The red carpet will roll out for Hollywood's elite and up-and-coming stars who hope to be recognized with an Academy Award on Sunday night.
Viewership for the premier awards program is just over half what it was 25 years ago, as people consume movies in different ways.
"Everything is fragmented over the last decade, and there's a million different places to watch things, and it makes it difficult to find the baseline of the culture," said screenwriter and University of Missouri-Kansas City film professor Mitch Brian. "Everybody's in their own little silos, and it goes double for movies."
Another reason for the once-popular awards show’s decline could be that the nominations don’t reflect the consumers who use movies to connect with one another.
"Those are not the movies that are being nominated, the ones that we hold dear, the ones that we pay to see. We buy these tickets. This is a consumer driven industry that they are ignoring," said Lonita Cook.
This year, the Academy Awards will air on ABC and Hulu making it more accessible to people who have cut cable. Up To Date's panelists shared some of their favorite movie nominations, and also what they're watching at home that isn't up for an award.
Lonita Cook's recommendations
A movie for the whole family, "The Wild Robot" is an animated movie about a shipwrecked robot learning to adapt and survive on an uninhabited island. The movie is about belonging, being different and enemies coming together, Cook said. The movie has three Oscar nominations, including for best animated feature.
"Conclave"
John Lithgow and Ralph Fiennes star in "Conclave," a political thriller about the opaque process of selecting a new Pope and secrets within the Roman Catholic Church. Cook describes the movie, which received eight nominations, as "amazing," but said that it's a niche topic that might draw criticism from Catholics and not interest others.
A film about an Afghanistan veteran who cares for her grandfather upon returning home, while also trying to cope with survivor’s guilt. The heavy topic of the film has comedic flair, and features Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as an executive producer.
"Paradise"
Cook describes this series as a political thriller with a little sci-fi in it, and something that will pull on the heartstrings. It stars Sterling K. Brown as an agent who works to uncover the truth behind the assassination of America's president, but is forced to question who he can trust. The Hulu series is in its first season and Cook said it will hook you.
A Hulu series renewed for a second season, "High Potential" follows a mom of three with a brilliant mind. Working as a janitor, the mom stumbles into being a police detective's consultant to help solve a murder case.
Mitch Brian's recommendations
Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, "The Brutalist" is a about a Hungarian Holocaust survivor trying to reunite with his wife and make a life for himself in the U.S. as an architect. Brian calls the film "a really significant work of art."
In a collision of jazz and politics, the documentary "Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat” is about the assassination of Congo's first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. With many films up for best documentary, Cook and Brian both say “Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat” deserves the award.
"It's very journalistically sound, but speaking of sound, it's all about jazz, and all of the graphics are modeled after Blue Note jazz covers," Brian said.
An independent biographical drama, "The Apprentice" is about a young Donald Trump as a businessman in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Brian calls the film, nominated in the best actor and best supporting actor categories, an underrated Oscar contender. President Donald Trump has expressed displeasure with the film and threatened legal action.
"The Fall"
A 2006 film that took four years to produce, "The Fall" has been re-released to the streaming platform Mubi. The story involves a hospitalized stuntman, Roy, and his friendship with a young girl who is captivated by Roy's stories. But Roy's friendship with the girl has ulterior motives. Brian describes the film as "a fairy tale for grown ups and for kids."
The docuseries about the experiences of Black actors, producers and directors and their fight to make a place for themselves in Hollywood features Kansas director Kevin Willmott.
"Is that Black Enough For You"
This documentary about the history and contributions of African Americans in movies and pop culture includes Whoopie Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson and others discussing the early days of cinema.
- Lonita Cook, film, TV and culture critic
- Mitch Brian, screenwriter and UMKC film professor
