For the upcoming 97th Academy Award’s ceremony, some of the film writers and editors of The Mancunion sat down to discuss our Oscars opinions and controversial takes, including some particular strong ones on Emilia Pérez.
Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Tom: Pretty good bunch, other than Timothée Chalamet – he might well win but let’s see. I don’t think he should win because it was the most standard biopic performance ever. Even in that category you have Sebastian Stan doing something more interesting in the biopic genre. Colman Domingo should win- I don’t think he will because people didn’t see Sing Sing but he was amazing in that film and he should win.
Ruri: I have seen
some rumours online that some Oscar voters didn’t vote for Ralph Fiennes because they thought he already won for
Schindler’s List but he didn’t win for that film! I think Adrien Brody should win though.
Natalie: I think that Adrien Brody will win because he has been winning awards at other ceremonies. I partly disagree with you Tom about Timothée Chalamet. I think there were some times in A Complete Unknown where he didn’t need to mumble but I generally thought he was good and there were many moments that I enjoyed.
Saoirse: I agree with Tom, I don’t think Chalamet should win. I thought he was okay but I didn’t think his performance was incredible. Again, Adrien Brody probably will win for The Brutalist but I think Ralph Fiennes should win- I watched Conclave recently and I thought it was fantastic. All the rumours about the Academy voters not voting for him because ‘he’s already won’ are ridiculous – that’s not a reason to not vote for someone, you can win an Oscar twice!
Actor in a Supporting Role
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Natalie: Look, Kieran Culkin is a great guy but I don’t think he should win. He will win, definitely but I don’t think he should. I thought he was really good in the film but he was almost playing himself. I think that Yura Borisov should win, he won’t win but I thought he was amazing in Anora and he needs to be recognised.
Tom: I actually think this is one of the strongest categories, everyone is good. I agree Kieran Culkin probably will win but I don’t know if he should. He’s good, he’s really watchable in it-
Natalie: That’s the perfect word to describe him, ‘watchable’
Tom: Yura Borisov would be a great win because he’s probably not going to get nominated again, this is a one-off. He’s not a massive actor like all of the other nominees.
Ruri: I think Burisov should win because he really prepared for his role and he came from nowhere so it would be nice if he won this category.
Natalie: I think a nominee we’re missing is Josh O’Connor from Challengers.
Tom: And Mike Faist!
Saoirse: Actually where are the Challengers nominations? What was the Academy thinking?
Actress in a Leading Role
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Natalie: Mikey Madison is my favourite ever and I hope she wins. I don’t know if she will win, I think Demi Moore might win. At the same time, I think Madison is the most awarded actor so far in all of the awards shows, so I really hope she does win because what she did in that film was amazing.
Ruri: I agree, I also really liked Madison’s performance and I think she was really good. But I think Demi Moore also has a chance because she has won some awards too.
Tom: Got another Mikey Madison vote. She’s great in that film, she holds that whole film together she’s so good. Demi Moore probably will win- I like The Substance a lot, I don’t think it’s a performance-heavy film though. Fernanda Torres is really good, I saw the film yesterday, she is excellent in it and it would be cool if she did win because it’s an international feature lead actress which doesn’t really happen a lot.
Saoirse: Hot take guys, I’m team Demi Moore. I loved The Substance, I thought it was incredible, I thought the message was really important, especially with what’s happening right now with Ozempic. I loved Moore’s speech at the Golden Globes – she said how she was described as a ‘popcorn actress’ and now she is Oscar-nominated which is amazing.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Saoirse: Ariana Grande deserves the win! She was really good in Wicked. Her Glinda was so good, you can tell how much it meant to her and she was actually really funny- I didn’t expect to be laughing that much at Wicked!
Tom: I kind of second that, she’s really good in that film. I did not like Wicked much, she was by far the best part of it. Every time she was on screen it was so much fun. However, I’d love to see it go to Isabella Rossellini for Conclave. She has one of those performances where she just comes in for 5 minutes and steals the show. It probably will go to Zoe Saldaña for being the most okay person in a bad film, but it shouldn’t.
Ruri: I agree that Ariana Grande should win, I think she really embodied Glinda in Wicked and you can tell from her acting that she really loved the role. But I think Zoe Saldaña might win.
Natalie: Ariana Grande as well for me. I just thought she lit up her scenes, you can tell that she was born to play this role. I also think that Monica Barbaro was really good in A Complete Unknown so if she won I wouldn’t be mad.
Animated Feature Film
Nominees:
Flow, Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman
Inside Out 2, Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
Memoir of a Snail, Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek
The Wild Robot, Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
Tom: I liked Inside Out 2 more than most people, I think it’s been getting unfair reviews. Flow is such a beautiful film, tiny budget, tiny team and it’s just amazing, I hope it wins.
Natalie: Inside Out 2 made me cry, it was really sweet. Memoir of a Snail was really funny, really emotional. Overall though, I think Flow should win.
Saoirse: I haven’t watched Inside Out 2 because I think it will make me sad that my childhood is over. I watched Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on Christmas Day and at the time I really didn’t want to watch it because I was waiting for Gavin and Stacey to come on and it felt like a bit of a waste of time. But I was really pleasantly surprised, I thought it was wonderful and I’d forgotten how good Wallace & Gromit is. So Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl gets my vote.
Cinematography
Nominees:
The Brutalist, Lol Crawley
Dune: Part Two, Greig Fraser
Emilia Pérez, Paul Guilhaume
Maria, Ed Lachman
Nosferatu, Jarin Blaschke
Natalie: I think that Nickel Boys should be in this category because it was possibly the best film I saw last year! The cinematography of it was absolutely beautiful, just breathtaking. I also think Dune: Part Two was really good but I think that Nosferatu should win.
Tom: I agree that Nickel Boys should win this category, it’s a beautiful film and its cinematography is so inventive in a way that none of these are. Nosferatu would be a cool win because it didn’t have many nominations and I think it deserved more. Its cinematography is great, especially because it’s mostly in the dark but you can actually see stuff. Overall, The Brutalist for me because it is a stunningly shot film.
Natalie: The opening scene of The Brutalist where they’re on the ship and you see the Statue of Liberty was one of the greatest scenes that I saw last year. I wouldn’t mind if it won.
Ruri: I liked the cinematography in Nosferatu, I thought that film was really beautiful. Most of the time the scenes are in the dark and they have a way of instilling that gothic horror-esque feel to it.
Directing
The Brutalist: Brady Corbet
A Complete Unknown: James Mangold
Emilia Pérez: Jacques Audiard
The Substance: Coralie Fargeat
Natalie: I think that RaMell Ross should’ve been nominated for Nickel Boys and he would’ve been my pick. But, I still think that Sean Baker was really good and he might win, so he’s my choice. I don’t really mind who wins, unless its Jacque Audiard.
Ruri: I also agree, I think that Sean Baker should win. Apparently, he did a lot of research and brought in sex workers to help build the world of Anora, which I think is really cool.
Tom: Sean Baker would be a good winner for this, Anora is really well directed. I’d probably go for Brady Corbet, I feel like I’m steering quite heavily to The Brutalist in all of these even though I prefer Anora to it, but that film is really impressively directed. The Substance would be good too, as long as it’s not Jacque Audiard or James Mangold.
Saoirse: I’m going to second the win for Brady Corbet, because I’m a Brady. I can’t vote for Anora because there’s Take That music in it. I also can’t vote for Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez is a terrible film and it shouldn’t be nominated, I don’t know why it is nominated. I’m torn between him and Coralie Fargeat, because I really enjoyed The Substance. They can share it, or even have it for alternate weekends!
Music (Original Score)
Nominees
The Brutalist: Daniel Blumberg
Conclave: Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez: Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot: Kris Bowers
Natalie: I don’t know why they didn’t nominate Challengers, it’s so devastating. It makes no sense because they’ve won Best Score so many times, but I think The Brutalist out of that list. But Challengers had the best score hands down.
Tom: Challengers should win, it’s amazing. It’s the only score of any film I listen to for fun. If that can’t win, The Brutalist should take it, it has a really good score. The scores in Wicked and Emilia Pérez are not interesting, so I’m not sure why they’re nominated.
Saoirse: Did The Academy actually see Challengers? Did they lose the memory stick? Why is it not on the list, it was iconic, and it’s not here. It was like BRAT summer before it was a thing: Challengers summer was the original!
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Nominees:
A Complete Unknown: Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
Conclave: Screenplay by Peter Straughan
Emilia Pérez: Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
Nickel Boys: Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing: Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield
Tom: Nickel Boys has the best screenplay hands down, it’s incredible. Sing Sing also has a good screenplay, I’m glad it got a nomination, but Nickel Boys clears.
Ruri: As long as Emilia Pérez doesn’t win.
Natalie: I agree with Tom, I think that Nickel Boys should win.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Nominees:
Anora, Sean Baker
The Brutalist, Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg
September 5, Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, & Alex David
The Substance, Coralie Fargeat
Natalie: I wouldn’t mind if A Real Pain won, I think the writing was the best part of the film. Anora was really good, and I feel like the writing doesn’t really stand out in The Brutalist.
Ruri: I really like the writing in Anora, especially the funny dialogue.
Tom: I agree with Natalie, Anora has a really good screenplay. I would probably give it to A Real Pain though. The Brutalist is great but isn’t really a ‘screenplay film’, The Substance winning would be cool though.
Saoirse: I enjoyed the writing in The Substance, so I think that’s my vote.
Best Picture
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
Tom: For the most part, I think the category is strong. Emilia Pérez might be the worst ‘Best Picture’ nominee for a very long time, it’s a horrendous film that doesn’t belong here. I’d be happy if Nickel Boys wins, or even if most of these won, as long as it’s not Wicked or Emilia Pérez.
Ruri: I think The Substance might win Best Picture.
Natalie: I think Nickel Boys definitely won’t win, but it deserves to win. It is the ‘Best Picture’ of 2024. I think Anora will win, I don’t think The Brutalist will win because of the AI scandal. I wouldn’t be shocked if Emilia Pérez won, because sometimes they pick the craziest choice.
Tom: It would be The Green Book of this year.
Saoirse: I want The Substance to win, I thought it was really good, and it would be good for a body horror film to win. I agree with Tom, Emilia Pérez shouldn’t be on any of these lists. I see why Wicked was nominated, but it shouldn’t win ‘Best Picture’.
