The race for best picture is going to be one of the toughest categories to call, as each of the films nominated was met with merit by audiences and critics alike. Initially I had this being a battle between Marriage Story and 1917. In recent weeks though, Parasite slowly crept in. Going off the technical achievements and the historical elements my mom is one 1917. However Parasite could win an upset.
Best Director is another strong race with all five directors worthy of the nomination. Sam Mendes, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino are all returning nominees while Todd Philips and Bong Joon Ho are first-timers.
2020’s Best Actor race is clearly the year of Joaquin Phoenix. After viewing Marriage Story, I thought Adam Driver might perform an upset. However, Phoenix is long overdue for a win.
Similar to Best Actor, this isn’t that strong of a race. Renée Zellweger became Judy Garland and the Academy loves a film centered on Hollywood.
Next to Best Picture, this is the toughest category to call. From the moment we saw a promotional photo of Tom Hanks dressed as Fred Rogers, the assumption was he would win an Oscar. However, this past summer, Brad Pitt made some serious noise with his performance as stunt man in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Since his breakthrough in 1991, Pitt has yet to receive an acting Oscar, so he’s well overdue.
Sterling K. Brown for Waves, Jamie Foxx, and Rob Morgan for Just Mercy.
Similar to Best Actress, this category is another no brainer. Portraying a tough as nails lawyer, Dern has no real competition.
Director Renny Harlin reunites with the iconic Samuel L. Jackson for the fourth time in the action film “The Beast”, produced by Aura Entertainment. Written by Umair Aleem, the movie features Jackson as the President of the United States.
My introduction to Nate Dogg goes back to Dr. Dre’s 1992 debut, The Chronic, and the song “Deeez Nuuuts.” Even then, something about Nate’s voice set him apart from everybody else. He wasn’t just singing on rap records. He was bringing soul, gospel, street knowledge, and West Coast cool into the same space. He set the standard for hook singers in hip-hop, and dare I say, he’s still vastly underrated.
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to give Stevie Wonder his due as he prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his masterpiece, “Songs in the Key of Life,” on tour. While the easy choice could have been “Knocks Me Off My Feet”—a classic that still resonates fifty years later—I chose “From the Bottom of My Heart,” the second single from his twenty-third studio album, “A Time to Love,” released in 2005.
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