Actor in a Supporting Role

Heart: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Mind: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

“I’m not so sure that Clarence Maclin has my Best Supporting Actor Oscar vote after [A Real Pain], because Culkin bodied this role, which I can only guess Eisenberg wrote specifically for him. I felt like David, equally hating and envying Benji for every second, and that’s props to the writing and to Culkin’s insanely committed and well-delivered character.”

Animated Feature Film

Heart: The Wild Robot
Mind: The Wild Robot

“…The Wild Robot was one of the more transcendent movies I’ve seen this year, or from Dreamworks, or ever, for that matter. It’ll certainly go the distance with Dune: Part Two for the top spot on this year’s list…”

Animated Short Film

Heart: Magic Candies
Mind: Magic Candies

“Even with some great storytelling, voice acting, and messages, the single best part of Magic Candies was that shot of the leaves flying towards him and saying “bye-bye” as they all passed by. That’s the shot they’ll show in the Oscars reel when this wins on Sunday (fingers crossed). Can’t wait!”

Costume Design

Heart: Wicked
Mind: Wicked

While I totally think that the costume design in Wicked is fantastic—creative and unique and colorful without feeling overly silly, with special attention to Glinda’s many amazing outfits—my vote here is also heavily influenced by what I feel is a weaker set of nominees. The costume design of Gladiator II, Nosferatu, Conclave, and especially A Complete Unknown (I’m not quite sure why it’s here) wasn’t memorable to me, while Wicked‘s (Glinda’s) was.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Heart: The Substance
Mind: Anora

“The premise was engaging and the plot progressed so interestingly and twistedly(?) that I was on the edge of my seat for the entire runtime…I haven’t been gripped by a story or a group of performances as much as The Substance in a long time, and if this movie doesn’t get nominated for an unrealistic amount of Oscars, I’ll riot.”

“[Anora‘s] story—yet another exploration of underexamined communities and lifestyles—was very entertaining and lent itself to not only humorous scenes, but very sobering, emotional ones as well.”

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Heart: Conclave
Mind: Conclave

“[Conclave‘s] story was simple on its surface and expanded upon in such interesting ways. Each new twist and wrinkle in the decision to name a new Pope made the decision feel that much more impossible. The film was paced perfectly and layered on the intrigue and controversy…”

Makeup and Hairstyling

Heart: The Substance
Mind: The Substance

I’m not sure that there’s a nominee in this category this year whose story is more heavily predicated and reliant on the execution of complex makeup and hairstyling than The Substance. None of the other nominees have a Monstro Elisasue, not to mention Margaret Qualley literally crawling out of Demi Moore. Sorry for the spoilers, but you saw the banner at the top. Catch me sharpening my pitchfork if this loses.

Film Editing

Heart: Anora
Mind: Conclave

Karsten Runquist posits that the Film Editing category at the Oscars has sort of become a foreshadowing category for the Best Picture winner. It makes sense, then, that Anora—the odds-on favorite as I type—could take this category home, and that’s without mentioning that its edit so successfully takes you on the rollercoaster ride Ani finds herself on over the few days that she’s suddenly, happily rich and married.

As I mentioned above, Conclave’s pacing is pitch-perfect; even in the ostensibly mundane proceedings of any election (let alone this one), the story moves at such a satisfying pace and is able to keep the viewer engaged as it usually alternates between hushed discussions and writing and stuffing ballots.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Heart: Ariana Grande, Wicked
Mind: Zoe Saldaña*, Emilia Pérez

“I want to make it clear that Ariana Grande was quite possibly the best casting for Glinda since Kristin Chenoweth, and she was the best part of this movie for me, outside of the music. She brought so much life and spunk and abandon to the role, and I couldn’t wait for her to get back on screen…She’s got my Best Supporting Actress vote.”

“Ariana Grande was still far and away the best part of [Wicked] for me [on a rewatch]; I giddily awaited each little joke or quirky mannerism, and her physical comedy was amazing (I’m partial to her sliding around on the floor in “Popular”; all of “Popular” is amazing, actually).”

“[Karla Sofia] Gascón and [Zoe] Saldaña’s performances were great—especially Saldaña—and totally Oscar-worthy…”

*Apologies for having far less to say on Saldaña; I enjoyed her performance both times that I watched Emilia Pérez because she felt the most grounded in her role. Very professional, very committed (especially in the musical numbers—”El Mal” in particular), and very hard to remember amidst the other qualities of this film that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Production Design

Heart: Wicked
Mind: Wicked

“I loved the set designs (which were remarkably handmade) and costume design, the scenery was astounding, and a ton of the special effects were mostly practical and fully amazing. It’s really cool that the cast could actually walk around and interact with so much of Oz, and that’s props to Chu for insisting on it.”

Sound

Heart: Dune: Part Two
Mind: Dune: Part Two

“Both the action scenes and the closer-up dialogical scenes were so well-executed, with every battle, explosion, and sand worm feeling more imposing than the last, and every conversation holding so much more weight.”

Music (Original Song)

Heart: “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late
Mind: “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez

“I don’t think I’ve ever watched an entire Oscar-nominated film just to hear the song in the end credits…the reason it was on my radar was for that great song with Brandi Carlile…”

It’ll be hard to argue that the most flamboyant, memorable song from the year’s most flamboyant, memorable original musical (and one of the year’s only original musicals) won’t win Best Original Song, especially since “El Mal” has won the award in so many other circles already.

Documentary Short Film

Heart: Instruments of a Beating Heart
Mind: Incident

“I’m baffled and impressed by Japanese public education—the kids were just so quiet in every conceivable school setting—and wish my classroom looked at least a little like that, but for now I’ll settle for the little glimpse into a class of musically dedicated and super quiet students. I haven’t seen all the nominees yet, but for now, you can place my vote for Documentary Short on Instruments of a Beating Heart (can’t believe the kids came up with that title).”

“Incident accurately painted the picture of unjustified police violence in the United States, [and] showcased the ineptitude and toxic-rhetoric-spreading of a majority of police officers…Unfortunately, Incident will likely win in its category.”

Documentary Feature Film

Heart: Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Mind: No Other Land

“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat certainly earned its nomination, and I would love for it to win. It probably won’t, since its competition deals with some really sensitive, timely topics, but a doc that’s this visually rich, realized and sonically impressive shouldn’t have its impact on film end if it loses on Sunday.”

“No Other Land was one of the most anger- and depression-inducing films I’ve seen possibly ever, while also serving as one of the more engaging and succinct documentaries of the 2024 noms…I’m glad it’s nominated for an Oscar—not even to potentially win, but to bring a new perspective to this conflict.”

Visual Effects

Heart: Better Man
Mind: Dune: Part Two

“As for the monkey, I actually kinda liked it. That decision made Williams this entity that was impossible to take your eyes off of, and it made the “Let Me Entertain You” sequence much cooler than if Robbie Williams had been exorcising demons that looked like Robbie Williams.”

Every scene, ship, creature, and Lisan Al-Gaib felt so real and in-your-face, and what has continually impressed me about Denis Villeneuve’s filmmaking process on these movies is the dedication to, as best he can, practical effects. He takes practicality and realism as far as it can go, and when he needs to, he uses CGI and special effects to great, seamless success.

International Feature Film

Heart: I’m Still Here
Mind: I’m Still Here

“I’ll confidently say that this was not only one of my favorite movies I’ve ever seen, but definitely the best international one, too…I’m Still Here not only deserves each of its nominations, in my opinion, but should probably win a few of them, too. It was one of my favorite movies of the year (and ever), and the fact that it’s in the same conversations and sentences as Emilia Pérez is utterly ludicrous.”

Live Action Short Film

Heart: I’m Not a Robot
Mind: A Lien

“How dare this story be relegated to just 15 minutes; I need a feature-length movie set in this world of bot realization. Bookend this with a bomb choral arrangement of “Creep”, and you’ve got the recipe for one of the best short films—regardless of medium—nominated at the Oscars this year.”

“Deportations of undocumented immigrants—specifically those actively working towards their Green Card and their citizenship—is a very touchy subject that this film handled gracefully and, more importantly, honestly…I thought this film did a great job of conveying the connectedness and closeness of this family in such a short time period; I believed their performances and their care for each other immediately, and it’s one of the reasons that A Lien was as powerful as it was.”

Cinematography

Heart: Dune: Part Two
Mind: The Brutalist

“…The third act knocked me flat on my back. Some of the best scenes in this franchise—and in basically all of the movies I’ve seen—were found in this act, especially Paul’s winning-over of the Fremen, the final large battle, and Paul and Feyd-Rautha’s duel. I’d also like to shout out Paul’s worm ride as one of the best scenes in the movie; those wide shots were incredible, and the tides really began to shift then.”

“From the opening frame, the score and the cinematography perfectly communicated both the grandeur and scale of this story and environment…This movie was full of expansive and beautiful shots…”

Music (Original Score)

Heart: The Wild Robot
Mind: The Brutalist

“The highs and lows were accentuated by a lovely score from Kris Bowers and a pair of great songs from Maren Morris—I really liked the flight montage that combined “Kiss the Sky” with Bowers’ orchestra; the sequence really took flight…a great, dramatic score from Kris Bowers (who could totally win the Oscar, unless The Brutalist’s score is really that good) with a lovely central theme…”

“I had seen that Variety had Daniel Blumberg’s score as their projected winner, and he made me believe it. It was one of the best scores of the year and totally deserves to win in March…need I mention it again—the score was one of my favorites of the year.”

Actor in a Leading Role

Heart: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Mind: Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

“[The Brutalist] featured a slew of great performances, not the least of which was Adrien Brody’s Oscar-winning László. He was dynamic and human in his portrayal, and he totally deserves to win his second Best Actor Oscar.”

“[Bob] Dylan’s rise was honestly just really fun to see, and the insane amount of songs we got to hear [Timothée] Chalamet perform was awesome. He embodied Dylan in his musical performances and his speech, behavior and mannerisms, and will probably be a Best Actor nom in March. He’s on one hell of a hot streak right now, and his dedication to his roles has him as one of my favorite actors in the biz.”

Directing

Heart: Coralie Fargeat**, The Substance
Mind: Sean Baker, Anora

“The cinematography was equally chaotic and steady and usually very pretty, and I loved the sound design, too. It was imposing and unrelenting, and it communicated the intensity of life for Elisabeth and Sue post-activation well.”

**A sidenote about Fargeat, too: I loved watching how in-the-weeds she was when directing The Substance in The Making of The Substance. I feel like that’s going unappreciated, but it’s the kind of thing that deserves attention…and an Oscar.

“At this rate, the last Sean Baker film I ever watch will be an absolute masterpiece, because they just keep getting better. Anora improved on Red Rocket in all aspects other than music supervision—“Bye Bye Bye” has never been as well-utilized—and was easily my favorite Sean Baker film to date.”

Actress in a Leading Role

Heart: Mikey Madison, Anora
Mind: Demi Moore, The Substance

“The performances were great across the board, and Mikey Madison was sensational as Ani. She’s got my vote for Best Actress—at the very least a nom, but she’s got the chops to win, too—and I want to see more of her work immediately.”

I actually didn’t have a lot to say on Demi Moore’s performance in my review of The Substance back in September, probably because I’m the world’s biggest Margaret Qualley stan and was gushing over her for most of my review. Moore was quite impressive, too, probably capturing the role of a faded star whose fate is out of her control so well because she, now in her 60s, has probably faced much of the same treatment that Elisabeth does in the film. Art imitates life, right?

Best Picture

Heart: Dune: Part Two
Mind: Anora

“I’m going to need to continue to sit with all my thoughts post-movie, but even without putting it all together I can already say that Dune: Part Two was one of the best films I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to say whether I prefer it to the first movie—probably because I’ve seen the first twice—but it really felt like Part Two either matched or improved upon each aspect of the first.”

“Anora was one of the best movies of the year, in my opinion; beautifully shot, acted, written, and captivating from start to finish. Color me surprised when Baker and Madison clean up at the Oscars in March.”