With just under a month before the biggest names in Hollywood grace the red carpet, the 97th Oscar nominations have shaken up the film world. Here are my thoughts on some of the highs, and lows, of the nominations.
SNUB: “Dune: Part Two”/Denis Villeneuve
Whether you love or hate the story of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” films, one simply cannot deny the technical artistry and effort that went into adapting these books for the silver screen. The first “Dune” (2021) won six Academy Awards. The film was nominated for Best Picture, but not Best Director. The second film, a film I’ve said is one of the best of this century, was only nominated for five awards: Best Picture, Cinematography, Production Design, Sound and Visual Effects. Villeneuve 100% deserves to have been nominated for Best Director, and I can only hope that 2026’s “Dune: Messiah” finally earns him his long-awaited Oscar. Editor Joe Walker also deserved a nomination. I also want to mention that while I thought Timothée Chalamet was incredible as Bob Dylan, I believe he was far better and more complex as Paul Atreides.
SURPRISE: “Emilia Pérez” with 13 nominations
Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” (2024) has garnered a lot of attention, both good and bad. The film received pretty good critical reviews but bombed hard with audiences, sitting at a 17% Rotten Tomato Audience Score and an abysmal 2.2/5 on Letterboxd. I have not seen the film yet, but the mixed reception and turmoil surrounding the film have made this awards circuit very entertaining to follow. “Emilia Pérez” broke records with its number of nominations. Only three other movies have ever had more nominations. I was not expecting the Academy to recognize the film in so many categories and it’ll be interesting to see how many awards it wins.
SNUB: Daniel Craig misses acting nomination for “Queer”
Luca Guadagnino had a dominant 2024, with both “Queer” and “Challengers” receiving praise from both the audience and the critics. As I mentioned in my review of the film, Daniel Craig gives the best and most heartfelt performance of his entire career, opening himself emotionally as he has never done before. Before the nomination announcement, having received both a SAG and Golden Globe nomination, many assumed we would see Craig’s name be called for Best Actor, but lo and behold, his name was missing. It seems the Academy completely ignored Guadagnino’s films this year, as both “Queer” and “Challengers” received zero nominations.
SURPRISE: “The Apprentice” gets recognition
Staying on the topic of acting, many, including myself, were surprised when Sebastian Stan’s name was read for Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice” (2024), a biopic following a young Donald Trump. Stan’s performance as Trump is widely praised, but most assumed that if Stan were to receive a nomination, it would have been for Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man” (2024), a performance that earned him a Golden Globe win. This swap of recognition could be a result of the Academy’s nomination of Stan’s “The Apprentice” co-star Jeremy Strong, who played Trump’s lawyer Roy Cohn.
EXPECTED: “The Brutalist” receives 10 nominations
Possibly the only outcome from the announcement I’m pleased with is Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour American Epic “The Brutalist,” which received 10 nominations in various categories, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor and Actress. It seems fitting that the Academy should recognize the film so much, as “The Brutalist” is a love letter to a bygone era of filmmaking and a particular type of movie, tackling many unquestionably relevant themes.
