Who Could Surprise Us On Oscar Nomination Morning?

On paper, Darius Marder’s film might not be thought of as a typical Academy pick. Ruben (Riz Ahmed), a hard rock drummer who is surrounded by pulsating noise during every performance, suddenly realizes that, as a result of his profession, he is losing his hearing and his connection with the world that surrounds him. But with the script by Marder and his brother Abraham, the story becomes a tender one as Ruben must leave his professional and personal partner Lou (Olivia Cooke) at her insistence to deal with his trauma at a retreat, run by tough-love leader Joe (Paul Raci, in a brilliant supporting performance), that is designed to help addicts who are deaf to cope with their recovery and their adjustment to their new medical challenge. Helped in no small part by an extraordinary performance by Ahmed, who conveys so much of Ruben’s fear and alienation with merely his facial expressions, I suspect that “Sound of Metal” will touch Academy voters. It already has the internet advocating for it and looks like it could contend in multiple categories such as Actor, Sound, Supporting Actor and Screenplay. A Best Picture nomination might not be too far off.

Granted, Milioti may be more of a Golden Globes play than the Oscars, but success at the Globes can sometimes lead to Oscar recognition, and Milioti’s delightfully unexpected performance in “Palm Springs” could certainly make for a stark contrast to the leading dramatic contenders for Best Actress. I saw her on Broadway in her terrific Tony-nominated performance in “Once,” but I never expected that she had the comedic chops that she manages to put on full display here. Plus, her chemistry with co-star Andy Samberg is palpable. Oscar history has shown that voters tend to take comedic performances less than seriously, so she may be a real long shot for Best Actress, but her work here is so worthy.

Although he has won two Oscars (as Supporting Actor in “Syriana” and for producing Best Picture winner “Argo”), it has been nine years since George Clooney’s last Best Actor nomination, but the trailer for “The Midnight Sky” shows him in top form. The film, based on the novel “Good Morning Midnight” by Lily Brooks-Dalton, has Clooney (who also produced and directed) as a scientist working by himself in the Arctic who tries to warn an astronaut (Felicity Jones) and her crew from landing back home because of a catastrophic apocalypse on earth. The story appears to have the heft of an Oscar contender, and with the power of a Netflix campaign (which I expect they will provide) and the effortless charm of Clooney on the campaign trail, it may lead to an unexpected Best Actor contender.