The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards, also known as the 2025 Oscars, were revealed on January 23rd, 2025, and as someone who is obsessed with movies and watched seventy of the new movies released in 2024, I have a lot of thoughts about the decisions the Oscars made this year. I unfortunately have not seen A Complete Unknown, Nickel Boys, or I’m Still Here yet, although I do plan on seeing them soon. As I have not seen those, I have only seen seven of the ten Best Picture nominees, so I will just talk about the movies I have seen and not really mention those I haven’t. I will go over most of the categories, but I will skip over the ones I have little to say about because I haven’t seen many of the nominees of that particular category.

So I’m gonna go over this in the order they did on the nominations announcement livestream, so I will start with Best Actor in a Supporting Role. I am hoping that Kieran Culkin wins this award for A Real Pain. His performance is tied with another performance we will get to later as my favorite acting performance of the entire year in film. Culkin’s performance is both hilarious and heartbreaking. He plays a character with a very spontaneous and bombastic personality in a way that just feels insanely  authentic. As he won the Golden Globe and many critics awards, I do think that it is likely Culkin will win the Oscar, which would so, so cool. I also am over the moon about Jeremy Strong being nominated for his extraordinary performance as Roy Cohn in The Apprentice. Strong makes his character feel completely dead inside and soulless in a way that is honestly pretty mind-boggling that someone was able to pull it off so effectively. Love to see the Succession actors thriving! Guy Pearce’s nomination for The Brutalist is cool, as Pearce’s performance was amazing, but if a supporting actor from The Brutalist was going to get an Oscar nomination, I would have personally preferred it to be Joe Alwyn. And finally, it is truly awesome to see a performance as gloriously subtle as Yura Borisov’s in Anora receive an Oscar nomination, as many performances as understated as that one have not received the awards recognition they deserved, such as Charles Melton last year for May December in this very category. I would be content if Culkin, Borisov, or Strong won, even though there is one nomination I favor over the others. It would have been really cool if either Mike Faist or Josh O’Connor were nominated for Challengers (I probably would have nominated both of them) and I do wish Mark Eydelshteyn would have been nominated as well, as he is my personal favorite of all of the incredible supporting performances in Anora, and, in my opinion, gave the funniest acting performance of 2024.

The outcome of the Best Costume Design award is not a category I care too much about this year as a lot of my favorite costume design from this year were not nominated, such as the visually striking and quirky costumes of Kinds of Kindness, the gritty and memorable costumes of Furiosa, and the colorful and unique costumes of The Substance. Of the nominations, I guess I hope Wicked wins, and I’d bet money that it will. I’m not too passionate about the costumes of Wicked, but they were cool and visually appealing. I specifically really liked a lot of the outfits Glinda wore. Conclave had cool costumes, so I’m fine with that nomination. Nosferatu had some costumes I really liked, such as a few of the outfits Ellen wore, but I personally don’t think it was worthy of a nomination.

For Best Makeup and Hairstyling, I think all of the nominations are completely deserved, besides for Wicked. I don’t mind the nomination, but I just think there was Makeup and Hairstyling I was more impressed by from this year than them just making someone look green. I think The Substance will probably win this, and that would be incredibly deserving. The makeup in that film is so impressive. They truly transform Demi Moore until she is utterly unrecognizable. I’m rooting for The Substance to win this category. I like that Nosferatu was nominated here, even though the primary thing the makeup was used for was to transform Bill Skarsgård into Count Orlok, and I quite dislike the design of Count Orlok (and Nosferatu as a whole, which is a very unpopular opinion, I know), but I think the makeup work is objectively impressive though. I’m really happy to see two horror films nominated here, as a lot of the most impressive and inventive makeup and hairstyling in films come from horror movies, and they are barely recognized for it. Similar to Nosferatu, I’m really not a fan of Emilia Pérez, but I think the makeup does deserve recognition. They did truly transform the lead actress into a different person for the beginning of the film. Finally, A Different Man is a really cool nomination too and I’m happy to see it here. I personally believe that Challengers and Sasquatch Sunset deserved to be nominated here also.

In the category for Best Original Score, I found Kris Bowers’s score for The Wild Robot very unmemorable, so I’m not really on board with it being nominated. It just seriously left no impression on me. I found Volker Bertelmann’s score for Conclave well composed in a vacuum, but incredibly obnoxious and out of place when it came to its usage in the actual movie. When it comes to Camille and Clément Ducol’s score for Emilia Pérez, I believe that according to the official rules of the Oscars, the score includes all the instrumentals from the original songs as well, which I find stupid as original songs have their own category for their instrumentals to be recognized, but taking that into account, I guess I don’t have that big of a problem with the nomination because there is some great instrumentals in the songs of the film. Emilia Pérez still wouldn’t have been my top pick or anything for Best Original Score though. John Powell and Stephen Schwartz were nominated for their score for Wicked, which I find odd and also hard to fully judge as I’m not really sure what music or instrumentals were taken from the Broadway musical and what was new. I just really didn’t vibe with this category’s nominees this year outside of Daniel Blumberg’s memorable and breathtaking score for The Brutalist. Both the first song and the final song specifically blew me away. I am actually listening to The Brutalist score as I write this. The score perfectly depicts how grand the protagonist’s dreams for the future are in the beginning, and then changes throughout to better portray the main character’s journey and changing mindset. The way the score works with the movie is brilliant, and it would make for an amazing win that I think will happen. It is genuinely shocking that Challengers wasn’t nominated for Best Original Score, as it won the Golden Globe, and was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who have won two previous Best Original Score Oscars. It is by far my favorite score of the year. It is so exhilarating and Challengers would truly not be the movie it is without that score. I also would have appreciated a nomination for Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s score for Babygirl or Jon Batiste’s score for Saturday Night, as they are both scores that sound amazing and do a great job of setting the tone of their films.

For Best Adapted Screenplay, I don’t have a horse in the race, because I (as I detailed in my review of it) think Conclave’s screenplay written by Peter Straughan was very lackluster and dull, despite it being what I think will win this category. I think it’s very funny that Jacques Audiard’s screenplay for Emilia Pérez is nominated here because that screenplay is such a weird, confusing, and distasteful mess. I also found Sing Sing’s screenplay very shallow and unmemorable. I would have loved to see the incredibly unique and emotionally impactful screenplay for Queer nominated here, as screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes did a perfect job of adapting William S. Burroughs’s masterpiece of a novel to the screen. I also think that Dave Holstein and Meg LeFauve’s screenplay for Inside Out 2 would have been a cool nomination, especially with the first film being nominated for its screenplay.

For Best Original Screenplay, I really hope Anora will win, and I think it will. Sean Baker wrote such a hilarious, devastating, and unforgettable masterpiece of a screenplay for that film. I would be so happy to see Baker get to accept this award. Truly one of my favorite screenplays of all time. I also adore Jesse Eisenberg’s screenplay for A Real Pain, and would not mind it winning this category, despite that being very unlikely. Like Anora, A Real Pain has a genius screenplay that is not only incredibly funny but also heartbreaking. It has really amazing dialogue and does such an incredible job of portraying the human experience in such an honest and genuine way. The Brutalist’s screenplay by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold is phenomenal as well, especially in its epilogue, which I just found very emotionally overwhelming. Finally, (as I have not seen September 5), I like Coralie Fargeat’s screenplay for The Substance, but I think its nomination here is kind of odd, as I think the screenplay is one of the weaker aspects of the film because of how shallow and vapid it is. I am sad to see that Justin Kuritzkes’s screenplay for Challengers did not receive a nomination as it seemed somewhat likely. Kuritzkes truly wrote two of the best screenplays of the year, with both Challengers and Queer, so it is disappointing to see him not be recognized for either at the Oscars. I am so excited to see what Kuritzkes does next. A screenplay that I knew had no chance to be nominated but I strongly believe deserved to be is Jane Schoenbrun’s haunting and inventive screenplay for I Saw the TV Glow, as it is the most impactful portrayal of the queer experience that I have ever seen. So many lines and concepts from that film have planted themselves inside my brain and so many members of the queer community’s brains and have never left. I truly think about that screenplay so often. It’s one that really sticks with you.

For Best Actress in a Supporting Role, I believe Zoe Saldaña will win for Emilia Pérez because of how much the Oscars clearly loved that movie, and she won the Golden Globe. I think Saldaña did give a really good performance, but this is nothing about that is Oscar-worthy in my opinion.  I am rooting for Ariana Grande to win for her amazingly charismatic performance as Glinda in Wicked. As for Felicity Jones in The Brutalist, I thought she gave a great performance, but I am not sure she was all that worthy of an Oscar nomination. Isabella Rossellini was also nominated for her very low amount of screen time in Conclave, and I do think it’s cool to see a performance that lasts only seven minutes and fifty-one seconds get nominated for an Oscar, as there have been a lot of great short-lived performances that have been overlooked by the Oscars, such as Gary Oldman and Christopher Walken for True Romance or Patti LuPone in Beau is Afraid, but Rossellini really didn’t leave a big impression on me in Conclave. I thought she gave an alright performance that just wasn’t very memorable. I think in concept this nomination is cool, but the actual performance was not worthy of an Oscar nomination in my opinion. I think it’s strange that Margaret Qualley wasn’t nominated here for her spectacular performance in The Substance, as that movie is clearly very loved by the Oscars and her performance is one of the most acclaimed things about it. Even though I wish this would be her first, I am confident that Qualley will receive at least one Oscar nomination someday. I think she is too talented not to. I personally would have also nominated Olga Petsa for I Used to Be Funny and Cailee Spaeny for Civil War, but I knew they unfortunately had no shot of being nominated.

For Best Production Design, I think Wicked is pretty much a lock to win, and I do think this would be deserved. The practical sets in the film are awesome, even though it is sometimes hard to fully appreciate it because of how much uglier they are made by the movie’s color grading. The Brutalist would be a cool win too, as the production design is a large element of that film, and some of the sets, especially near the end, are truly breathtaking. Conclave and Dune: Part Two had impressive and cool production design that deserved to be nominated. Finally, I found the set design of Nosferatu to be very unmemorable, but it’s still cool I guess to see a horror film get nominated for several of its technical aspects. It really would have been cool to see Furiosa, Queer, or The Substance be nominated for this category. I think it’s weird that The Substance wasn’t since its sets were so showy and the film was nominated for Best Picture.

For Best Film Editing, I predict that Emilia Pérez will win because of how showy and noticeable its editing is. I think this would be a terrible win. I found the editing of that movie to be obnoxious and distracting. I personally really want Anora to win. I think the editing in that film is flawless. It adds so much to the comedy and frenetic energy of the film. I’ve seen some criticisms of the editing, saying that about twenty minutes of the movie could have been cut out, and I strongly disagree with that. I really think the length of certain sequences in Anora greatly adds to both the comedy and the drama of the film. Conclave and Wicked were also nominated for their editing, and I don’t really remember the editing of either of these films at all. Strange nomination. The Brutalist had strong editing as well, especially in the epilogue. As for the movies I think were snubbed of an editing nomination, I believe the editing of Challengers, Furiosa, and It’s What’s Inside were more than worthy of nominations.

For Best Sound, I’m gonna make this quick. In my opinion, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, and Wicked all had very unmemorable sound, although I do think Dune will win. I love that The Wild Robot was nominated for sound, and it would be such a cool win. The sound in that film was so unique and creative. A real standout of The Wild Robot. My favorite sound work of 2024 was definitely in Civil War. I have never heard gunshot sound effects with as much impact as the ones in that movie. Furiosa also would have been a very deserving nomination here.

I predict that Lol Crawler will win Best Cinematography for The Brutalist, and he is also who I hope wins. The Brutalist is truly one of the most visually stunning movies I have ever seen. I don’t understand how they possibly made it look that good. I would also be content with Edward Lachman winning for his work on Maria, which is also an incredibly beautiful film. I also wouldn’t hate it if Greig Fraser won for Dune: Part Two. Nosferatu and Emilia Pérez were nominated here as well, and while I do think those movies look really good, I’m not sure if the cinematography was impressive enough to warrant Oscar nominations. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s work on Queer is tied with The Brutalist as my favorite cinematography of 2024, and the fact that it wasn’t nominated here is ridiculous. I personally would have also nominated Mukdeeprom for Challengers, but alas, one of the best cinematographers working today is still not an Oscar nominee.

I predict that Best Actor in a Leading Role will go to Adrien Brody for The Brutalist, and I’m not completely sure how to feel about that. For those who don’t know, technology was used to perfect Adrien Brody’s Hungarian accent in the film. There are those who argue that this isn’t a big deal, as it was purely just to make his accent sound better, but if Adrien Brody wasn’t able to do the accent on his own, should we give him awards? The accent is a part of the character. It’s a part of the performance. I was moved to tears by Brody’s performance in the movie. I thought he was spectacular, but if he couldn’t do the entire performance on his own and technology needed to be used to fix it, it’s hard for me to say that he deserved an Oscar for this performance. So, I guess my favorite in this category is Colman Domingo for Sing Sing. I don’t like Sing Sing. I don’t think it’s a good movie, but Domingo is incredible in it. He does such a good job of playing both the exterior and interior of the character at all times. Every time the character smiles, you can the sadness underneath the smile because of Domingo’s performance. He is so powerful in Sing Sing, and I think it would make for a great win. Sebastian Stan for The Apprentice and Ralph Fiennes for Conclave are also fantastic nominations, and I would be happy to see either of them win. Stan perfectly embodied Donald Trump in his performance without it feeling like he was doing a tacky SNL-style impression, and Fiennes gave a phenomenally authentic and subtle performance. Like I said with Borisov, it is always cool to see a performance this understated get recognized at awards shows like the Oscars. The biggest snub in this category for me is Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain, who gives an emotionally vulnerable performance on the same level as Culkin’s in the same film. It’s sad to see Culkin get the majority of the praise for A Real Pain while Eisenberg is also so amazing. I also would have loved to see Daniel Craig be nominated for Queer and Jesse Plemons for Kinds of Kindness. Truly two of the best lead performances of the year.

For Best Actress in a Leading Role, I want Mikey Madison to win so badly. Madison’s performance in Anora is the performance I alluded to earlier as tied with Kieran Culkin for my favorite performance of the year. She is so bold and hilarious and authentic and heartbreaking in that movie. It is a once-in-a-lifetime performance. However, I believe that Demi Moore will win for her performance in The Substance, as people already knew and loved Moore before her film, unlike Madison, and she beat Madison at the Golden Globes. Cynthia Erivo was nominated for Wicked. I have detailed my thoughts on that performance in my Wicked review, but I’ll quickly sum them up here. I think Erivo gives some of the best acting of the entire year in certain parts of that movie. I also think she gives some of the worst acting in a Best Picture nominated film from this year in other parts of that movie. As for those I wish would have been nominated here, Zendaya for Challengers and Hunter Schafer for Cuckoo would have been very deserved nominations in this category.

For Best Director, it would make me so happy to see Brady Corbet win for The Brutalist, and I am predicting that he will. Every decision made with the camera in The Brutalist just feels so deliberate, and like so much thought was put into every shot and how it contributed to the story of the film. So many movies feel like not nearly enough thought was put into why a certain scene is filmed the way it was and how that decision benefited the story, but I never once felt that when it came to The Brutalist. Such a brilliant achievement in directing. I am happy to see Sean Baker nominated for Anora, as there are some fantastically shot sequences, especially the Las Vegas sequence. Jacques Audiard being nominated for Emilia Pérez is very funny, as the direction is one of the worst things about the film. His direction just feels so sloppy and is very distracting and obnoxious. Coralie Fargeat’s nomination for The Substance is cool, even though I am not as big on her direction as most. I honestly think Luca Guadagnino deserved to be nominated for Best Director for both of his 2025 films. Challengers has so much energy baked into the shooting style of that film that all culminates in its unforgettable final scene and Queer communicates so much deep and complex emotion through its direction. I don’t understand what the Academy has against Guadagnino. Also, that Denis Villeneuve snub for Dune: Part Two is atrocious, especially because the movie got Best Picture. I would only give that movie a 7/10, but the direction is just unbelievable. It is baffling that they loved Dune: Part Two and didn’t nominate Villeneuve for Best Director.

For the big award, Best Picture, I am gonna go through these in alphabetical order. Anora is my favorite movie of 2024. I would love for it to win here. It is one the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, as well as one of the most emotionally impactful. It has an ensemble cast for the ages, and after seeing it in theaters twice, I can confidently say it is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I am skeptical of the idea of it winning Best Picture, as I don’t trust the Academy to make that amazing of a decision. The Brutalist is a grand epic that absolutely mesmerized me and is my second favorite Best Picture nomination from this year. It is a three-and-a-half hour-film, and I was competently captivated the entire time. I could have followed that protagonist’s journey for even more hours. I would be very satisfied with it winning Best Picture, and I am going to predict that it will. Conclave is a dull, mediocre film in my opinion with several dramatic twists that came off to me as very silly, although it is very well-directed with beautiful cinematography and mostly great performances. Dune: Part Two is a good movie and an improvement on the first film in the series, although I do find the screenplay mostly uninteresting, leading to a lot of the movie being kinda boring for me, despite how visually stunning of a movie it is. Emilia Pérez is a strange and offensive mess of a film that is so unconventional that it feels so odd that the Oscars nominated it as much as they did. The disparity between the opinion of Emilia Pérez amongst the industry and the general public is fascinating to me. The Substance is the best horror movie of 2024 in my opinion and seeing an insane body horror film like this be nominated for Best Picture is just so awesome. It is still so shocking that the “I hate horror movies” Academy loved The Substance as much as they did. I hope this an omen that the Academy will treat horror films with as much respect as any other genre in the future, but I still feel skeptical that the Academy will just suddenly change moving forward. Finally, Wicked is a mediocre and kinda visually displeasing movie with great music and mostly great performances that I think would make for an undeserved and unlikely Best Picture win.

Overall, the nominations this year weren’t atrocious. A lot of great movies, performances, screenplays, etc., got honored. I can’t help but compare these nominations to the 2024 nominations, where a lot of the best movies of the year were honored, like The Zone of Interest, Barbie, Poor Things, The Holdovers, American Fiction, Past Lives, Anatomy of a Fall, and Oppenheimer. The list of nominees this year just isn’t nearly as strong as it was last year, but this is largely due to the large amount of film delays that resulted from the actors’ and writers’ strikes in 2023 and 2024, meaning that there is a good chance that 2025 will be a better overall year for cinema. So if that the’s case, hopefully that will be reflected by the 98th Academy Awards, but if their nominations end up clashing with my personal opinions once again, if they snub a score as incredible as Challengers, if they shutout a director as talented as Luca Guadagnino, if a movie as messy as Emilia Pérez receives a Best Picture nomination, it will be fun to get passionate and angry about something that doesn’t truly matter. That’s always fun.