That's Entertainment: The Oscars approach

[View in browser]( [The Independent]( [Culture] That's Entertainment: The Indy Arts Newsletter [Alexandra Pollard] Written by Alexandra Pollard | April 23, 2021 Hello, Happy Friday and welcome back to our Indy Arts Newsletter! After endless months of build-up, the Oscars are finally upon us. The culmination of surely the most surreal awards season in history (thanks to Coronavirus), this weekend's Academy Awards will see the likes of Nomadland, Minari, Promising Young Woman and The Trial of the Chicago 7 battle it out for Best Picture. Have a look at our chief film critic Clarisse Loughrey's [list of who will win, should win, and shoulda got a look-in here.]( My money – and I'm not exactly sticking my neck out here, given that it's the bookies' favourite – is on Chloe Zhao's breathtaking odyssey Nomadland. If you've not seen Nomadland, [I'd recommend reading my colleague Adam White extolling its virtues as part of our The Battle for Best Picture series](. "Nomadland, directed by the Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao, is part of a long lineage of non-American American art, from Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas to Andrea Arnold’s American Honey," he writes. "It grapples with grief, the betrayals of capitalism, and the lure of the open road. It’s the greatest film of the year, and more than a worthy Best Picture winner at this Sunday’s Oscars." Frances McDormand in the Oscar frontrunner Nomadland In other news, [my interview with the excellent Aubrey Plaza went live this week](. Promoting her new film Black Bear, she was as good value as you'd expect: “I’m just always interested in the silliness and the weirdness and the uncanniness of life,” she said. “I’ve always made a spectacle of myself in public. I’ve always humiliated myself in large groups of people.” As always, keep scrolling for the weekly binge recommendation and our reviews of the week – and be sure to check out our [Saturday Interview]( with Tom Jones. Aubrey Plaza, star of Parks and Recreation and the new film Black Bear Superstore The first episode of Superstore's final series arrived on ITV2 on 19 April. If you've not seen the preceding seasons, they're luckily all on Netflix. The St Louis-set sitcom about a motley crew of employees at a big box store remains undeniably funny, never dipping once across its six seasons. It touches on serious topics such as union-busting, low-wages and identity politics without losing sight of what it is: a really, really great comedy. Film of the week – [Black Bear]( A comedy-drama dunked in acid, Black Bear allows the boundaries between life and art to melt in the most exquisitely torturous ways, as Aubrey Plaza transforms into something more untethered and ferocious than ever before. Read the full review here TV show of the week – [Mare of Easttown]( In HBO’s dark new seven-part miniseries, Kate Winslet plays Mare Sheehan, a detective in the Pennsylvania town of – wait for it – Easttown, who is sucked into a murder inquiry while her personal life falls apart. [Read the full review here]( Album of the week – [Tom Jones: Surrounded By Time]( Jones's barnacled baritone steers a steady course through Moog-soaked covers of favourite songs, with sombre lines about dark oceans, soulless days, and skirting a skeleton coast. [Read the full review here]( Stories you might like [The Oscars are back: How the pandemic has changed red-carpet fashion]( [The Oscars are back: How the pandemic has changed red-carpet fashion]( [The greatest Oscars injustices ever, from Brokeback Mountain to Citizen Kane]( The greatest Oscars injustices ever, from Brokeback Mountain to Citizen Kane]( Discover the full story Save 50% on a digital subscription when you subscribe today. [Subscribe now]( More stories [Through the keyhole - What we’ve learned from a year of video snooping into celebrity homes]( Through the keyhole - What we’ve learned from a year of video snooping into celebrity homes]( [Will anyone watch the Oscars next week?]( Will anyone watch the Oscars next week?]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email. You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Entertainment email (formerly Culture). Add us to your safe list of senders . If you do not want to receive The Independent's Entertainment (formerly Culture) email, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Culture_Newsletter_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This email was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.