Oscars 2021: The Regulars

Here is my annual post on some of the nominees (and winners) of this year's Oscar Awards who have made it a habit to get nominated. Often, the big winners and stars get all the limelight and many talented individuals, especially those working behind the camera, do not get the attention they deserve. This post is an attempt to correct that.

8 Nominations:

74-year old actor Glenn Close has been nominated eight times so far, without any win. She has earned leading role nominations for 'Fatal Attraction' (1987), 'Dangerous Liaisons' (1988), 'Albert Nobbs' (2011), and 'The Wife' (2017), and supporting actress nominations for 'The World According to Garp' (1982), 'The Big Chill' (1983), 'The Natural' (1984), and this year's 'Hillbilly Elegy' (2020)

9 Nominations:

52-year old filmmaker Pete Doctor has won three Oscars so far, for animated features 'Up' (2009), 'Inside Out' (2015), and 'Soul' (2020). He has been nominated for animated feature 'Monsters, Inc.' (2001), animation short 'Mike's New Car' (2002), and for original screenplays of 'Toy Story' (1995), 'WALL.E' (2008), 'Up' (2009), and 'Inside Out' (2015).

Sound designer Ren Klyce has been nominated nine times so far: for 'Fight Club' (1999), 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (2008), 'The Social Network' (2010), 'Soul' (2020), and 'Mank' (2020), apart from two nominations each for 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2011) and 'Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' (2017). He is yet to win one.

69-year old composer James Newton Howard too has had nine nominations so far: for the original score of 'The Prince of Tides' (1991), 'The Fugitive' (1993), 'My Best Friend's Wedding' (1997), 'The Village' (2004), 'Michael Clayton' (2007), 'Defiance' (2008), and 'News of the World' (2020), and for original song in 'Junior' (1994) and 'One Fine Day' (1996). And he too is yet to win an Oscar.

11 Nominations:

70-year old sound designer David Parker has won two Oscars so far, for 'The English Patient' (1996) and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007). Apart from these, he has been nominated for 'Never Cry Wolf' (1983), 'Pirates of the Caribbean' (2003), 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (2008), 'The Social Network' (2010), 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2011), 'Rogue One' (2016), 'Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' (2017), 'Soul' (2020), and 'Mank' (2020).

12 Nominations: 

Grammy? Yes. Emmy? Yes. Golden Globe? Yes. But despite twelve nominations in 34 years, 65-year old singer-songwriter Diane Warren is yet to win an Oscar. Her filmography includes films like 'Ghostbusters' (1984), 'While You Were Sleeping' (1995), 'Patch Adams' (1998), 'Notting Hill' (1999), 'Stuart Little' (1999), 'Moulin Rouge!' (2001), 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012), 'Sing Street' (2016), 'A Star is Born' (2016), and this year's 'The Life Ahead' (2020).

13 Nominations:

68-year old sound designer Michael Minkler has won three Oscars, for 'Black Hawk Down' (2002), 'Chicago' (2002), and 'Dreamgirls' (2006). His remaining ten nominations have been for films like 'Born on the Fourth of July' (1989), 'JFK' (1991), 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009), 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' (2019), and this year's 'Greyhound' (2020), among others.

Top 10 at Oscars 2021

With less than 36 hours to go for the Oscar Awards ceremony to begin, here is my annual post on the ten movies which have earned most nominations this year.

If you have watched these ten movies, the ceremony will make more sense to you than otherwise. I have watched only six of these which were available on different online platforms.

• Mank (10 nominations, for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Score, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography, Makeup & Hairstyling, and Costume Design) Despite leading the nomination chart, it is unlikely that 'Mank' will win any award outside of Cinematography and Production Design.

• The Father (6 nominations, for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Production Design, and Film Editing) The film can win for Best Actor and Adapted Screenplay.

• Judas and the Black Messiah (6 nominations, for Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Original Song, Cinematography, and two nominations for Supporting Actor) It is almost certain that the film will win the Supporting Actor trophy. Anything else looks less likely.

• Minari (6 nominations, for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Original Score) There is a good chance for the film to win the Supporting Actress trophy. The chance of an Original Screenplay win also cannot be ruled out.

• Nomadland (6 nominations, for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Film Editing) The film has won the top awards at Venice, Toronto, BAFTA, and Golden Globes. It will be surprising if it does not win Best Picture Oscar as well. There is a good chance for it to also win Best Director, Actress, Cinematography, and Adapted Screenplay.

• Sound of Metal (6 nominations, for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Sound, and Film Editing) Film Editing and Sound wins are most probable bets for this film. But it is also a strong contender for Best Actor and Supporting Actor.

• The Trial of the Chicago 7 (6 nominations, for Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Original Song, Cinematography, and Film Editing) Winning for Original Screenplay looks like the only possibility for this film.

• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (5 nominations, for Best Actor, Actress, Production Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, and Costume Design) Winning for Costume Design and Makeup & Hair looks very likely for the film. But there is a possibility for it to win Best Actor and Actress too.

• Promising Young Woman (5 nominations, for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Original Screenplay, and Film Editing) Winning for Original Screenplay looks like the strongest bet for this film. But Best Actress and Costume Design cannot be ruled out.

• News of the World (4 nominations, for Original Score, Sound, Production Design, and Cinematography) Despite four nominations, it is unlikely the film will win any.