Split Decision: “Emilia Pérez”

In the Split Decision series, two (or three) of our writers face off on an Oscar-nominated movie one loves and the other doesn't. Today, Nick Taylor, Lynn Lee, and Juan Carlos Ojano discuss Emilia Pérez...

NICK TAYLOR: Hello, Lynn and Juan Carlos! I’m really excited to start our conversation on Emilia Pérez, surely the most divisive of this year’s Oscar contenders. I am entering this talk as our resident hater - I admire the nutty swings this movie is taking, though very little of that admiration extends to how those nutty swings are executed by Jacques Audiard and his collaborators. Still, I wanna hear what makes the movie work for you guys, or at least makes these experiments worthwhile. Lynn, as the person in this conversation who likes Emilia Pérez the most, do you wanna take the baton?

LYNN LEE: Haha, is it even safe to admit you like Emilia Pérez these days?...

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The DGA shakes things up with a Mangold nomination

by Cláudio Alves

The guilds are going wild for James Mangold's A COMPLETE UNKNOWN.

The Directors Guild of America has had its say, nudging the awards season in one clear direction. And that is the way for A Complete Unknown, James Mangold's latest biopic which has amassed strong box office numbers and now is a threat for a Best Director Oscar nomination. Nathaniel was right to predict him in our first round of Team Experience punditry. But along with Mangold's inclusion come many notorious absences, including Jon M. Chu, whose best chance at a major Best Director prize was this guild honor whose tastes run closer to the Hollywood mainstream than the Academy's branch tends to be. Denis Villeneuve and Coralie Fargeat are also nowhere to be found, while RaMell Ross and Payal Kapadia were only honored in the First Feature category. 

Discover the complete list of DGA nominees after the jump…

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Oscar Volley: Venice and Cannes loom over Best Director

Here's Nathaniel R and Elisa Giudici on the Best Director race...

ANORA, Sean Baker | © NEON

NATHANIEL: Elisa, my far away friend, I miss attending festivals with you. One of the greatest joys of film festivals, as opposed to normal moviegoing / movie coverage, is that it's a departure. It's both more intimate (you're choosing a bunch of films to watch alone even if you're discussing them later with strangers and friends) and more expansive: generally speaking you see films from all over the world (if you're doing it right) and it's more auteur-focused. The latter brings us to today's volley topic: BEST DIRECTOR...

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An Early Look at the Best Director Oscar Race

by Eric Blume

Will THE BRUTALIST's "big bold vision" secure Brady Corbet his first Oscar nomination?

While The Film Experience writers gear up for their own Oscar predictions, I (probably like you) spend my time on several other industry sites to see what the current predictions are.  

This is a super fun time of the year, because nobody is out with citations or nominations, so it's not yet thuddeningly predictable.  Which makes it all the more surprising is that everywhere I read, almost ALL the forecasters seem to have the same five names listed as our nominees for the Best Director Oscar...

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(Pt 2) Everything you wanted to know about the International Feature race: Stars & Auteurs

by Nathaniel R

Michael Fassbender co-stars in Ireland's KNEECAP

In part one of our breakdown of the Best International Feature Film Oscar race, we looked at recurring themes, LGBTQ appeal, and running time. But there is still a lot to discuss in the collection of 85 films competing first for 15 "finalist" spots (December 17th) and then for the coveted nomination (January 17th, 2025). Let's look at the famous actors and directors who are back again hoping for some gold dust on their films...

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