FRONTRUNNERS TO GET NEXT YEAR'S OSCAR NODS

OSCAR SEASON IS UPON US AGAIN. The movies competing for glory this year are a lot less buzzy than last year, but that doesn't stop us from weighing in and predicting what movies and performances are destined for the ultimate recognition in cinema come March next year.

- By Raymond Lo L.A. Correspondent

If the Oscars were held today, Paul Thomas Anderson's (PTA) explosive film "One Battle After Another" (OBAA) starring Leonardo di Caprio, as an anarchist in his previous life hunted by an obsessive military man in the present, would be considered the frontrunner to win the major awards, including above-the-line acting categories for Leo, Sean Penn and Teyana Taylor, who practically owns the first act of the film. There is also a long-overdue-for-an-Oscar narrative working in favor of PTA.

However, if this writer has a sway among Oscar voters, and they read this article, I will likely make them reconsider and vote for Chloe Zhao's masterpiece "Hamnet." Ms. Zhao previously swept the Oscar for "Nomadland" during the pandemic.

In the film, she crafts a devastating film about loss and grief based on a popular bestseller that imagines what could have motivated William Shakespeare to write his greatest play, "Hamlet."

The movie features powerful performances from Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. Jessie will win the Oscar for Best Actress come March. Her main competition in the Best Actress race are Rose Byrne for "If I had Legs, I'd Kick You" and Jennifer Lawrence for "Die My Love."

Interestingly, all three characters are about mothers dealing with the difficulties and challenges of motherhood.

Mescal could earn his second Oscar nomination for his role as William Shakespeare in the film. He is being campaigned for Best Supporting Actor despite being a lead in the film. "Hamnet" won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, normally a harbinger of Oscar success.