Last night we saw Anora take home the Best Picture prize, and if we go back one year in time after the 2024 Oscars happened, it was a movie that was atop not many’s early predictions, certainly not mine. I did a super early ten best picture picks after last year’s ceremony, in my “How to make the Oscars more watchable” article. I thought that Conan did a pretty good job hosting, ceremony is still way too long, not quite as long as The Brutalist, but still pretty long.
Highlight of the ceremony had to be Adam Sandler, who you know, you just might see back at next years ceremony, but this time accepting an award. It was cool to see Dune: Part 2 get a couple awards, a little bit of a bummer to see The Wild Robot get goose egg’d, and just super fucking disappointing to see Demi Moore not come away with Best Actress :(.
But if this newsletter is nothing else, it is something to hold me accountable for any bold predictions or hot takes. Out of the 10 Best Picture nominees I was predicting a year out, only 1 got nominated (10%). 1 film (10%) did not even come out, and another film was never actually even made. So, let’s hope going through the 6 major categories that at the very least, I get above 10% correct. So without further ado, here we go:
BEST PICTURE
Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Film (Warner Bros)
Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Wicked: For Good (Universal)
Avatar: Fire and Ash (Disney)
Mother Mary (A24)
Die, My Love (TBD)
Bugonia (Focus)
After the Hunt (Amazon MGM)
Marty Supreme (A24)
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson (Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film)
Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
David Lowery (Mother Mary)
Lynne Ramsey (Die, My Love)
Luca Guadagnino (After the Hunt)
BEST ACTRESS
Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)
Julia Roberts (After the Hunt)
Anne Hathaway (Mother Mary)
Jennifer Lawerence (Die, My Love)
BEST ACTOR
Colin Farrell (The Ballad of a Small Player)
Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Anemone)
Denzel Washington (Highest 2 Lowest)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good)
Ayo Edebiri (After the Hunt)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Marty Supreme)
Regina Hall (Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film)
Emma Stone (Bugonia)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly)
Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value)
Sean Penn (Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film)
Robert Pattinson (Die, My Love)
Andrew Garfield (After the Hunt)
So there it is, the definite list of next years nominees, all of these guys and gals should be getting their outfits made now. Before the end of the article, I would like to take a look at some things opening this week! It was something that I started doing towards the end of last year, but haven’t really been doing because, well, nothing really that good has been coming out. And it felt mean spirited to go out of my way to highlight something coming up that was more than likely going to be kinda shitty.
A little bit behind on the television side of things, but the new season of Severance is entering the latter half of its season on Apple TV+. I know for one that I need to get caught up on this show soon, and have only been hearing good things from people who I think have good taste in stuff. Yellowjackets and The White Lotus have also returned in recent weeks on Showtime and HBO respectively. Zero Day is another big show that has debuted in recent weeks (Netflix), although the reviews aren’t nearly as strong on that one.
On the film side, the years first big prestige film will be coming out with Bong Joon-ho’s follow up to his Best Picture winning film Parasite, with Mickey 17. Robert Pattinson stars in this sci-fi comedy that I’m sure will be highly entertaining at the very least, and maybe, just maybe a future Best Picture contender at the very best.
If you are still reading to this point, THANK YOU! Appreciate the support as always and will see ya next time!!