2019 Nominee Watch – November 22nd

It's time to let it go once more as Frozen II hits theaters this weekend.

We are also getting the long awaited Mister Rogers film and a new police drama starring Chadwick Boseman.

Be sure to also check out the limited releases for some documentaries that have been submitted for Oscar consideration and a few small releases with some big name stars.

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21 Bridges
A new police drama starring Chadwick Bosemen in his first major role since Black Panther brings us the story of a detective investigating the killing of eight police officers during a robbery. Boseman plays Andre Davis, an up and coming police detective who became a police officer to deal with the loss of his officer father when he was just a boy.

Davis's plan to flush out the killers is to shut down the island of Manhattan by closing all 21 bridges (hence the title), three rivers, and four tunnels that lead out of the city. It is a race against time since the city of New York cannot remain closed come morning, so he has precious little time to find the killers and bring them in.

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Even with no comic book characters this time around, the film has production credits from Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors behind Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While not in the directors chairs this time around, they share producer credits with Boseman himself.

Ultimately, this looks like a decent action flick and I'm excited to see Bosemen in another role besides T'Challa, but I don't expect any Oscar buzz here.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Just hearing the opening notes of the famous theme song that began each of the hundreds of episodes of Mister Rogers Neighborhood brings me right back to sitting on the couch in the mornings, eating my breakfast, and waiting impatiently for the show to come on our local PBS station. I honestly don't know how many episodes I've seen, but I feel like I've watched every single one.

In a time where there weren't as many options for educational programming as today, Mister Rogers was the mainstay of my early education, even more than Sesame Street or Captain Kangaroo. I loved the characters that Rogers brought to life in the Land of Makebelieve and understood even at a young age that the world he created was a safe space to explore my feelings and understand my place in the world.

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Following on the heels of last year's Oscar nominated documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor, this film explores the relationship between Rogers and journalist Tom Junod who is writing a piece about the man in the cardigan sweater.

The film looks like it has captured everything I loved about the show, down to every last detail of the living room set and the puppets he told stories with.

I fully expect to need a full box of tissues when I watch this film and wouldn't be surprised to see it receive several nominations come Oscar time. Tom Hanks is always good for potential nominations and this role may be the best yet from his storied career. The story could get a nominations for screenplay and I wouldn't be surprised if a Best Director and/or Best Picture nomination came from here as well.

Frozen II
In one of the most popular films to come out of Disney Animation Studios in years, Frozen captured the hearts of little girls around the world in 2014. I was fortunate enough to have a little girl just the right age who wanted to be Elsa and ran around the house for months in a blue dress, singing "Let It Go" at the top of her lungs.

Now the crew of Elsa, her sister Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and of course Olaf are back for a new adventure. Elsa has learned to trust her sister and not push her away after the events of the first film. But there is a new threat to the kingdom of Arendelle, and the sisters must work together once more to protect their kingdom.

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The film looks dazzling and I fully expect a quality story to accompany it. Disney will bring us new characters, new creatures, and new magic that will inspire a new round of little girls just like the original.

Look for this to grab nominations in the Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song categories with potential for Best Original Score and perhaps even a Best Picture nomination.

Limited Releases

• 3022 – A group of space travelers return to Earth, only to find that it has been destroyed and they have no where to go.
• Age Out – A teenager deals with having to find his own way after a lifetime in foster care.
• Citizen K – Documentary look at the life of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, one of the wealthiest men in Russia and his relationship with Vladimir Putin.
• The Courier – Gary Oldman stars in a film about a man being tracked down as a key witness in an investigation and the woman who tries to save him.
• Dark Waters – Mark Ruffalo (Avengers, Now You See Me) stars in a film about a corporate lawyer who takes on a corporate giant to defend a small town.
• Hala – A dramatic look a the life of a young Muslim girl trying to find her place in the world.
• Saint Cloud Hill – A documentary look at a group of homeless individuals trying to defend their tent homes again the government.
• Shooting the Mafia – A look at the world of newspaper photographer Letizia Battaglia and her documenting murders in Italy.
• When Lambs Become Lions – A documentary look at the destruction of the African elephant through the eyes of poachers and rangers.
• Wilder vs. Ortiz – Catch the boxing match live in theaters on Saturday evening. (November 23rd Special Engagement)
• The Calling – Re-release of the 2014 Susan Sarandon film.
• Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary – A crazy look at the 1999 cult classic Galaxy Quest. (November 26th Special Engagement)