Oscars 2021: Who’s up, who’s down, and where you can watch this year’s contenders

awards season has been turned upside down by the pandemic: Festivals have gone digital, QAs are now Zooms, and red carpets have mostly gone the way of the dinosaurs. Awards shows, too, have been perpetually pushed back or reimagined in light of COVID safety concerns. 

But (knock on wood) the Academy Awards are sticking to their rescheduled April 25 ceremony, extending the eligibility deadline to Feb. 28 and welcoming streaming movies. At this point, we’ve seen most all of the contenders, and early awards from critics have given us a taste of who’s ahead as we await Wednesday’s Golden Globe and Thursday’s Screen Actors Guild nominations. 

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Here’s what you need to know about the current state of the race: 

‘Da 5 Bloods,’ Spike Lee come back strong

It’s been seven months since Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” hit Netflix, which may as well be seven years in pandemic time. And with the streaming giant throwing its weight behind more than a dozen awards hopefuls – including the recent “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Pieces of a Woman” – we were starting to worry this Vietnam vet drama could be forgotten. 

National Board of Review, including best film, director (Lee) and ensemble. Lee also made headlines at Sunday’s New York Film Critics Circle Awards, comparing former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler in a characteristically no-holds-barred speech. 

In the past 10 years, NBR’s best film pick has only lined up once with the eventual best picture Oscar winner (2018’s “Green Book”). Still, this week’s wins help put “Da 5 Bloods” and Lee at the front of voters’ minds – precisely where you want to be before Saturday’s deadline for Globe nomination ballots.

Where to watch: “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Pieces of a Woman” are streaming on Netflix. 

‘Sound of Metal’ makes some noise 

Critics have been beating the drum for “Sound of Metal” ever since Darius Marder’s directorial debut premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Now, the rest of us are finally catching up: The magnificent Amazon drama about a drummer (Riz Ahmed) with hearing loss has popped with just about every major awards body, named to NBR and American Film Institute’s top 10 films this week. Ahmed and co-star Paul Raci won NBR’s best actor and supporting actor prizes, respectively, and also earned Independent Spirit Awards nods. Expect to see both their names in next week’s Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations. 

Where to watch: “Sound of Metal” is streaming on Amazon Prime. 

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‘Malcolm Marie’ stumbles with critics 

Word to the wise: Never trust early Twitter hype. In the second week of January, people got their first look at Netflix’s “Malcolm Marie” and immediately praised the black-and-white relationship drama, with many predicting a best actress Oscar nod and possible win for star Zendaya. But those hyperbolic initial reactions were in stark contrast to last week’s blistering critics’ reviews of the film, with publications such as Entertainment Weekly calling it a “stylish, pretentious slog” and giving it a D+. The film has 63% positive reviews on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. 

But even as many critics panned Sam Levinson’s shouty, overwritten dialogue, most could agree that Zendaya’s simmering performance is the film’s high point. The 24-year-old “Euphoria” star brings caustic wit and vulnerability to the role of a former drug addict and girlfriend to a domineering director (John David Washington). If Zendaya scores with precursors like the Globes and SAG, then she’s still very much in this race. 

Where to watch: “Malcolm Marie” premieres Feb. 5 on Netflix. 

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ ready for Sundance splash

“Judas” is riding high going into Monday’s world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. The historical drama, which tells the story of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), landed spots in both AFI’s and NBR’s 10 best lists this week, bolstering the film’s status as a best picture Oscar player. If reviews out of Sundance are equally enthusiastic, expect Kaluuya to shoot to front of the supporting actor pack, with possible spoilers in best actor (Lakeith Stanfield) and supporting actress (Dominique Fishback) as well. 

Where to watch: “Judas the Black Messiah” streams Feb. 12 on HBO Max. 

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