2018 Nominee Watch – December 25th

Merry Christmas!

Two new wide releases hit theaters on Tuesday while everyone celebrates the holidays. I always feel bad for the movie theater employees being some of the only people who have to work on Christmas, but the benefit is that we get new films on Christmas to open every year, just like new presents.

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Holmes & Watson
Will Farrell and John C. Reilly team up once again, this time for a humorous take on the classic story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

If you're a fan of this pair's other films (Step Brothers and Talladega Nights) this one will likely be right up your alley. The humor will be crass, there will be plenty of physical humor along with poking fun at our modern society through the lens of the 19th century (see the selfie taken through a huge box camera in the trailer).

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What you're not going to see much of with this film is ratings or award nominations. If you're looking for a laugh, check it out this week while you're off of work and school. If you're looking for truly great filmmaking, maybe read on for a better option.

Vice
Ever since the announcement of this film, there has been buzz about potential nominations at the Oscars. Covering the run up to the 2000 presidential election and the selection of oil tycoon Dick Cheney as the Vice Presidential running mate to George W. Bush.

The cast is studded with allstar talent from top to bottom, from Tyler Perry as Colin Powell and Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld to the heavy hitters at of Sam Rockwell (Bush), Amy Adams (Lynne Cheney), and of course Christian Bale as Cheney himself.

The film has already been nominated for a bevy of Golden Globes and it appears likely that several Oscar nominations will follow, many of them in the same categories.

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In addition to nominations for at least 2-3 of the cast members, I would expect to see nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. It is also already on the short list for Best Makeup and Hairstyling (which could be a strong possibility with the makeup up on Bale) as well as Best Original Score (less likely because that is a much more crowded field at the moment).

Limited Releases

• Destroyer – An almost unrecognizable Nicole Kidman stars in a film about a woman who must confront her past in order to save her child.
• On the Basis of Sex – Felicity Jones stars as Ruth Bader Ginsberg in her early life as a lawyer, long before she was appointed to the Supreme Court.
• Stan & Ollie – John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan star as the famous comedians Laurel and Hardy. (December 28th)