Oscars 2025 Nominations Announcements

[VictoriaSpungecake]

Is anyone else interested to see what happens here.

They are going to announce the Oscars nominations around 1.30pm today. If you are interested you can livestream at Oscar.com, Oscars.org,

I am hoping for nominations for Demi Moore and Marianne Jean Baptiste in the best actress categories, and also hoping for a few other surprises.

I have only seen Conclave and a Complete Unknown.

I loved Conclave. Just loved it. And I would have said that RF ought to win the best actor for his ability to portray such emotion in a mere eye twitch. But then I saw A Complete Unknown. I thought TC's performance was (when not singing) almost without nuance- just a one note of sullen truculence. But the fact he sang everything and played all the instruments I thought was simply incredible. What a talent for someone so young. I don't think the film was a great film- but TC's performance was a great performance.

Brutalist potentially coming to vod on 18th -least in USA so keep an eye out.

I'll be doing wicked and substance with my parents this weekend. Hopefully neither have much sex!

I watched The Brutalist the other day and am trying to put my feelings about it into words. I found it quite an immersive experience, in that when I think about the film now it is as though I went back in time and lived the lives of those characters, which is a bit weird. I found the storytelling really clear, yet resonant and profound in places. This is mostly due to Brody's acting. While he undergoes an emotional bashing in the film he understates it, which makes it all the more powerful. His trauma is under the surface, but is sometimes visible in his ragged vulnerability. I found the film quite raw in places, a kind of tender rawness when it touches on something real and painful. While it focuses on specific characters from a specific era who experienced a specific event, it made me think of all refugees, many of whose stories must be similar to Toth's because atrocities against humans continue to take place. I think it is a beautiful film and give it 5 out 5 stars.

My updated list. I still have 4 films left to watch before Oscars Night.

Anora - Very good. Fantastic performance by Mikey Madison but script not as great as it thinks it is. (3.5)
The Brutalist Brilliant film, elevated by a truly fantastic performance by Adrien Brody. (5)
A Complete Unknown
Conclave Good. (3)
Dune: Part Two Won't be watching. Not my cup of tea.
Emilia Pérez Strange musical with very trite lyrics and unintentional anti trans message. (2)
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance Loved it. Original and bold. (5)
Wicked Enjoyed the first half and then suddenly came to my senses and realised that I'd been drawn in by the amazing sets and choreography, but that I really didn't like it at all, or many of the performances. (2)

I too have 4. Dana's 3 as you bar emillia Perez over dune.

Will post my scores for latest 2 when I get up! But substance was a 5 too. Totally bonkers! I'd not rewatch it though. And wicked 4.

Saw The Brutalist. Fascinating. Really hard to talk about in less than 1000 words! Adrian Brody was incredible.

Will do. Hoping to see a few more of the films before the Oscars.

Although re Betterman. It looks utterly dreadful with the CGI monkey gimmick and I’m so glad I don’t have to watch it (because I like to see all of the Oscar contenders).

I saw " I am still here" and thought it pretty boring. Obviously a serious subject and I had no idea it was a true story until the end). Not particularly an enjoyable movie to me. 3/5

3 to go!

Agreed - I don't think I could sit through even five minutes of it, given that if RW appears on TV I want to leave the room. Thankfully that's virtually never nowadays.

I'm seeing I'm Still Here on Monday, shortly after The Monkey. It's probably not the worlds best thought out double bill, but I'll manage 😀

Just watched The Brutalist. My goodness, they don’t make ‘em like that any more do they? It was epic in ambition and scale. Did it hold together completely? No. But even so, it was just amazing. I felt like I was watching a classic epic even if it’s yet to become classic.

I can’t quite articulate how brilliant it kind of is, because it straddles the fence between brilliant and not quite there and I’m not sure why it’s slightly lacking.

Emilia Perez was actually not too bad it entertained me more than a lot of them (without being a great film!)

So 3.5?

2 more to watch now!

Brutalist: thoughts... trying to avoid spoilers. It has that Epic feel but ikwym @ConstantlyFuriosa cant' quite put my finger on something about it.

I found it hugely thought-provoking. Lots of themes around power, which the assault was integral to in my opinion. Lazlo's character had no power throughout.

Harry's reaction to Elizabeth's announcement at the dinner interested me. Had he experienced something similar? In that case, who is The Brutalist?

I thought the cinematography was integral to the atmosphere and story too. The mountain quarry scene in Carrera was monumental.

The epilogue felt a bit stuck on. But I guess the aim was to communicate that Lazlo had a successful career despite the events of the film. And I found it very powerful that Sofia was speaking at a big public event, given how we saw her in the first parts of the film.

Off to see Anora tonight 😊 my cinema has sensibly added a couple of dates following the Bafta win... tonight's nearly sold out!

@burnoutbabe Have I missed some of your marks? I've got:

Anora 3.5;
Emilia Perez 3.5
I'm Still Here 3

@colouringindoors @SocksAndTheCity @MrsPeterHarris @MayfairRose

How are you all getting on? Have you seen any more of the films?

It looks as though we are the (un)official committee for deciding the MN Oscars Nominations Best Film.

Oh, just seen these. Thank you. Will record these scores.

I'm seeing I'm Still Here tomorrow and Wild Robot next Saturday @VictoriaSpungecake so can add scores for both soon 👍

In the meantime I can rate Seed Of The Sacred Fig, which was a solid 4 out of 5 (I'd possibly rate it a bit higher, but I do think the final section could have shed 10-15 minutes).

It was truly gripping stuff though, and I'd recommend it to anybody even without considering the backstory.

Agree with all of this. I too thought that Harry had probably experienced something similar and yes, that Harrison was the brutalist. Laszlo was extremely passive throughout but trying to assert himself with his work. All the way through I saw allusions to the holocaust, from the arch they had to go through to get to the big house, the massive chimneys and the small rooms with high ceilings. So when they said that’s what he’d tried to integrate in his work of the Van Buren institute I was already there.

I think i understand why Corbet is winning lots of director awards but not film, because the artistry is superb. But as we’ve both said (and countless more before us) the film is great but just an iota away from brilliance.

That said, it’s a wonderful film and these quibbles do it down. I enjoyed Anora but it would be a travesty if it stole best picture at the Oscars.

I will do a points scoring thing when I get a chance, @VictoriaSpungecake

Anora - seeing tonight!
The Brutalist - 5. Epic in scale, thought-provoking themes. Adrian Bridy is excellent, Felicity Jones also v good
A Complete Unknown - 4. Enjoyed far more than I expected. Convincing 60s vibe, Chalamet impressived with Dylan music, voice and posture.
Conclave
Dune: Part Two - 4.5 Visually stunning, sound too. Interesting story drawing from world religions. Worm ride amazing (effects).
Emilia Pérez - not watching on principle
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked - Not my cup.of tea. Found trailer too fake.
A Real pain - 4. Personally very triggering but 2 leads amazing, so well written.
Nosferatu - 3.5 visually amazing, attention to detail in gothic atmosphere. Slow, but well researched - lots inc re Nosferatu folklore so not simply a Dracula story.
Wild Robot - 5 Just so so beautiful animation of book' pastel sketch drawing style Animation: 5
Maria - 4 visually stunning, opposite to Nosferatu. Jolie excellent

Thank you 😊 I appreciate that. I'm really enjoying these discussions, really wish I could have these convos in person 😍

I'm just back from seeing Anora, which my dd kindly told me I hadnt heard of because I didn't fit the profile 😅

Glad I saw it. I found it very entertaining, and extremely funny in places. Mikey Madison was excellent.

But.
I do feel a bit sad for her that she gets nominated starring in a film which imvho was pornographic in places. I get that it was portraying someone working in the sex trade, and very powerfully did so. But the degree of explicitness for her character (not the men) left me uncomfortable (and maybe that's the point).

I loved her character's bravado and guts. I found the way it ended made me well up. An interesting choice for her character compared to how she'd been the rest of the film.

I'd give it a 4 for a story I've not seen before, degree of very dark humour, entertaining characters and Mikey M's portrayal of a thought-provoking character who manages to maintain her guts/attitude/armour, nearly always.

I hadn't picked up on the architectural link to the holocaust and camps at all... but made total sense when it was explained.

"Nice" to hear someone else's similar interpretation of Harry and Harrison...

Did Elisabeth go to Israel do you think?

Conclave, Substance, I'm Still here are still on my list to see... but not sure how.
Ideally in a Cineworld cos it's free for me at the mo...

Oh yeah the wooden roofed arch, that I Did get. (Brutalist)

Unfortunately, and much as I’ve enjoyed Sean Baker’s work before, I think this film was incredibly Male Gaze as regards ‘sex work is work’. Ever6 interview I’ve seen with Mikey Madison - who did a wonderful job portraying Anora - is from the POV that she’s representing the ‘sex worker’ community which has made me increasingly uncomfortable.

So I’m really having problems with Anora and I don’t want it to win awards because normalising sexual exploitation does not sit well with me.

I’m not sure if Erzsabet went to Israel. I think maybe she didn’t make it which is sad. I found the inclusion of the NATO mandate re Jews being given a state in Israel quite pointed given the current climate

I've seen Anora twice and I definitely didn't see anything that fits the definition of pornographic, @colouringindoors ?

There are nude scenes and sex scenes in it just like many other films, but nothing particularly gratuitous and if anything I thought the everyday mundanity of sex work (to sex workers rather than onlookers) was very well portrayed, and likely because actual sex workers were involved in the production, just as they were with Tangerine.

It's many years since I worked in strip clubs, but it seems that not much changes. I did want to punch the gormless little shit she takes up with, mind.