BEST PICTURE OSCAR CONTENDERS
First Half of 2023
*Leading Contender
BEST PICTURE
“DUNE 2” - In Part Two, viewers can expect Villeneuve's
plot to favor the second half of Herbert's Dune, which tracks Paul's rise to
power among the Fremen and his eventual rebellion against Padishah Emperor
Shaddam IV.
“Anatomy of a Fall” - Sandra, Samuel
and their visually impaired son Daniel have been living in a remote mountain
location for the past year. When Samuel is found dead outside the house, an
investigation for death in suspicious circumstances is launched. Amidst the
uncertainty, Sandra is indicted: Was it suicide or homicide?
“The Holdovers” – A Comedy - Forced to
spend Christmas break with a handful of students, a curmudgeonly college
professor develops an unlikely bond with a school troublemaker and the head
cook.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” – A true
film story a series of murders of wealthy Osage people that took place in Osage
County, Oklahoma, in the early 1920s—after big oil deposits were discovered
beneath their land.
“Maestro” – Leonard Bernstein - The
film story of the complicated life of the famed musical conductor American
conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian
“May December” - Twenty years after
their notorious tabloid romance, a married couple buckle under the pressure
when a Hollywood actress meets them to do research for a film about their past.
“Oppenheimer”
- Physicist J Robert Oppenheimer works with a team of scientists during the
Manhattan Project, leading to the development of the atomic bomb.
“Saltburn” –
A dark comedy-drama thriller about a college student who becomes obsessed over
a rich classmate who is from an aristocratic family.
“Spider-Man:
Across the Spider-Verse” - After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's
full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse,
where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very
existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles
finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it
means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
“The Zone of
Interest” - A Nazi officer falls in love with the woman of the commander of the
Auschwitz concentration camp.
SLEEPER CONTENDERS
“Rustin” - Bayard Rustin, advisor to
Martin Luther King Jr., dedicates his life to the quest for racial equality,
human rights and worldwide democracy. However, as an openly gay Black man, he
is all but erased from the civil rights movement he helped build.
“Asteroid City” - World-changing events
spectacularly disrupt the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet
convention in an American desert town circa 1955.
“Nyad” - Sixty-four-year-old marathon
swimmer Diana Nyad attempts to become the first person ever to swim from Cuba
to Florida. Annett Benning Stars.
“The Book of Clarence” - Inspired by classic Hollywood epics set in
biblical times, The Book of Clarence tells the tale of "Clarence," a
down on his luck denizen of Jerusalem embarking on a misguided attempt to
capitalize on the rise of celebrity and influence of the Messiah for his own
personal gain - a journey that leads him on an exploration of the idea of faith
and to a highly unexpected path of his own.
“The Color Purple” – Musical adaption
of the 1985 film – Director: Blitz Bazawule -
Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg are Executive Producers.
