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 While Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron's sentimental Netflix
movie "Roma" and historical romp "The Favourite" from Fox
Searchlight go into the ceremony with a leading 10 nominations
each, there's no guarantee they will come out on top.
"This year's Oscar best picture race is as wide open as I have
ever seen it," said Matthew Belloni, editorial director of the
Hollywood Reporter.
"If 'Roma' wins best picture, it will be a watershed moment for
Netflix. It will announce the day they have arrived," he added.
No streaming service has ever won the Academy Award for best
picture.
The Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday in a live
ceremony televised by ABC starting at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET (0100
GMT on Monday).
Award watchers say Universal Pictures' "Green Book," a road trip
set in the segregated U.S. South in the 1960s, and the studio's
Ku Klux Klan comedy-drama "BlacKkKlansman" from director Spike
Lee are also serious contenders for the best picture statuette.
Sentiment for Lee is rising, they say, and he could become the
first African-American ever to win a best director Oscar with
his film tapping into historical and contemporary U.S. racial
tensions.
"'Green Book' and 'BlacKkKlansman' are more representative of
the traditional best picture winner, which is a polished popular
film that has an important social message," said Tom O'Neil,
founder of awards website Goldderby.com.
Awards leading up to the Oscars this year have been
inconsistent, with "Green Book," 21st Century Fox rock biopic
"Bohemian Rhapsody," Disney superhero movie "Black Panther" and
"Roma" all picking up prizes.
Political comedy "Vice" and Warner Bros. musical romance "A Star
is Born," starring acting nominees Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper,
round out the best picture contenders, although both films have
seen their luster fade.
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"In the fall, I would have thought 'A Star is Born' would have
been coming in as the big favorite, and it has faded out of the
conversation for reasons I cannot really place," said Alison
Willmore, critic and culture writer for BuzzFeed News.
Meanwhile, "Green Book" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" have shrugged
off a slew of negative publicity, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" star
Rami Malek is seen as the favorite to win best actor for his
portrayal of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" director Bryan Singer was accused of sexual
misconduct involving underage men in the 1990s in an article
published in January by The Atlantic magazine. Singer issued a
statement denying the accusations.
Willmore said Malek looked like an Oscar winner. "What Rami
Malek does in that movie is acting with a capital 'A.' He models
himself after this famous figure, he wears prosthetics and he
'performs' at Live Aid," she said.
The family of the real-life black pianist at the center of
"Green Book" have said his portrayal, by supporting actor
front-runner Mahershala Ali, contained inaccuracies. Ali has
said he respects the family and had spoken with them.
Accusations also resurfaced in January of sexual impropriety in
the 1990s by the movie's director, Peter Farrelly. Farrelly
apologized for his conduct.
"No film has been more insulted this year than 'Green Book,' but
no film has won more prizes," said Variety awards editor Tim
Gray.
In other races, Glenn Close looks certain to take her first
Oscar, for best actress, for portraying a submissive spouse to
her Nobel Prize-winning writer husband in "The Wife."
"She seems to be a safe bet, which is ironic considering she
portrays a woman in 'The Wife' who has been cheated out of an
award," said O'Neil.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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