Awards movies to watch this holiday season

The blue people of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” will dominate the box office this holiday season, though it faces stiffer-than-expected competition on the Oscar circuit.

“Wicked: For Good” also likely won’t replicate the nominations haul it made at last year’s Academy Awards. Instead, expect a Best Picture lineup of smaller films (plus “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another”) to fill the 10 slots. One might be “Train Dreams,” the gorgeous, hauntingly melancholy drama that just happened to be shot around the Inland Northwest.

Here are the movies to seek out over the next few weeks:

The big guns: Ryan Coogler’s inventive and thrilling “Sinners” is now poised to be the singular box office juggernaut in the Best Picture hunt (though “Avatar” and “Wicked: For Good” could still overcome their mediocre reviews and make the cut). Meanwhile, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” made decent money despite its enormous budget. It’s your certified frontrunner in the race and seems to be on a path of awards dominance over the next several months. “Sinners” is streaming on HBO Max, while “One Battle After Another” is available to rent on video on demand.

Streamer standouts: “Train Dreams” quietly emerged as Netflix’s most captivating film amidst a lineup of buzzier titles: “A House of Dynamite” from Kathryn Bigelow and “Ballad of a Small Time Player” from recent Oscar darling Edward Berger of “Conclave” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” notoriety). Given its recent string of nominations with other awards bodies like the Independent Spirit and Critics Choice Awards, a Best Picture and lead actor nomination for Joel Edgerton now seem more likely than not.

Of course, Netflix also boasts another sure thing in Guillermo del Toro’s uneven-but-gorgeously produced “Frankenstein.” Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly,” about an aging actor reconsidering his life choices, also leans on stellar work from George Clooney and Adam Sandler. Netflix will likely get at least two of these into the Best Picture lineup, with a decent chance now of scoring three.

Indies expanding in December: Another favorite of mine this year, “Sentimental Value,” from Norwegian director Joachim Trier, is a movie about moviemaking and absent fathers. It recently made its way to Spokane via the Magic Lantern and AMC River Park Square. Those looking for a good, long cry will also take note of Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet” also making its way to Spokane after an acclaimed run on the fall festival circuit. It’s a terrific movie about losing a child. So great holiday fare!

Another likely Best Picture contender, “It Was Just an Accident,” from Iranian director Jafar Panahi, already played in Spokane earlier this fall but could find a way back to more theaters assuming it nets its expected haul of nominations.

Still to come: Timmy returns to dominate the box office on Christmas Day with his offbeat, ping-pong sports epic “Marty Supreme.” Yet another international standout, “The Secret Agent,” a Brazilian political thriller, will also expand at least to Spokane in the next few weeks. Same goes for the bold and divisive musical, “The Testament of Ann Lee,” starring a breakout Amanda Seyfried. Both could sneak into the race if “Avatar” and “Wicked” don’t make it.

Hey, there’s also that Jack Black-Paul Rudd comedic remake of “Anaconda” opening on Christmas Day. Probably not one for the Academy Awards.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Michael B. Jordan, right, in a scene from "Sinners."
  

    This image released by Universal Pictures shows Jeff Goldblum, left, and Cynthia Erivo in a scene from "Wicked: for Good."