The 93rd Academy Awards will have a unique feel after such a heavily disrupted cinematic calendar in 2020, with plans to celebrate the best in show this year still going ahead.
Originally scheduled to take place in February, the awards ceremony will now go ahead on April 25, 2021, representing just the fourth time the Oscars have been moved back. The period for eligible submissions has also been extended through February 28, 2021, meaning we could see a few ‘Best Picture’ dark horses emerge between now the cut-off date. Unfortunately, the majority of the best in New Jersey betting apps are not allowed to accept online bets on Oscars, however, we do hope it will be possible in the future. Normally sportsbooks are favoring those movies that have great reviews in the best magazines, such as Rotten Tomatoes. Anyway, the odds are differ.
For now, though, we have a decent idea of which works will be in the running for the hallowed Best Picture award come April.
Movies that have good chances to win, according to the betting odds…
Nomadland
A two-winner Best Actress winner at the Academy Awards, Frances McDormand has a strong chance of collecting a third Oscars gone with Nomadland, an instant early riser in the estimations of many reviewers this year. The first film to win the top awards at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festival, this work by director Chloe Zhao follows the journey of Fern (McDormand) as she traverses the American West “as a modern-day nomad.”
Nomadland may be considered a little less mainstream than critics are used to having in a top contender for ‘Best Picture’, but that lack of fluff competition only highlights its strengths further.
Why It’s Got a Chance: Everything Zhao has touched to date thus far in her career has turned to gold, and combing her talent with McDormand’s one-woman army delivery is a match made in heaven.
Predicted Odds: +200 by bet365 NJ
Mank
One of several challengers for this year’s award that got an early release via Netflix, Mank stars Gary Oldman in the titular role of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he goes about crafting Citizen Kane. David Fincher returns in the director’s seat for the first time since 2014’s Gone Girl, though Mank is a lot more driven in its approach, featuring a lot more dialogue and a lot fewer sullen, awkward glances than the former. Early reviews for Mank were split in both directions after some critics found it to be too drawn out, though one can argue it’s for good reason given the intrigue around the subject matter.
Why It’s Got a Chance: Oldman is typically magnetic in the lead role as Mankiewicz, and the film gives a rarely entertaining insight into an important period in 20th century film.
Predicted Odds: +500 by William Hill
Minari
Bong Joon-ho shocked the masses when Parasite took Best Picture at last season’s Academy Awards, and now another director of South Korean descent, Lee Isaac Chung, will have his own run at the top prize. Minari is another piece centering around family ties, but Chung’s tale is less of a societal analysis and more an emotional depiction of a foreign family starting up their own American Dream in the 1980s. Steven Yeun heads up a selection of superb performances as the father of a budding farm family, but Chung’s direction and cinematography set on a picturesque Arkansas backdrop make Minari hard to forget.
Why It’s Got a Chance: Minari won’t release worldwide until February, but it picked up two awards at the Sundance Film Festival to prove its worthy of attention.
Predicted Odds: +600
The Father
Anthony Hopkins waited 22 years between Oscar nominations before he returned to the shortlist with 2020’s The Two Popes, but The Father should see him return in back-to-back years this time around. Olivia Colman co-stars as the vexed daughter learning to cohabitate with Anthony (named as much in the film) as he progresses through the varying stages of dementia. Ludovico Einaudi was drafted in to score an emotional rollercoaster and duly delivers on the musical side. Hearts will swell. Tears will be shed. Award nominations will follow.
Why It’s Got a Chance: Colman and Hopkins are two of Britain’s finest at present—arguably the finest—and The Father highlights the all-too-common fears surrounding dementia in heartbreaking fashion.
Predicted Odds: +1000
Da 5 Bloods
Another 2020 entry that got its beginnings on Netflix, Spike Lee’s influence is evident all throughout Da 5 Bloods, a unique screenplay surrounding five black Vietnam veterans on a treasure hunt (of sorts). Da 5 Bloods was well-timed regarding its telling of racial injustices in the United States, but the film itself stands up as a powerful drama featuring just the right amount of levity. It also wouldn’t be a shock to see Chadwick Boseman receive a posthumous supporting actor nomination for what would end up being one of the late star’s final roles.
Why It’s Got a Chance: Always take it as a positive when a 150-minute film feels like less, and the stellar direction of a unique tale told by a great cast makes Da 5 Bloods fly by.
Predicted Odds: +1200
Previous Best Picture Winners (2010-19)
