We should have a handle on the Academy Awards race now, right? The new year is upon us, the Golden Globes have already happened, the critics groups have chimed in and Oscar voting begins on Wednesday and runs through Sunday evening, ending sometime in the middle of the Critics Choice Awards.
But in an awards season that was supposed to be the one that got back to normal – no pandemic, no strikes! – plenty of things are still unsettled. So here are a few things worth keeping in mind about this season as it marches toward the Jan. 17 announcement of Oscar nominations and, eventually, the Academy Awards on March 2.