Later on, I'll write about how Roger Ebert's rule that "no good movie is too long, all bad movies not short enough" is not one I agree with. However, he had another great idea, that no good movie is depressing—all bad movies are depressing. Wicked is about so many bad things, yet it's also an unforgettable musical experience. Films like Sing Sing and Anora will also stay with me for a long time; indeed, these are some of the best films of the year. Despite the pessimistic tone of these movies, I'm happy to write that I liked most of the fifty films nominated for Oscars this year. (About seventy-six percent, to be more exact.) There were definitely a few I thought were quite overrated, but that's life.
In terms of making predictions for this year's winners, I'd say it's a lot harder than last year, when just about anyone could make a safe bet on Oppenheimer winning anything it was nominated for. This year, there are horse races everywhere. Adrien Brody in The Brutalist might be the favorite to win a second Oscar (though hopefully he'll keep his hands and lips to himself this year, should he win), but Timothée Chalamet's turn as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown could score an upset. Wicked was seen as the populist choice for the big prize, but it hasn't won much this season (confusingly losing the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Musical—Comedy or Musical to Emilia Pérez and only scoring a surprise win for Best Director at the Critics' Choice Award for Jon M. Chu). Speaking of Emilia Pérez, it started to lose steam with a drip-drip of controversies (though some of them were unwarranted). Still, it seems like the Oscar for Supporting Actress is Zoe Saldaña's to lose. As for Supporting Actor, the same could be said for Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain. (Spoiler alert: I don't think either of them are the best in those categories.) As for Best Picture, a consensus seems to have finally emerged, and I hope it does indeed win.
50. The Six Triple Eight
Music (Original Song) ("The Journey"; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)
Once in a while, Netflix releases a film that seems to be a formidable challenge to get through. Two years ago, it was the Oscar-nominated Blonde, a histrionic vexation of a biographical film about Marilyn Monroe. In addition to His Three Daughters (an overrated bore that took me a week to get through), The Six Triple Eight is one such film from Netflix last year. To be clear, The Six Triple Eight, the story of an all-Black, all female battalion in World War II, is a worthwhile, important story (especially because the almost impossible task they had went unrecognized for so many decades), and there are moments that shine. But in the hands of producer and director Tyler Perry (himself an Oscar recipient), the weak acting and dialogue make the film difficult to recommend. As for its sole Oscar nomination, it is for Diane Warren, her sixteenth nomination for Best Song. Warren is an iconic songwriter, having won a Grammy, an Emmy, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Golden Globes, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star; she even finally received an Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards, presented to her by Cher. Winning a competitive Oscar, however, has eluded her. You could certainly make the case that she should have won at least one Oscar by now (perhaps for songs like "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," and "Til It Happens to You"), but there are many that you will forget the second it finishes. "The Journey," the song from The Six Triple Eight, is certainly in the latter category.
49. Maria
Cinematography (Ed Lachman)
I don't think I've seen many movies quite as boring as Maria. Maria (also distributed by Netflix), starring Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Callas, is the third part of director Pablo Larraín's trilogy about famous women (with the other two being the superior Jackie in 2016 and Spencer in 2021). Larraín's recent outings, like Maria and the 2023 horror El Conde, have been dull duds. Maria has the same DNA as Jackie and Spencer, but none of the intrigue. It is a film that takes itself way too seriously, and I didn't like anything about it.
48. Gladiator II
Costume Design (Jantry Yates and Dave Crossman)
When ranking ninety of the Best Picture winners six years ago, I put the 2000 epic Gladiator at number forty-six, calling it kind of dumb but also enjoyable with uninspiring dialogue, top-notch action sequences, and mostly convincing visual effects. Nearly a quarter-century later, director Ridley Scott and his team brought audiences a sequel that is considerably more simple-minded and beyond boring. The visual effects are more prevalent here but also futile, especially those goofy-looking monkeys and sharks the gladiators fight. Gladiator II features an impressive cast (Paul Mescal, Pedro Pescal, Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington, as well as returning cast members Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi), and yet they all appear to either phone it in or do a tremendous amount of overacting. Needless to say, I was much more entertained by the Saturday Night Live musical spoof of it.
47. Memoir of a Snail
Animated Feature Film (Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney)
I didn't care much for Mary and Max when I saw it all those years ago, and I didn't care much of Memoir of a Snail, either. Both are written, produced, and directed by Australian animator Adam Elliot. I commend Elliot and his team for their animation style, and of course we all know the painstaking effort that goes into making a stop-motion animated film, but an A-for-effort doesn't mean it's a good movie. There definitely is an audience for the animated flicks directed by Elliot, but I am evidently not one of them.
46. Emilia Pérez
Actress in a Leading Role (Karla Sofía Gascón), Actress in a Supporting Role (Zoe Saldaña), Directing (Jacques Audiard), International Feature Film (France), Makeup and Hairstyling (Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier, and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini), Music (Original Score) (Clémont Ducol and Camille), Music (Original Song) ("El Mal") (Music by Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Docul, Camille, and Audiard), Music (Original Song) ("Mi Camino") (Music and Lyric by Ducol and Camille), Sound (Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz, and Niels Barletta), Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Screenplay by Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi), Best Picture (Pascal Caucheteux and Audiard)
Even without the controversy and resolute backlash online, I don't know why Emilia Pérez ever garnered so much praise from publications like Sight and Sound except that it's a periodic reminder that they are often full of crap. Emilia Pérez is an idea that does possess a small iota of cleverness to it, but it is not executed well at all. The title character herself (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) isn't particularly interesting, and most of the acting other than that of Zoe Saldaña is not very good, either. None of the songs (including the two nominated for Oscars) is memorable. Why has this movie been showered with awards when a film like All We Imagine as Light (one of the best films of last year) didn't receive a single nomination?
45. Nickel Boys
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes), Best Picture (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Barnes)
I appreciate the big swings director RaMell Ross, co-writer Joslyn Barnes, and cinematographer Jomo Fray took in avoiding tropes involved with films about systematic abuse and racism and to try something new, largely through the use of point-of-view cinematography (which I, like many, found distracting). The result is a film, adapted from Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer-winner 2019 novel, that is seen through the eyes of its two main characters (two boys in a highly abusive, segregated reform school in Florida). Yet even with these variations, the film is ultimately nondescript and one of the big cinematic disappointments of last year. That being said, this is also a very important subject matter, and I'm happy it has done well.
44. A Real Pain
Actor in a Supporting Role (Kieran Culkin), Writing (Original Screenplay) (Jesse Eisenberg)
I imagine most people my age probably have memories of Kieran Culkin in the following ways: nostalgic recollections of him as Fuller in the Home Alone movies, then a long gap followed by his starring role as a teenager in Igby Goes Down, then another long gap before his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning performance as Roman Roy in Succession. He's superb in that show, especially the final season (in which he was ironically nominated for Actor in a Leading Role, whereas in A Real Pain, a movie in which he is in almost every scene, he is nominated for Actor in a Supporting Role), but the wonder kind of fades away when you see him giving interviews or speeches and realizes...he's kind of just like Roman (just not evil). In this film (written by, directed by, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg), he walks, talks, and acts again just like Roman (but again, not evil). I am happy for Eisenberg, though, as one can tell that A Real Pain, about two Jewish cousins on a pilgrimage to Poland, is an important subject matter and a passion project of his that he has pulled off. However, I cannot say it was a film I was very impressed by.
43. A Different Man
Makeup and Hairstyling (Mike Marino, David Presto, and Crystal Jurado)
The David Lynch-esque thriller (and comedy?) A Different Man may serve as a nice companion piece to the somewhat similar The Substance. Both are about characters yearning for some sort of medical miracle drug to make them look prettier, yet the unintended consequences are devastating. Both also feature exceptional performances (in the case of A Different Man, it's Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson). However, what doesn't work in The Substance really doesn't work in A Different Man. In essence, once the transformation takes place, the story becomes less interesting with each passing minute, and whatever themes are attempted in this extremely bewildering tale are almost impenetrable, though that might really be up many viewers' alleys. It ultimately did not work for me.
42. Inside Out 2
Animated Feature Film (Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen)
Inside Out is an exceptional film that borders on the masterpiece territory where other Pixar films (namely Toy Story, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, and Up) reside, winning in this category nine years ago and becoming one of the best films of the previous decade, visualizing everything Pixar Studios can be capable of. The long-awaited sequel, however, is one of the most disappointing and overrated films of last year, not nearly as humorous, provocative, or emotionally engaging as its predecessor. I don't understand the acclaim behind Inside Out 2.
41. Wander to Wonder
Animated Short Film (Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper)
Wander to Wonder is a peculiar short film about three miniature actors (Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton) who starred in a low-budget, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood-style TV show for children until their creator died, leaving them abandoned in his studio to rot away and yearn for their past. Morbid to the point where it's almost disturbing, Wander to Wonder demonstrates the painstaking efforts of the Dutch animator and director Nina Gantz and her team, but it's a short film one will likely forget not long after viewing it. Still, it has its fans: Wander to Wonder won the BAFTA in this category a few weeks ago.
40. The Brutalist
Actor in a Leading Role (Adrien Brody), Actor in a Supporting Role (Guy Pearce), Actress in a Supporting Role (Felicity Jones), Cinematography (Lol Crawley), Directing (Brady Corbet), Film Editing (David Jancso), Music (Original Score) (Daniel Blumberg), Production Design (Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia), Writing (Original Screenplay) (Corbet and Mona Fastvold), Best Picture (Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim, and Corbet)
I've never agreed with Roger Ebert's argument that no good movie is too long. The three-and-a-half-hour film The Brutalist, about a Holocaust survivor from Hungary played by Adrien Brody building a life in the United States, has a decent first half, with innovative cinematography, music, and even opening credits. After the intermission, things drastically fall apart. There is no justification for this film being this long. It's not like other epics (like last year's Killers of the Flower Moon) that somehow make a lengthy ordeal feel like it's over in no time. Unfortunately, The Brutalist falls very short in its attempts to replicate previous movies' success.
39. In the Shadow of the Cypress
Animated Short Film (Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi)
As a work of animation, the Iranian film In the Shadow of the Cypress is a wondrous film, exploring in minimalist fashion themes like post-traumatic stress, anger, and hopelessness. This animated short looks like a series of wonderfully enigmatic paintings, but as a story, I was less intrigued by it than I'm sure others will be. It's mystifying, but overly so, so much so that one likely faces the possibility of dozing off away from the screen instead of being engaged with any exploration of human circumstances.
38. Better Man
Visual Effects (Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, and Peter Stubbs)
My complaints about the biographical films of famous musicians following the same hackneyed pattern seemed to be answered when Better Man, about Robbie Williams, featured him as a CGI ape (for a reason that you can try and figure out on your own if you really want to). If you like the music of Williams, this will be a fun, two-hour escapist adventure. If you've always been more of an Oasis fan, perhaps it's best to give this one a pass.
37. The Girl with the Needle
International Feature Film (Denmark)
When people think of the horror genre, they likely have images of demons, ghosts, knife-wielding murderers, and aliens dance through their heads. The Girl with the Needle is a psychological horror film that features no such things, and yet it will likely find its way crawling under your skin. It's a disturbing film—almost to the point where one must say that many should avoid it. In short, it's one of the most unsettling movies I've seen in some time, all while avoiding the gratuitousness of other, more conventional horror flicks. Its gorgeous cinematography and intriguing acting are noteworthy, but it is unlikely to be Denmark's fifth Oscar win in this category.
36. Alien: Romulus
Visual Effects (Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin, and Shane Mahan)
Alien: Romulus is the latest film in this long-running franchise, but at this point, it feels like the xenomorph is getting dull. To be clear, Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Álvarez, is good fun at times, and the painstaking effort that went into it surely is worthy of acclaim. However, it is also obnoxiously sprinkled with so many Easter eggs from various other Alien movies that it eventually starts to feel rather gimmicky. One wonders why they don't just finish Ridley Scott's David trilogy instead of aiming for overt nostalgia.
35. Anuja
Live Action Short Film (Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai)
Like a lot of films about India, Anuja, directed by Adam J. Graves, is a film that feels a lot like outsiders looking in. Films by Indians (like the Oscar-winning RRR and the film that was robbed of any nominations this year, All We Imagine As Light) that are popular among non-Indians have largely avoided these pitfalls. That being said, Anuja, about a young genius torn between continuing to work in a garments factory and pursuing education, is a commendable short film, especially because of its non-trained cast (namely Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag). Perhaps because the film is on Netflix, perhaps because Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra Jonas are producers, and perhaps because it shines a light on multiple problems voters probably care about (like child labor and the schooling of girls), Anuja could be considered the frontrunner in this category.
34. Beautiful Men
Animated Short Film (Nicholas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande)
Living in Istanbul, one sees lots of men with pinkish spots on their head, especially at the airport. The first time I saw a guy like that, I thought he had a tattoo. Then I noticed a few other guys who also had it, and I thought they were in a rock group. It took me a while to figure out they were all Europeans (I think) heading out of Turkey after a hair transplant that was more affordable than it would be back home. Beautiful Men is about three Dutch brothers on a trip to Istanbul for such a transplant when the trip goes a bit awry, inflaming their diffidence and testing their patience. The animation presents their situation as almost unearthly, so it's wonderful to watch, though its enigmatic nature may turn many off.
33. Nosferatu
Cinematography (Jarin Blaschke, Costume Design (Linda Muir), Makeup and Hairstyling (David White, Traci Loader, and Suzanne Stokes-Munton), Production Design (Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová)
Would I be a bad person if I thought all three major versions of this famous Dracula rip-off—the original 1922 film directed by F.W. Murnau, the 1979 remake directed by Werner Herzog, and this newest adaptation directed by Robert Eggers—were all just okay? If anything, this new Nosferatu doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from all the other Nosferatu/Dracula movies we've had over the past century. Okay is not bad, so this film, a seductive, atmospheric work by filmmakers with a drive to create art that is gorgeous to look at, is a recommendable one, especially its four richly deserved nominations. Bill Skarsgård, in particular, shines yet again in another unrecognizable horror performance. Other than that, however, I was hoping Nosferatu would be as unforgettable as other Eggers flicks like The Witch; it regrettably is not.
32. I'm Not a Robot
Live Action Short Film (Victoria Warmerdam and Trent)
Live Action Short Film (Victoria Warmerdam and Trent)
The Dutch science fiction short I'm Not a Robot is the latest anomalous European short to be nominated for an Oscar in the live action short category. It's what the New Yorker (its distributor) labels on its YouTube channel a "surreal identity crisis," and if you prefer to watch it with as little information beforehand (as you should), then that it is all you need to know for now. If you prefer a bit of a spoiler, read on. It's the story of a woman working in an office who slowly is coming to the realization that she might be a robot. I don't have too many complaints about the film other than to say that while it's a neat short film, I wonder if it would have been more effective as a short story in the written form or expanded into some kind of series to further explore the moral complexities it briefly teases.
31. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Animated Feature Film (Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, and Richard Beek)
This is the first Wallace & Gromit film since A Matter of Loaf and Death and the first full-length Wallace & Gromit film since The Curse of the Wererabbit way back in 2005, when it won the Oscar in this category. Despite its exciting and evocative score by Lorne Balfe and Julian Nott, the antics of our two title characters, and a return of a famous nemesis, Vengeance Most Fowl is unlikely to repeat that success due in large part to tough competition from The Wild Robot and Flow. Even if it weren't for those two films, Vengeance Most Fowl shouldn't win. Even though it's only around eighty minutes, it feels like it drags on a bit too long, all the while relying a bit too much on those funny-sounding robotic gnomes for gags. Still, those who are charmed by these two protagonists will be delighted yet again; children especially will.
30. Yuck!
Animated Short Film (Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet)
Yuck! is a cute tale of children being disgusted by all their surrounding adults kissing while also starting to develop interest in the act itself. Every time characters face the urge to kiss, their lips suddenly illuminate with a potent pink hue. This is a terrible inconvenience to the two young kids who want to kiss but are petrified of being made fun of over it. Yuck! is a sweet yet simple film that might recall all sorts of memories from camping to first kisses.
29. Magic Candies
Animated Short Film (Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio)
Magic Candies, an animated short produced by Japan's Toei Animation, is an adorable film about a young boy named Dong-Dong (voiced by Haruto Shima) who discovers that each of the candies in his bag give him the ability to talk to things as varied as his pet dog and his dead grandmother. Magic Candies is a charming and satisfying (sometimes forgettable) tale, and it's the only film I've seen that has made me think twice about the inner feelings of a sofa.
28. Elton John: Never Too Late
Music (Original Song) ("Never Too Late"; music and lyrics by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, and Bernie Taupin)
Much of Elton John's story (his tough upbringing, his drug abuse, his writing partnership with Bernie Taupin, etc.) are covered in this documentary about the highs and lows of his famous life, but they also were in Rocketman, the 2019 biographical film about Sir Elton in which the duo won an Oscar for Original Song. Still, Elton John: Never Too Late is a must-see for any fan of his, who will revel in all the songs they'll hear. The classics you've always heard of the radio are there ("Saturday Night's All Right," "The Bitch Is Back, and "Levon," among many others) as are the ones that you should've heard a lot more (like "Curtains," "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters," and "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"). As for this Oscar-nominated song ("Never Too Late") it's fairly mediocre. I've listened to all of his songs and ranked my favorite of them, but needless to say I'm not sure if I'll add it to the list.
27. The Apprentice
Actor in a Leading Role (Sebastian Stan), Actor in a Supporting Role (Jeremy Strong)
Now that the country is going through a nauseating case of déjà vu with everyone's favorite fascist being omnipresent yet again, many might not be thrilled to tune in to an origin story of him about a time long before he was wearing orange makeup and staging coups. In The Apprentice (an almost lazy name), Trump is played by Sebastian Stan in one of his two talked-about performances of last year. Here, we see a 70s-era Trump under the tutelage of the controversial lawyer Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong), who teaches him his dark arts of victory no matter what the cost. Stan and Strong do an effective job portraying these famous men without making it sound like they're in a Saturday Night Live sketch; Stan in particular does enough of Trump's odd eccentric mannerisms while avoiding the hyperbole. That being said, Trump is teflon at this point, and it feels like a movie this damning still comes across as tame.
26. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Visual Effects (Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, and Rodney Burke)
Ever since the final appearance of Andy Serkis's Caesar in 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, it seemed like the famous franchise (which has been with us since 1968) would finally be approaching its end. I, for one, was not craving yet another film of talking apes. Yet despite a shaky start, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes eventually picks up steam, with the highlight of the film being Kevin Durand's appearance as the villainous Proximus Caesar, especially as he yells what a wonderful day it is to his cult members. However, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is likely to have less staying power than the previous trilogy, but if the Academy keeps nominating them, critics keep admiring them, and they continue making millions of dollars for 20th Century Studios, these films won't stop anytime soon.
25. Black Box Diaries
Documentary Feature Film (Shiori Itō, Eric Nyari, and Hanna Aqvilin)
Those who are constantly in awe of Japan may be disappointed to be reminded that it is not a perfect country. Japan's gender index gap, for example, is ranked at 125 out of 146 nations, and the vast majority of sexual assaults in the country go unreported, with fewer criminal convictions. Black Box Diaries is a Japanese documentary (which has, disappointingly, still not been shown in Japan, though some might argue it's because of the controversies outlined in this BBC article) directed by and featuring Shiori Itō, a journalist whose accusations of rape against a prominent journalist and friend of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the face of the Me Too movement in Japan. The details of the attack and the expected backlash she faces from society may make it too disturbing to watch, but it is an important film, one that will hopefully help change attitudes in Japan should it ever be released there.
24. Death by Numbers
Documentary Short Film (Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard)
Despite gun violence falling from its pandemic-era surge for a third year in a row, thousands of people continue to die each year in the United States from guns. Death by Numbers is a powerful reminder of one of the most shocking gun massacres in history: the Parkland high school shooting in 2018. Death by Numbers, directed and produced by Kim A. Snyder, explores the aftermath of the shooting by focusing on the trial. (In the spirit of the film, which etches out the killer's face every time he is shown in court—likely to help prevent the glorification he sought—his name will not be mentioned here.) Most of our time is spent with Sam Fuentes, a survivor of the attack, who bravely faces him in court. It would be nice to see this topic explored even further in a full-length documentary.
23. Porcelain War
Documentary Feature Film (Brendan Bollomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska, and Paula DuPre'Pesmen)
As Ukraine passes its third anniversary of Russia's criminal invasion and war (a war in which Ukraine appears to be losing), many Americans may have tuned out—that is, until Trump and Vance's rude dressing down of Zelensky before the cameras this past Friday. Like previous Oscar-nominated documentaries on this subject (such as 20 Days in Mariupol and A House Made of Splinters), this is a visceral examination of the horrors of war seen through the eyes of everyday people. In this case, most of the footage was shot by locals, mainly two artists involved in resisting Russia's encroachment. You will witness a lot expected trauma: buildings destroyed, families separated, pets abandoned, and dead bodies. Yet you will also witness the spirit of the Ukrainian people, summarized by one of the artists featured in the film as being similar to porcelain—easy to break but impossible to destroy.
22. The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Documentary Short Film (Molly O'Brien and Lisa Remington)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra, directed by Molly O'Brien, focuses on the remarkable career of O'Brien's aunt, Orin O'Brien, the first woman to join the New York Philharmonic way back in 1968. Despite being the daughter of Hollywood stars George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill, she repeatedly claims that she shunned the spotlight, and so her role as a double bassist fit her personality perfectly, as she embraced the role of a supporting part. The most charming scenes are the ones in which O'Brien enthusiastically teaches her many students (who probably pay a fortune to be taught by her). While some viewers who are not musicologists may find the film a bit dry, its universal themes and the charm of Orin O'Brien (as well as her trailblazing career) make the film very recommendable.
21. Sugarcane
Documentary Feature Film (Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, and Kellen Quinn)
If you're a fan of the former Secretary of Interior and New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, who became the first (and only) Native American cabinet member, you owe a lot to the activist Julian Brave NoiseCat, whose hard work helped secure her nomination. Here, NoiseCat and co-director Emily Kassie explore the tragedy of the Canadian Indian residential school system and the generational trauma it proliferated. NoiseCat also explores his own family history, as his father at one point attended one of those schools. Sugarcane (like the other four nominees in this category) is depressing but worthy of its nomination.
20. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
International Feature Film (Germany)
Those who were paying attention to the horrifying stories of Iran's brutal crackdown of the 2022-2023 protests in response to the death of Mahsa Amini may have seen the footage from cell phones (which are featured prominently in The Seed of the Sacred Fig, which was filmed in secret by director Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled Iran and now lives in Europe). What they may have missed was the division the situation caused in families. Viewers of The Seed of the Sacred Fig are witness to how the fallout tears one family in particular apart. It's not a perfect film; I had mixed feelings on how the third act goes full-on The Shining, and it at times felt shaky. I also am not sure I would say I felt as intrigued by it as I did recent films by other Iranian directors like Panah Panahi, Jafar Panahi, and Asghar Farhadi. Still, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a well-made, powerful indictment against a brutal, theocratic regime.
19. Flow
Animated Feature Film (Gints Zilbalodis, Matis Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman), International Feature Film (Latvia)
Wikipedia tells us that the psychological concept of flow is the "melting together of action and consciousness," which is an apt explanation for the Latvian animated film of the same name in which a cat struggles to survive the elements of a mass flooding. Beyond that, a lot of what we see is a bit metaphorical, and so viewers will have to do their best to figure out the meaning, but it's still neat to look at, especially the effects by 3D computer graphics software Blender. Even non-cat lovers will find themselves rooting for this brave feline and his other friends (a labrador, a secretarybird, a capybara, and a lemur) as they struggle in the elements in a story that may remind many of Life of Pi.
18. The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Live Action Short Film (Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek)
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, the Croatian film directed by Nebojša Slijepčević, is the shortest film of this year's nominees at thirteen minutes. Those thirteen minutes, however, really make an impression. Based on the true story of the Štrpci massacre in 1993 in which the Serbian White Eagles paramilitary group kidnapped and massacred eighteen Muslims and one Croat from a train from Belgrade to Bar, the film's avoidance of melodrama to demonstrate the banality of evil and how sometimes bad things happen whether or not good men do anything is stirring.
17. September 5
Writing (Original Screenplay) (Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David)
Chronicling ABC's live coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch, September 5 features a script that one can tell was thoroughly researched. Like Spotlight a decade before it, there are a few melodramatic moments of guys yelling about journalistic integrity, but ultimately it allows its actors to behave in a naturalistic way, though their acting and dialogue stand out more than the film as a whole.
16. I Am Ready, Warden
Documentary Short Film (Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp)
I Am Ready, Warden is another fantastic documentary from MTV Documentary Films. This documentary is about John Henry Ramirez, a former marine who brutally murdered a Corpus Christi convenience store worker in 2004. While delicately avoiding didacticism about the contentious topic of capital punishment in the United States (something a slight majority of Americans still favor, though it's down from a record high of eighty percent in 1994), your feelings on the topic would be supported by the different points of view presented, including Ramirez (who admitted his crime and asked for the death penalty), his Christian mentor, the district attorney, and the son of his victim. One way or another, it's a film I would recommend.
15. I'm Still Here
International Feature Film (Brazil), Actress in a Leading Role (Fernanda Torres), Best Picture (Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira)
I'm Still Here harrowingly demonstrates how dictatorships can destroy families in a calm, almost normalized way. Adapted from the memoir of Marcelo Rubens Paiva (who is played here as a boy by Guilherme Silveira and as an adult by Antonio Saboia) about what the military dictatorship of Brazil did to his parents—Eunice (Oscar-nominated Fernanda Torres) and former Congressman Rubens—I'm Still Here survived an unsuccessful protest by the Bolsonarist far-right, becoming a huge hit in Brazil and the biggest box-office success since the COVID-19 pandemic. (An older Paiva in 2014 is played by Torres' mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who is considered by many to be the greatest Brazilian actress of all time, and who was the first Brazilian to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.) As good as Fernanda Torres is in I'm Still Here, the film would have benefited from trimming its epilogue that goes on too long, but it's a recommendable film nonetheless, especially for these times when democracy appears to be on the decline.
14. No Other Land
Documentary Feature Film (Basel Adra, Slava Leontyev, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham)
No Other Land, like the other nominees in the Documentary Feature Film category, will either make you feel nauseated, mad as hell, or both. Focusing on two activists in Masafer Yatta (the Palestinian Basel Adra and the Israeli Yuval Abraham) as they document consistent expulsions of Palestinians from their land and escalating settler violence (of which there have been nearly two thousand since October 2023), viewers will be witness to IDF and settler thugs demolishing houses and schools, stealing generators, and shooting Palestinians. Most of the time, we also witness the bravery of those resisting, especially that of Adra and Abraham. It's also worth pointing out that their group had no prior experience in documentary filmmaking before this project, making their efforts all the more impressive.
13. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Documentary Feature Film (Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius, and Rémi Grellety)
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat is a damning and epic video essay condemning the brutal history of the United Nations' actions in Congo and other African nations just after independence, namely Belgium. The figures (some of whom are still glorified in the West) who come across in the harshest light are people like U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, CIA Director Allen Dulles, UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, and Belgian King Baudouin. The film is a bit too praiseworthy of some bad actors in history, like Cuban leader Fidel Castro, but it should be required viewing for everyone given the ongoing conflict in Congo and the role Western, neo-colonial nations have played there, and the attention to detail, research, and effective use of archival footage and jazz music by director Johan Grimonprez is commendable. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat, like the other four nominees in this category, certainly preach to the choir (that is, progressives who will probably agree with their conclusions), but regardless of your ideology (or whether or not you think you have one), you really should see these five films.
12. A Lien
Live Action Short Film (Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz)
The timeliest film on this list is most likely A Lien, an emotionally charged work that feels very eerily prescient given the climate about immigration in the U.S. About a married couple's nightmarish attempt to get a green card, the film might not have a broad fan club, as Donald Trump, the most antagonist U.S. leader toward Latinos in history, won the last election with forty-two percent of the Latino vote (a record for a Republican). No Trump voter would view what happens to the family in this film sympathetically, because none of them have shown any sympathy for any of Trump's victims. Thus, the film, while potent, lacks making an impact with a broad audience, though the left-leaning Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may be aching to send a message by picking this one. Regardless of the politics, it's a heart-pounding experience viewing it.
11. The Substance
Makeup and Hairstyling (Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli), Writing (Original Screenplay) (Coraline Fargeat), Actress in a Leading Role (Demi Moore), Best Picture
First of all, I share everyone's dismay at Margaret Qualley not being nominated and how it was one of the Academy's most boneheaded decisions this year. As for Demi Moore (who is nominated and who probably is the frontrunner), it's a great performance, and it would really be something for the Academy to actually award an actor for her work in a horror film. (Other than Kathy Bates in Misery and Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs, no actress has won an Oscar for a horror movie.) The makeup effects by Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli are also superb and will likely win. Like many of the best horror films, this one features an allegory that really resonated with many viewers, particularly women. But while the allegory of the film is a potent one, the second half is unfortunately duller than the first half. That being said, The Substance is a body horror movie that will be talked about for decades.
10. Dune: Part II
Cinematography (Greig Fraser), Production Design (Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau), Sound (Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill), Sound (Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer), Best Picture (Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, and Denis Villeneuve)
I wrote three years ago that Dune was the first film I had seen in the cinema since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and I was unfortunately disappointed. Dune: Part II likely deserves to win most (or all) of the technical awards it is nominated for, especially the visual effects; not many films look as gorgeous as these. Even audience members who don't like these two films have to hand it to director Denis Villeneuve and his team for pulling something like this off. It's certainly a lengthy film, but it never had me frequently glancing at my watch like I did during the first one, and I actually left the theater intrigued to see where the third installment would take these characters in this science fiction epic. In short, Dune: Part II deserves its awards for its technical achievement (especially for visual effects, which are mesmerizing), but I wouldn't call it one of the year's best. Fortunately, I liked it more than I thought I would.
Actor in a Leading Role (Timothée Chalamet), Actor in a Supporting Role (Edward Norton), Actress in a Supporting Role (Monica Barbaro), Costume Design (Arianne Phillips), Directing (James Mangold), Sound (Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey, and David Giammarco), Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Mangold and Jay Cocks), Best Picture (Fred Berger, Mangold, and Alex Heineman)
A Complete Unknown mostly avoids some of the pitfalls of other biographical films of great men in 20th-century music by only focusing on the early years of Bob Dylan's historic career. (He's also not a CGI ape.) In A Complete Unknown, it's when he was the icon of folk music before eventually turning his disciples rabid once he brought out an electric guitar. (These are the highest the stakes get, but the "Dylan goes electric" moment was indeed controversial.) It seems that the years of giving Oscars to whomever could do an accurate impersonation of a famous person (especially if they could sing) may finally have ended, as (despite how fantastic they are in the film) actors Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez are not currently favored to win here, although Chalamet did just win the SAG award (and gave quite a polarizing speech). Still, Chalamet does as well as any sounding like Dylan, and his singing is pretty good, too.
8. Conclave
Actor in a Leading Role (Ralph Fiennes), Actress in a Supporting Role (Isabella Rossellini), Costume Design (Lisy Christl), Film Editing (Nick Emerson), Music (Original Score) (Volker Bertelmann), Production Design (Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter), Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Peter Straughan), Best Picture (Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, and Michael A. Jackman)
Even though Conclave is not the best film on this list, it is the film that (for whatever reason) I have thought the most about since viewing it. Perhaps it was because I was raised Catholic, perhaps it is because I find the ritual of the politicking of the cardinals peculiar but fascinating (at least in this narrative form). Perhaps it's because of its hypnotic score by Oscar-winner Volker Bertelmann. Ultimately, I liked what just about everyone else liked about it: its mysteriousness, its costumes, its twists, its characters, and its actors (particularly Ralph Fiennes and John Lithgow). Pope Francis is probably nearing the end of his papacy, and while Conclave is simply a group of artists' best guess as to what goes on behind those Vatican walls, we can all expect similar fragmentation regarding ideology and geography during the next conclave.
7. Instruments of a Beating Heart
Documentary Short Film (Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari)
The corny title aside, Instruments of a Beating Heart is a charming film that follows a group of first graders in a Tokyo elementary school. The young student we spend the most time with is Ayame, and surely every audience member will root and cheer for her as she tries to overcome the obstacle of getting the beats right in her school's performance of "Ode to Joy." This might not seem like a tall order for many adult viewers, but it's a herculean task for these young ones, with high stakes never ending. To conclude, I know it's best to avoid these kinds of unnecessary anecdotes, but for me personally, the film brought back a lot of pleasant memories of teaching in a Japanese elementary school five years ago.
6. Incident
Documentary Short Film (Bill Morrison and Jamie Kelven)
Directed and edited by Bill Morrison, Incident brilliantly juxtaposes various bodycam and surveillance footage from a fateful day in 2018 in which police officer Dillan Halley shot and killed Harith "Snoop" Augustus in broad daylight in Chicago. For those who don't glorify the police at all costs (while simultaneously cheering the pardoning of those who physically attack them), watching the film will make their blood boil. For those who always give the police the benefit of the doubt, I can only say what I always say about a film like this: You owe it to yourself to see it. Incident does as effective a job as a documentary can to powerfully demonstrate that institutions (like the police) are not as holy as they seem, and they can indeed sometimes be the most dangerous part of a neighborhood.
5. The Last Ranger
Live Action Short Film (Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw)
The Last Ranger really packs a whomping punch in just under thirty minutes. The South African film directed by Cindy Lee is about rangers protecting rhinos from poachers. Unfortunately (and oddly enough, fortunately), the film is inspired by real events. It may come across as a little heavy-handed, but the film's strengths more than make up for this. Those strengths include its acting, direction, script, and certainly its goals. It is my favorite of the live-action shorts by a mile.
4. The Wild Robot
Animated Feature Film (Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann), Music (Original Score) (Kris Bowers), Sound (Ryan Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo, and Jeff Lefferts)
I don't know if The Wild Robot will win the Oscar for Animated Feature Film, but I do know that it was my favorite animated film I saw last year. It's the sweetest and most sentimental of the films nominated this year, and it's apparently also the only film at this year's Oscars to pass the Climate Reality Check's test measuring climate visibility, and given that we just passed the hottest year on record (again), that makes it all the more worth recommending. It might also help push the film past its main competitor, Flow. There are other reasons to adore a film like The Wild Robot. One of them is the terrific voice acting of Lupita Nyong'o, who demonstrates yet again her extraordinary talent at voices.
3. Sing Sing
Actor in a Supporting Role (Coleman Domingo), Music (Original Song) ("Like a Bird"; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada)
As great as the SAG-winning cast of Conclave is with all of its theatricality and partially letting the costumes do much of the work, I think the best acting from a cast overall was Sing Sing (which was not nominated for Cast in a Motion Picture). Sing Sing, about a theater program in the Sing Sing prison, features remarkable performances by Coleman Domingo, Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin, Paul Raci, and a whole host of non-trained formerly incarcerated men who are alumni of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program and who play themselves. Actually, as phenomenal as Domingo is (and he's surely much better than he was in last nominated performance last year in Rustin), it's obvious that he is acting, whereas the others' non-trained realities grant the film undeniable veritas. Anyone with any memory and appreciation of theater, in particular, will likely adore the film.
2. Wicked
Actress in a Leading Role (Cynthia Erivo), Actress in a Supporting Role (Ariana Grande), Costume Design (Paul Tazewell), Film Editing (Myron Kerstein), Makeup and Hairstyling (Frances Hannon, Laura Blout, and Sarah Nuth), Music (Original Score) (John Powell and Stephen Schwartz), Production Design (Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales), Sound (Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson, and John Marquis), Best Picture (Marc Platt)
My flex in this article is that I saw the original Broadway production of Wicked twenty years ago...and was disappointed by it. Thus, I entered the cinema feeling apprehensive about this adaptation, and the first ten minutes or so seemed to validate my trepidation. However, my fears ultimately did not come to fruition, as I mostly found the film (particularly that final twenty minutes or so) exhilarating (as did basically everyone who saw it). Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda are pitch-perfect in this tale that turns The Wizard of Oz upside down and wonders if these two rival witches were ever actually friends. They would probably both get my vote if I were a member of the Academy. I don't know why they are not considered the frontrunners. Who else can sing like them?
1. Anora
Actor in a Supporting Role (Yura Borisov), Actress in a Leading Role (Mikey Madison), Directing (Sean Baker), Film Editing (Baker), Writing (Original Screenplay) (Baker), Best Picture (Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan)
Anora is the best film of last year, unquestionably. Winning the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival as well as Best Picture at the Critics' Choice Awards, the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, the Director's Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing, and three Independent Spirit Awards, it is the latest triumph from Sean Baker, a filmmaker who seems, at this point, incapable of making a bad film. (A true auteur, Baker serves as a producer, director, writer, and editor of Anora.) Mikey Madison in the title role of an exotic dancer who apparently finds herself living the Cinderella story is incomparable, and the three awful humans she's up against in the third act (indeed, they are the villains of the century) are formidable. The spoiled brat of the villainous trifecta is Ivan, played by Mark Eydelshteyn (whom everyone thinks of as Russia's Timothée Chalamet). As good as Yura Borisov is in this film, I was disappointed that neither Eydelshteyn nor frequent Baker-collaborator Karren Karagulian (as the movie's clumsier version of Winston Wolf) were discussed much this awards season. Anyway, it seems that as many of the movie's competitors have faltered this awards season, Anora has slowly gained momentum, deservedly so. It was the best film of 2024 and surely one of the best of the decade. What a rare treat it would be if the Academy actually chose the best film of the year for Best Picture.
Dedicated to Jessica.
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