A few thoughts on the Oscar nominations...
Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 1:52PM by Nathaniel R
Nominations have been announced for the 97th Academy Awards and our worst fears are realized: we’ll now be forced to watch a movie about T**** just as he’s in the process of dismantling democracy. The Apprentice scored two acting nominations. Though Sebastian Stan hadn’t been winning awards for this movie but the other one (A Different Man, in which he is brilliant), never doubt the power of a famous actor playing a famous person. Unless that person is Angelina Jolie I guess? She famously missed the category in 2008 for a biopic despite doing well in the precursors and now she’s missed again for Maria.
Our other worst nightmare for this season is also true: Problematic messy Emilia Perez has obliterated the record set by infinitely better movies Roma and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to become the most nominated non-English language film of all time at the Oscars. In fact, with 13 nominations it’s one of the most nominated movies of any kind. We are living in wild times...
I promise I’ll get to the good news in a second but two more gripes, both music branch related since they are my sworn enemies year after year: Diane Warren’s strangehold on Best Original Song for movies that otherwise have no Oscar dreams whatsoever and despite not having a hit song in aeons, continues. Nothing short of Diane Warren taking a vacation can cure the music branch. They’ve also given a Best Original Score nomination to Wicked despite the fact that there’s no way that it should have even been eligible since rules are in place to prohibit scores that are heavy on non original content to compete. Wicked is 80% songs, none of which are original. And yet Dune Part Two was denied eligibility based on not enough original music in its score. Make it make sense.
As is usual for the Oscars, the pool of films that were “considered” seems small and “spread the wealth” is not a governing motto. Emilia Perez nabbed every single nomination it basically could have save a double-dip in Supporting Actress. But three films scored double digit nominations with The Brutalist and Wicked each receiving 10 nominations.
It’s not all bad news. A lot of fine performances and films were recognized even if we could AND WILL go into more detail about what upset us and delighted us in each category.
But the best news is surely that Oscar voters continue to get more adventurous (except for in the adventure of watching more movies in general). The Substance, Coralie Fargeat’s gonzo body horror satire, defied the odds to become the rare horror movie to score big at the Oscars with __ nominations. I’ve thought about this success a lot since I doubted that it would come to pass (and have ooze on my face as a result). This film is not something the Academy would have gone for even 5 or 6 years ago. It’s success is not just due to the expansion of the voting body – which has definitely cooled genre aversions and boosted international achievements. I’d argue that was only the half of the foundational reason that this particular movie succeeded despite seeming like a long shot when it first arrived in Cannes. The other half responsible for its awards success: the satirical target of Hollywood, ageism, and the nightmarish beauty standards of the entertainment industry. Surely everyone in Hollywood could relate to the theme of the film, no matter how extreme the expression was.
Lots more to come over the next week as we dive into stats and individual categories. For now check out all the OFFICIAL NOMINEES at the Prediction Index Page and laugh at how terribly I did this year with lots of 3/5 categories and only two perfect scores (Visual Effects, Animated Feature).
Oscars (24)
Reader Comments (26)
Bummed for The Last Showgirl ladies. Curtis was superior to most of these Best Supporting Actress nominees and was actually supporting; What a fantastic follow-up to her dodgy win. Too bad this and The Substance came out in the same year because they were fighting for the same narrative and understandably, Demi won out.
If you cut Erivo and Gascon from Best Actress and replaced them with any two below the line performances, you’d have a much better lineup. Jolie, Kidman, Anderson, Jean-Baptiste, Tilda, Winslet, Adams, Ronan…literally ANY two of them.
I feel bad for Jolie: She’s a limited actress who obviously worked incredibly hard to nail this and did. You see all the work but I still found it endearing, a wonderful star turn. Maria’s also much warmer and more emotionally resonant to me than Jackie and Spencer. It’s a bummer Larrain fatigue set in before he put out the best of the bunch.
This narrative about The Apprentice is tiresome already,even refusing to write his name in full is another level of childishness.
Politics should be put to one side if you are judging artistic merits.
It's a real kick in the teeth to an actor doing a great job playing an unlikeable by some character.
I didn't like Ike Turner but Laurence Fishburne played him well and revealed the man beneath the monster.
It reeks of arrogance to snub a performer based on who they are playing.
Stan's nomination is the best thing to happen this morning,he really really deserved it,he's excellent with the mimicry but also revealing a different side of a man we think we all know and really we don't.
This sort of attitude is the reason Trump is where he is now.
He completely demolished the vote,a lot of people voted for him and all of them can't be right wing nutters..
The film is one of my surprises of the year.
Big well done to Jeremy Strong also.
I can't get behind Isabella's nod at all and I really like her but you have to actually give a performance in your film to deserve it,it's a legacy nod and that is all
Demi I think secured her win too despite the internet claiming Torres is now the favourite.
Phew on the snubs for Gomez and Washington,they would have looked bad in a years time.
Challengers snubbed score is a bummer.
Next time maybe Jamie Lee.
The Best Actress category shed a lot of A List blood Jolie Swinton Kidman Winslet Zendaya Adams Anderson Ronan.
Jolie is a real shock snub I thought she was the surest of sure things but once I saw the film and that lip synching I knew she was doomed.
They like their Kidman safe.
What do previous darlings Winslet and Adams have to do to be invited back
Pleased Nosferatu hit all the nods it was supposed to.
Alien Romulus Best VFX a big get for practical work over all CGI.
Sad for Craig but it his film was always a hard one to like.
Pansy can console herself alongside Poppy.
Who put Erivo as a number one choice,that film is Arianas through and through.
Fuck EMILIA PEREZ! Who even likes this film, let alone loves it? WHERE ARE THEY??? I haven't seen or met any of them.
Not a good batch of nominees, in my opinion, which is sad because we had a good year.
Or maybe I'm just too disappointed that Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Margaret Qualley missed.
From an European perspective, the whole 'I'm not watching or even talking about The Apprentice' has been quite idiotic.
@PeggySue Well said,it's arrogant stupidity and a snub to those actors.
Ripley and Peggy Sue, 100%. The Apprentice and Emilia Perez feel like opposite sides of the same coin: One was irrationally deflated and sidelined for political reasons, the other was irrationally inflated and boosted for political reasons.
People need to spend more time thinking about quality vs. how good a movie makes them feel about their personal politics/values. Emilia Perez is a hot mess no matter what you think about "representation." The Apprentice performances deserve a look no matter how you feel about Donald Trump.
Years from now people will wonder "how the hell did EP get 13 nominations?" but I doubt anyone will wonder why Stan and Strong were nominated.
@Wae Mest -- I love Emilia Perez. It's currently my third favorite film of 2024. Everyone in my film club loved it, too. I was fully expecting us to be divided on it, but we weren't. Everyone had fantastic observations and insights. Men and women, those with trans relatives and those without, all different educations and careers, all of us with radically different taste in films. We all loved it. So...we're some of them.
Would love to be wrong, but I think it's going to be
Moore - Brody - Saldaña - Culkin.
Yes, well said all. Happy for Stan, he is great and subtle in a role that invites big acting. And also can we stop with “problematic” thing already. Dont like the movie, fine, neither do I, but let people tell the stories they want. This dogmatic test of purity is what getting right wing populist elected everwhere.
Nathaniel, I get not wanting to engage with anything Trump-related right now, but Sebastian Stan really is THAT good in the role. He humanizes him in a way that doesn't shy away from how broken he is as a human being, and yes, the movie is very uncomfortable because of that, but it's such an achievement of acting. Also, for what it's worth, the man himself has called everyone who worked on the movie "human scum", so you should probably see it just for that (others say the movie doesn't go hard enough on him, but really, that's a no-win situation, because everyone has their own opinion over just how hard a movie is being on a subject).
Regarding Emilia Pérez, I'm an outlier among my group in that I don't hate the movie. I think it's very messy, that its depiction of Mexico is childish and, as a Mexican myself, I get why most of my compatriots are having issues with it (though I suspect most of them are reacting to the memes rather than the actual movie, seeing it was only just released in theaters today and has only had a few screenings before), but I still admire that Jacques Audiard is doing a genre-bending opera that stays true to many of the traditions of opera (the over-the-top narrative, the tragic arc), while exploring some more modern elements of genre. Why he would decide to set it in Mexico when he knew almost nothing about it, and refused to hire people he could actually consult on the subject, is beyond me. The film took a lot of interesting swings, I just think it chose the wrong targets for it.
That said, I do think Mi Camino and El Mal are good songs, Zoe Saldaña is giving it her all, and while she's gotten a lot of flack for her Spanish, Selena Gomez is stretching herself beyond what I've seen of her and I admire that she took a risk.
I agree with all the staements regarding The Apprentice,I think people are growing very very tired of it,if people engaged in proper discussion maybe things wouldn't be divided.
I enjoyed EP,thought Gscon was amazing but I agree it's all over the place and 13 nods and with Gomez could've been 14 is excessive.
I hated with a passion Anora and the annoying actors in it.
Why do the Oscars keep nominating Diane Warren? STOP! Fucking bitch hasn't written a decent song in nearly 30 years. It's not going to end. Just fucking stop!
@Jason Cooper- Emilia Perez hits on every negative trans trope out there.
Trans woman killer
Tragic trans woman
Trans woman abandons her wife and children to transition
Transition treated as a death
Deadnaming and misgendering at pivotal moments
Trans woman described as half male/half female”
The fact that your 'film club' had no issues with these at all is troubling, especially those that have trans relatives, as you claim.
I'm glad other people chimed in on the Trump thing so I don't have to. It's tired.
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I saw your doubt in The Substance in the predictions, despite how well it was doing all season, and I'm glad it triumphed. I knew it would but of course there was a chance it wouldn't and I'm so happy it did. It was obviously commentary on Hollywood, beauty standards, but also how much women hate themselves.
Everyone talks about ageism and beauty standards and yes, all of this exists, but there is also deep self-hatred going on for even the most beautiful people to use their free will to harm themselves to appear a certain way. That is indeed why it resonated--because the hatred is that deep to go to those bonkers levels of destruction and absurdity.
The Substance was my #2 of the year (behind My Old Ass) and I'm so happy it did well, especially for Coralie bc she directed the F*CK outta that movie.
I am so rooting for Demi and with the movie's showing with the nominations, her frontrunner status is cemented. Wow, how iconic!
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Diane Warren needs to be banned. Lol. Like what the hell.
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Kinda disappointed for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, but with such a stacked category, there were bound to be snubs this season. Good for Fernanda Torres, though.
I think is the first year where I don’t have any disappointment (except category frauds).
Two horror movies have multiple nominations. And that a movie like The Substance is nominated for picture and directing is incredible. Cronenberg must be proud.
I’m not a fan at all of Conclave but I’m a big fan of Ralph Fiennes in Conclave!
Emilia Perez and Erivo are there, so F**k you haters!
David S -- I haven't seen EP yet, so I can't comment fully, but why should a trans character only be allowed to be good / pure / angelic etc. when that isn't what a fully formed human is? Isn't that dehumanizing as well?
I understand, in a sense, what you're getting at. And as I said, I haven't seen the film so I don't know if it truly is ridiculous.
But in regards to this argument, I assume anyone with a two ounces of intellect can understand that someone's gender identity does not inform their character and just as there are good / bad in all people of every race / gender / sexuality, that goes for trans people too.
It's something Viola Davis said about a decade ago... True equality does not mean roles that are only "good" but being able to play every shade of morality on the spectrum because that is true to human life.
Or even the deadnaming etc, is that not often the experience of trans people, as they have voiced themselves? So why isn't that valid to tell on screen? Is it only allowed if it's sunshine and rainbows?
Philip H. -- I don't think anyone is asking for "sunshine and rainbows" when criticizing EMILIA PÉREZ' trans representation. Especially when a lot of its harshest critics, many of them trans, have championed other trans narratives that are far, far removed from "sunshine and rainbows." At least, I struggle to see how anyone would describe works as I SAW THE TV GLOW, THE PEOPLE'S JOKER, STRESS POSITIONS or CASTRATION MOVIE in such terms.
I know it's hard to find in English, but maybe give Paul B. Preciado's essay for Libération and El País a read. And, of course, watch the film to figure out your own feelings on it.
Over the moon for Coralie Fargeat and The Substance. I'm sure the nominations are the wins for them in all categories, but it's lovely to see a wonderful body horror be so embraced by the Academies.
Also big congrats to Nickel Boys for still making it in Best Picture.
The only surprise to me was Challengers missing for Score.
i took three months before watching The Apprentice because i couldn't fathom having any more Trump in my headspace. but the film is incredibly well made, and Stan's performance in it is truly magnificent. his calibration...both internal and external...as he goes from a normal person and turns into "Trump" is pretty breathtaking. and the film is an excoriating take-down of him.
i am one of the (many) EMILIA PEREZ lovers. to me, it's what used to be called "pure cinema"...a completely original story told with urgency, punch, and gloriously messy passion.
@WaeMest. I'm someone who didn't just like, but loved EMILIA PEREZ. I'm a gay man who's written a book on queerness in Ingmar Bergman and another on Pasolini--two politically incorrect filmmakers to be sure, so maybe I'm not the kind of person who looks at films according to the kind of scorecard GLAAD provides. I did want to see what trans people thought of it, even before I heard it was considered problematic, so I watched it for the first time with two of my trans friends: a trans man who's a Shakespeare scholar and a trans woman who's a trans activist and director of our city's Pride Community Center. They loved it, too. The fact that the Shakespearian scholar loved it doesn't surprise me at all, as EP is very much modeled on the template of a classical tragedy. I few days later, another colleague of mine, a cis/het Mexican immigrant to the US who is a scholar of Mexican and Mexican American lit and film, called me excited to talk to me about it. He loved it, too. We're puzzled at the negative reactions, which we've read and remain unpersuaded by. People keep saying "trans critics hate it" but Muy Rude, who's the trans scholar I've always read and found sharp and intelligent loved it. So there you go. Five people who love the film.
Claudio - Thanks for your response! I appreciate it. I need to finally watch EP and see what I think.
Best Actress is interesting since it was so competitive for the 5th spot and both GG winners were unexpected by many. Moore obviously has all the precursor noms and an acclaimed, left-field BP nominee to back her. But Torres' film getting into BP as well kind of puts her near even ground if it weren't for the fact that she missed all the other precursors (CC, SAG, BAFTA). There's also the fact that the performance is in a foreign language, which hasn't landed a Best Actress winner since Cotillard in 2008. But I won't call Moore a clear frontrunner until/unless she wins BAFTA.
^ I was thinking about that today...
Fernanda Torres is certainly in the race after the Globe win and her movie's Best Picture nomination. However, being foreign language and missing those precursors does indeed hurt her chances.
Cynthia is a previous nominee playing an iconic role, but people seem to be way more passionate about Grande.
Karla could be competitive due to the historic nature and the love for EP, but I think the nomination is the win for her.
Mikey Madison is the only one with zero chance imo, which is funny, because there was a time people were predicting her as the frontrunner. I always saw her as the only one 100% locked for a nomination but never saw her as competitive for a win. Funny how that works sometimes.
All-in-all, it's still Demi's in the end. As atypical as a win as it will be, The Substance is clearly loved and respected -- and most importantly, Demi still has the most compelling narrative. Comeback / career honors. It's her time.
I definitely see Moore taking home the SAG and BAFTA is likely too, although they could go wildcard. Still, Torres can't win anywhere else and with her mother being a previous nominee, she probably has the next best narrative.
Unless Erivo or Gascon takes the SAG, I think Demi is pretty safe. Which absolutely thrills me tbh.
I also loved Emilia Perez - good to see people here defending the film :D - it's a provocative film - it's not supposed to be received well by everyone, and if you've seen previous Jacques Audiard films, you know it's like this. Its main merit is how these dilemmas are inflicted upon you as you watch, which made my experience so intriguing. There's a reason why filmmakers (since Cannes) have loved this film but many critics did not.
I also think it's more of a weird celebration of the different "facets" of womanhood (sorry not sorry JK Rowling) than anything else. Art is sometimes messy (more often than not, honesty) but can still be impactful and create experiences that will always resonate differently with each spectator. Even for the bad parts of Emilia Perez, which is far from being a perfect film, there are amazing things from beginning to end (and many ways of reading it).
The Oscars create a competition among films, therefore sparking hatred from fans of different films. People are going to the cinemas wanting to hate or like a film and therefore blocking themselves from possible awesome experiences. I swore I wouldn't like Wicked, and in the end I really liked it - that wouldn't be possible if I had gone looking for things to fulfill my "hate point of view".
Cinema can be whatever it wants to be. Let's hope for more films that challenge the expectations and sensations we are used to have when watching a film.
I was looking forward to some shocks and surprises but in all honesty there weren’t really any to me. There were ‘snubs’ but ones that people predicted, so not true snubs. I would have liked some inclusion of nominees from left field that not many people saw coming.
And now that we have the nominations, it seems like the excitement is kinda over.
Brody - Moore - Culkin - Saldaña. If these are the winners then it will be kinda boring IMO. I LOVE Brody and Moore don’t get me wrong - I just wish things were a little less clear when we get to this stage in the awards season.
My suggestion has always been that the award shows themselves can keep their air dates, but nominations for EVERYTHING should be voted on by December 31 so no voting body is swayed by another one. That would be an interesting year and actually show people’s own opinions and not what everyone else is voting for. Always been a dream of mine.
I had more trouble with Anora than Emilia Perez.
Apart from Yura Borisov what an annoying bunch of load mouths,Baker's worst for me,Mikey is not a star,she's off putting and I won't be excited to see her anytime soon,what was with all the bad language,is that supposed to be character development.