With critics' groups across the country starting to hand out their awards, the Oscar race is officially on. Cinemablend's Sean O'Connell joins us to handicap the major categories. With no clear frontrunner, it's anyone's guess which movie is going to break out before the big night. In the Best Picture category, it's looking like things are boiling down to a showdown between "The Post" and "Lady Bird." O'Connell weighs the pros and cons of each, noting that he thinks the Steven Spielberg political drama is the best movie of the year. We also consider whether "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" could be the franchise's first Best Picture nominee since the 1977 original, "A New Hope." Then, we tackle the contenders duking it out in the acting categories. Meryl Streep is looking to win her fourth Oscar for her leading role in "The Post." If anyone can stop her, O'Connell says it will likely be "Lady Bird's" Saoirse Ronan or "I, Tonya's" Margot Robbie. As for the actors, "Darkest Hour's" Gary Oldman is pulling ahead as the one to beat for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.

Share:
More In Culture
The Blooming Business of Mother's Day
It's undeniable that Mother's Day brings florists a lot of business. But 1-800-Flowers is going beyond just fresh flowers to stay ahead of the game.
'The Honor List' Is About Women, By Women
Female stories "have to be told by women, otherwise there's going to be a disconnect," says actress Meghan Rienks. The movie, which follows a group of high school girls who reunite to complete a bucket list, was created by women.
The #MeToo Movement Helped by 'Strength in Numbers'
The former Fox News reporter Lauren Sivan says she was able to speak out against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein because she didn't rely on him for a job. But it was harder when it came to speaking out about her former boss Roger Ailes. "It was a lose-lose for any woman who wanted to come forward," she says.
Roman Polanski Blasts #MeToo and Threatens to Sue Academy
The Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski threatened to sue the Academy after it voted to expel him from its ranks, calling the #MeToo movement "total hypocrisy." Jennifer Cunningham, a senior editor at the entertainment news site Bossip, said changes to the Academy membership rules don't help Polanski.
For Wall Street, Disney Can Do No Right
The entertainment company was trading down Wednesday morning, despite posting better-than-expected earnings on Tuesday. The biggest drag could be coming from "concern around ESPN and the decline in subscribers there," says Jason Ware, chief investment officer and chief economist at Albion Financial Group.
'Black Panther' Box-Office Receipts Boost Disney's Earnings
The blockbuster hit from Marvel added hundreds of millions of dollars to Disney's bottom line in the second quarter, giving the company's movie studio business a 21 percent quarterly increase. The new "Avengers" movie and soon-to-be released "Star Wars" films will continue to help the media company's revenues, says Jack Kramer, co-founder and co-CEO of MarketSnacks.
Load More