Previous Winners: Frances McDormand (3 Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri), Viola Davis (Fences), Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road), Rosemund Pike (Gone Girl), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn), Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Renee Zellweger (Judy), Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Emma Stone (Poor Things), Mikey Madison (Anora), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
Our final acting award is for our BEST ACTRESS which we named after Elizabeth Taylor, aka The Liz. We do have one two-time winner of The Liz, that being Viola Davis for her roles in Fences and in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. This year there are two possible actresses who could join her as a two-time winner.
#20. Cate Blanchett (Black Bag)
#19. Terri Apple (Strange Harvest)
#18. Hassie Harrison (Dangerous Animals)
#17. Carey Mulligan (The Ballad of Wallis Island)
#16. Margot Robbie (Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey)
Some newcomers in this first five. Terri Apple and Hassie Harrison were both in movies that surprised me with how awesome they were. The other three actresses in #20-16 are never a surprise.
#15. Elle Fanning (Predator: Badlands)
#14. Olivia Colman (The Roses)
#13. Renate Reinove (Sentimental Journey)
#12. June Squibb (Eleanor the Great)
#11. Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
Again, some consider Rose Byrne a favorite for the Oscar for her movie. She was good, but I can’t see that happening. Elle Fanning has now appeared on both Supporting Actress and Lead Actress this year. I always LOVE Oliva Colman.
#10. Rachel Brosnahan (Superman)
#9. Emma Stone (Bugonia)
#8. Julia Garner (Weapons)
#7. Sophie Thatcher (Companion)
#6. Sydney Sweeney (Christy)
Rachel Brosnahan was a perfect casting for Lois Lane and she was front and center in that movie. Emma Stone is one of the previous winners of The Liz so there will be no two-time for her. One more possible on this list. Sydney Sweeney got a lot of heat because Christy flopped. Her performance was stunning anyway.
#5. Florence Pugh (Thunderbolts*)
#4. Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)
#3. Vanessa Kirby (Fantastic Four: First Steps)
#2. Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
Cynthia Erivo won the Liz last year so there will be no one joining Viola Davis as a two-time winner this year. I am sad that I have a feeling that the Academy will be overlooking Kate Hudson’s performance in Song Sung Blue. She is absolutely spectacular and only an all tie performance kept her from winning the Liz this year. Florence Pugh is so charming and engaging as Yelena that I am excited to see her in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday. Vanessa Kirby was a perfect Sus Storm casting.
And #1… winner of 2025 The Liz Award
Jesse Buckley (Hamnet)
Jesse Buckley’s performance in Hamnet is quite literally the BEST performance I have seen this year over any medium or any forum. TV. Movies. Lead. Supporting. Male. Female. Other. YouTube. TikTok. You name it! Anything. It was a generational performance. The first half of Hamnet was not that good, and her work kept that film afloat until the second half of the film when her performance transcended the film into legendary statis. If she does not win the Oscar this year, no one should. She certainly has won The Liz at EYG.
Previous Winners: James McAvoy (Split), Denzel Washington (Fences), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Ryan Gosling (Drive), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick…Boom), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown).
We come to the BEST ACTOR award that we have named in honor of EYG Hall of Famer Peter Sellers and his multiple roles in the movie Dr. Strangelove. Again, no actor has won this award more than once. We do have one possible two-timer on the list and we will see if he can reach the top of the list.
#20. Austin Baker (Caught Stealing)
#19. George Clooney (Jay Kelly)
#18. Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
#17. Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)
#16. Cooper Hoffman (The Long Walk)
Our first five on the list all have nice performances. Cooper Hoffman was the biggest surprise of these five as his work on The Long Walk was exceptional.
#15. Brad Pitt (F1: The Movie)
#14. Daniel Craig (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
#13. Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere)
#12. Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
#11. Pedro Pascal (Fantastic Four: First Steps)
Big names in this part of the list. Pedro Pascal I expected to be higher until I stated to compile the list. I loved his portray of Reed Richards. Jeremy Allen White did a great job as Springsteen. Daniel Craig was down further than I thought too. His performance as Benoit Blanc is always sensational. Some are saying Joel Edgerton has a chance to be nominated for an Oscar. I am not sure I would go that far, but he was good in Train Dreams.
#10. Channing Tatum (Roofman)
#9. David Jonsson (The Long Walk)
#8. Russell Crowe (Nuremberg)
#7. Matthew McConaughey (The Lost Bus)
#6. Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
Some think Leonardo is going to win the Oscar this year. I have already said that I was not a fan of One Battle After Another. He was fine there. Heck, he was better than fine as I have him at #6. David Jonsson in The Long Walk was exceptional and extremely moving. Russell Crowe playing Herman Goering is hard to give a lot of affirmations. He was great as the Nazi.
#5. Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
#4. Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
#3. Hugh Jackman (Song Sung Blue)
#2. Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine)
Timothee Chalamet won this award last year when he played Bob Dylan, so no two-time winner this year. The Rock gave his best performance of his career. It is a shame it is being overshadowed by the failure at the box office of Smashing Machine. Hugh Jackman is brilliant in Song Sung Blue, a film I just saw yesterday. Josh O’Connor did the impossible… stole the Knives Out movie from Benoit Blanc.
And #1…Strangelove winner for 2025
Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
Michael B. Jordan played twins in Sinners and he did such a great job, there were times that I wondered if it was actually him playing both roles. Both characters, Smoke and Stack Moore, were individual people and had their own traits and personalities. It was a tour de force performance from a man who has only been getting better every movie.
The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best Supporting Actress
Previous Winners:Dafne Keene (Logan), Tilda Swinton (Dr. Strange), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Emma Stone (Birdman), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Sally Field (Lincoln), Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit), Margo Martindale (Blow the Man Down), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Ariana Grande (Wicked)
With Best Supporting Actress, we have two past winners who are up for the award this year. It happened in the Best Director category… could we have the first time 2-Time winner of The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best Supporting Actress?
Let’s find out…
#12. Erin Kellyman (Eleanor the Great)
#11. Jennifer Lopez (Kiss of the Spider-Woman)
#10. Chase Infiniti (One battle After Another)
So the first three are all roles that were not winning this, but were solid performances. Chase Infiniti has a chance to be nominated for an Oscar, but I think her days are still ahead of her.
#9. America Ferrera (The Lost Bus)
#8. Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)
#7. Laura Dern (Jay Kelly)
#6. Rebecca Ferguson (A House of Dynamite)
Four solid women in this stretch of the list. Rebecca Ferguson, America Ferrera both did underrated work in their movies this year. Elle Fanning stood out in Sentimental Value.
#5. Hailee Seinfeld (Sinners)
#4. Emily Blunt (Smashing Machine)
#3. Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good)
#2. Glenn Close (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
So no double winners in the supporting actress category this year. Emily Blunt had won previously for A Quiet Place and Ariana Grande won last year for Wicked. We have a new winner this year. Glenn Close nearly snuck up and snatched this away with her amazingperformance in Wake Up Dead Man.
And #1…
Amy Madigan (Weapons)
Amy Madigan was thrilling and cruel as the witch who needed to kidnap a group of kids to save herself. She was creepy and eerie. She had the strangest, yet most deserving ending to any villain this year. Her performance made this movie work. It gave us all someone to hate.
“All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director
Previous Winners: A.G. Inarritu (Birdman), Tim McCarthy (Spotlight), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame), Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), Jon Watt (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Robert Eggers (Nosferatu)
We have some top of the line directors up for this award this year. We have never had a repeat winner in this award before, but we definitely have some possible 2nd time winners among our list.
Honorable Mention: Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great), Jafar Pasnahi (It Was Just an Accident), Rob Reiner (Spinal Tap II: The End Continues), Francis Lawrence (The Long Walk), Joseph Kosinski (F1: The Movie).
#15. Kathryn Bigelow (A House of Dynamite)
#14. Mike Flanagan (Life of Chuck)
#13. Yorgus Lanthimos (Bugonia)
#12. Jon M. Chu (Wicked: For Good)
#11. Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Discussion: Many Oscar pundits have PTA leading the pack for Best Director, but I did not love One Battle After Another. There is no argument that he did a great job as the director. Jon Chu and Mike Flanagan had dance and musical numbers to deal with. Kathryn Bigelow had to show multiple POVs in her film and Yorgus had to direct one of the most crazy scenes of the year.
#10. Chloe Zhao (Hamnet)
#9. James Gunn (Superman)
#8. Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)
#7. Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*)
#6. Matt Shakman (Fantastic Four: Final Steps)
I thought Matt Shakman, fresh off WandaVision, created a great tone in FF: First Steps. Thunderbolts was a great ensemble and Schreier managed the group extremely well. James Gunn had a lot of pressure choosing to direct the first DCU film himself and he did a great job. Josh Safdie won the battle of the Safdie brothers this year. Hamnet had a remarkable ending, but the first half was too slow.
#5. Paul Greengrass (The Lost Bus)
#4. Zach Cregger (Weapons)
#3. Guillermo Del Toro (Frankenstein)
#2. Rian Johnson (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
With this group of directors, Rian Johnson’s brilliant story was presented in a perfect manner. Del Toro brought a stylish version of Frankenstein to Netflix. Zach Cregger’s work on Weapons was great, again with a style of differing POVs. The directing job done by Paul Greengrass with the fire and the stunts in The Lost Bus should not be overlooked, although it does feel as if it has been.
#1…
Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Here is our first two-time “All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director winner. Coogler won a few years ago for his great work on Wakanda Forever and he absolutely took the next step with Sinners. This movie was such an epic that you can’t help but be impressed by his amazing work. Vampires. Music. Dance routines. Bloody standoffs. Sinners has everything.
Best Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez I’m Still Here Nickel Boys The Substance Wicked
Actor in a Leading Role Adrien Brody, The Brutalist Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown Colman Domingo, Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes, Conclave Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez Mikey Madison, Anora Demi Moore, The Substance Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Actor in a Supporting Role Yura Borisov, Anora Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown Guy Pearce, The Brutalist Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Actress in a Supporting Role Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown Ariana Grande, Wicked Felicity Jones, The Brutalist Isabella Rossellini, Conclave Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Animated Feature Film Flow Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot
Documentary Feature Film Black Box Diaries No Other Land Porcelain War Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Sugarcane
International Feature Film I’m Still Here The Girl with the Needle Emilia Pérez The Seed of the Sacred Fig Flow
Directing Sean Baker, Anora Brady Corbet, The Brutalist James Mangold, A Complete Unknown Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Cinematography Lol Crawley, The Brutalist Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez Ed Lachman, Maria Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
Writing (Original Screenplay) Anora The Brutalist A Real Pain September 5 The Substance
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) A Complete Unknown Conclave Emilia Pérez Nickel Boys Sing Sing
Film Editing Anora The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez Wicked
Music (Original Song) “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late
Music (Original Score) The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot
Sound A Complete Unknown Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot
Production Design The Brutalist Conclave Dune: Part Two Nosferatu Wicked
Visual Effects Alien: Romulus Better Man Dune: Part Two Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Wicked
Makeup and Hairstyling A Different Man Emilia Pérez Nosferatu The Substance Wicked
Costume Design Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown Lisy Christl, Conclave Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II Linda Muir, Nosferatu Paul Tazewell, Wicked
Best Animated Short Beautiful Men In the Shadow of the Cypress Magic Candles Wander to Wonder Yuck!
Best Documentary Short Death by Numbers I am Ready, Warden Incident Instruments of a Beating Heart The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Best Live-Action Short A Lien Anuja I’m Not a Robot The Last Ranger The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
I was able to see the five Academy Award nominated Live-action shorts and the five animated shorts today at Cinemark. I look forward to this every year, getting the chance to see these well deserving films. I was under a time constraint today thanks to the WWE Elimination Chamber, but it was able to fit nicely in.
Live-Action Shorts.
I am going to list these in order of my favorite. I will also give you which one I think will win the Oscar. Spoiler, my favorite animation short is not the one that I am predicting will win the Academy Award.
#5. The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent. From Croatia. Honestly, this was my least favorite of the films I saw today. It felt like it was doing something special, but it just seemed to end and I did not like the conclusion of the film.
#4. Anuja. India. I liked this short. The actress playing Anuja does a great job with the talented young girl, but the ending of this one was left fairly uncertain and I wanted more closure.
#3. I’m Not a Robot. Netherlands/Belgium. This sci-fi short was very clever. Started off with some good humor, but developed into an obsession. I did not know that the CAPTCHA could identify robots in other ways. This was an enjoyable short.
#2. The Last Ranger. South Africa. A remarkably powerful short film detailing poachers targeting rhino horns. There are some really emotional moments in this short and the performance by Liyabona Mroqoza is riveting. I just about put this at number one, but…
#1. A Lien. USA. Man this was a tough short to watch. A young couple and their daughter heads down to have the husband’s green card meeting and ICE is there. The emotion, the fear, the anger and frustration jumps off the screen in this short.
A Lien gets my pick as the winner for the Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short.
Animated Shorts
I did enjoy the Live-Action shorts overall more than the Animated ones, but these were all pretty decent too.
#5. Wander to Wonder. Netherlands/Belgium/France. This was such a bizarre short. Wander to Wonder was a kiddie show at one point but things have become really dark. It was truly disturbing and weird.
#4. Beautiful Men. Netherlands/Belgium/France. Three brothers who were hoping to get a hair transplant surgery, have to face their problems and their insecurities. I thought this was a good short with some solid characteristic development.
#3. Magic Candies. Japan. This one felt like it was just too long. There was a scene in this film, where the young boy had some magic candy and it led to a nice moment with his father. That should have been the end, but then the short continued on. It just went too long for me. The first fifteen minutes or so were really great.
#2. Yuck!. France. This is the sweetest of the animated films as the whole thing was based around a first kiss. This was a nice animated short.
#1. In the Shadow of the Cypress. Iran. This was my favorite animated short. I loved the animation and I thought this story was the deepest. There was a lot of emotion. The father, daughter and a whale. I loved this whole thing.
However, my pick to win the Oscar is Magic Candies. I just have a feeling this is what the Academy will do. I hope In the Shadow of the Cypress wins, but I do not think it will.
Here are my official Academy Award picks for the Sunday night awards. I am not seeing the short films until tomorrow so I will be skipping that pick as of now.
Best Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez I’m Still Here Nickel Boys The Substance Wicked
Actor in a Leading Role Adrien Brody, The Brutalist Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown Colman Domingo, Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes, Conclave Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez Mikey Madison, Anora Demi Moore, The Substance Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Actor in a Supporting Role Yura Borisov, Anora Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown Guy Pearce, The Brutalist Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Actress in a Supporting Role Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown Ariana Grande, Wicked Felicity Jones, The Brutalist Isabella Rossellini, Conclave Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Animated Feature Film Flow Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot
Documentary Feature Film Black Box Diaries No Other Land Porcelain War Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Sugarcane
International Feature Film I’m Still Here The Girl with the Needle Emilia Pérez The Seed of the Sacred Fig Flow
Directing Sean Baker, Anora Brady Corbet, The Brutalist James Mangold, A Complete Unknown Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Cinematography Lol Crawley, The Brutalist Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez Ed Lachman, Maria Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
Writing (Original Screenplay) Anora The Brutalist A Real Pain September 5 The Substance
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) A Complete Unknown Conclave Emilia Pérez Nickel Boys Sing Sing
Film Editing Anora The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez Wicked
Music (Original Song) “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late
Music (Original Score) The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot
Sound A Complete Unknown Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot
Production Design The Brutalist Conclave Dune: Part Two Nosferatu Wicked
Visual Effects Alien: Romulus Better Man Dune: Part Two Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Wicked
Makeup and Hairstyling A Different Man Emilia Pérez Nosferatu The Substance Wicked
Costume Design Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown Lisy Christl, Conclave Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II Linda Muir, Nosferatu Paul Tazewell, Wicked
Best Animated Short Beautiful Men In the Shadow of the Cypress Magic Candles Wander to Wonder Yuck!
Best Documentary Short Death by Numbers I am Ready, Warden Incident Instruments of a Beating Heart The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Best Live-Action Short A Lien Anuja I’m Not a Robot The Last Ranger The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
I’ll pick the other two tomorrow after I see the live action and animated shorts.
Best Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez I’m Still Here Nickel Boys The Substance Wicked
Actor in a Leading Role Adrien Brody, The Brutalist Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown Colman Domingo, Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes, Conclave Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez Mikey Madison, Anora Demi Moore, The Substance Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Actor in a Supporting Role Yura Borisov, Anora Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown Guy Pearce, The Brutalist Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Actress in a Supporting Role Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown Ariana Grande, Wicked Felicity Jones, The Brutalist Isabella Rossellini, Conclave Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Animated Feature Film Flow Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot
Documentary Feature Film Black Box Diaries No Other Land Porcelain War Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Sugarcane
International Feature Film I’m Still Here The Girl with the Needle Emilia Pérez The Seed of the Sacred Fig Flow
Directing Sean Baker, Anora Brady Corbet, The Brutalist James Mangold, A Complete Unknown Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Cinematography Lol Crawley, The Brutalist Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez Ed Lachman, Maria Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
Writing (Original Screenplay) Anora The Brutalist A Real Pain September 5 The Substance
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) A Complete Unknown Conclave Emilia Pérez Nickel Boys Sing Sing
Film Editing Anora The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez Wicked
Music (Original Song) “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late
Music (Original Score) The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot
Sound A Complete Unknown Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez Wicked The Wild Robot
Production Design The Brutalist Conclave Dune: Part Two Nosferatu Wicked
Visual Effects Alien: Romulus Better Man Dune: Part Two Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Wicked
Makeup and Hairstyling A Different Man Emilia Pérez Nosferatu The Substance Wicked
Costume Design Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown Lisy Christl, Conclave Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II Linda Muir, Nosferatu Paul Tazewell, Wicked
Best Animated Short Beautiful Men In the Shadow of the Cypress Magic Candles Wander to Wonder Yuck!
Best Documentary Short Death by Numbers I am Ready, Warden Incident Instruments of a Beating Heart The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Best Live-Action Short A Lien Anuja I’m Not a Robot The Last Ranger The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Every year, EYG watch movies that are released in 2023, but we do not watch it until 2024. These film do not go on the final Best or Worst film list, so I have been giving them their own list. I did not see very many early in January (perhaps only one), but that was because I wanted to save the other films for the June Swoon.
There are six films on this list. As with the year end best and worst lists, star ratings are not the final score. They may help me generalize where they may go on the list, but it does not require me to put them in that numerical order.
Starting off…
#6. Flamin’ Hot. The story of the creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and the man behind them. It was a comedic biopic with some creative adjustment… but hey, it was “based” on a true story. It was a very entertaining film.
#5. Thanksgiving. One of the big surprises in the list was this slasher movie from Eli Roth being a movie that I really enjoyed. Eli Roth has never been my favorite director, but this ne was clever and creative and well worth the watch. We just passed the holiday so it may be a perfect time for you to revisit this movie.
#4. 20 Days in Mariupol. A truly tough documentary following some media individuals through the war tarn land in Ukraine. It was real, too real at times and it was a very difficult watch. It was a very important watch too.
#3. The Zone of Interest. One of the big Oscar nominated International films from last year, The Zone of Interest focused on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig and the life they lived during the Holocaust.
#2. Anatomy of a Fall. Another Oscar nominated international film, Anatomy of a Fall told the story of a woman who was suspected of the murder of her husband, her trial, and what exactly her blind son knows. This is an extremely compelling mystery that keeps you guessing to the end.
#1. American Fiction. This was the film I watched in January because I did not want to wait until June to see it. I had heard a lot of great things about it and I was not disappointed. Jeffrey Wright is an author who, frustrated with his inability to sell a book, writes a “black” book under a pseudonym and suddenly finds a ton of success. That success made Wright all the more frustrated. This is a great movie with stunning performances and Oscar nominations, from not only Wright, but also Sterling K. Brown.
It is a busy day today so I had to get the June Swoon 3 going early this morning and I had another Oscar winner on the list. This was the Oscar winner for Best Documentary Short and it was entitled The Last Repair Shop. I watched it on YouTube, but I see that it is available as well on Disney +. This is just over thirty five minutes long and is a joyous expression of love for music and for those for whom music has changed their lives.
The focus was on a instrument repair shop from Los Angeles that provided a service to the schools of the area to repair damaged or broken musical instruments for free. The film profiles four members of the shop: Dana Atkinson, Paty Moreno, Duane Michaels and Steve bagmanyan.
The film also had words from students who gave quick stories about how they wound up playing the instrument they played. The passion and the joy came through each child’s words as it helped us understand how important these musical instruments would be in their lives.
The stories were very emotional and compelling. The stories of the workers at the repair shop ranged from a man who an Armenian refugee from Azerbaijan to a woman who tried to give her children a better life in America only to struggle to a man who played on the same stage as Elvis Presley.
The film ended with a performance of a song called “The Alumni” which featured many of the voices that we heard during the film.
If you love music, or if you ever played an instrument, you will be inspired by this documentary short film. It is a love letter to music and those people who make it or allow other people to make it.
So the Oscars were last night, and I wanted to see how well I did. Here was the list of nominees, and my original picks for who should win and who will win. I will add the who did win section with some thoughts.
BEST PICTURE
American Fiction Anatomy of a Fall Barbie The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Maestro Oppenheimer Past Lives Poor Things The Zone of Interest
SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
WHO DID WIN: Oppenheimer
Not a surprise.
BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
SHOULD WIN: Christopher Nolan
WILL WIN: Christopher Nolan
WHO DID WIN: Christopher Nolan. Nolan was another fairly obvious pick.
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, Nyad Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall Carey Mulligan, Maestro Emma Stone, Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Emma Stone
WILL WIN: Lily Gladstone (I’ve got a feeling on this one. I could see Emma Stone winning easily too)
WHO DID WIN: Emma Stone. I should have stuck with my gut, but I thought Lily Gladstone had the momentum.
BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro Colman Domingo, Rustin Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
SHOULD WIN: Paul Giamatti
WILL WIN: Cillian Murphy
WHO DID WIN: Cillian Murphy.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple America Ferrera, Barbie Jodie Foster, Nyad Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
SHOULD WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph
WILL WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (LOCK!)
WHO DID WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph. It was a Sure thing lock. She was wonderful with ehr speech too.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer Ryan Gosling, Barbie Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Robert Downey Jr.
WILL WIN: Robert Downey Jr. (Almost a LOCK)
WHO DID WIN: RDJ. Downey Jr. deserved his award for his performance and for years of great work.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall David Hemingson, The Holdovers Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro Samy Burch, May December Celine Song, Past Lives
SHOULD WIN: The Holdovers
WILL WIN: Anatomy of a Fall (I have not seen this film, waiting for the June Swoon.)
WHO DID WIN: Anatomy of a Fall. Got this one right. I did really well on the films that I have not yet seen.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie Tony McNamara, Poor Things Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
SHOULD WIN: American Fiction
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
WHO DID WIN: American Fiction. I did the Should Win here. Too bad I didn’t put it on the Will Win.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Io Capitano, Italy Perfect Days, Japan Society of the Snow, Spain The Teacher’s Lounge, Germany The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom
SHOULD WIN: Society of the Snow
WILL WIN: The Zone of Interest
WHO DID WIN: The Zone of Interest. Easy to pick, even if I liked Society of the Snow. I’ll see Zone of Interest in June Swoon 3.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Boy and the Heron Elemental Nimona Robot Dreams Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
SHOULD WIN: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
WILL WIN: I’m uncertain for this. I am tempted to say The Boy and the Heron, but I’ll stick with Spider-Man.
WHO DID WIN: The Boy and the Heron. I had this feeling, but I could not pick against Spidey. I was not surprised at this ‘upset.’
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bobi Wine: The People’s President The Eternal Memory Four Daughters To Kill a Tiger 20 Days in Mariupol
Haven’t seen any of these. I’ll guess 20 Days in Mariupol
WHO DID WIN: 20 Days in Mariupol. Good guesser!
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
El Conde Killers of the Flower Moon Maestro Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
WHO DID WIN: Oppenheimer.
BEST EDITING
Anatomy of a Fall The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Poor Things
WILL WIN: Poor Things
WHO DID WIN: Oppenheimer. Part of the Oppenheimer rush -7 total wins!
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Barbie
WILL WIN: Poor Things
WHO DID WIN: Poor Things. Very funny with a naked John Cena presenting this award.
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Golda Maestro Oppenheimer Poor Things Society of the Snow
SHOULD WIN: Poor Things
WILL WIN: Poor Things
WHO DID WIN: Poor Things. People were surprised this did not go to Maestro. I was confident in Poor Things.
BEST SOUND
The Creator Maestro Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One Oppenheimer The Zone of Interest
SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
WHO DID WIN: The Zone of Interest. This was a surprise for me. Of course, I have not seen the Zone of Interest yet.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator Godzilla Minus One Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One Napoleon
SHOULD WIN: The Creator
WILL WIN: Godzilla Minus One
WHO DID WIN: Godzilla Minus One. I was excited for this win.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Barbie
WILL WIN: Poor Things
WHO DID WIN: Poor Things. I did well with my Poor Things picks.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“What Was I Made For?”, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Barbie “I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie “The Fire Inside,” Diane Warren, Flamin’ Hot “It Never Went Away,” Jon Batiste, American Symphony “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Osage Tribal Singers, Killers of the Flower Moon
SHOULD WIN: “I’m Just Ken”
WILL WIN: “What Was I Made For?”
WHO DID WIN: “What Was I Made For?” However Ryan Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” was one of the best moments of the night!
Here are the picks from EYG for tonight’s Academy Awards. I am giving the Should Win, Will Win choice for each. These are my picks, the nominees I think are going to win, not necessarily my favorites.
BEST PICTURE
American Fiction Anatomy of a Fall Barbie The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Maestro Oppenheimer Past Lives Poor Things The Zone of Interest
SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
SHOULD WIN: Christopher Nolan
WILL WIN: Christopher Nolan
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, Nyad Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall Carey Mulligan, Maestro Emma Stone, Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Emma Stone
WILL WIN: Lily Gladstone (I’ve got a feeling on this one. I could see Emma Stone winning easily too)
BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, Maestro Colman Domingo, Rustin Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
SHOULD WIN: Paul Giamatti
WILL WIN: Cillian Murphy
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple America Ferrera, Barbie Jodie Foster, Nyad Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
SHOULD WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph
WILL WIN: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (LOCK!)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer Ryan Gosling, Barbie Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Robert Downey Jr.
WILL WIN: Robert Downey Jr. (Almost a LOCK)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall David Hemingson, The Holdovers Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro Samy Burch, May December Celine Song, Past Lives
SHOULD WIN: The Holdovers
WILL WIN: Anatomy of a Fall (I have not seen this film, waiting for the June Swoon.)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie Tony McNamara, Poor Things Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
SHOULD WIN: American Fiction
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Io Capitano, Italy Perfect Days, Japan Society of the Snow, Spain The Teacher’s Lounge, Germany The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom
SHOULD WIN: Society of the Snow
WILL WIN: The Zone of Interest
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Boy and the Heron Elemental Nimona Robot Dreams Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
SHOULD WIN: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
WILL WIN: I’m uncertain for this. I am tempted to say The Boy and the Heron, but I’ll stick with Spider-Man.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bobi Wine: The People’s President The Eternal Memory Four Daughters To Kill a Tiger 20 Days in Mariupol
Haven’t seen any of these. I’ll guess 20 Days in Mariupol
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
El Conde Killers of the Flower Moon Maestro Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
BEST EDITING
Anatomy of a Fall The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Poor Things
WILL WIN: Poor Things
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Barbie
WILL WIN: Poor Things
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Golda Maestro Oppenheimer Poor Things Society of the Snow
SHOULD WIN: Poor Things
WILL WIN: Poor Things
BEST SOUND
The Creator Maestro Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One Oppenheimer The Zone of Interest
SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator Godzilla Minus One Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One Napoleon
SHOULD WIN: The Creator
WILL WIN: Godzilla Minus One
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Barbie
WILL WIN: Poor Things
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“What Was I Made For?”, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Barbie “I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie “The Fire Inside,” Diane Warren, Flamin’ Hot “It Never Went Away,” Jon Batiste, American Symphony “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Osage Tribal Singers, Killers of the Flower Moon
SHOULD WIN: “I’m Just Ken”
WILL WIN: “What Was I Made For?”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
American Fiction Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things
SHOULD WIN: Oppenheimer
WILL WIN: Oppenheimer
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
The After Invincible Knight of Fortune Red, White and Blue The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
SHOULD WIN: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
WILL WIN: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Letter to a Pig Ninety-Five Senses Our Uniform Pachyderme War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
SHOULD WIN: Letter to a Pig
WILL WIN: War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The ABCs of Book Banning The Barber of Little Rock Island in Between The Last Repair Shop Nai Nai & Wai Po
Again, have not seen any of these. Guess: The Last Repair Shop
“All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director
Previous Winners: A.G. Inarritu (Birdman), Tim McCarthy (Spotlight), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame), Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), Jon Watt (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
The director is a vital part of the film. In fact, these days, a lot of times, the director is more of a star of the movie than the lead actors.
Again, these choices come from the EYG site and may be different than other awards shows. There are some crossover for sure, but there are some on my list than no one else will nominate.
Top 10 directors of 2023
10. Paul King (Wonka)
9. Ben Affleck (Air)
8. Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)
7. Blitz Bazawule (The Color Purple)
6. Alexander Payne (The Holdovers)
5. Sean Durkin (The Iron Claw)
4. James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
3. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson (Spider-Man: Across teh Spider-Verse)
2. Greta Gerwig (Barbie)
and the winner…
#1: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
I actually have always considered Nolan to be overrated as a director. There have not been that many of Nolan’s films that I loved. Most I felt were somewhat pretentious. Plus, it felt like critics always gave this guy a pass. Even garbage like Tenet had many critics making execuses.
There is no arguing that he has made a masterpiece in Oppenheimer. Every bit of this film is wonderful and, while it may be too long, all scenes feel important to what was happening.
Then, the film was a massive hit as well, finding a place with Barbie in one of the biggest events of the summer, Barbenheimer.
Christopher Nolan surpassed what I expected and he truly deserves this award and I do think he is probably the front runner for the Oscar.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 