting good reviews, I’m hearing a lot about this one, everyone I know has seen it — but predictably ends up asking the same thing. Will it get nominated for an Oscar?! A coworker and friend of mine who always dutifully tries to see the major contenders first asked in 2019 if I would make her a list of all the movies she needed to see before the Oscars (if you really want to catch all the big ones, you need to get started soon). It’s since become an annual tradition for me to deliver this in her preferred format: the iPhone Notes app. Good for things other than celebrity divorce announcements!
But, in the name of content, I will make it available to you, Substack folks! Here’s your homework for the 2021 awards season, conveniently annotated for your reference. Everything is sorted by release date, so read nothing into how I’ve ranked the titles within each category. And, if you don’t know a movie — click the title! I’ve linked to the trailer if available.
LEGEND
Italicized - Marshall has seen
Bolded - Marshall would recommend
BIGGEST BEST PICTURE CONTENDERS
Dune (in theaters now)
Belfast (in theaters 11/12)
The Power of the Dog (in theaters 11/17, Netflix 12/1)
King Richard (in theaters 11/19)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (in theaters 12/25, on Apple TV+ 1/14/22)
NO ONE’S SEEN, SO WE CAN’T KNOW
Tick Tick Boom (in theaters 11/12, on Netflix 11/19)
Bruised (in theaters 11/17, on Netflix 11/24)
The Unforgiven (in theaters 11/24, Netflix 12/10)
Encanto (in theaters 11/24)
House of Gucci (in theaters 11/24)
Licorice Pizza (in theaters 11/26)
Nightmare Alley (in theaters 12/3)
Don’t Look Up (in theaters 12/10, on Netflix 12/24)
West Side Story (in theaters 12/10)
The Matrix Resurrections (in theaters and HBO Max 12/22)
Being the Ricardos (in theaters 12/10, on Amazon Prime 12/21)
Swan Song (in theaters and on Apple TV+ 12/17)
STILL IN PLAY
In the Heights (on HBO Max now)
Coda (on Apple TV+ now)
The French Dispatch (in theaters now)
Passing (in theaters now, on Netflix 11/10)
Spencer (in theaters 11/5)
The Lost Daughter (in theaters 12/17, on Netflix 12/31)
Cyrano (in theaters 12/24)
PROBABLY MORE FOR PERFORMANCES OR SCREENPLAY ONLY
Pig (available on VOD now)
Respect (available on VOD 11/9)
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (available on VOD 11/2)
The Guilty (on Netflix now)
Mass (in theaters now)
The Last Duel (in theaters now)
C’mon C’mon (in theaters 11/19)
The Humans (in theaters and Showtime Anytime 11/24)
Red Rocket (in theaters 12/3)
Encounter (in theaters 12/3, on Amazon Prime 12/10)
The Tender Bar (in theaters 12/17, on Amazon Prime 1/7/22)
Parallel Mothers (in theaters 12/24)
Jockey (in theaters 12/29)
Have a friend or family member who wants to keep up with the awards race? Send them this list!
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM CONTENDERS
I’m Your Man (on VOD now)
Titane (on VOD now)
Luzzu (in theaters now)
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (in theaters/on VOD 11/19)
Drive My Car (in theaters 11/24)
Prayers for the Stolen (in theaters November TBD, on Netflix 11/17)
The Hand of God (in theaters 12/3, on Netflix 12/17)
A Hero (in theaters 1/7/22, on Amazon Prime 1/21/22)
The Worst Person in the World (theatrical release TBD)
BEST DOCUMENTARY CONTENDERS
Summer of Soul (on Hulu now)
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (on VOD now)
Pray Away (on Netflix now)
Homeroom (on Hulu now)
Ascension (in theaters now)
The Rescue (in theaters now)
The Velvet Underground (on Apple TV+ now)
Introducing, Selma Blair (on Discovery+ now)
A Cop Movie (in theaters now, on Netflix 11/5)
Attica (in theaters now, on Showtime Anytime 11/6)
Becoming Cousteau (in theaters now)
Julia (in theaters 11/12)
Procession (in theaters 11/12, on Netflix 11/19)
Cusp (in theaters 11/12, on Showtime Anytime 11/26)
The First Wave (in theaters 11/19)
Citizen Ashe (in theaters 12/3)
Flee (in theaters 12/3)
FUTURE “THIS HAD OSCAR BUZZ” EPISODES
The Courier (on Amazon Prime now)
Stillwater (on VOD now)
Annette (on Amazon Prime now)
The Card Counter (on VOD now)
Cry Macho (on VOD now)
Dear Evan Hansen (on VOD now)
The Harder They Fall (in theaters now, on Netflix 11/3)
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (in theaters now, on Amazon Prime 11/5)
GOOD MOVIES, PROBABLY NOT FOR AWARDS THOUGH
Shiva Baby (on HBO Max now)
Together Together (on Hulu now)
Limbo (on VOD now)
Zola (on VOD and Showtime Anytime now)
Last Night in Soho (in theaters now)
The Souvenir Part II (in theaters now)
What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (in theaters 11/12)
Benedetta (in theaters 12/3)
Happy moviewatching! 2021 is an exceptional year in cinema for any number of reasons, and don’t miss out on appreciating these great movies in their moment.
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall