The Oscars are one of the world’s most anticipated awards shows of the year. This year’s Oscar nominations for best picture have been released and a lot of people are upset about the nominations. A review online for Emilia Perez by James (Schafferillas) on the popular movie review website Leterboxd says “Impressive! A musical with zero (0) good songs! If Selena Gomez gets nominated for an Oscar for this performance I am keying the Acadamy’s cars.” The nominations this year are Emilia Perez, I’m Still Here, Anora, A Complete Unknown, The Substance, The Brutalist, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Nickel Boys, and Wicked.
In particular, the nominee with the most controversy is Emilia Perez. Directed by Jacques Audiard, it is a Spanish crime musical. It is so controversial because people say Emilia Perez is not deserving of an Oscar. For example, they say the script and soundtrack are bad along with Selena Gomez’s singing. It also doesn’t help that it was nominated for 12 other awards. There are only three movies with more nominations than that, and they are Titanic, All About Eve, and La La Land, all with 14 nominations each.
I’m Still Here is a family drama directed by Walter Salles, following a now-single mother after her husband disappeared. It features a widow trying to raise two kids without her husband, and it does not shy away from the darker, more dramatic events that happen.
Anora, directed by Sean Baker, is a film about a woman from Brooklyn, New York who has her own “Cinderella” sort of story, where she impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. It takes the perspective of Anora showing that she is spontaneous, but the chemistry between her and Igor is built up throughout the movie, making the audience interested in their relationship.
A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold, is a biopic about the life of talented singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan. It picks actor Timothèe Chalamet to play the famous Bob Dylan. A Complete Unknown is a pretty accurate and realistic look into the life and the peak of Bob Dylan. On top of that Chalamet also sings all of the songs in the movie and does a pretty convincing Bob Dylan voice.
The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat, is a horror movie about an actress losing her touch with acting and taking a mysterious serum that would make her young again. It makes her temporally young, but then her atoms and body start to morph and change in horrifying and grotesque ways. The last time a movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars was Jordan Peele’s horror movie Get Out.
The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, is a film about an architect moving from post-World War Two Europe and moving to Pennsylvania to rebuild his life and marriage, but a rich and powerful industrialist notices his talent. The actor playing the architect Adrian Brody has also been nominated for Best Actor for his role. He has won a Best Picture award in the past for the movie The Pianist.
Conclave, directed by Edward Berger, is a movie about a cardinal with the task of choosing the next pope. He is confronted by the most powerful people in the Vatican confronting him. While choosing the next pope he confronts some of the secrets that the Vatican and the Catholic Church are hiding from the people. The scenery in the movie is very well-detailed and has the scenery of a catholic church and captures that feeling really well.
Dune: Part Two, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is the sequel to Dune and just as big a hit as the first Dune if not more so. Both movies are based on the novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert. It is about a noble family becoming involved in a war over the galaxy’s biggest asset, spice. This is Timothèe Chalamet’s second movie that he has appeared in that is nominated for Best Picture.
Nickel Boys, directed by RaMell Ross, is a movie about two African-American boys, who are sent to an abusive school in 1960’s Florida. This movie is the most realistic depicting the period it is taking place in. This movie takes place in the South when Jim Crow laws were still in effect. The chemistry between the two friends is also really believable and easy to get invested in.
Last but not least Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu, is based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name. It was one of the most anticipated movies of last year. It is a prequel to the movie The Wizard of Oz before Dorhty goes to Oz and before the Wicked Witch of the East becomes wicked.
The 97th Academy Awards was held on March 2nd, 2025, and was hosted by comedian and talk-show host Conan O’Brien. The movie that won Best Picture was Sean Baker’s movie Anora. Just like that the 2024 Oscar season has ended. Now fans will just have to wait until next year to see the movies nominated for The 98th Academy Awards.
