Completed Category: Lead Actress

 The film I saw to complete this category also completed Best Picture but we'll save that for later, and for now just think about...

Actress In A Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo - Wicked
Mikey Madison - Anora
Demi Moore - The Substance
Fernanda Torres -  I'm Still Here
Mr. Carlos "Karla Sofia" Gascon, a man - Emilia Perez

 Are you thinking to yourself "Gee that's weird, why is there a man nominated in the Actress category?"  Well, posterity, if you're reading this and the human species has somehow managed to survive, you probably have history books that note the 2020s as a time of great strife, and a whole lot of nonsense, sometimes simultaneously. One of those areas is the idea that there are "transgender" people who somehow aren't the sex that they are. We're not going to waste any more time on that here (Ask Me Anything - but elsewhere) other than to point out how totally fucking stupid this category is this year because of the nomination of a man, and how sad we are for Angelina Jolie, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Pamela Anderson, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, or whichever woman would have had that fifth slot. 

Now, I will also say that while there are four wonderful performances by Actresses in Leading Roles here, they all make me sad (as does the man's - for being nominated), except for Cynthia in Wicked.  On the contrary, Wicked is so much pure joy!!!
Even though it, too, has many layered socio-philosophical questions and lots of turmoil, the movie and the production and everything about it just bring me so much joy, and I'm so happy for the supremely talented Cynthia Erivo in this nomination. I might even be rooting for her if I weren't annoyed by the category fraud regarding her --> co-star Ariana Grande, who is nominated in Supporting. The category fraud sort of spills over and ruins this nomination.  Anyway - she also might get nominated for Second Wicked, when that comes around. She really is so talented.  She's an "EGOT nominee" as they say. and has won several awards.  Someday, Cynthia. 

As much as we love Wicked, most people think one of two other nominees will be the likely winner.  And most people do not think that it will be the man, Gascon, nor that it will be Mikey Madison from Anora.  I mean - she was great, in that she carried the movie, basically the entire thing, and it was entertaining. That flick is not for everybody, but a lot of people sure do love it, and there is certainly talk about it winning in major categories (even Director and Best Picture!)  However, there are two stronger contenders here.

Fernanda Torres is nominated for the Brazilian film I'm Still Here, which is also nominated for not only International Film but Best Picture as well, and it is a heartbreaking performance.  Based on a true story, it made me sadder than just about anything has in a while - humanity is so frustrating and infuriating and horrible from time to time, and the thing is, people simply don't have to be the way they are, but they are.  I get so sad, after watching I'm Still Here, thinking about the family, and the other families of other victims of dictatorships, and about the people who suffered and were tortured and died, for no good reason. None. Fernanda's character endures impossible things, and she might - juuuuuust might - be the winner. 

But. Then we have The Substance. 

Demi Moore is enthusiastically supported and beloved in this 100% bonkers film that I absolutely adored. It's got Hollywood (in spades!), it's got messages, it's got a star we've all grown up with or seen 100 times, finally getting her Oscar nomination.  It is a rollicking ride and it ups the ante multiple times and Demi Moore knocks it out of the park, giving us everything we could want and more on this wild ride. 

With her Golden Globe win and her trending buzz (and her lack of public relations nightmare mistakes - at least not yet!), Demi Moore is starting to really be favored to really win this Oscar, and I am 100% OK if the Academy makes this choice. 

What a year. What a time to be alive. 

Order I want them to win: 
Demi, Fernanda, Cynthia, Mikey

Order I think they will win: 
Demi, Fernanda, Cynthia, Mikey, the man

Who was your favorite Lead Actress performance? 

Completed Category: Makeup & Hairstyling

 Over the years, the Makeup category has given me the chance to see some films I otherwise never would have seen! 

Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Perez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

This year, four of the films got a bunch of other nominations, but the weird one that is here for the Makeup party is A Different Man. Interestingly, its star, Sebastian Stan, is nominated for a freaking Lead Actor Oscar, for a different film! What a weird year. A Different Man definitely does some very interesting, very heavy things with makeup and hair. Mostly makeup though, except for fitting hair all around the "deformities" I suppose... interesting little film. 

Not the weirdest film of the bunch, though!  There are at least two that are weirder, and mostly not in a good way.  It is really saying something when the land of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch is the most normal of the bunch! On that note, I would love for Wicked  to win here and everywhere it's nominated (except Score ... and, well, I'm not really into Ariana's category fraud) but I don't think it's going to. I think one of the weird ones will. 

Emilia Perez?  Gods forbid. I hate that movie. The less said about it the better, although I suppose the whole transforming a man into both a creepy-ass looking drug lord AND a man pretending to be a woman is a bit of work for the Makeup artists and Hairstylists. So much ugh. Next? 

Nosferatu?  I mean - definitely some cool and creepy looking folks running around this one, too. And, I'm assuming Makeup helps with all the blood and bite marks and whatnot?  Pretty good work all around. 

Still - I am on #TeamTheSubstance. I definitely want The Substance  to collect some awards (Go Demi!) and this is absolutely one where it has a good shot. I won't spoiler you but let's just say when you think you've seen some impressive stuff, there is still more to come with prosthetics and skin and hair and all of it. It's a crazy, ridiculous, profound movie and I'm definitely one of its fans.  Have you seen it yet?  What did you think? 

Order I want them to win: 
The Substance x 1,000,000 
then Nosferatu or Wicked or  A Different Man ... but really just still The Substance

Order I think they will win: 
The Substance, A Different Man, Wicked, Nosferatu, Emilia Perez

Completed Category: Adapted Screenplay

I completed another category this week! My tenth completed for this year's Oscar noms. 

Adapted Screenplay
A Complete Unknown - James Mangold and Jay Cocks 
Conclave - Peter Straughan
Emilia Perez - Jacques Audiard collaboration w/ Thomas Bidegain, Lea Mysius, Nicolas Livecchi
Nickel Boys - RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes    
Sing Sing -   Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, w/story also by Clarence Maclin, John Divine G Whitfield 

I love to think about the Screenplay categories each year, and I often seek out the source material for the Adapted category.  I read Conclave  a few months ago specifically based on early/summer awards buzz, and I read Nickel Boys last year too, although I would have done that anyway because it won a Pulitzer. 

I have NOT yet read Dylan Goes Electric! on which A Complete Unknown was somewhat based, nor the Esquire article that Sing Sing was adapted from about the prisoners' real-life story and the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program. 

As for the living, breathing, walking, talking, singing mess that is Emilia Perez,  we are apparently considering the screenplay to be based on the opera libretto that the writer/director wrote - because yes, he originally conceived this as an opera, which means it actually could have been even worse. I know, hard to believe - and that libretto was based on a character from a chapter of some book, and anyway, don't worry, we do not need to be seeking out any of this. 

Conclave is awesome! I liked the book, it's a fictional story, it's not an affront to the Catholic church, did I mention it's fiction, and as I've been saying for months since I read the book, you won't be getting any spoilers from me!  But even knowing everything that would happen, I still enjoyed the film and felt the requisite emotions, including tension, excitement, dismay, etc.  Great screenplay and great flick. I am so happy it has a chance to win! 

I won't be mad if A Complete Unknown wins either, though, as it was also an excellent film, and it distilled a complex story and coming together of people into a solid narrative that was well structured and well executed.  I would be perfectly fine with A Complete Unknown sweeping every single category in which it's nominated, actually, because my strongest feelings about other films are for categories in which A Complete Unknown is not nominated. 

Sing Sing probably won't win here, because it seems to be under the radar a little bit, and I think the performances of the ensemble are what made it soar, not necessarily the screenplay. I don't mean anything against it; it did its work well. 

Emilia Perez is a mess, as previously mentioned. There might be some spoilers herein; be warned. Nothing about it makes sense (least of all, why does it exist, and why must they sing) but for real - why can't he find a surgeon? why does he need the lawyer to do that? why are we expected to believe that ANY of the second half would/could happen?  does anyone think you could just start up that non-profit?  or that cartels would suddenly be hands off because they supposedly "don't know who you are"? or that people wouldn't know who you are?  not to mention all the seriously confused messaging about the so-called transition - are you two people, or not?  were you "always" this "woman" (ha ha, no) or not?  I mean, in some ways that's not the film's fault per se - nothing about any trans ideology makes a lick of sense, so why should it in a musical film about it?  But this screenplay is a mess, much like the finished product film. 

And sadly Nickel Boys, which is not anywhere near as bad, is also kind of a total mess.  I read that book. I found the movie extremely faithful to the book. And that is the only reason I had any idea whatsoever what was happening. I want to avoid spoilers, but honestly, they could only probably help you. While the movie depicts everything that happened in the book, it doesn't actually, like, communicate what's happening. Why is he going to this place? Was he sentenced? Was that explained? In the book it was!  What is happening with this "community service"? Was that explained?  In the book it was! What did the director tell the boy before the boxing match? It sure was explained in the book seeing as it's a  major pivotal plot point, along with what happened after the match as a direct result.  The notebook, the visitors, who was punished, who was where, who lives, who dies, you know, just simple little questions like that that are the whole entire point?  Explained in the book. The movie, not so much.  I'm sorry Nickel Boys, but ... what? 

Order I want them to win: 
A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Sing Sing, please no Emilia Perez, please no Nickel Boys 

Order I think they will win: 
Conclave, A Complete Unknown, and then I don't know. Maybe Sing Sing and then the other two? 

Which screenplays did you like?  

Completed Category: Supporting Actor

 This is the other category I completed by watching The Apprentice. 

Actor In A Supporting Role
Yura Borisov - Anora
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce - The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice

This is a category where I really like all five performances. I wouldn't be mad or at least not really mad when any of the five of them wins, except for the fact that one of the nominations belongs in another category! However,  I have a clear far and away favorite who I want to win, who will sadly not win. 

Three of these nominees are from films also nominated for Lead Actor. Will we have men from the same film in both of the men categories? (you know, the two for male actors? unless they get nominated in an Actress category of course).  It has happened before that the Lead and Supporting Actor winners are from the same film - including for one of my top Oscar-winning Best Pics of all time, The Best Years of Our Lives, as well as for Going My Way, Ben-Hur, Mystic River. Dallas Buyers Club, and most recently, Oppenheimer.  This shows us that a majority of the time the two men's categories (there are two) winners won for the same film, it was also the film that won Best Pic, but not every single time.  And so - theoretically A Complete Unknown could do this, even if The Brutalist  wins Best Pic, and I would like that. 

I don't think chances are strong for The Apprentice here. But it was a great honor for Jeremy Strong to be nominated, and he's Gen X!  Which I'm mildly obsessed with this year.  He made us feel all kinds of things, such as sympathy and affection for Roy Cohn, which is quite an amazing feat. This would be one of the best upsets of all Oscar time, if he wins. By the way, I still haven't watched Succession in which he's evidently great, and I need to do that. 

The other honor to be nominated is Yura Borisov. Where the heck did he come from, right?! Russia, actually, is the answer. Side note that he apparently voiced the cat in a The Master and Margarita film, which I didn't know existed until five minutes ago and which I need to have in my life. Anyway, he's freaking fantastic in Anora, and his part is so interesting, the way he is the least frantic of this gaggle of misfit friends - so, so well done. 

Now, everybody thinks Kieran Culkin is going to win, and he probably is, because he's category fraudulent here and was absolutely a co-star of A Real Pain. So, ugh. Moving along...

What if, indeed, The Brutalist the Brutal-est starts sweeping everything beginning with an early evening win for Guy Pearce?  I honestly wouldn't mind that much. We've had worse Oscar nights. I liked his performance even more than Adrien Brody's.  It was wild and bold and scary and fantastic. He is also Gen X. 

But you know who the best Gen X-er in this category is? My favorite, which I feel so, so strongly in my heart, is Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown.  Ed Norton as Pete Seeger was revelatory. I was transfixed by him in every scene as he conveyed so much about Pete Seeger, and about Bob Dylan, and about everything that was going on with and around them - it was wonderful beyond belief and him not winning Supporting Actor is the thing that is going to make me the absolute saddest on Oscar night. 

Order I want them to win: 
Edward Norton, Edward Norton, Edward Norton, Edward Norton, Edward Norton

Order I think they will win: 
Kieran Culkin the Category Fraud, Guy Pearce, possibly Edward Norton who should win, Jeremy Strong, Yura Borisov

Down with fraud! Up with Seeger! 

Completed Category: Lead Actor

 This is one of the two categories I completed by watching The Apprentice, which was 100% not on my radar until the Golden Globes nominations came around. 

Actor In A Leading Role

Adrien Brody - The Brutalist
Timothee Chalamet - A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo - Sing Sing 
Ralph Fiennes - Conclave
Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice

All of the men nominated in this category are men! Isn't that interesting! It shouldn't be, but it is. 

Anyway, the first of these films I saw was Sing Sing, a few months ago. While I really loved it, and Colman Domingo gave a commanding performance, I don't think this is his year to win. He is definitely going to rack up a bunch of nominations over a few years, though, which is great. He's great. The movie is a fantastic look at creating art and being human, even when locked up, and so this is like a 10 out of 10 for triumph of the human spirit. Some are sad that no Supporting Actors were nominated, but to me it was an ensemble triumph above all else. Humans need to be better than we are, and some of us are trying to be. Go watch Sing Sing. 

The next one I saw was Conclave, the pontiff-icating movie.  Will Ralph Fiennes win an Oscar, finally?  Perhaps.  He drives this spectacular conclave weekend and it's a doozy.  I had read the book and knew everything, and still felt all the requisite tension and emotions. I am 100% OK with him winning. 

After that I saw A Complete Unknown, and here we have some major competition for Ralph, because Timothee Chalamet contains multitudes, and one of those multitudes is now Bob Dylan. This is not a standard biopic, as I have mentioned elsewhere, rather a depiction of a period of time when some amazing strong personalities and talents came together in various ways with our man, with wondrous as well as heartbreaking results. Timothee is so very good, along with several other performers in this film. For a while, the buzz was that this was his award to lose. 

But then there's Adrien Brody. Is The Brutalist a juggernaut? Is it going to crash and burn?  Is it going to go off the rails mid-triumph, like its main characters?  Who's to say? I don't want to discount the work that Adrien Brody did, but this film really pummeled me, including his performance. (Don't do drugs, kidz.)  I want The Brutal-est to win some awards (mainly to stop the lunacy of certain other film) but in this category he really is in about 4th place for me. I don't think this is a common opinion, though. 

And finally, I saw The Apprentice. You know, not only was this movie not on my radar, but I didn't even know who Sebastian Stan was, so there's that. Why, what's that you say? No, I don't really follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or I haven't - but actually I've recently launched a project to watch it all in order and catch the ones I've missed. I'm only on Iron Man 2, though, so no Sebastian. But! Apparently he starred in I Tonya. Oops - I remember those guys, but I'll have to go back and look at it again to really realize who he was/is. At any rate, now I've seen him doing The Donald, and I have to say, this was quite a performance. It isn't just about nailing the mannerisms or whatever, but he really took us on a journey. I couldn't look away.  (And I am VERY capable of looking away from the actual current events.)  But, I think it's an honor for him to be nominated. 

Order I want them to win:
Ralph or Timothee, Sebastian, Colman, Adrien

Order I think they will win:
Adrien, Timothee, Ralph, Colman, Sebastian 

Who was your favorite Lead Actor performance?

Completed Category: Original Score

 This is one of the two categories I complete by watching The Wild Robot the weekend after the nominations came out. I had 7 out of 23 categories done, the first weekend! 

I am not indecisive in this post. 

Original Score
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Perez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

I freaking love Wicked with all of my heart, but not because of the Original Score. We know I famously forget to pay attention to the Score sometimes, but also at Wicked one already has a lot going on musically and it's all fantastic and wonderful, so the Score performed perfectly, too.  But I think it's my 2nd place choice here. Conclave is another movie I love, and I appreciate all the tension that was built in that movie, but a ton of that was from the talking, not necessarily the Score. I've mentioned elsewhere that I'm not totally enthralled with The Wild Robot yet, although maybe it will grow on me a bit more? But honestly I think it's an honor for it to be thrice nominated.  And Emilia Perez can go to hell, although I suppose we can grudgingly note that any instrumental Score in the thing was less terrible than some of the songs they were singing.  

But, my friends, here is The Brutalist. And here is its chance to shine. 

Yes, it's The Brutal-est. Yes, it pummeled me. But the one really good way it pummeled me was musically. I was mightily impressed by the music as it pulsed and struck profoundly and made me sit up and take notice way the heck more than any other Original Score for a 2024 film I've seen, nominated or otherwise.  Gooooo, The Brutalist - in this category.

Order I want them to win: The Brutalist

Order I think they will win: The Brutalist, that's it, seriously, get it together everyone, nothing else, Price Waterhouse loses the briefcases, the Oscars are cancelled, Conclave, Emilia Perez, Wicked, The Wild Robot. 

Completed Category: Sound

 This is one of two categories I completed by watching The Wild Robot the weekend after nominations were announced. 

Sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Perez 
Wicked 
The Wild Robot

I will state for the (clearly important historical) record that I do not love The Wild Robot the way that it seems some other people love The Wild Robot.  That said, there were certainly many things going on with the Sound that were done very well. It is the first Sound nomination for DreamWorks Animation, and they made us feel like we were hanging out in the woods with a robot and some animals. Side note: how many years in a row are we going to have delivered robots featured in Oscar noms?  Probably a lot, to be honest. 

Also nominated in this category is Emilia Perez and who cares. Eye roll.  Oh boy, they have musical numbers (with atrocious songs) and the streets and weird scenarios and there was Sound, oh boy, what a great job, so impressed.  Ugh and whatever, and please don't win. 

Dune: Part Two is back! Sound is one of the many categories in which Part One was victorious a couple of years ago. And fun fact, Sound is the only category in which the agreed-to-be-terrible first Dune from 1984 got nominated!  The one that everyone thinks was so bad even got a Sound nod! Dune and Sound clearly go together. I talk a lot about how pretty Dune: Part Two is, but it sounds good too!  It's really good at building the right atmosphere for the different outdoor vs indoor scenes, big fights, quiet moments, and of course the sandworms. 

A Complete Unknown, the other 1960s Baby Boomer fest along with Dune here (one of the few categories they're nominated together), also does well with both small intimate moments (both musical and conversational) as well as festival scenes, streets of New York scenes, you name it. But I think it's nominated here because we love the music -- and that it probably won't win. 

As for Wicked  - this is another one where I think it has a strong chance. I know it won't win every category but this is another place where people who love a film can shower it with technical awards, and it, too, had music, big scenes, wildly imaginative stuff, trains, talking Animals, you name it. There is so much reason to vote for Wicked here, and I bet a lot of people will do so, and not feel too guilty about not voting for the others (especially because Dune the first already won). 

Order in which I want them to win:
Wicked, A Complete Unknown, Dune, The Wild Robot, Emilia Perez

Order in which I think they will win: 
Wicked, Dune, The Wild Robot, A Complete Unknown, Emilia Perez

(Unless, of course, EmiliaUghPerez picks up a ton of awards but that's too depressing to even contemplate. I want it shut out so bad. Come on, Wicked!) 

Completed Category: Production Design

And this is the other category that I completed on Nominations day, by seeing Nosferatu that evening!

Production Design

The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

I am pretty much #TeamWicked here, but I suppose I'll say something good about each nominee... 

Let's start with our old friend The Brutal-est which might win, especially if it sweeps everything on its way to Best Picture. The collaboration between Production Designer Judy Becker (previously nominated for American Hustle) and Set Decorator Patricia Cuccia is honestly some amazing work.  I won't even be mad, like not really really mad anyway, if they win. You can watch a cool interview with them here about working on the flick, with interesting little details like "OK, we can ship a container from Toronto to Budapest; what can we bring?" and she's driving all around Ontario buying pieces from random people. On top of its intensity and favored-to-win-stuff status, The Brutalist is clearly a staggering accomplishments in certain ways, and the Production Design is one of them. 

What about Conclave? This is another film that has had some might-win-a-lot buzz, but also simply might not be able to triumph over the stiff competition.  Here is an interview with the Conclave nominees, Cynthia Sleiter and Suzie Davies (the latter previously nominated for Mr. Turner). I noticed that Cynthia worked in the art department for Angels and Demons, so she has a bit of experience with papal conclaves, eh?!  And as Suzie put it, why pass up a chance to live in Rome for six months!  (Cynthia already lives there.)  While they did a lot of incredible work to recreate the Sistine Chapel, among other sets, as they were not allowed to film in the real place, they did have some flats from a warehouse from a previous Sistine Chapel set. But, they did have to refurbish and redo the whole thing, and I'm not trying to say it wasn't a ton of work. Basically - I'd be happy if they win, too. 

Will Dune: Part Two steal the statuette from either of those two intense productions? Similar to some other awards, the first Dune already won this category, and I really think that might mentally free people up to vote for something else.  It's like, sorry Production Designer Patrice Vermette, but we already rewarded you and heard your speech a couple of years ago!  Set Decorator Shane Vieau apparently didn't work on the first Dune? but he did win previously for The Shape of Water, which was a weird-ass movie.  They said that for Dune: Part Two, little details like the fabric of the stilltents that collect the planet's scarce moisture could take months of production design work. While Dune is amazing and beautiful, and I actually liked Part Two a fair amount, I just think as an Academy voter I might reward something else over this. But here's an interview with them. 

As I've mentioned, I completed this category with Nosferatu.  I will admit that Nosferatu looks really, really cool, and I dig that dark, scary castle a whole lot.  I think the chances are slimmer for Craig Lathrop and Beatrice Brentnerova to win but they definitely have the whole weird, historical, but also fantastical, stunning, intense vibe going for them. In addition to the castle, there were homes and streets and ships and inns and the cemetery - these are no slouches, that's for sure. 

But let's talk about Wicked, shall we?  I mean, I just love it: the absolute joy of the visuals of this film, the creation of a vibrant world with a slew of invented locales, plus the mighty task of re-inventing the Emerald City, the yellow brick road, and things that we all hold in our hearts from years of being alive on an Earth where The Wizard of Oz exists. If you have any doubt about the sheer number of brilliant details in this work, watch this interview with Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales who in my opinion knocked it out of the park. They say that they were gobsmacked and it was one of the best challenges they were ever given. They had been working on Wonka before this and they talk about the interesting process of combining texture and sets with CGI to create these fantastical worlds. But what they do with colors and with sets and with details to immerse us is pure magic. They take simple concepts like  dorm, luggage, farm and transform them for us into visual marvels.  Bonus points for them talking about using the maps in the books as initial source and guide. When I watched Wicked, Part One, I immediately wanted it to win everything, which I sadly know it won't do, but this might be the category in which I will cheer for it the hardest. 

Order I want them to win: Wicked, Conclave  or The Brutalist, Nosferatu  or Dune: Part Two. 

Order I think they might win: Wicked, The Brutalist, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Nosferatu.