by Rhonda Swanston
Even though official nominations for the Academy Awards will be made on the 8th of February, rumours, and predictions are already being made by critics, film buffs, and even online betting sites from around the world.
Four months prior to the event, journalists along with the best international betting sites are putting their votes down for Belfast, one of 2021’s most highly anticipated movies. The movie takes the audience back in time and place to Belfast, Northern Ireland in the 1960s. The setting for Belfast is one of the most significant ethno-nationalist conflicts in history, The Troubles. The movie centers around a working-class family, more explicitly around Buddy (Jude Hill), a young boy who faces some of the most serious moral challenges of life. Belfast has already taken the Toronto International Film Festival by storm and garnered 5 awards and 13 nominations to date. As of now, bet365, the world’s most popular betting site, also expects Belfast to take out Best Picture in Hollywood. Paying just $3.50, bet365 doesn’t even leave the market very open for other contenders.
However, there is one movie that is looking to give Belfast a run for its money. The Netflix original The Power of the Dog is a must-watch, currently paying $7.50 to win Bets Picture. There’s also no shortage of world-class actors and performances in this film with Benedict Cumberbatch showing a brand new side of himself. His performance has all the hallmarks of a career-best which doesn’t only help to make the movie exceptional but also makes Cumberbatch one of the most anticipated contenders for the Best Actor award. Cumberbatch is currently paying $10.00 to win Best Actor with bet365. It’s also worth mentioning that The Power of the Dog offers up even more noteworthy individual performances. Kristen Dunst, the female lead, as well as Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee have set the bar extremely high for the rest of the movie industry. The Power of the Dog is certainly going to be one of the titles to follow in the coming months and it has already earned 3 wins and 6 nominations internationally.
There’s a long list of films to watch before making a call on who will win Best Actor or Actress or which project will be named Best Picture. Benedict Cumberbatch may have done extremely well in The Power of the Dog but so did Will Smith in King Richard. Smith has shown his acting prowess in many different films, acting in many different roles, but there’s still more to his career and in King Richard, he definitely shows why he’s been at the top in the last 2 decades. In his latest blockbuster, Smith plays the role of the father and coach of Serena and Venus Williams. The movie is inspired by the real-life adventures, challenges, and journeys of the Williams sisters who are among two of the most influential athletes in world tennis. In King Richard, Will Smith delivers another powerful individual performance that doesn’t just make the film one of the best in 2021 but also makes him the number one prospect for the Best Actor award. According to bet365, Will Smith has the best odds to win Best Actor at the Oscars paying just $1.50.
Thus far, we have seen that only a few different films and actors are expected to win but there’s a variety of other films that are given a small chance too. So far we’ve had a western movie, a rousing sports biography, and a historic motion picture, inspired by actual events. And the list of genres just keeps growing. Next on the list is Dune. When you just watch the trailer, you’ll see that this isn’t just another sci-fi movie, preceded by huge anticipation. There’s also no shortage of talent and performance as Zendaya, Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin bring you the quality that you’d expect from a film that’s been in production since 2019. If you’re still not convinced, then you should also know that the lead actor, 26-year-old Timothée Chalamet is listed as one of the main contenders for the best actor award (paying $26.00 on bet365), and the movie itself features Hans Zimmer’s most recent piece.
The list of the most exciting films doesn’t end there though. 2021 has brought plenty of variety to the big screen and cinema-goers have plenty of other favourites worth noting.
One of these films is Spencer which makes Kristen Stewart (in the role of Princess Diana) the main contender for the best actress award, paying just $1.44 at bet365. It’s also worth mentioning Penelope Cruz from Parallel Mothers (paying $11.00) and Cate Blanchett from Nightmare Alley (paying $17.00).
Make sure to keep an especially close eye on Nightmare Alley as Cate Blanchett, Bradley Cooper, and Willem Dafoe make for a very strong cast in a story written and directed by Guillermo del Toro who is considered as one of the favourites for the Best Director award at bet365 paying $7.00.
These odds, favourites, and predictions will undoubtedly change as we get closer to the Oscars but this also means that there’s still plenty of time to watch the best titles once, twice, or even three times. If you’d like to know where to find the best odds for the Oscars, then make sure to check out My Betting Sites where you’ll find all the best betting sites that offer markets for the 2022 Academy Awards.
This article was last updated on the 23rd of November, 2021.
