Oscars Predictions: Best Supporting Actress – Can Glenn Close Overcome the Critical Lashing for ‘Hillbilly Elegy’?

Clayton Davis
·9-min read

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE

More from Variety

DRAFT>>>PRE SEASON>>>REGULAR SEASON>>>POST SEASON

2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

UPDATED: Feb. 11, 2021

AWARDS COMMENTARY:
Golden Globes and SAG had very different opinions on where this race was going. The overlaps of the two groups are Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) in the lead category at the Globes, with Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”) and Helena Zengel (“News of the World”). Does that mean they’re the safe four contenders? In this year, absolutely not. The internet’s narrative is that this is the year for seven-time nominee Close, especially after losing to Colman in 2018. With “Hillbilly Elegy” getting pummeled by critics, currently sitting a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, she would have the most critically panned film of every nominee and perhaps have the lowest RT score in the modern era for a major nominee. Looking through Oscar history for a winner similar to Close, there really isn’t one to compare her trajectory, but rules and stats are broken all the time around here. Can she win? Most certainly, but it’s nowhere near a given. This brings the explanation for Fishback, who is also a longshot but making the BAFTA longlist was huge, and she could be a nominee under their new jury/voting system. That could bring her to the lineup, especially with the glowing reviews for the film. Also worth noting, Colman hasn’t won a SAG award yet, and they love retroactively making up for past misses (since she lost SAG for “The Favourite”).

PRECURSORS LEADER: Yuh-Jung Youn, “Minari” (A24)
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)

AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:

  1. Yuh-Jung Youn
    "Minari" (A24)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Soonja
    –
    DIRECTOR: Lee Isaac Chung
    SYNOPSIS: A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.
    STARRING: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim, Yuh-jung Youn, Will Patton

  2. Maria Bakalova
    "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" (Amazon Studios)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Tutar Sagdiyev
    –
    DIRECTOR: Jason Woliner
    SYNOPSIS: A satire on Trump’s America that follows a Kazakh journalist who’s sent to America to deliver a gift from his government to Vice President Mike Pence. Along the way, his worldview is turned upside down and steadfast beliefs are challenged by his teenage daughter.
    STARRING: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova

  3. Olivia Colman
    "The Father" (Sony Pictures Classics)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination, 1 win (2018's "The Favourite" in best actress)
    ROLE: Anne
    –
    DIRECTOR: Florian Zeller
    SYNOPSIS: A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
    STARRING: Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Anthony Hopkins, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams

  4. Glenn Close
    "Hillbilly Elegy" (Netflix)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 7 nominations (most recently for 2018's "The Wife" in best actress)
    ROLE: Mamaw
    –
    DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
    SYNOPSIS: An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.
    STARRING: Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto, Bo Hopkins, Owen Asztalos

  5. Helena Zengel
    "News of the World" (Universal Pictures)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Johanna Leonberger
    –
    DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
    SYNOPSIS: A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
    STARRING: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Mare Winningham, Michael Angelo Covino, Ray McKinnon

NEXT IN LINE:

  1. Amanda Seyfried
    "Mank" (Netflix)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Marion Davies
    –
    DIRECTOR: David Fincher
    SYNOPSIS: 1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
    STARRING: Tom Burke, Lily Collins, Joseph Cross, Charles Dance, Monika Gossman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Tuppence Middleton, Toby Leonard Moore, Gary Oldman, Tom Pelphrey, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Troughton

  2. Ellen Burstyn
    "Pieces of a Woman" (Netflix)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 6 nominations, 1 win (1974's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" in best actress)
    ROLE: Elizabeth
    –
    DIRECTOR: Kornél Mundruczó
    SYNOPSIS: When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
    STARRING: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Sarah Snook, Molly Parker

  3. Dominique Fishback
    "Judas and the Black Messiah" (HBO Max/Warner Bros.)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Deborah Johnson
    –
    DIRECTOR: Shaka King
    SYNOPSIS: The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal.
    STARRING: Lakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, Martin Sheen, Dominique Thorne, Algee Smith, Lil Rel Howery, Jermaine Fowler

  4. Jodie Foster
    "The Mauritanian" (STXfilms)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 4 nominations, 2 wins (1988's "The Accused" and 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs" in best actress)
    ROLE: Nancy Hollander
    –
    DIRECTOR: Kevin Macdonald
    SYNOPSIS: A detainee at the U.S military's Guantanamo Bay detention center is held without charges for over a decade and seeks help from a defense attorney for his release.
    STARRING: Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shailene Woodley

  5. Saoirse Ronan
    "Ammonite" (Neon)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 4 nominations (most recently for 2019's "Little Women" in best actress)
    ROLE: Charlotte Murchison
    –
    DIRECTOR: Francis Lee
    SYNOPSIS    : 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
    STARRING    : Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones, James McArdle

TOP-TIER AWARDS CONTENDERS:

  1. Priyanka Chopra Jonas
    "The White Tiger" (Netflix)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Pinky Madam
    –
    DIRECTOR: Ramin Bahrani
    SYNOPSIS: The epic journey of a poor Indian driver who must use his wit and cunning to break free from servitude to his rich masters and rise to the top of the heap.
    STARRING: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao, Mahesh Manjrekar

  2. Valerie Mahaffey
    "French Exit" (Sony Pictures Classics)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Mme. Reynard
    –
    DIRECTOR: Azazel Jacobs
    SYNOPSIS: An aging Manhattan socialite living on what's barely left of her inheritance moves to a small apartment in Paris with her son and cat.
    STARRING: Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts, Valerie Mahaffey, Susan Coyne, Imogen Poots, Danielle Macdonald, Daniel di Tomasso

  3. Olivia Cooke
    "Sound of Metal" (Amazon Studios)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Lou
    –
    DIRECTOR: Darius Marder
    SYNOPSIS: A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.
    STARRING: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Mathieu Almaric, Lauren Ridloff

  4. Talia Ryder
    "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" (Focus Features)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Skylar
    –
    DIRECTOR: Eliza Hittman
    SYNOPSIS: Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support, Autumn and her cousin Skylar embark across state lines from rural Pennsylvania to New York City on a fraught journey of friendship, bravery and compassion.
    STARRING: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin

  5. Swankie
    "Nomadland" (Searchlight Pictures)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Swankie
    –
    DIRECTOR: Chloé Zhao
    SYNOPSIS: After losing everything in the Great Recession, an old woman embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
    STARRING: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie, Bob Wells

  6. Candice Bergen
    "Let Them All Talk" (HBO Max)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination (1979's "Starting Over" in supporting actress)
    ROLE: Roberta
    –
    DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
    SYNOPSIS: A famous author goes on a cruise trip with her friends and nephew in an effort to find fun and happiness while she comes to terms with her troubled past.
    STARRING: Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Gemma Chan, Lucas Hedges

  7. Nicole Kidman
    "The Prom" (Netflix)

    OSCAR HISTORY: 4 nominations, 1 win (2002's "The Hours" in best actress)
    ROLE: Angie Dickinson
    –
    DIRECTOR: Ryan Murphy
    SYNOPSIS: A troupe of hilariously self-obsessed theater stars swarm into a small conservative Indiana town in support of a high school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom.
    STARRING: Meryl Streep, Jo Ellen Pellman, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Ariana DeBose, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells. Tracey Ullman

  8. Ciara Bravo
    "Cherry" (Apple TV Plus)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Emily
    –
    DIRECTORS: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
    SYNOPSIS: An Army medic suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder becomes a serial bank robber after an addiction to drugs puts him in debt.
    STARRING: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Kelli Berglund, Thomas Lennon

  9. Ariana DeBose
    "The Prom" (Netflix)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Alyssa Greene
    –
    DIRECTOR: Ryan Murphy
    SYNOPSIS: A troupe of hilariously self-obsessed theater stars swarm into a small conservative Indiana town in support of a high school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom.
    STARRING: Meryl Streep, Jo Ellen Pellman, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Ariana DeBose, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells. Tracey Ullman

  10. Vanessa Kirby
    "The World to Come" (Bleecker Street)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    ROLE: Tallie
    –
    DIRECTOR: Mona Fastvold
    SYNOPSIS: Somewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically.
    STARRING: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott, Karina Ziana Gherasim

† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in the lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each.

Academy Awards Predictions (All Categories)

2021 Golden Globes Predictions (Film)

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Latest stories

  • Arrival of 'sticky bombs' in Indian Kashmir sets off alarm bells

    Security forces battling a decades-long insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir are alarmed by the recent arrival in the disputed region of small, magnetic bombs that have wreaked havoc in Afghanistan. "Sticky bombs", which can be attached to vehicles and detonated remotely, have been seized during raids in recent months in the federally administered region of Jammu and Kashmir, three senior security officials told Reuters. "These are small IEDs and quite powerful," said Kashmir Valley police chief Vijay Kumar, referring to improvised explosive devices.

  • Dubai cat cafe hopes rescues will find purr-fect new homes

    The Ailuromania Cat Cafe, which was the Middle East's first cat cafe when it opened in 2015, hopes the relaxing properties of its 25 rescue and shelter cats will help find them their forever homes. Now Ailuromania hosts cats from a government-run animal shelter in the neighbouring emirate of Ras al Khaimah, hoping to increase adoptions. The cafe's name Ailuromania is a play on the Greek-derived English word for a lover of cats: ailurophile.

  • Exclusive: Mexico's president expected to ask Biden to share U.S. vaccines, say sources

    Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is expected to ask President Joe Biden to consider sharing part of the U.S. coronavirus vaccine supply with its poorer southern neighbor when the two leaders hold a virtual summit on Monday, U.S. and Mexican officials said. Biden is open to discussing the matter as part of a broader regional effort to cooperate in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but will maintain as his “number one priority” the need to first vaccinate as many Americans as possible, a White House official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Lopez Obrador has been one of the most vocal leaders in the developing world pressing the richest countries to improve poorer nations’ access to the vaccines.

  • Russian helicopter makes emergency landing in Syria - Defence Ministry

    A Russian Mi-35 helicopter made an emergency landing due to technical problems during a flight over Syria's northern Hasaka province, state agencies quoted Russia's Defence Ministry as saying on Sunday. The helicopter was not fired at, it added. Syrian state media said earlier there were reports of a Russian helicopter crash in northeast Syria that killed the pilot.

  • Dozens detained at Kazakh opposition rallies

    Police in Kazakhstan detained dozens of opposition supporters on Sunday who took to the streets of major cities denouncing what they called political repression in the oil-rich Central Asian nation. The ruling Nur Otan party has dominated the political scene in the former Soviet republic for almost three decades while opposition movements, sidelined and with no seats in parliament, mostly make themselves heard through public protests. Supporters of two separate opposition groups rallied in different locations in Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, and a few other big cities on Sunday to demand political reforms and the release of people they described as political prisoners.

  • NHL roundup: Andrei Vasilevskiy’s latest shutout lifts Lightning over Stars

    Vasilevskiy, who blanked Carolina on Wednesday, recorded the 23rd shutout of his career, saving all 45 shots in the two whitewashings. Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli each produced a goal and an assist, and Ondrej Palat, Pat Maroon and Brayden Point scored.

  • Sarawak minister explains delayed reopening of schools in red zone districts

    KUCHING, Feb 28 — Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said today that the late reopening of schools in red zones is to meet...

  • 10 people, including 3 children, hurt in fire at Whampoa flat

    Ten people, including three children, were injured after a fire broke out at a flat in Whampoa on Sunday (28 February) morning.

  • Saudi-led coalition says it thwarted Houthi missile attack on Riyadh

    The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi group said on Saturday it had thwarted a ballistic missile attack by the Houthis on the Saudi capital Riyadh, and destroyed six armed drones launched towards cities in the kingdom's south. Six drones aimed at targeting "civilians and civilian objects" were launched towards Jazan and Khamis Mushait, the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state media. The Iranian-aligned Houthis subsequently said they had deployed a ballistic missile and nine drones at "sensitive targets" in Riyadh and six drones at military sites in Abha and Khamis Mushait.

  • The Latest: Thailand begins COVID-19 vaccinations

    Thailand started its first vaccinations Sunday with 200 public health officials receiving the Sinovac vaccine from China. Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was given the first shot at a hospital near Bangkok, followed by the deputy health minister and other senior officials. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who attended the vaccination ceremony, said the public should have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, as it has been approved by authorities in Thailand and other countries.

  • Julau MP says left PKR to become Perikatan friendly to serve his constituency more effectively

    KUCHING, Feb 28 — Julau Member of Parliament Larry Sng today said he left PKR after consulting his constituents over the past few days to become a federal government-friendly Independent. “We...

  • Gunmen kill Islamic cleric, his son, student in Pakistan

    A trio of gunmen shot and killed a religious cleric, his teenage son and a student on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital Islamabad, police said, amid a rise in militant attacks. Police officer Shahzad Khan said the killing took place in the Bhara Kahu neighborhood when Mufti Ikramur Rehman was heading toward his car with his 13-year-old son and a seminary student late Saturday night. The cleric, his son and the student received multiple gunshot wounds and died at a hospital.

  • Thousands protest over Argentina 'VIP vaccinations' scandal

    Thousands of people demonstrated in cities across Argentina on Saturday to protest the "VIP vaccinations" scandal that forced the health minister to resign.

  • Bangladesh police fire rubber bullets, tear gas at new opposition protests

    Dozens were injured on Sunday as Bangladeshi police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at opposition activists to prevent new protests over the death of a writer in jail, police and a party official said.

  • Ten protesters arrested in Spain over rapper Hasel

    Fresh protests in Barcelona over the jailing of a Spanish rapper turned violent on Sunday, with ten people arrested for assaulting the cops by nightfall.Trash cans were set on fire, broken glass covered the sidewalks, and police lines formed around crowds.Demonstrations began earlier this month, after rapper Pablo Hasel was arrested and taken to start his nine-month jail sentence.Known for being anti-establishment, Hasel was convicted in 2018 for breaking free speech laws glorifying terrorism and insulting royalty.In tweets and lyrics, he called Spain's former King a mafia boss, likened Spanish judges to Nazis and referenced a Basque separatist group, ETA.On Saturday, some 2,000 people in masks and holding banners marched through Barcelona, calling for his release.Police put up barricades downtown, as businesses and a police van went up in flames.Pressure now mounts on Spain's government to uphold its recent promise to relax free speech laws.

  • Dozens of leading Hong Kong democrats charged with subversion in major national security crackdown

    Forty-seven Hong Kong democrats and activists were charged on Sunday with conspiracy to commit subversion, in the largest single crackdown on the democratic opposition under a China-imposed national security law. Sam Cheung, a young activist and a participant in an unofficial primary election last summer, was charged after reporting to a local police station, dressed in a black mask and accompanied by his wife. "Hong Kongers have a really tough time these days," he told reporters before entering the station.

  • ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run’ Film Review: Third Time’s Still Charming for Big-Screen ‘SquarePants’

    There’s a lot of talk about the secret formula behind delicious Krabby Patties in “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” but the real secret formula lies in the creative trust that has managed to create not one, not two, but now three thoroughly entertaining feature-length adaptations of the long-running TV show. In an era when so many 25-page children’s books or eight-minute animated shorts have been bloated beyond proportion on their way to becoming 90-minute movies, Team SpongeBob deserves credit for unlocking the alchemy behind building up and building out a storyline and a set of characters without losing sight of what made the original beloved in the first place. This time around, writer-director Tim Hill steps in, and he’s managed to take the goofy denizens of Bikini Bottom on a road trip that is visually dazzling and almost consistently hilarious, mixing verbal and physical humor, as well as some perfectly chosen cameos, both in-person and among the voice cast. (Celebrity is usually the last refuge of a brainless kid movie, but “Sponge on the Run” offers some examples on how to include them in a clever way.) Watch Video: SpongeBob Squarepants Looks for Gary in 'Sponge on the Run' Trailer - And Finds Keanu Reeves It’s just another day under the sea, with the always-upbeat SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny) hanging out with best pal Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) and putting in a full day’s work at the Krusty Krab, much to the consternation of his irritated neighbor and co-worker Squidward (Rodger Bumpass). The scheming Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) plots once again to steal the Krabby Patty formula from the Krusty Krab’s owner Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), but Plankton’s computer-wife Karen (Jill Talley) points out that the real way to undermine the Krusty Krab is to get SpongeBob out of the way. Plankton nefariously steals SpongeBob’s beloved snail pet Gary and gives it to the vain Poseidon (Matt Berry, “What We Do in the Shadows”), who has eradicated the local snail population by using their slime as part of his skin-care regimen. The distraught SpongeBob and faithful wingman Patrick make their way to the Lost City of Atlantic City to retrieve Gary, getting help along the way from a wise and helpful tumbleweed named Sage (Keanu Reeves, of course). Hill provides enough plot and stakes to get viewers through 91 minutes of TV-sized silliness, but he also wisely never lets either get in the way of the laughs, which are plentiful here. From the outrageous physical permutations of the characters (SpongeBob cleans the kitchen by absorbing mop water and then squirting it out his various pores) to more subtle bits (“Sponge on the Run” has one of the best diegetic-music gags since the orchestra bus in “High Anxiety”), the sponge-and-his-snail narrative never gets in the way of the bit. Also Read: 'SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run' to Debut on Paramount+ at March Launch If there’s one section that drags, it’s when all of SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom pals — including squirrel Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence) — give flashback-testimonials to how kind and selfless SpongeBob is. The whole segment feels like a backdoor pilot for the upcoming Paramount+ series “Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years,” which follows the adventures of these characters as children. Director of photography Peter Lyons Collister and the team of animators very effectively expand the TV show’s universe by keeping the bright flatness of Bikini Bottom and then contrasting it with the richer palette and more garish lighting of Poseidon’s domain. And Berry’s plummy Poseidon makes for a wonderful addition to the accomplished TV cast, as does Reeves and, in some lovely fleeting appearances, Tiffany Haddish (as an animated Master of Ceremonies), Snoop Dogg, and Danny Trejo. (I laughed every time they played the theme song for Trejo’s character: “El Diablo/El Diablo/El Diablo … very bad man.”) Watch Video: SpongeBob's Jellyfishing Trip Goes Belly Up in 'Kamp Koral' Sneak Peek Tim Hill has had a fascinating career, mostly in kids/family films, from the grating “Hop” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks” to the underrated and delightful “Max Keeble’s Big Move” and “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.” But as a veteran of SpongeBob’s TV, movie, and even video-game incarnations, he’s found the perfect balance in “Sponge Out of Water,” which is dedicated to SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg, who passed away in 2018. Whatever their age or familiarity level with these characters, this is that rare family film that could actually entertain an entire family. Parents looking to watch something with their children — or just to distract their children for 91 minutes — will do better with this film than, say, the wretched 2021 “Tom & Jerry.” Don’t have kids? It’s a great double-feature with “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.” Either way, this is a testament to why SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals have been so popular for more than two decades. “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” premieres on Paramount+ and PVOD March 4.  Read original story ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run’ Film Review: Third Time’s Still Charming for Big-Screen ‘SquarePants’ At TheWrap

  • Champions 'cease operations' as money problems dog Chinese football

    Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu FC have "ceased operations", the club said on Sunday, underlining the financial problems coursing through football in the country.

  • Petaling Jaya’s eCurve bids farewell to shoppers on March 31

    KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — The eCurve shopping mall in Petaling Jaya has notified tenants that it will be closing permanently effective March 31, 2021. Tenants were served a notice regarding the...

  • Dozens of Hong Kong dissidents charged with security crime

    Dozens of Hong Kong dissidents were charged with subversion on Sunday in the largest use yet by police of Beijing's sweeping new national security law, as authorities seek to cripple the finance hub's democracy movement.