Oscars: Weighing the Odds for 'One Night in Miami,' 'Midnight Sky' and More as the Jockeying Gets Under Way

Hopefuls for 93rd  Academy  Awards face a marathon, mostly virtual, unlike anything ever seen before.

Best Picture

One Night in Miami 

Regina King presented the four stars of her feature directorial debut — Kingsley Ben-Adir, (above, who portrays Malcolm X), Eli Goree (Cassius Clay), Aldis Hodge (Jim Brown) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Sam Cooke) — with the ensemble award at the virtual San Francisco Film Awards Night on Dec. 9.

The Midnight Sky

Two-time Oscar winner George Clooney's eagerly awaited seventh film as a director, in which he stars as a scientist fighting to save the human race from extinction, hit theaters (and drive-ins) Dec. 11 in advance of its Netflix debut Dec. 23. However, it was greeted with a lackluster 53 percent approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com.

Best Director 

Christopher Nolan, Tenet

Having slammed his home studio Warner Bros. for its HBO Max day-and-date plans, the British-born director, whose latest film hit DVD and PPV on Dec. 15, is being applauded by helmers and below-the-line craftsmen who see their profit participations and residuals endangered.

Best Supporting Actor 

Shia LaBeouf, Pieces of a Woman

Though most of this two-hander's best notices have been for Vanessa Kirby, her co-star also was in the mix until a Dec. 11 New York Times report of abusive behavior toward two ex-girlfriends, including singer FKA twigs. He denied specific allegations but said he was "sorry to those I hurt."

Best Documentary Feature 

Time

Garrett Bradley's look at how a long prison sentence has impacted one Black family led to six Cinema Eye Honors nominations Dec. 10, including one for best nonfiction feature. It's the only film to get noms for the top prizes from Cinema Eye, the IDA, the Critics' Choice Doc Awards and the Gotham Awards.

Best International Feature 

Another Round

The latest collaboration between Danish writer-director Thomas Vinterberg and actor Mads Mikkelsen — which, like 2013's The Hunt, has been selected as their country's Oscar entry — dominated the Dec. 12 European Film Awards, winning best film, director, actor and screenplay.

This story first appeared in the Dec. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.