DELROY LINDO

"The Harder They Fall" doesn’t recast the American West with Black cowboys. It sets the record straight, reimagining the genre without the White gaze.

This week’s new entertainment releases include the first ABBA album in a whopping 39 years and a stylish and kinetic update to the Western in Jeymes Samuel’s “The Harder They Fall” starring Idris Elba and Regina King.

Ahead of Sunday’s 93rd Academy Awards, Associated Press Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr share their predictions for a ceremony that may see historic wins in multiple categories.

10 — Nominations for “Mank," the most of any film this year, with nods for best picture, best director for Fincher, best actor for Gary Oldman and best supporting actress for Seyfried. In the best supporting actor category, Heath Ledger and Ralph Richardson were nominated, with Ledger winning for “The Dark Knight” in 2009. 4 — Nominations received by “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao, a record for a woman in a record year for women. 1 — Man nominated for both best actor and best original song. ___This story has been corrected to reflect that Olivia Colman won best actress in 2019, not 2020.

Snub: 'Da 5 Bloods'Heading into the Oscar nominations, Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" had already struck out at the Golden Globes. The film picked up six Academy Award nominations: best picture, best actor, best supporting actor, best sound, best film editing and best original screenplay. Source: Amazon Prime VideoSnub: 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'Despite securing nominations for best actor, best actress, best production design, best costume design and best hair and makeup, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" was left off the best picture list. In 2009, the Academy amended its nomination rules so that up to 10 films could be nominated for best picture. Snub: 'One Night in Miami'Many had expected the Academy to rewrite the wrongs done to "One Night in Miami" at the Golden Globes.

It’s a rare year when most of the Oscar nomination surprises are good ones, but 2020 was also a rare year for moviegoing and awards campaigns. Here’s our rundown of the snubs and surprises in the 93rd Academy Award nominations. FEMALE DIRECTORS GET THEIR SHOTFor 92 Academy Awards, only 5 women had ever been nominated for best director and never more than one in the same year. This year, the dubious honor goes to Glenn Close for her portrayal of Mamaw in Ron Howard’s adaptation of J.D. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, the film was well received, but seemed like a long shot for the major Oscars categories.

Bill Murray poses for a portrait at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival in Toronto on Sepy.9, 2012, left, and Carey Mulligan poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 25, 2020. Murray will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award and Mulligan will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award during this year's Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (Photos by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, left, and Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is always starry a celebration of up and coming filmmakers and Oscar hopefuls, but this year the programmers have also decided to make it more accessible. Virtuoso Award recipients include Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kinglsey Ben-Adir, Andra Day, Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim and Zendaya. AdThe Santa Barbara International Film Festival regularly attracts more than 100,000 attendees annually.

Technically they even snubbed an entire category when best supporting actress was skipped over by mistake. From the Kate Hudson movie that no one has heard of to the very awkward shut out of Spike Lee, here’s a look at some of the biggest surprises of the morning. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t surprised to hear Kate Hudson’s name announced among the best actress nominees. That movie is called “Music,” a fantasy musical drama with Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr. and Maddie Ziegler that marks pop star Sia’s directorial debut. Lee’s acclaimed Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” was expected to be a shoo-in for any number of categories: Best picture, best director, best actor for Delroy Lindo or supporting actor for Chadwick Boseman, who died last year.

This image released by Netflix shows, from second left, Norm Lewis, Clarke Peters Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Delroy Lindo in a scene from "Da 5 Bloods," named one of the top 10 films of the year by The American Film Institute. (David Lee/Netflix via AP)The American Film Institute on Monday announced its top 10 films of the year, including Pixar’s jazz themed “Soul” and two of Chadwick Boseman’s final films: the August Wilson adaptation “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and Spike Lee’s Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods,” both of which are Netflix films. AFI also selected Warner Bros.’ Black Panther Party film “Judas and the Black Messiah” which will have its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Feb. 1. The AFI also named its top 10 television shows, including Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit,” the Disney+ phenomenon “The Mandalorian” and Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso.”The selection jury included filmmakers Rian Johnson and Lulu Wang. The group also included a special citation for “Hamilton.”In lieu of the annual luncheon celebrating the honorees, AFI will hold a virtual benediction on Feb. 26 streaming on YouTube and the AFI website.

The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, voted Kelly Reichardts Western fable First Cow the best film of 2020. (Allyson Riggs/A24 via AP)NEW YORK – The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday voted Kelly Reichardt's Western fable “First Cow” the best film of 2020, while also giving special honors to Spike Lee and the art-house distributor Kino Lorber for their roles in a movie year deeply marred by the pandemic. The film critics, assembling virtually, gave its top award to “First Cow,” a delicate tale of friendship and capitalism in mid-1800s Oregon Territory. The critics pointedly said the honor was for a service “designed to help support movie theaters, not destroy them.”The New York Film Critics Circle Awards are usually part of a wave of critics group honors that can occasionally influence awards season. Other NYFCC picks include: “Time” for best non-fiction film; “Bacurau” for best foreign language film; “The Forty-Year-Old Version” for best first film; “Wolfwalkers" for best animated film; and the five-film anthology “Small Axe” for best cinematography.

NEW YORK In the jungle of Spike Lees sprawling and anguished Da 5 Bloods, Delroy Lindos titanic performance as a Vietnam veteran rises to a ferocious, even Shakespearean pinnacle. In Lindo's intense performance, Da 5 Bloods turns almost mythic in its deconstruction of African American history in U.S. combat and in war films. Lindo's gravity has long been felt in roles large and small, from Get Shorty to Heist, but Da 5 Bloods gives Lindo one of his fullest showcases. Lindo built his performance on research, meeting with two cousins who served and a number of Vietnam vets. Lindo: I remember saying to Spike, Spike, Im a father and a parent.

This image released by Netflix shows, from left, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Norm Lewis, Clarke Peters, Delroy Lindo and Jonathan Majors in a scene from the Spike Lee film "Da 5 Bloods." (David Lee/Netflix via AP)Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIESDa 5 Bloods: Its always the right time for a Spike Lee joint and thankfully Netflix has his latest ready to debut Friday. AP Music Editor Mesfin FekaduTELEVISIONGabrielle Union, engaged in a battle with NBC over her firing from Americas Got Talent, is firmly in control on L.A.s Finest, the drama she produces and stars in with Jessica Alba. Also back are closeted man of the cloth Leonard (Al Weaver) and Tessa-Peake Jones as an indispensable if stern housekeeper.