My 97th Academy Awards picks for film year 2024 will be based on the fewest nominees I’ve seen, probably since the early 1980s. I saw them all in cinemas. Part of it involved distractions from life. The * means I watched it. The first mention directs to my review of the same.
Best Picture
*Anora, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers. It took me a while to warm up to this film.
*The Brutalist, Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim, and Brady Corbet, Producers. The AI “brouhaha began when The Brutalist’s Oscar-nominated editor, Dávid Jancsó, gave a rather candid interview with video tech publication RedShark News. In it, he revealed that the production used Ukrainian software company Respeecher, which specializes in AI voice-generating technology, to make Jones and Brody sound more authentic when they spoke Hungarian in the film.” I’m not sure how to feel about this. But I liked the film well enough.
*A Complete Unknown, Fred Berger, James Mangold, and Alex Heineman, Producers
*Conclave, Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, and Michael A. Jackman, Producers. I saw this film in the autumn of 2024 and highly suggested my wife see it in February 2025; she did, and she liked it, too.
Dune: Part Two, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, and Denis Villeneuve, Producers. A buddy of mine from church suggested we go see this in the theater, but I declined because I hadn’t seen the first film. I regret that.
ALSO
Emilia Pérez, Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard, Producers. I assume it played here, but I missed it.
*I’m Still Here, Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira, Producers. The first Brazilian film to be nominated in this category. It’s a very good story about a government gone amok. I just saw it.
Nickel Boys, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Joslyn Barnes, Producers. It came and went in my busy time.
The Substance, Coralie Fargeat, and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Producers. My wife and I thought about going to what is, in essence, a horror movie, and then it left the theater.
*Wicked, Marc Platt, Producer
Conclave would be my favorite, but A Complete Unknown is much better than anticipated.
Actor in a Leading Role
*Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
*Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
*Colman Domingo, Sing Sing. I love this performance.
*Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Actor in a Supporting Role
*Yura Borisov, Anora
*Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain, Is his supporting nomination category fraud?
“Jesse Eisenberg has more screen time (62 minutes and 29 seconds) than Culkin does (58 minutes and six seconds), but the film is obviously about the relationship between two cousins who are almost always on screen together.” And it is his character who was the heart of the movie character. (Shrugs.)
*Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown. The first nominee of someone playing a person I’ve met IRL, Pete Seeger. He was good.
*Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Culkin would be my pick, the controversy notwithstanding.
Actress in a Leading Role
*Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez. The controversy over comments made by the performer shouldn’t have affected the Academy voting, but it probably did.
*Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
*Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
I would select Torres, who had the most significant arc.
Animated Feature Film
*Flow, Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman
*Inside Out 2, Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
Memoir of a Snail, Adam Elliot, and Liz Kearney
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, and Richard Beek. I LOVE Wallace and Gromit! I’ll probably have to see this in the Regal Theatre in a mall.
*The Wild Robot, Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
I like all the ones I saw, but I’m leaning towards the robot.
Cinematography
*The Brutalist, Lol Crawley
Dune: Part Two, Greig Fraser
Emilia Pérez, Paul Guilhaume
Maria, Ed Lachman
Nosferatu, Jarin Blaschke
Costume Design
*A Complete Unknown, Arianne Phillips
*Conclave, Lisy Christl
Gladiator II, Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Nosferatu, Linda Muir
*Wicked, Paul Tazewell
The three I saw were good in such different ways. Wicked was the flashiest.
Directing
*Anora, Sean Baker
*The Brutalist, Brady Corbet
*A Complete Unknown, James Mangold
Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard
The Substance, Coralie Fargeat
The Brutalist had the most scope, with several locations.
Film Editing
*Anora, Sean Baker
*The Brutalist, David Jancso
*Conclave, Nick Emerson
Emilia Pérez, Juliette Welfling
*Wicked, Myron Kerstein
The early parts of Anora were dizzying, which I expect was the point.
International Feature Film
Brazil: *I’m Still Here
Denmark: The Girl with the Needle
France: Emilia Pérez
Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Latvia: *Flow
This is a very interesting category, with films from Brazil and France up for Best Picture. Does the Oscar go to Emilia Pérez, improving the odds for The Brutalist or Anora? Does Flow’s selection here enhance its chances for Best Animated Feature? I dunno.
Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man, Mike Marino, David Presto, and Crystal Jurado
Emilia Pérez, Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
Nosferatu, David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton. Anther movie I was on the fence about seeing.
The Substance, Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
*Wicked, Frances Hannon, Laura Blount, and Sarah Nuth
Music (Original Score)
*The Brutalist, Daniel Blumberg
*Conclave, Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez, Clément Ducol and Camille
*Wicked, John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
*The Wild Robot, Kris Bowers
Conclave and The Brutalist were good, The Wild Robot entranced.
Music (Original Song)
El Mal from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
The Journey from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren. I would like to see this film, presently on Netflix, which I don’t have. Some visitors to the IMDb site feel the TRUE STORY is too woke. ..
Like A Bird from *Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
Mi Camino from Emilia Pérez; Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, and Bernie Taupin
Production Design
*The Brutalist, Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
*Conclave, Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
Dune: Part Two, Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
Nosferatu, Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
*Wicked, Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
I’m leaning toward Conclave
Sound
*A Complete Unknown, Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
Dune: Part Two, Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
Emilia Pérez, Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
*Wicked, Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
*The Wild Robot, Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts
At that moment, while watching the film, I loved the sound of The Wild Robot; it was visceral.
Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus, Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
Better Man, Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs
Dune: Part Two, Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, and Rodney Burke
*Wicked, Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk, and Paul Corbould
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
*A Complete Unknown, Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
*Conclave, Screenplay by Peter Straughan
Emilia Pérez, Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
Nickel Boys, Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
*Sing Sing, Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield
My rooting interest clearly is for Sing Sing, though I think it’ll be Conclave or A Complete Unknown, the consolation prize for losing out Best Picture to Anora or The Brutalist
Writing (Original Screenplay)
*Anora, Written by Sean Baker
*The Brutalist, Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
*A Real Pain, Written by Jesse Eisenberg
September 5, Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David
The Substance, Written by Coralie Fargeat
The Brutalist, based on the scope. Did I mention it was 3.5 hours?
I have left off the Documentary Feature Films, none of which I have seen, and the various short films, which will get their own posts.
My wife and I went to the Spectrum Theatre in Albany to see A Complete Unknown at a Saturday matinee in late December. I asked the cashier whether people approached them and sang the title. They said a few did because they were trying to remember the film’s name; rather than saying, “Oh, the Dylan film,” they dug up the line from Like a Rolling Stone. The theater was quite full, with most patrons appearing to be eligible for Social Security.