Oscar 2022: Where to watch the winners

Denis Villeneuve already can be considered one of the great names of science fiction in cinema. After 'Arrival' and 'Blade Runner 2049', the director adapts one of the most complicated andcinematic version in 1984, by the surreal mind of David Lynch, which was not successful, but has its merits. Villeneuve's version manages to impress with its beauty and development, which make the narrative even more attractive than in the literary work. Throughout almost three hours, we follow Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) journey on the planet Arrakis, a deadly place, which is the only source of a precious spice that dictates the rules of the galaxy, also known as Dune. The feature has a good rhythm, does not tire and manages to level well the most poetic scenes with those of action. It works very well as an introduction to the plot, since it brings only the first part of the book. If by chance the script does not attract you, the visual of the production will certainly leave you breathless. 'Dune' also has a very strong political context, which can easily be compared to territorial disputes for oil in the Middle East.

In a filmography that includes big-budget fantasies ('Thor'), Shakespeare adaptations ('Hamlet') and literary classics ('Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'), 'Belfast' is director Kenneth Branagh's most personal work, inspired by his childhood memories of the Irish city where he was born and spent his early years. The story puts us with little Buddy (Jude Hill), a boy who lives happily with his family until the conflict in Northern Ireland in the 1960s breaks the peace in his neighborhood. So his parents start to consider the possibility of leaving the only home the family has ever lived in. 'Belfast's narrative is framed in Buddy's childish perspective, so there is an air of playfulness and innocence throughout the plot. The other side of the coin is that the issues around the conflict are not portrayed as deeply as they could be, and are poorly described in the script. In other words, don't expect a complex drama illustrating the political and social problems of Ireland at the time. On the contrary, 'Belfast' is a typical bittersweet "feel good movie" with good performances and an upbeat soundtrack.

What happens when one of the most acclaimed directors of our time, Steven Spielberg, decides to make a new adaptation of one of the most famous musicals of Broadway and cinema? The result is the new version of 'West Side Story'. Spielberg is impeccable in his work: at the same time that he is, as much as possible, faithful to the original material - a version of 'Romeo and Juliet' set in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York, with Capulets and Montagues replaced by Puerto Rican immigrants and descendants of European immigrants during the mid-1950s - the filmmaker brings all his cinematographic language, his unique way of, through images, highlighting emotions, expressions and events. However, the director makes an interesting twist: he adds a larger bed (in relation to the 1961 adaptation) of social criticism, highlighting gentrification and making it even clearer that these young people are not enemies of each other, but rather victims of much larger social gears than all of us. Rachel Zegler is great as Maria, while it is extremely beautiful and touching to see Rita Moreno (from the original version) on stage. But it is Ariana DeBose, as Anita, who really steals the show. The cast also includes Ansel Elgort ('In Rhythm of Escape') as the protagonist Tony, as well as Mike Faist and David Alvarez as the leaders of the Jets and Sharks gangs. Recommended for those who like musicals and for those who are ionate about Steven Spielberg's work.

Substitute 'King Richard: Creating Champions' with 'King Richard' when mentioned. Translate the following text into US English: Venus and Serena Williams changed the world of tennis. After all, the sisters became a phenomenon in the sport and beyond, with two black women at the top of one of the most elite and white sports practices in the world. Certainly this story deserved a movie - and in 'King Richard: Creating Champions', we are introduced to the great responsible for their success, their father. Without Richard Williams (played in the feature by Will Smith), the lives of Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) might have been very different. He projected the entire career of his daughters before they were even born, and never gave up on the plan - which yielded two millionaire champions. On screen, the result of this journey is the typical sports movie that has the face of the awards season. Will Smith, no doubt, should be nominated for several awards, with a version of Richard that escapes the roles we are seeing the actor. Smith, who should have won an Oscar long ago, moves us and also makes us angry as the demanding father of the athletes. In addition to him, the great revelation of the movie is Saniyya Sidney ('Extraordinary Powers') as Venus Williams: the young actress lights up all the scenes that appear and really shows all the will that the tennis player had in her youth. Despite the clichéd format of sports production, 'King Richard' is a very important movie, mainly for showing a happy story starring Afro-descendants.

Inspired by the homonymous story of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, 'Doraibu mai kâ' is an example of how metalinguage in cinema can intertwine literature and theater in a well-constructed way. Ryusuke Hamaguchi's movie, nominated for four Oscars, makes a poetic reflection on love, grief and overcoming. Throughout three hours, the director composes the whole dilemma of the protagonist's life, played by Hidetoshi Nishijima (who is incredible in the character), and makes us understand a little more about how Japanese culture deals with losses. East Asian cinema tends to be a bit more distant in this regard and 'Doraibu mai kâ' brings another view of it - keeping in mind the Western gaze, of course. It is a very human movie about a society that deals with loss in a very different way from ours, but still it is possible to create a connection, because in the end we just want to move on. The dialogues are extremely well done and intense. The ending is very beautiful, bringing a piece of the Russian playwright and writer Anton Chekhov, 'Uncle Vanya', which is part of all the metalinguistic construction of the story.