Top 5 Movies That Might Sweep the Oscars: Best Picture Contenders!

Are crisps, crumbles and cobblers superior to pie? How do you distinguish between a crisp and a crumble? I have a good grasp on what a cobbler is and, akin to Daniel Day-Lewis, I harbor dreams of relocating to Florence, Italy, to master the craft.

My name is Glenn Whipp, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, the host of The Envelope’s Friday newsletter and the one persuading his kids to enroll in one of these workshops. I believe gingerbread can be the solution to most global issues.

Potential Best Picture Oscar Winners

Here we are, trying to recover from the aftermath of Thanksgiving, pondering how much mashed potatoes it takes to slip into a food coma. Yet… there’s still no clear best picture frontrunner. Indeed, it’s simpler to find flaws in the arguments for the top contenders than to defend why they could potentially win.

Nevertheless, some film has to bag the Oscar. I can’t help but wonder if we’ll reflect on this period in a few weeks, smack our heads and say, “Of course, ‘Anora’ was always destined to win,” considering its sweep through various precursors. At the moment, however, that’s as difficult to envision as the Cowboys reaching the playoffs. Or Jerry Jones constructing a stadium where sunlight isn’t a nuisance.

Just for kicks, I’ve examined the five primary contenders, the films that will lead the pack of 10 nominees. Perhaps we can convince ourselves that we’re overlooking something. Or who knows, maybe we are actually missing something.

Sean Baker and Mikey Madison Push the ‘Anora’ Vibes to the Limit

Have you ever come across a picture of an acquaintance that causes you to view them in a different light?

I’m looking at a photograph of director Sean Baker taken shortly after his heartfelt, chaotic adventure “Anora” received the Palme d’Or, the highest honor at the Cannes Film Festival, a prize Baker never even dared to dream of winning. In the photo with the Palme, Baker doesn’t appear simply content. His happiness exudes from every pore. It’s akin to Freddie Freeman’s bat drop after his grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series. He’s in the moment, but he’s practically transcending his physical form.

Part of this bliss was due to the surprising events that unfolded on stage that day at the Lumière. Baker had just witnessed Francis Ford Coppola present an honorary Palme d’Or to George Lucas, two filmmakers who were significant in his formative years. But as he’s listening to Lucas, he’s also absorbing the fact that his movie might have just clinched the festival, based on the process of elimination. Which it did.

So now, Baker is reading from a speech that he scribbled on a piece of paper an hour before the ceremony, a speech he put together so hastily that he refers to it as his “middle school speech.”

“And Lucas was to my right observing me deliver it, which was slightly intimidating,” Baker admits. “And then we were posing for pictures, and I’m standing next to him and I thought, ‘OK. I need to say something. I need to tell him something. What should I say?’ And I told him I made ‘Space Wars’ in 1978 when I was 7 years old. And I hope he doesn’t sue me.”

Mikey Madison, who portrays the title character in “Anora,” a Brooklyn stripper who marries the irresponsible son of a Russian oligarch, is hearing this story for the first time.

“Do you think the footage still exists?” she inquires about Baker’s Super 8 film. “Because I need to see this.”

“I’m sure it’s just ‘Star Wars’ toys flying around against a star backdrop,” Baker responds. “And I’m probably playing Luke Skywalker, and I think my sister was likely Princess Leia.”

We’re lounging in what serves as a green room at the AMC Century City 15, where Madison is autographing a hefty pile of “Anora” posters, asking me about the age I started crafting my signature. Hers — a pair of capital Ms, framed by a heart — seems perfectly adequate, and I advise her to stick with it for now.

Want to know what else transpired on this recent Sunday afternoon we spent together? Check out our chat, which clears up a few queries you might have about “Anora,” one of this year’s standout films.