I had the opportunity to vote last year for a few awards. So, between the nominating process, and the voting, you won’t find someone more diligent than me. 457 films last year. I have technically seen everything (albeit some without audio description) nominated in every category but the shorts. So, here’s a look at my ballot, for better or worse. these are not my predictions. This is my vote.
Best Picture: Wicked – My #1 film of the year was ghostlight. Wicked was my number two. Actually, I would be happy with The Substance (3rd) or Conclave (4th) as well. But, Wicked gets my vote. It far exceeded my expectations.
Director: Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)- For this category I always approach it from two qualifications: Quality Of Film directed, and How Much Did the Director’s Unique Auteur Take define The Film? Like, what film could not exist if not directed by this person, and the movie was good. I come to The Substance, a bizarre body horror movie that resurrected Demi moore’s career, and unexpectedly became a major Oscar contender. It blew my mind when Greta Gerwig was passed up here for Barbie last year. Like, there was a Barbie film in Best Picture.
Actor: Ralph Fiennes (conclave)- technically, on my personal list, Fiennes was lower than some of his competition. However, trusting that the Academy will reward him at a later date, when his last nomination was almost 30 years ago for The English Patient is crazy. this is where being Oscar specific matters, and I would vote for Fiennes to finally earn an Oscar after a long career largely ignored.
Actress: Demi Moore (the Substance)- to be clear, my favorite performance in this category was Marianne Jeaen-Baptiste, who wasn’t nominated. Had she been, i would have chosen her. Of the remaining five, Moore has my heart and my vote.
Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)- Yes, he was actually my favorite supporting actor. he was at the top of my own list. The performance does lean on what he’s already good at, but he just makes it better. he’s also far less obnoxious than he was on Succession. A long career, he can win on his first nomination. I’m OK with that.
supporting Actress: Felicity Jones (the Brutalist)- With Danielle Detweiler not nominated, it opens up a door. jones is the only one of the five with a previous nomination. She’s also fantastic in the film. I feel like Grande can wait, and I wouldn’t vote for Emilia Perez. In anything.
Original Screenplay: A Real Pain- I love all five screenplays. this would reward Jesse Eisenberg for his wonderful script in a film that should be in the best Picture race. He wrote, directed, and starred, while most of his competition just were writer/directors.
Adapted: Conclave- i do love this screenplay. it is a hard choice over Sing Sing, but I’m sticking with conclave.
Cinematography: Dune PArt II- i trust in the power of Denis Villeneuve to be able to capture a flawless look for his films. I’m sure The brutalist looks great too.
Editing: Conclave- I really am having a hard time between Conclave, Añora, and the Brutalist. I chose the shortest film. challengers should be here.
Production Design- Wicked- Yes. It is also my guess to win. But it is also my vote.
Best costume Design- Wicked- sometimes, I feel like I should choose fully original works, but then… Nosferatu is technically an adaptation, but it doesn’t feel anything like the original. where do you draw the line? Having seen the stage show, I’m sure the designers for production and costumes had a blast with Wicked.
Makeup: The Substance- because, well. There’s a lot of makeup here.
Best Song: Like A bird (Sing Sing)- while it would be fun to finally reward Dianne warren for a song no one listens to, or get Elton John on stage, my actual favorite song, and the only one I like in this category, is Like A Bird.
Original Score: The Brutalist- I really have three choices here, between The Brutalist, conclave, and The Wild Robot. I like all of them. I’ve seen all three movies twice. That being said, my actual favorite score is Nosferatu, and right behind are Challengers and dune Part II. So, with my favorites ineligible, The Brutalist feels most like the score I would recognize independently of the film.
Sound: A Complete Unknown- A weird category for me. But, the concert scenes are very well done. I don’t need Dune PArt II here. It isn’t so much the sound design in that film. There are other films I’m surprised didn’t land here. Blitz actually deserved this one nomination.
Visual Effects: Dune Part II- there’s no way this movie doesn’t look fabulous. I also love the Apes movies, and the description on all five films made me believe these all deserve a shot. My only swap would be Godzilla X Kong for Wicked. It feels weird that both Godzilla X Kong and Furiosa missed this category.
Animated Feature: The Wild robot- This is actually my favorite animated film from last year. So, this isn’t even to punish Flow. The Wild Robot was #6 on my top 10 of the year.
International: I’m Still Here- because it has audio description.
Documentary- No Other Land- I would actually choose to not vote for the only film with accessible audio description. Black Box Diaries isn’t even close to my Top 5 documentaries. I’d consider Sugar cane if Disney wasn’t fucking around with the audio description. since I have 4 contenders without accessibility, No other Land is by far the most deserving of giving a platform. It’s time to have a real talk about the difference between regular Palestinians living in gaza, and a terrorist organization they aren’t a part of, yet their lives are being destroyed for who they are.
That’s it. My ballot is cast.
