Three months after the theatrical release ofRyan Coogler’sSinners, the period vampire flick starringMichael B. Jordanis still one of the most acclaimed films of the year. With itnow streamingonHBO Max, it will be discovered and studied anew, and as that happens, people will be taking it even more seriously as an Oscar contender, even with five and a half more months of movies to be released. First and foremost,Sinnersis going to be vying for one of those ten Best Picture nominationswith very little else released over the past six months strong enough to keep it out of the running. On top of that,there are many categories thatSinnerscould and should have a presence in this upcoming awards season.
‘Sinners’ Gives Ryan Coogler a Chance for the Directing Nomination He Deserved for ‘Black Panther’
When Marvel Studios’Black Pantherreceived a Best Picture nomination in 2018, it had been the highest-grossing movie of the year prior with over $700 million.More importantly, it made history as the first superhero movie with an almost entirely Black cast. Although it won three Oscars, Coogler himself wasn’t nominated for any. That would be rectified in the years hence, with Coogler being nominated for two Oscars, for producingJudah and the Black Messiahand his contribution to an original song inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. Sinnersseems like the perfect opportunity for Coogler to be honored for his work as a director, which at this point is fairly undeniable, although Best Director has frequently been a jampacked category trying to parse ten Best Picture nominees into the five directors most deserving. With that in mind,there’s a much better chance that Coogler’s original screenplay forSinnerswill be one of five nominations in that category,since it’s such an achievement to create something so original and can still find a mainstream, commercial audience.
Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, and Miles Caton Should Be Recognized
As far as Coogler’s illustrious cast, they are likely to be nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Cast – an honor thatBlack Pantherwon in 2018. Coogler’s long-time collaboratorMichael B. Jordanis likely to be front and center, receiving his first Oscar nomination for the dual role of Smoke and Stack, the brothers whose attempt to open a juke joint is thwarted by a vampire incursion. Probably the closest Jordan came to a nomination was when he starred in Coogler’s firstCreedmovie in 2015. Instead of nominating Jordan, the Academy nominated his scene partner, Sylvester Stallone, in the Best Supporting Actor category for his second Oscar nomination as an actor. Maybe Stallone deserved to be nominated, but it stirred up quite a bit of controversy, sincethe 89th Academy Awards was the second year in a row when not a single actor of color was nominated, spurring thehashtag #OscarsSoWhite, and an attempt by the Academy to make positive changes.
To many familiar with the impressive career of actorDelroy Lindo, it’s shocking he has yet to receive an Oscar nomination despite being a well-respected veteran of the industry. Some may have felt thatLindo’s performance inSpike Lee’sDa 5 Bloodsin 2020 should have been nominated, but that was a strange year, between COVID and it being a Netflix release. Althoughyoung musicianMiles Catonis also impressivein his first role,he’s likely to be relegated to the supporting category when, arguably, his character is the real lead of the story.The Academy does like honoring young, fresh actors, as proven by another member of theSinners’cast,Hailee Steinfeld, who was nominated for her performance in theCoen Brothers’True Gritwhen she was just 14 years old. Hopefully, Caton will receive some well-deserved recognition.
‘Sinners’ is Guaranteed to Clean Up in the Below-The-Line Nominations
Three of Coogler’s team fromBlack Pantherwon Oscars for that movie, and at least two of them should be back in contention for their work onSinners. Probably one of the frontrunners for his original score isLudwig Göransson, since music plays such a key role inSinners, possibly even more so than it did inBlack Panther, even though that movie also won a Grammy for its soundtrack. Costume designerRuth E. Carter’s work inSinnersis very different from the African-inspired costumes ofBlack Panther, but the looks of the various characters contribute to Coogler’s film working so well as a period piece.This would be Carter’s fifth nomination after winning Oscars for both previousBlack Panthermovies, but we’ll have to see what else shows up as her competition this year.
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Oddly, production designerHannah Beachlermay be one of the exceptions in being nominated again. It’s not that her work recreating 1930s Mississippi isn’t impressive, but the creation of Smoke and Stack’s juke joint just doesn’t have the same level of razzle-dazzle as creating a full-scale Wakanda inBlack Pantherand other similar winners. Another collaborator almost destined to receive her very first Oscar nomination isCoogler’s cinematographer,Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who worked with Coogler onWakanda Forever.
Ever sinceSinnerscame out, there’s been much talk about Arkapaw’s use of IMAX cameras and some of the film’s “oners,“which should impress the cinematographers branch. EditorMichael Shawverdid not receive an Oscar nomination forBlack Panther, and his work onSinnersis just as worthy of that honor, so maybe the film editing branch will make up for their prior error. It’s also worth noting that this will be the first year when the Oscars are presenting an award for casting. With Coogler’s cast likely to get a SAG nomination, then casting directorFrancine Maislermight be one of the first five people nominated in that category.
A lot is going for Coogler’sSinnerswhen considering it for Oscars, beyond it being abrilliantly reviewed film, and Hollywood has paid attention withthe likes ofTom CruiseandKevin Baconamong the Academy members who’ve praised the film.Sinnersshould benefit greatly from the Motion Picture Academy’s acceptance of horror and genre in recent years, withJordan Peele’sGet OutandCoralie Fargeat’sThe Substancelast year receiving a number of nominations, with both of those movies winning one Oscar each. The only thing possibly working againstSinnersis that it was released so early in the year, similar toDune: Part 2last year. Despite now being on streaming, one has to wonder whether Academy voters will remember the movie in six months while filling out their ballots. Notably,Denis Villeneuvedidn’t receive a directing Oscar nomination for the sequel, just like he was snubbed forPart 1.Sinners deserves a lot of awards recognition, but above all else,one can only hope that Coogler finally gets recognized by the Academy for his writing and directing skills.
