This Oscars ballot is thanks to contributions from Justin Angebrandt, Ethan Chamberlain, Patrick Dickerson, Sean Dillon, Adam H, Rachel, and Jon Scott.
It’s Oscars time again, which means that there are plenty of opinions on this year’s films floating around. This has been one of the most charged and controversial awards seasons in a while. So naturally, we here at GateCrashers are ready to dive into the fray!
Best Visual Effects
And the nominees are…
- Alien: Romulus – Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin, and Shane Mahan
- Better Man – Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, and Peter Stubbs
- Dune: Part Two – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, and Rodney Burke
- Wicked – Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shrik, and Paul Corbould
And the winner is… Better Man
What can we say? There’s something about Robbie Williams as a chimp that just works!
Best Film Editing
And the nominees are…
- Anora – Sean Baker
- The Brutalist – Dávid Jancsó
- Conclave – Nick Emerson
- Emilia Pérez – Juliette Welfling
- Wicked – Myron Kerstein
And the winner is… The Brutalist
The Brutalist‘s extended sequences are expertly edited together in a way that is just as important in the storytelling as the script.
Best Costume Design
And the nominees are…
- A Complete Unknown – Arianne Phillips
- Conclave – Lisy Christi
- Gladiator II – Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
- Nosferatu – Linda Muir
- Wicked – Paul Tazewell
And the winner is… Nosferatu
Listen, we’re huge fans of Eggers and Nosferatu here at GateCrashers, and we think it’s time his films got the proper recognition. The stunning period costumes in Nosferatu might just be the first of many awards awarded to Robert Eggers’s films.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
And the winners are…
- A Different Man – Mike Marino, David Presto, and Crystal Jurado
- Emilia Pérez – Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier, and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
- Nosferatu – David White, Traci Loader, and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
- The Substance – Pierre-Oliver Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli
- Wicked – Frances Hannon, Laura Blount, and Sarah Nuth
And the winner is… The Substance
Finally, someone doing something interesting with prosthetics instead of another fat suit.
Best Cinematography
And the nominees are…
- The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
- Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
- Emilia Pérez – Paul Guilhaume
- Maria – Edward Lachman
- Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke
And the winner is… Nosferatu
Blaschke has been cinematographer on every one of Robert Eggers’s feature films and has given us some of the most unforgettable shots in recent years. It’s high time for him to get his Oscar.
Best Production Design
- The Brutalist – Judy Becker and Patricia Cuccia
- Conclave – Suzie Davies and Cynthia Sleiter
- Dune: Part Two – Patrice Vermette and Shane Vieau
- Nosferatu – Craig Lathrop and Beatrice Brentnerová
- Wicked – Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
And the winner is… Nosferatu
Did I mention we’re Nosferatu fans here? From Count Orlock’s castle to the Hardings’s expansive manse, this film oozes care and craft when it comes to production design.
Best Sound
- A Complete Unknown – Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey, and David Giammarco
- Dune: Part Two – Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill
- Emilia Pérez – Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz, and Niels Barletta
- Wicked – Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson, and John Marquis
- The Wild Robot – Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo, and Leff Lefferts
And the winner is… Dune: Part Two
Another opinion shared among much of the writers here at GateCrashers is that Dune: Part Two has been horribly ignored this awards season. Hopefully, sound is not one of the places it gets overlooked on Sunday.
Best 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
And the winner is… “Like a Bird”
Sing Sing should be everywhere this awards season, but hopefully they will at least be able to snag the Original Song trophy over some… questionable musical choice from Emilia Pérez.
Best Music (Original Score)
And the nominees are…
- The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
- Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
- Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille
- Wicked – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
- The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
And the winner is… The Brutalist
The score of The Brutalist is unforgettable, avant garde, and a key element that heightens the tension and emotion throughout the nearly 3 1/2 hour runtime.
Best Animated Short Film
And the nominees are…
- Beautiful Men
- In the Shadow of the Cypress
- Magic Candies
- Wonder to Wander
- Yuck!
And the winner is… Magic Candies
Magic Candies‘s unique animation style really sets it apart here.
Best Live Action Short Film
And the nominees are…
- A Lien
- Anuja
- I’m Not a Robot
- The Last Ranger
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
And the winner is… I’m Not a Robot
This short film’s realist approach to such a crazy topic might have ill boding for our future, but today, it’s certainly a standout short film!
Best Documentary Short Film
And the nominees are…
- Death by Numbers
- I Am Ready, Warden
- Incident
- Instruments of a Beating Heart
- The Only Girl in the Orchestre
And the winner is… Instruments of a Beating Heart
It’s pretty rare for a documentary to make us feel so hopeful, but these first graders performing Ode to Joy makes us feel real hope for the future.
Best Documentary Feature Film
And the nominees are…
- Black Box Diaries
- No Other Land
- Porcelain War
- Soundtrak to a Coup d’Etat
- Sugarcane
And the winner is… No Other Land
Free Palestine
Best International Feature Film
And the nominees are…
- Emilia Pérez – France
- Flow – Latvia
- The Girl with the Needle – Denmark
- I’m Still Here – Brazil
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Germany
And the winner is… I’m Still Here
I’m Still Here deserves this award on its own merit. An incredible film about the horrors of dictatorship and finding hope despite it.
Best Animated Feature Film
And the nominees are…
- Flow
- Inside Out 2
- Memoirs of a Snail
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot
And the winner is… Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
How can you not love a story about a penguin trying to take revenge on a man and his dog?
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
And the nominees are…
- A Complete Unknown – James Mangold and Jay Cocks
- Conclave – Peter Straughan
- Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi
- Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
- Sing Sing – Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley, Clarence Maclin, and John “Divine G” Whitfield
And the winner is… Conclave
Now you know the script has to be good to get the internet to be this ravenous about a papal conclave. (And this screenplay is fantastic)
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
And the nominees are…
- 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
And the winner is… Anora
Sean Baker’s script here is stellar and the imbalance of words between Ani and Igor are integral in their characterization and relationship.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
And the nominees are…
- Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
- Ariana Grande – Wicked
- Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
- Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
- Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
And the winner is… Monica Barbaro
Barbaro’s performance as Joan Baez might just have the strength to be a surprise win here. But what felt like a sure category back during the Golden Globes has been upended by all of the ensuing chaos since, so who knows what will happen…
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
And the nominees are…
- Yura Borisov – Anora
- Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
- Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
- Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
- Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
And the winner is… Kieran Culkin
Culkin’s role in the A Real Pain brought genuine humor and heartbreak to a complex character that defined this movie. It seems all but certain that Culkin will be halfway to an EGOT.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
And the nominees are…
- Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
- Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
- Mikey Madison – Anora
- Demi Moore – The Substance
- Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
And the winner is… Demi Moore
Demi Moore has had a wonderful career, but this is in no way a life time achievement-type consolation prize. Moore’s incredible turn as Elisabeth Sparkle is etched forever into our brains and if she wins, it will be well deserved (especially considering how much The Academy seems to hate horror).
Best Actor in a Leading Role
And the nominees are…
- Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
- Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
- Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
- Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
- Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
And the winner is… Timothée Chalamet
It seems we here at GateCrashers agree with the Screen Actors Guild and think that Chalamet is going to snag the trophy for his portrayal of Bob Dylan, but does he have the momentum to overcome Adrien Brody?
Best Directing
And the nominees are…
- Sean Baker – Anora
- Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
- James Mangold – A Complete Unknown
- Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
- Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
And the winner is… Brady Corbet
Corbet might just walk away with the trophy here for his epic The Brutalist, but the GateCrashers voters believe if anyone spoils him, it will be Sean Baker for Anora.
Best Picture
And the nominees are…
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
- Wicked
And the winner is… Conclave
We here at GateCrashers have voted, and we’ve decided that Conclave is most deserving to walk away with that top trophy. We’re not deluding ourselves into believing that we’ve guessed correctly (how could we, especially this year). And there are plenty of deserving films that could walk home with the top prize and at least one undeserving that might win despite it all, but we shall see what happens come Sunday night.
And there you have it! See you next awards season!
The 97th Academy Awards are Sunday, March 2nd.