Awards Season 2024: The 97th Academy Awards

So there we have it, folks. The 97th Academy Awards have been handed out and there were a nice couple of surprises along the way. 

After a fantastic opening number by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo- incorporating music from the various cinematic iterations of The Wizard Of Oz- Conan O'Brien's opening monologue was a little bit hit-and-miss (he was definitely very nervous) but there were a couple of nice little zingers- I did like the comment about the amount of swearing in Anora linking to the Emilia Pérez controversy. The Adam Sandler skit and "I Won't Waste Your Time" bits weren't great, but weren't massively egregious (Seth MacFarlane's ill-conceived "We Saw Your Boobs" song was much worse). He got a couple of nice one-liners in as the night went on, getting one of the biggest reactions to his crack about Anora featuring an American standing up to a powerful Russian. I liked him bringing on members of the LA fire department for a well-deserved standing ovation, but didn't feel it was necessary for him to get them to read out some "jokes". All said, though, once he settled in to the gig, he was a perfectly serviceable host. I certainly wouldn't object if he was hired to host again. 

Aside from the host, how was the rest of the show? Like most Oscar telecasts, there were some good bits and some not-so-good bits. Morgan Freeman's heartfelt tribute to co-star and friend Gene Hackman before the moving "In Memoriam" (done to the mournful strains of "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem) was rather beautiful; the very uplifting tribute to Quincy Jones (featuring Queen Latifah singing "Ease On Down The Road" from The Wiz) was also very well done. A surprise tribute to the Bond franchise felt a little superfluous, although there was a slightly tenuous link in that former Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson had been honoured at the Governors' Awards in November. It still wasn't great though with a medley of Bond themes being slightly mangled by well-meaning but not-particularly-strong singers. There was also no performances of the Best Original Song nominees which felt odd; however, the show was running to around three-and-three-quarter-hours as it was, so having all five nominees performed would have pushed the show to four. 

How some of the awards were announced was interesting; they had previously announced the return of the "Fab 5" presenters- where former winners pay tribute to the current nominees; this had previously been done for the acting categories- but extended this to the Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design categories instead for this year (presumably to save someone the embarrassment of praising Karla Sofía Gascón after the fiasco over her tweets). It was also tweaked by having members of the respective casts to pay tribute to the nominees, which I thought worked. They also had Robert Downey Jr. and Da'Vine Joy Randolph give short testimonials to the Best Supporting Actor and Actress nominees rather than show a clip of their performances (although didn't do the same for Cillian Murphy and Emma Stone, presumably for the reason given above).  

On to my predictions. Well, 4 out of 6 ain't bad. I slightly underestimated how much love there was going to be in the Academy for Anora. 

So where were the surprises? Firstly, Flow winning Best Animated Feature over The Wild Robot (although I'd have dearly loved to have seen Wallace And Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl win). Then I'm Still Here winning Best International Feature (I did think that would have gone to Emilia Pérez). And I will say it was a surprise- but not an unwelcome one- for Mikey Madison to win Best Actress. I was pleased that Conclave took home the Best Adapted Screenplay award; I'd have liked to have seen it take home more, personally, as it has been my favourite film that I've seen in this awards season. 

There were several nice acceptance speeches. As a creative and a cinephile, I particularly enjoyed Sean Baker's plea for filmmakers to focus on cinema releases for films (to keep the moviegoing experience alive) as well as his co-producer Samantha Quan's advice to make the stories you want to make and follow your heart. It was also refreshing to hear both Sean Baker and Mikey Madison pay tribute to the sex worker community (as Anora is about a sex worker). Perhaps the most overtly political moment came with the acceptance speech by the makers of the Best Documentary Feature winner No Other Land which explicitly deals with the issues of Palestinians being forcibly removed from their homes by Israel, although there was a lot of mentions in other speeches about how music and art can help bridge divisions and bring people together in these interesting times of ours without anyone really mentioning anyone by name. Although Daryl Hannah did start her introduction to the award she was presenting with "Slava Ukraini"!

This ceremony saw quite a few "firsts" - Flow is the first film from Latvia to be nominated for (and win) an Oscar; Zoe Saldaña is the first actress of Dominican descent to win an Oscar; Paul Tazewell becomes the first Black male winner of the Best Costume Design award, and I'm Still Here is the first Brazilian film to win the Best International Feature award (although it was the fifth film to be nominated). Sean Baker also becomes the first person to win four Oscars in one night for his work on Anora. 

 

Anora was the big winner of the evening, taking home five Oscars (and it was nominated for six, only losing Best Supporting Actor). In second place was The Brutalist, with three. It's then a three-way tie for third, with Emilia Pérez, Wicked and Dune: Part Two winning two apiece. 

Despite multiple nominations, A Complete Unknown, Nosferatu, Sing Sing, The Wild Robot, Nickel Boys, and The Apprentice all walked away empty-handed. 

Below is the full list of winners at the 97th Academy Awards:

Best Motion Picture of the Year: Anora

Best Actor: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)

Best Actress: Mikey Madison (Anora)

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)

Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

Best Director: Sean Baker (Anora)

Best Original Screenplay: Sean Baker (Anora)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Straughan (Conclave)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Flow

Best International Feature Film of the Year: I'm Still Here

Best Cinematography: The Brutalist

Best Film Editing: Anora

Best Production Design: Wicked

Best Costume Design: Wicked

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: The Substance

Best Original Score: The Brutalist

Best Original Song: "El Mal" (Emilia Pérez)

Best Sound: Dune: Part Two

Best Visual Effects: Dune: Part Two

Best Documentary (Feature): No Other Land

Best Documentary (Short Subject): The Only Girl In The Orchestra

Best Animated Short Film: In The Shadow Of The Cypress

Best Live Action Short Film: I'm Not A Robot

Congratulations to all winners! And with that, the curtain has now come down on this year's awards season. Thank you for your indulgence; I hope it's been a nice little distraction for you all. Same time next year?

Awards Season 2025: Tez's Official Oscar Predictions

So, it's Hollywood's Biggest Night - the 97th Academy Awards. Conan O'Brien will be taking up hositing duties for the first time; I was surprised that it was his first Oscars gig as he's the kind of person you would have thought would have done it before. Hopefully he'll be more Jimmy Kimmel and less David Letterman. It's only a few hours until we find out!

As regular readers will know, it has become a tradition for me to predict the nominations and the winners in the main six categories (the four acting categories, Best Director and Best Picture). I've done this since 2003 with varying degrees of success. Last year, I got 5 out of 6, picking Lily Gladstone for Best Actress instead of Emma Stone. Will I do as well this year?

So, without further ado, here are my predictions for who will win.

Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

The supporting categories re where I am the most confident, mostly because both have been consistent. Across all major Supporting Actress categories, the runaway winner has been Zoe Saldaña for her role in Jacques Audiard's musical comedy crime drama Emilia Pérez. For her performance as Rita, the lawyer who helps drug lord Manitas with his plan to disappear and transition into the titular Emilia, she's won the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, and SAG Award and will almost certainly be adding the Oscar to her impressive haul tonight. Despite the controversy surrounding the film (caused by leading lady Karla Sofía Gascón's previous tweets), Saldaña has remain unscathed and has remained dignified in her discussion of the controversy. Despite Emilia Pérez leading the field with a whopping 13 nominations, I think Saldaña is probably going to be the film's highest-profile win (although a Best International Picture win could also be potentially on the cards). 

Best Supporting Actor:  Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)

Like Saldaña, Culkin has been the runaway winner in the Best Supporting Actor categories (including the Independent Spirits' gender-neutral Best Supporting Performance category) for his impressive turn in Jesse Eisenberg's beautifully observed comedy-drama A Real Pain. Culkin steals every scene he's in as the troubled but charismatic Benji, on a tour of Poland with his tightly-wound cousin David. The power of his performance is undeniable. It'll be a major upset if Culkin isn't the winner this evening. 

Best Actress: Demi Moore (The Substance)

With no disrespect to any of the other nominees, the Best Actress race has been between Demi Moore and Mikey Madison, and frankly either name could be read out tonight. But I think Demi Moore will be taking home the Oscar. She's majorly impressive as fading star Elisabeth Sparkle in Coralie Fargeat's gloriously grotesque Grand Guignol body horror, conveying so much of the character's inner angst and turmoil with very little dialogue. Plus, I also think that Moore has a lot of good will in Hollywood, and a lot of people who would want to reward her for this third-act renaissance in her career (much like they did with Brendan Fraser for The Whale). The only thing that may go against her is the Academy's notorious snobbishness about genre films (and horror in particular). But I think they'll be making an exception here tonight. That said, Mikey Madison wouldn't be an undeserving winner for her bravura turn in Anora. 

Best Actor: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)

Personally, I would love to see Ralph Fiennes win for his superb turn in Conclave but I don't think that's going to happen. With the exception of the SAG Awards (who threw a lovely little curveball by naming Timothée Chalamet as Best Actor), Brody has been the major winner of Best Actor categories. I personally found The Brutalist a slog to watch, a bit too sterile and hard-going (and, full disclosure, I didn't actually finish the three-and-a-half-hour magnum opus) but Brody's performance as architect László Tóth was strong. So I think he stands the best chance of getting a second Oscar to help balance out the mantelpiece. 

Best Director: Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)

This is another one where it could come down to two different names, which are Brady Corbet and Sean Baker. Looking on a purely technical level, on what each filmmaker has done to achieve their vision for their respective films, I think it's more likely that the Academy will go for Corbet (despite the DGA plumping for Baker). By filming in VistaVision and also having to create a radically different era (similar to what Christopher Nolan did in Oppenheimer), I think Corbet will take home the gold tonight. But don't be surprised if Sean Baker gets called up to the stage instead. 

Best Picture: Anora

So if I'm picking Corbet for Best Director, why do I think Anora will Best Picture? Well, I'm not sure and- to be honest- The Brutalist would be a more "traditional" Best Picture choice. It's a Big Weighty Film(TM) but I'm wondering if it's just a touch too glacial and austere (not to mention long; it's got an intermission FFS) to have captured the hearts of the Academy at large. However, if I'm honest, I'm simply playing the numbers game. Anora won at the Independent Spirit Awards, the Critics Choice, and- crucially- the PGA. Now I know the PGA is never a 100% accurate barometer but the tide has shifted to Anora as awards season has continued. It's a contemporary, funny, ferociously foul-mouthed comedy-drama about the whirlwind (but ultimately doomed) romance between a brassy exotic dancer and the feckless son of a Russian oligarch. It's got heart, a lot of laughs, and some great performances. It'd be a worthy winner, albeit a slightly different one. 

So there are my predictions. What do you think?

For the second year, ITV and ITVX will be broadcasting the telecast in the UK, starting at 10:30PM GMT with the ceremony due to start at midnight. I'll be watching. Will you? 

I'll let you know my thoughts on the ceremony as soon as I can once it finishes.

Awards Season 2025: Razzies Winners

As is tradition on Oscars Eve, the (un)lucky recipients of this year's Razzies (the id to the Oscar's superego, if you like) have been announced. And there's perhaps no surprise which fairly universally derided superhero movie limps off with the top prize.

Here are this year's "winners"

Worst Picture: Madame Web

Worst Director: Francis Ford Coppola (Megalopolis)

Worst Actor: Jerry Seinfeld (Unfrosted)

Worst Actress: Dakota Johnson (Madame Web)

Worst Supporting Actor: Jon Voight (Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land, and Strangers)

Worst Supporting Actress: Amy Schumer (Unfrosted) 

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: Joker: Folie à Deux

Worst Screen Combo: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga (Joker: Folie à Deux)

Worst Screenplay: Madame Web

Razzie Redeemer: Pamela Anderson (for her performance in The Last Showgirl)

Madame Web is the big winner of the night, with three awards; it's then a three-way tie for second with Unfrosted, Joker: Folie à Deux, and Megalopolis walking away with two apiece.

Despite multiple nominations, Borderlands, Reagan, The Crow, Argylle, and Kraven The Hunter walk away unscathed. 

No sooner did Madame Web make it onto the screens then it was being derided as one of the worst superhero films that's been made, but was even being touted as a potential Razzie winner even before it left the cinemas. Ouch. 

A little trivia for you now: Francis Ford Coppola becomes the fourth director to win both the Best Director Oscar and a Worst Director Razzie, following on from Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter/Heaven's Gate), Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves/The Postman), and Tom Hooper (The King's Speech/Cats) [Coppola won the Best Director Oscar for The Godfather Part II]. There have been plenty of directors that have either been nominated for one and won the other (or nominated for both but won neither), but these four stand above. 

Coppola has rather gamely accepted the win, posting the following message on Instagram: "I am thrilled to accept the Razzie award... and for the distinctive honor of being nominated as the worst director, worst screenplay, and worst picture at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary moviemaking! In this wreck of a world today, where ART is given scores as if it were professional wrestling, I chose to NOT follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk that despite the enormous pool of young talent at its disposal, may not create pictures that will be relevant and alive 50 years from now. [...]  Let us remind ourselves us that box-office is only about money, and like war, stupidity and politics has no true place in our future."

Megalopolis has long been a passion project for Coppola; he'd been trying to get it made since the 1970s and even sold one of his wineries to fund the project. I have to admire his chutzpah; he didn't compromise, he made the film he wanted to make. No doubt he was hoping it might win awards... Maybe just not these ones. 

Congratulations (commiserations?) to the "winners". 

So, that just leaves the big one: the 97th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon.