Oscars and awards season: How to watch your favorite movies and what dates you should mark on your calendar

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. At the beginning of 2022 we entered awards season – that time of year crowned by the Oscar awards in which the entertainment industry decides what its best productions of the last 12 months were – with an orderly schedule of ceremonies again with the public and relatively safer thanks to advances in vaccination campaigns and biosecurity protocols to combat coronavirus .

All this changed with the arrival of the Omicron, a more contagious variant of the coronavirus that soon became the prevalent strain of COVID in the United States and the rest of the world, forcing the postponement and cancellation of events in an attempt to control the new progress of the pandemic.

What has not changed is which films are presented as the favorites for this awards season, with two already taking advantage thanks to the Golden Globes on January 9, where the two main awards were given to the films “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story” in the categories of drama and musical or comedy respectively.

However, it would be a mistake to think that this early victory will necessarily translate into an Oscar victory and other films also stand out as favorites at least to be included in the list of nominees, to be revealed on February 8. Here is a count of the films that are already being announced as strong contenders in the awards season and where you can see them.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst star in this western set in 1925 Montana. The plot revolves around Phil (Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Plemons), two brothers who share ownership of a huge cattle ranch. Their fragile peace ends when George marries Rose Gordon (Dunst), a widow with a young son named Peter (Smit-McPhee).

Where to see it? Netflix

A remake of the classic musical, “West Side Story” is set in 1957 and tells a love story between two young men separated by the rivalry of the gangs they belong to: the Jets, made up mainly of Caucasians, and the Sharks, made up of mainly Puerto Ricans. .

Where to see it? There is no streaming service that has the movie yet, but it is presumed to be coming to Disney+ soon.

Set in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s, “Belfast” stars Buddy (Jude Hill), a young working class man, living during a time of radical cultural change and sectarian violence.

Where to see it? Available to rent on Amazon

Starring Will Smith, this is a biographical film about Richard Williams and his efforts to turn his two daughters, Venus and Serena, into two of the most famous tennis players of all time.

Where to see it? HBO Max

First part of the new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s magnum opus, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. The film takes us to Arrakis, a desert planet that is the only source of a drug known as Spice, essential for intergalactic travel.

Where to see it? HBO Max

Comedy set in the San Fernando Valley of 1973, follows the relationship between Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), two young people who learn the bittersweet reality of first love and transition to adult life.

Where to see it? In theaters from January 20

Ruby Russi (Emilia Jones) is the only hearing member of a deaf family and an essential part of the family fishing business. At school she discovers her passion for singing, an ability that will open the way for her to study music, but that will force her to make a decision that could take her away from her beloved family at a time when they need her most.

Where to see it? Apple TV+

Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand star in this new adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” about a Scottish lord who is convinced by a trio of witches that he will become king of Scotland.

Where to see it? Apple TV+

A dark comedy starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawarence. It revolves around a pair of scientists who discover that a comet is on a collision course with Earth and their unsuccessful attempts to raise the alarm.

Where to see it? Netflix

The directorial debut of the creator of “Hamilton” is this musical based on the life of Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield), the brilliant composer behind the famous musical “Rent”.

Where to see it? Netflix

As we mentioned before, the progress of the Omicron has radically changed the dates of the ceremonies of many of the awards and we are still in a volatile time in which the dates can change again according to the recommendations of the authorities. However, here we leave a record of the important dates of the calendar as they are at the time we write this note.

January 9: Golden Globes Ceremony – Find out who won here

January 12: SAG Awards (Screen Actors Guild) nominations are announced

January 15: Oscars Governors Awards / Postponed until further notice.

January 18: Nominations for the NAACP Image Awards (from the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) are announced.

January 27: Voting begins to decide the Oscar nominees

January 27: PGA Awards (Producers Guild) nominations announced

January 27: Nominations for the DGA Awards (Directors Guild) are announced.

January 27: WGA Awards (Writers Guild) nominations are announced.

February 1: Voting to decide the Oscar nominees ends

February 3: BAFTA nominees are announced

February 8: Announcement of the Oscar nominees

February 22: Annie Awards Ceremony (Focused on animation)

February 26: NAACP Image Awards Ceremony

February 27: SAG Awards Ceremony (Screen Actors Guild)

March 6: Independent Spirit Awards Ceremony

March 7: Oscar Nominees Luncheon

March 12: DGA Awards Ceremony (Directors Guild)

March 13: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) Ceremony

March 13: Critics Choice Awards Ceremony

March 17: Voting begins to choose the Oscar winners

March 19: PGA Awards Ceremony (Producers Guild)

March 20: WGA Awards Ceremony (Writers Guild)

March 22: Oscar winners voting ends

March 27: Oscar Ceremony