2018 Nominee Watch – December 21st

There are a few new wide releases this weekend as we head into the Christmas holiday. Definitely plenty of new films to check out for you and the family, though there may be fewer Oscar contenders than the last few weeks.

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Aquaman
Jason Momoa and Amber Heard take on the latest entry in the DC Expanded Universe as Aquaman arrives in theaters. Ladies will be sure to appreciate the amount of shirtless Momoa on screen and there will be plenty of action, special effects and amazing underwater creatures.

I'm not as familiar with the entire DC film universe as I am with the Marvel side of things, but I feel like they went about it a little backwards, having the group film first (Justice League) and then splitting the characters off for their own standalone films.

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I don't think there is really much to speak about regarding Oscar potential here other than visual effects. The trailers show plenty of impressive effects, but the field is crowded this year. This is obviously backed up by the fact that Aquaman didn't even make the short list of ten films for the category announced last week.

Bumblebee
Everyone's favorite yellow transformer appears in this prequel to the other Transformers films that have been released over the last decade, starring Shia LaBeouf and Mark Wahlberg. This time around Hailee Steinfeld shows up as the young teen who picks up the transformer at a local junkyard and immediately falls in love with him.

I think this one will be a fun film for fans of the franchise, and an easy way to bring back many of the favorites who have not survived other films. The placement twenty years prior to the events of Transformers, gives the filmmakers plenty of room to slot other prequel films that follow this one and continue to push the franchise forward.

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Like Aquaman, I don't see much in the way of Oscar nominations here other than potential in visual effects and sound categories. Bumblebee did not make the cut in Visual Effects so it looks like sound may be the last hope for the yellow VW.

Second Act
Jennifer Lopez returns to the big screen with another story about a down and out woman who gets a big break and gets to move up to the penthouse, or in this case, the C Suite. (Yes, I'm referring to Maid in Manhattan)

I just have a hard time believing Lopez in a role like this. It feels like the filmmakers purposely picked someone who completely doesn't fit in the "underemployed woman working at a generic retail store" mold and cast her in this role. The trailer sets up the excessively fast rise of the main character when her friend alters her resume and Facebook page to make her look like a minor celebrity who has climbed Kilimanjaro and hangs with the Obamas.

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But a film like this is too predictable. Despite her best efforts, something will happen to crack the facade, ultimately leading to Lopez's character either losing her job, or facing her bosses and telling them she's a fraud.

I don't see any great acting here and very generic writing, so much that I feel like this would have been better as a Netflix original. Don't look for Second Act to nab and Oscar nominations next month.

Welcome to Marwen
Steve Carell has been a busy guy this year, appearing in three films, all of which hit theaters in the last quarter of the year. The premise of Welcome to Marwen is so intriguing to me and the fact that it employs an amazing acting talent like Carell with Robert Zemeckis behind the camera gives me high hopes.

Clearly, this is not Forrest Gump. It's a much different kind of war movie, if Gump can even be called that. There is much more pain here, both physical and emotional, and I think it's interesting that the women in the film are given what appears to be a strong role to play in helping and saving the lead character.

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There is definitely a lesson to be learned from this film about being tolerant of those that are not like you. Welcome to Marwen is already shortlisted for the Best Visual Effects Oscar and it does look visually stunning. It's remotely possible that Carell receives a nomination for one of his roles this fall, but I don't think this one will be it.

Limited Releases

• Cold War – In the Best Foreign Language Film entry from Poland, we see a love story unfold during WWII in black and white.
• Moscow Never Sleeps – Follow multiple lives in this drama set in modern Moscow.
• Swing Kids – A young North Korea soldier looks to escape captivity through dance.
• Zero – In this Indian film, a young man finds love in an unexpected place and is forced to examine his outlook on life.
• All is True (Oscar Qualifying Run) – Kenneth Branagh takes on his latest Shakespeare role in film, as the bard himself.