Anora to Wicked: Award-tipped films you need to know about and where to watch them
Awards season is underway – and in a year with few clear-cut front runners, and lots of the movies out late in the day in the UK, the race is looking pretty unpredictable.
Here’s a whistle-stop tour of some of the movies you’ll be hearing lots more about and where to watch them.
Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofia Gascon in Emilia Perrez. Pic: Netflix
It’s 22 years since a musical took best picture at the Oscars but now, like buses, two come along at once.
First there’s Emilia Perez – a mostly Spanish musical from a French director about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, played by trans actress Karla Sofia Gascon.
The most nominated foreign-language film in Oscar history with a whopping 13 nods – just one short of the all-time record – Gascon’s personal bid for Oscar glory has nose-dived after problematic tweets she sent resurfaced.
The movie also stars Zoe Saldana, who as a darling of blockbusters including Guardians Of The Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War and the Avatar franchise, is taking a punt on a more unusual film this time around.
She told Sky News: “We understood the assignment. We felt like, OK, it’s the niche of the niche of the niche film.”
Selena Gomez, who also stars, told Sky News that acting in Spanish was a joyful challenge: “Doing this movie has given me a little bit of a pat on the back and I felt encouraged,” she said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Selena Gomez has ‘no regrets’ over new movie
While the movie won four Golden Globes earlier this year, including best motion picture in the musical and comedy category, it’s proved divisive for some Mexican viewers who say it reduces them to crude stereotypes.
Large parts of the trans community have also said its treatment of transitioning feels regressive.
Plus, its reported use of AI to tweak some of Gascon’s high notes has not gone without comment.
Emilia Perez is available to view on Netflix.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked. Pic: Universal Pictures
Then there’s Wicked – the Wizard Of Oz prequel starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, whose press interviews were frequently emotional.
It’s been a box office hit, becoming the highest-grossing musical adaptation. But will it have the same magic touch at forthcoming awards?
It took one Golden Globe, in the shiny new category of cinematic and box office achievement, joining last year’s inaugural winner Barbie.
Wicked is available to rent or own on demand, including on Sky Store.
Adrian Brody in The Brutalist. Pic: A24
Chunky male-led dramas are awards season staples – and this year is no exception.
The Brutalist stars Adrien Brody as Hungarian architect Laszlo Toth, attempting to rebuild his life in the US after the Second World War.
You need staying power to sit through this one – it’s over three and a half hours long and even has its own interval.
Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones co-star, with Pearce crediting Brody’s achievement in the role, noting he is “almost intimidating he’s so good”.
Brody already has one best actor Oscar win under his belt – this might secure him a second.
The movie took best motion picture in the drama category at the Globes, as well as wins for Brody and its director Brady Corbet.
Meanwhile, a few eyebrows have been raised over the use of AI to “refine” the lead actors’ Hungarian accents.
The Brutalist is in cinemas now.
Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave. Pic: Focus Features 2024
Conclave is all about choosing a new Pope – a papal X Factor if you will.
In the film, more than 100 high-ranking clergymen, each with their own chequered past, elect the next Catholic figurehead while sealed off from the public in the secretive voting process.
The most nominated film at this year’s BAFTAs, with plenty of star power and Ralph Fiennes at the helm, it’s a study of the Catholic Church – warts and all.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘It’s not a facile takedown of the Catholic Church’
But as Fiennes told Sky News: “It’s not a facile takedown of the Catholic Church. I think it approaches it with curiosity…
“There’s obviously corruption. There are all kinds of transgressions we know about that have taken place, but it exists because the Catholic Church also offers, I think, a sort of support to communities. It’s a foundational place to go where the community has a structure, so I think it’s a big thing to sort of open up and discuss.”
Conclave, which also stars Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini, is available to rent or own on demand, including on Sky Store.
Nickel Boys stars Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson (L-R). Pic: Orion Pictures
Nickel Boys, about abuse at a US reform school in the 1960s, is the film with perhaps the most unique visual style, shot almost entirely from the two lead characters’ point of view.
It’s a disorientating drama that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
The film’s director, RaMell Ross, told Sky News it was a “multiple fold” movie, exploring the conventional representation of black people as victims in cinema as well as an expression of trauma.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Depicting trauma in The Nickel Boys
Ethan Herisse who plays Elwood, one of the film’s two leads, told Sky News: “While we were making it, it felt like we were doing something special and there was so much love from all the people that were working on that set. So, I was just hoping that it was able to come across when it was all said and done.”
Nickel Boys is in cinemas now.
Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya in Dune: Part Two. Pic: Warner Bros. Pictures/Niko Tavernise
We’ll call this the Timothée Chalamet section – flying the flag for two very different films.
Firstly, saving the universe in sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Chalamet steps back into the role of Paul Atreides, who, following the first movie, is now seeking revenge against those who decimated his family.
The third film is due out next year.
Villeneuve previously told Sky News he couldn’t have made the franchise without Chalamet’s talent.
Dune Two, which also stars Zendaya and Florence Pugh, is available to rent or own on demand, including on Sky Store.
Chalamet is Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Pic: Searchlight Pictures
Chalamet’s second punt in the awards offerings sees him pick up the guitar and give it some mumbling Bob Dylan energy in A Complete Unknown, playing the Nobel prize-winning folk hero regarded by many as a lyrical genius.
Chalamet at the Complete Unknown UK premiere. Pic: AP
Chalamet spent five years working on his singing, harmonica and guitar skills. Will the awards reward him for his efforts? Or will he be on his bike?
A Complete Unknown is in cinemas now.
And then there’s the female-led movies – from gritty, to horror, to devastating real life.
Mikey Madison in Anora. Pic: Neon/Augusta Quirk
Anora stars newcomer Mikey Madison as a sex worker from Brooklyn who marries into money.
Think Pretty Woman but without the sugar coating.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Mikey Madison on preparing to play a sex worker
Madison told Sky News she was “grateful” to have had the experience, adding that the “sex work community is amazing and I’ve made so many incredible friends”.
Anora is available to rent or own on demand, including on Sky Store.
I’m Still Here sees a mother of five fighting Brazil’s authoritarian military regime in the 1970s after her husband is forcibly “disappeared”, leaving her to search for the truth and rebuild her life.
Based on a true story, this Portuguese-language film is creating an unexpected buzz, with three Oscar nods and one Golden Globe win for its star, Fernanda Torres.
The Brazilian drama’s chances in the international category at the Oscars is better than fair.
I’m Still Here is due to go on limited release in cinemas on Friday 21 February.
Demi Moore re-evaluates her worth as an older woman in The Substance. Pic: Mubi
Lastly, body horror movie The Substance has given its star Demi Moore a career reboot like no other.
The timely narrative about an older actress refusing to fade into obscurity, with horrifying consequences, is one voters are likely to lap up.
It saw Moore take best actress in a musical or comedy at the Golden Globes, and her acceptance speech in which she spoke about being written off as a “popcorn actress” early on in her career laid the ground for further wins including a Critics’ Choice gong.
Which movies will win awards at this year’s BAFTA and Oscar ceremonies, and which will leave empty-handed?
Will Moore win best actress at the BAFTAs and Oscars? If the buzz is to be believed, she may well nab them.
The Substance, which also stars Margaret Qualley, is available to rent or own on demand, including on Sky Store.
The competition’s wide open – may the best movies win!
The BAFTA ceremony will be held at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday, 16 February.
The Academy Awards ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, 2 March.
Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.
As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.
Pete Townshend
“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.
“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”
If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.
But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.
Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation.
Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.
“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”
Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson
This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.
For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.
Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet
“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.
“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”
Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.
“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.
“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”
Read more from Sky News:
Tributes to ‘genius’ Kilmer
Richest billionaires named
Springsteen’s seven new albums
In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.
“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.
Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.
It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.
Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
Read more from Sky News:
Mum spared prison after son’s death
Last UK blast furnaces days from closure
Ship owner files legal claim after North Sea crash
The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.
Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.
Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.
Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP
Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.
“I wish you well on the next journey.”
The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.
Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.
He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.
Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.
Read more from Sky News:
Tributes to ‘genius’ Kilmer
Richest billionaires named
Springsteen’s seven new albums
He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.
In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports12 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway