And here we go... pretending that everything is normal as we take the small handful of movies that would be considered the lower tier of Oscar candidates, and even then, only a small part of that tier, and handing out Oscars like Sour Patch Kids (the here's-a-sweet-for-your-oddball-screening candy of choice) because what the hell, we need to get some ad revenue now that the reduced-revenue Emmy season is over, so let's push really hard on what we know is good, but not likely.
You know the titles... Foxless-Searchlight's (comment on the corporate status, not the staff... ha ha... am I in trouble?) Nomadland and Those-Who-Made-Parasite-Happen Neon's Ammonite were the only serious contenders going into Venice and Toronto... and the only ones that are really coming out of the festivals, though only one is really equipped to survive the next six-plus months until Oscar will supposedly happen. That would be Nomadland... but only as a "bottom half" nominee with a likely Frances McDormand nod …
