But if We Did, Now Would Obviously be the Time.
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“Wag is just my tempo.” —Terence Fletcher
Well, it has happened. Like groundhog day or a lunar eclipse, the Academy Award nominations have been announced, as always, too frightfully early in the morning (if you happen to live anywhere close to Hollywood). This triggers a predictable flurry of roundups, a pathetic little tussle for clicks! Now that the annoying dust has settled, we will weigh in with flair. If you are among the minority who take these things seriously, it’s a matter of celestial significance, like Holy Communion. If you don’t, you may be wondering why other people are chewing on something that tastes more like cardboard the further one travels from the altar. We have written often about the future of awards season, and tried to make the distinction between red carpet straining (not so bully) and the work being honored (talent ought to be praised). This isn’t really a time to whinge about the future of the Business, but to take a quick sashay through what’s on offer. So, off we go. — Marcello Rubini
Picture
We have been banging on about The Power of the Dog for a dog’s age, so we are feeling smug about its 12 nominations. We have also done some banging on behalf of Dune, which has come in with 10. These movies say something about the twin aspirations of Hollywood, which is to remain the font of the Prestige Project (devilishly hard) and the Blockbuster (also hard, if the property isn’t part of an established franchise). Some will call the absence of Spider-Man: No Way Home, only the most lucrative film of the Pandemic Age, a snub, but this year there aren’t real juggernauts in the category (more ominous tidings for ratings). Like Dog, Drive My Car found diehard champions from the beginning.
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Director
Où-est-tu, Denis Villeneuve? We presume your nomination was lost in the post. This is an oversight, but that’s the way it goes. Strong category, and Spielberg’s eighth nod for directing. Campion feels like the overwhelming favorite.
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Actress
Sorry, we can’t call Lady Gaga’s absence here a snub because House of Gucci was bananas. We think Stewart was overlooked in earlier awards shows for her portrayal of a hounded Diana, Princess of Wales, and Kidman is having a great run as Lucille Ball. But whenever Colman is nominated, we stand back.
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor
What is looks like is that Smith is on his way for the best he work he has done in his career. But Washington is phenomenal in the Scottish Movie, or whatever actors say, and Cumberbatch is riveting as a blackhearted knave.
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick… Boom!
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Supporting Actress
We imagine this will come to down to Kirsten Dunst, getting the reviews of a very distinguished career for Dog, and Ariana DeBose, who made the world fall in love with her in West Side Story. We will leave it at that. This category often tilts to a newcomer, and there’s the symmetry of Rita Moreno having won for the same role in 1962. That should give you a sense of the conventional wisdom. Catriona Balfe was also deserving for Belfast, but Judi Dench can’t say boo without getting a nomination.
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Supporting Actor
Smit-McPhee, that arresting newcomer, is coming on strong, and we like the cut of his jib. Deaf actor Troy Kotsur has won many hearts. And Hinds is a gem.
Ciarán Hinds Belfast
Troy Kostur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
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International Feature
Flee was our favorite overseas entrant, and it is nominated all over the place in very tough categories. The Worst Person in the World is a delight, but poignant Drive My Car seems to be motoring to victory.
Drive My Car
Flee
The Hand of God
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
The Worst Person in the World
Animated Feature
Does anybody remember Luca? Before We Don’t Talk About Bruno, there was Silenzio Bruno! the catchphrase from that sweet film about being yourself. Encanto seems to be on everybody’s mind ….but Flee was one of the most powerful animated films ever.
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machine
Raya and the Last Dragon
Animated Short
Do you have any idea how hard it is to make an animated short film? Really, really hard. And then people moan about these worthies getting a few seconds of glory. The kinetic Us Again, a widely-seen Disney short, missed out. We like Robin Robin, about a wee bird raised by mice.
Affairs of the Art
Bestia
Boxballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper
Live Action Short
See above! Just think of shorts as cool TikTok videos.
Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold
Original Song
Beyoncé, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Billie Eilish are all in this category, so look out. We love Eilish’s Bond theme, but can see Miranda will taking it for the tearjerker “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto. His chart-topper “We Don’t Talk About Bruno, “ from the same film, wasn’t submitted!
“King Richard”
“Encanto”
“Belfast”
“No Time to Die”
“Four Good Days”
Documentary Feature
What have we learned this year? To wash our hands thoroughly, that the Fifth Dimension was a grossly under-appreciated act, and that Questlove’s Summer of Soul is unstoppable.
Ascension
Attica
“Flee”
Summer of Soul
Riding with Fire
Documentary Short
Wouldn’t be nice if everybody watched documentary shorts? Of course it would! Everybody loves a doc, and nobody has much time. In any event, The New York Times entrant The Queen of Basketball is poised to score.
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies
Costume Design
Jenny Beavan is one of the great British costume designers (that’s saying quite a bit), and Cruella was a giddy sendup of 1970s London. Why not?
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
Nightmare Alley
Westside Story
Sound
How dare you get up from the couch! Dune sounded brilliant.
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
Westside Story
Original Score
Veteran Hans Zimmer is the assumed frontrunner here, for all that melodic work in outer space.
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog
Adapted Screenplay
Taking Frank Herbert’s big, sprawling, wormy Dune and turning it into a watchable movie was impressive, and all the other entrants here are all strong. But we think it is going to go to Dog.
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
Original Screenplay
Licorice Pizza is a love letter to Hollywood, and we never bet against love letters to Hollywood. So, here’s where it gets its slice, or bendy stick of chewy gross candy, or whatever.
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World
Film Editing
Dune should steamroll through the technical categories, and Joe Walker’s editing is a thing to behold. (really!)
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick…Boom!
Makeup and Hairstyling
We loved the garish Guccis, but Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh masterfully transformed Jessica Chastain into Tammy Faye Bakker.
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Production Design
If you make a gigantic sand planet full of worms, you ought to get a little something for your trouble.
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Cinematography
We think Dog has a shot for its sweeping photography of New Zealand as Montana, but are giving Dune an edge for its rendering of Herbert’s fantasy world.
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Visual Effects
A rare incursion of the MCU into Oscar territory. But this category was made for …
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
August 4, 2024
