OKLAHOMA CITY – Well, it’s already that time again, time to scour the trades, weather the drama, study up on the discourse, and start placing your bets for the year’s big winners across the filmmaking world.
That’s right, awards season is finally upon us yet again.
It feels like only yesterday that we were all condemning the hidden use of AI in overblown epic “The Brutalist,” debating the chances that a raunchy, fast-paced stripper dramedy like “Anora” could sweep the Oscars, and cringing hard at that one song in “Emilia Perez.”
You know which song I mean.
Well it’s time to do that whole dance again. So if you’ve been out of the loop because you’ve been waiting for the dust to settle to see which films need seeing, or because you were focused on the blockbuster summer, or because you had way more important things going on, then allow me to help you catch up.
Here’s a look at a handful of this year’s big awards players that you can catch at home or in OKC theaters this month.
‘One Battle After Another’ – digital rent/own starting Friday, November 14th
Paul Thomas Anderson’s leftist revolutionary thriller/Gen X slacker parenting farce is, without question, the most widely and visibly acclaimed film of 2025, and for good reason. It’s not only deeply socially relevant and politically pointed in a way few modern films dare to be, but it’s also just undeniably fun and watchable in a way few prestige pictures care to be.
At this point, it’s a lock for nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay , and Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio. But we should also expect Best Supporting Actor (definitely for Sean Penn’s despicable, venomous Steven J. Lockjaw, but maybe also for Benecio del Toro’s calm, level-headed “Sensei”,) and at least one Best Supporting Actress (maybe Teyana Taylor, but hopefully for the incredible Chase Infiniti.)
But while all of those nominations feel guaranteed, the film’s chances of actually winning are a bit more up in the air.
The right-wing backlash against the film from the increasingly influential conservative sides of the entertainment media could hamper its votes, and the fact that its warm, but low-key box office reception means it’s likely to lose $100 million in its theatrical run could be poison to voting producers and Hollywood insiders.
Still, “One Battle After Another” is currently the frontrunner for nearly everything.
‘Frankenstein’ – Streaming now on Netflix
It’s the film that Oscar-winning master of the macabre, Guillermo del Toro, has been trying to make for his entire career, both figuratively in terms of the development and evolution of his themes and filmmaking approach, but also literally.
He’s been planning and developing this adaptation of Mary Shelley’s manmade monster classic for his entire cinematic life, and it shows.
It’s a staggeringly gorgeous film, with every element of production design, costuming, and makeup all surely locks for nominations throughout the awards world. And while Oscar Isaac’s fully deserving turn as the cold, obsessive Doctor Frankenstein may be overlooked next to some higher profile performances, I’ll be shocked if Jacob Elordi doesn’t nab a Best Supporting Actor nod for his eeply moving, elegiac turn as The Creature.
As for the film’s chances for the other big nods? Best Adapted Screenplay is most likely, Best Director possibly, and Best Picture very likely considering the expanded field. Awards voters have proven how much they love and respect del Toro, but the chances of “Frankenstein” winning big will depend on how many voters dislike his changes to Shelley’s original tale and how many are tired of his signature style and tone.
‘The Smashing Machine’ – Opens at OKCMOA Friday, November 14th
If there’s one thing that awards voters love, it’s a narrative, the kind of behind-the-scenes, behind-the-career story of an actor’s rise to breaking expectations and blowing audiences away with a complete transformation.
Often that comes after a career lull or once they’ve aged out of mainstream appeal, but the biggest narrative in this season’s acting field is simply a performer taking a bigger swing than ever before.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson undergoes a face-changing makeup transformation to become UFC legend Mark Kerr in an obsession/redemption yarn from “Uncut Gems” co-director Benny Safdie.
It feels like the perfect prestige role for Johnson, who gets to continue showing off his massive physical prowess while still emoting hard and acting to the rafters, proving the performance chops that he’s always had, but rarely gets to display in his constant flood of action schlock.
The narrative alone feels like enough to at least get Johnson a Best Actor nod, though time will tell if distributor A24 will put enough weight behind an awards campaign to secure some other categories for “The Smashing Machine.”
‘Sinners’ – streaming now on HBO Max
In the past few years, there have been a number of big awards winners that have dropped way earlier than the usual late-year awards season, including summer blockbuster “Oppenheimer.”
So it feels like a lock that director Ryan Coogler’s box office-smashing “Sinners” will make a big showing throughout awards season, especially as the Oscars’ Best Picture field – and the Academy itself – has been expanded in recent years to better recognize crowd-pleasing and socially diverse films.
Coogler’s action-horror epic of vampires preying on Depression-era racial exploitations made big waves all summer long, even next to some tentpole superhero fare, so it’ll be a pretty major snub if it doesn’t show up in the Best Picture lineup.
Other categories could be more up in the air, though Coogler could easily snag a Best Director nod, star Michael B. Jordan could be recognized in Best Actor for his dual leading role, and Coogler’s all-original screenplay feels primed for a big nomination.
‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ – Opens at OKCMOA November 28th
A strange, divisive, darkly psychological pseudo-comedy like director Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” is the kind of film that would normally generate lots of indie buzz and then be passed over for the big awards.
But star Rose Byrne’s leading performance of a woman struggling to reconcile her daughter’s illness, her crumbling home life, and her own disintegrating mental state has caused such a stir this year that it’ll be a surprise to not see her in the Best Actress category.
With male-led films so often dominating the majority of the conversations every year, the Best Actress category tends to be one of the most interesting and a place where some much stranger and more unexpected films can get their due.
And if some awards groups really want to make some headlines, they could bestow a Best Supporting Actor trophy upon Conan O’Brien for his wholly unexpected acting turn here as Byrne’s psychiatrist.
‘Die My Love’ – Now Playing at OKCMOA through November 14th
Speaking of, Lynne Ramsay’s unraveling fever dream of postpartum psychosis and boiling, weirdly comic tension, “Die My Love,” is another entry that would likely be ignored by the more uptight and prestigious organizations if not for Jennifer Lawrence’s ferocious, uncompromising leading turn.
The Academy, in particular, has loved to nominate Lawrence, but she hasn’t gotten a nod since 2016’s “Joy” as she’s spent her time doing smaller, stranger, and more divisive films.
But with the buzz surrounding the sheer fearlessness and intensity of this role, it could be time that they finally recognize her once again.
‘It Was Just an Accident’ – Now Playing at OKCMOA through November 16th
As I already laid out in my full review, Jafar Panahi’s tense, blunt, and legitimately dangerous “It Was Just an Accident” is the kind of film that demands to be seen, especially as the whole global community begins to feel the threat of the same kind of authoritarian violence that it confronts.
It will be recognized in the Best International Film category. I think we can guarantee that much.
It should be recognized for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and more, but whether or not it will unfortunately will probably depend on how much weight the producers are able to put behind an awards campaign.
But at least for me personally, I don’t believe I’ve seen a film more deserving so far this year.
Catch Brett Fieldcamp’s film column weekly for information and insights into the world of film in the Oklahoma City metro and Oklahoma. | Brought to you by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Brett Fieldcamp is our Arts and Entertainment Editor. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for 15+ years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
