My Thoughts on the 2025 Golden Globe Nominations
I figured I should get back writing more freely, so I’m just going to talk about the Golden Globe nominations, which were announced earlier this morning (Monday). I’m mainly going to talk about the film categories, but it’s worth mentioning that I watched The Penguin and the nomination for Best Limited Series, along with the performances from Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and Deirdre O’Connell, are all worthy choices. There’s a good chance they don’t win, but I appreciate the nominations a lot. Go watch that, if you haven’t yet.
Right out of the gate, the most nominated movie of this year is Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard’s ambitious crime-thriller-musical, with 10 nominations across the board. Personally, I’m only about a half-hour into it, and I’m just not a fan. I’m gonna finish it before awards season fully kicks into gear, but I think my thoughts won’t change too much on it. Now, I’m just gonna go through the film categories one by one to talk about how I feel about it.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
September 5
Thoughts: I’m very confused by some of these choices. Sure, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, and Conclave have other nominations and are pretty much locked for Best Picture at the Oscars. I’m a little scared for Dune, especially since it’s missing a lot of key places, especially with Denis Villeneuve getting snubbed for director here. Honestly, it’s probably going to be The Brutalist. However, just to have a little fun, I’ll throw in Conclave as one that should win. I like the idea of a good, old-fashioned thriller about electing a new Pope.
Will Win: The Brutalist
Should Win: Conclave
Adrien Brody in The Brutalist; Photo from A24
Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical
Anora
Challengers
Emilia Pérez
A Real Pain
The Substance
Wicked
Thoughts: This is an absolutely stacked category for me. The movies I’ve seen here, which are Anora, Challengers, and The Substance, are all very good. I do think Anora is a tiny bit overhyped, but The Substance and Challengers are two of my top three best movies of the year. I’d obviously love it if one of those two won, but I feel like Emilia Pérez is gonna take it. It’s the most nominated film of the whole ceremony, and they certainly liked it more than the other musical in here, Wicked. It feels like a done deal, but I’d love it if The Substance or Challengers could win.
Will Win: Emilia Pérez
Should Win: The Substance
Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez; Photo from Netflix
Best Motion Picture – Animated
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Moana 2
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
Thoughts: Honestly, these are just the most popular choices I’ve seen talked about. I’ve been lacking in my animated movie bag this year, the only nominee I’ve actually seen being Moana 2, which was a big disappointment for me. I’m sure I’ll like Inside Out 2 since the first is one of my favorite Pixar movies, and I’ve seen more and more people mention how great Flow is. Admittedly, I’m not too surprised that something like Transformers One isn’t here, mainly because they just don’t flock to those movies, like with the last Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I wanted to catch Memoir of a Snail, but I missed it at the nearest indie theater. And I just don’t know anything about Wallace & Gromit, so it feels right that I should watch the last movie before I watch this (I do like Chicken Run, though). However, it seems pretty clear to me that The Wild Robot is gonna sweep this category this year. The trailers didn’t do too much for me, but it’s gotten to the point that this is getting so much acclaim, as well as being very successful for the kind of animated movie it is.
Will Win: The Wild Robot
Should Win: The Wild Robot
Still from The Wild Robot; Photo from Universal Pictures
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
All We Imagine as Light (USA/France/India)
Emilia Pérez (France)
The Girl with the Needle (Poland/Sweden/Denmark)
I’m Still Here (Brazil)
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (USA/Germany)
Vermiglio (Italy)
Thoughts: I’m man enough to admit that non-English films are my blindspot, but I’ve at least heard about all of these except for The Girl with the Needle and Vermiglio. NEON is releasing The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and the release date here says it’s November 27, and it’s just not anywhere near me. Sony Classic’s got I’m Still Here, but they’re very strange with their releases too. Probably not going to get to see any of these in theaters, but how this category usually goes is that the most nominated movie wins. So, Emilia Pérez is probably going to win. Although, since All We Imagine as Light is in Best Director, that could be an upset.
Will Win: Emilia Pérez
Should Win: All We Imagine as Light
Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here; Photo from Sony Pictures Classics
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
Thoughts: Look, I haven’t seen any of these movies. I’m very excited to see Queer and Conclave (which I should be watching soon), and if they ever give a white boy from Ohio access to watch Sing Sing, I can’t wait to see that too. Like all of the buzz around The Brutalist, I’ve heard nothing but insanely-high praise for Adrien Brody. If you’re getting compared to Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, the film bros will pay attention. We’re wired that way. However, I’ve really been won over by Timothée Chalamet in his last roles I’ve seen. A Complete Unknown still has to come out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it came down to Brody and Chalamet by the end.
Will Win: Adrien Brody
Should Win: Timothée Chalamet
Elle Fanning and Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown; Photo from Searchlight Pictures
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama Actress
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door
Kate Winslet – Lee
Thoughts: I really don’t have a bunch to say about this category. All of these are either not released here yet or just didn’t get released at all here. Out of what I want to see, I’m most excited to see Maria, mainly because this is the final film in director Pablo Larraín’s trilogy of important 20th century women. The trilogy included the Natalie Portman-starrer Jackie and Spencer, my favorite movie of the 2020s so far (and maybe my favorite lead performance of the decade in Kristen Stewart). I’ve also heard a lot about Babygirl, where Nicole Kidman won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival last year. I feel like there’s a lot of love for Pamela Anderson out there now, especially since the movie she stars in, The Last Showgirl, is so tied to her own persona. For that alone, I could see them wanting to give Anderson her flowers. I’m a sucker for that sort of story too, so I’ll say that Anderson should win.
Will Win: Nicole Kidman
Should Win: Pamela Anderson
Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in Babygirl; Photo from A24
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical Actor
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Gabriel LaBelle – Saturday Night
Jesse Plemons – Kinds of Kindness
Glen Powell – Hit Man
Sebastian Stan – A Different Man
Thoughts: Wow, what a category. This is actually by far the most movies I’ve seen here, with only A Real Pain eluding me as of writing this. The biggest shocker to me is Hugh Grant being nominated, I honestly never expected him to show up here. Sebastian Stan, though. What a one-two punch A Different Man and The Apprentice ended up being for him. Again, I still need to see The Apprentice, but his performance in A Different Man is some truly fantastic work. I know it’s a long shot, but I’d love to see him get the Oscar nomination for it. Gabriel LaBelle for Saturday Night is also a great pick, but I do think this is where the awards start and end for such a fun movie. Glen Powell for Hit Man is also a wonderful choice, one that could honestly win. It’s really been his year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins. Not that I’d be mad, he’s delightful in it. While I think Kinds of Kindness is definitely one of the more disappointing movies of the year for me, Jesse Plemons is absolutely the standout of the film and is a nice pick. I do imagine seeing Eisenberg winning the most because he has the clearest shot of an actual Oscar nomination, but I’d love it if we get weird with this one.
Will Win: Jesse Eisenberg
Should Win: Sebastian Stan
Adam Pearson and Sebastian Stan in A Different Man; Photo from A24
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical Actress
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Zendaya – Challengers
Thoughts: Woah. Two of my favorite performances of the year are right in here, Demi Moore and Zendaya. Both The Substance and Challengers feel career-defining in how fantastic they are, especially Moore. While I’d love it if either of them won, I’d be very surprised if Mikey Madison doesn’t win. I don’t technically agree with this, but Madison is being considered the frontrunner for the Oscar, so she’ll probably win. I’d love to see Moore take this, though.
Will Win: Mikey Madison
Should Win: Demi Moore
Mark Eidelstein and Mikey Madison in Anora; Photo from NEON
Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II
Thoughts: At the time of this writing, a new trailer for The Brutalist dropped today (Tuesday) and had a good showcase for Guy Pearce, who wasn’t in the first trailer at all. I’m excited to see him act his butt off. Honestly, though, this award could go to any of them. Yura Borisov is actually my favorite performance from Anora, especially his scene with Madison close to the end of the movie (not the actual ending). I’ve already said that I still need to see The Apprentice, but seeing Jeremy Strong get a nomination is great to see, as well as his Succession co-star Kieran Culkin, who’s probably going to win. He’s got a lot of hype and is being called the heart and soul of A Real Pain, so that makes sense to me. I’m pretty surprised that Clarence Maclin isn’t here for Sing Sing, who’s been nominated pretty much everywhere else.
Will Win: Kieran Culkin
Should Win: Yura Borisov
Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain; Photo from Searchlight Pictures
Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Actress
Selena Gomez – Emilia Pérez
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez
Thoughts: I mean… sure? Outside of Qualley (unfortunately), I think this list is gonna be the Oscar nominees. The bits I’ve seen of Saldaña in Emilia Pérez were pretty good, and I’m glad she’s finally getting her flowers. However, I can’t deny the buzz around Ariana Grande in Wicked. The awards do love a supporting actress in a musical (like Ariana DeBose), so there’s a big chance it goes to Grande.
Will Win: Ariana Grande
Should Win: Margaret Qualley
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in Wicked; Photo from Universal Pictures
Best Director
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Payal Kapadia – All We Imagine as Light
Thoughts: What a fascinating bunch. I know nearly nothing about All We Imagine as Light other than the title and that it’s in Hindi, gonna have to check that out soon. Either way, I think this is pretty alright. I’ve heard insane things about The Brutalist, but this should easily go to The Substance. You’re gonna see that a lot, but it’s pretty wild that this is a very serious awards contender now. A movie that’s as creative, as bonkers, and as gory as The Substance would usually be repellent to awards like this. I don’t know if it’s the star power, but I’m so happy that it’s even gotten this far. That being said, The Substance would be an inspired choice. Wouldn’t be mad if Anora got this either.
Will Win: Brady Corbet
Should Win: Coralie Fargeat
Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci in Conclave; Photo from Focus Features
Best Screenplay
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Peter Straughan – Conclave
Thoughts: It’s The Substance. Much love to Sean Baker and Anora (who will probably win), but it’s The Substance. If you’re starting a script with a wild idea, you have to sell them on it. Being able to easily swap with a younger version of yourself with just an injection of a special liquid is pretty weird, but it’s easy to get. Throw in the Hollywood ageist/sexist backdrop, and I think you’re striking gold. Where I realized this screenplay was genius wasn’t even the body horror elements or the fantastic performances from Moore, Qualley, and even Dennis Quaid. It’s the scene where Moore’s character is getting ready to go on a date. I’m going to leave it at that because you could honestly watch that scene in a bubble and it just works perfectly. On top of that, every single emotion is pulled through without a single line of dialogue. Just fantastic stuff.
Will Win: Sean Baker
Should Win: Coralie Fargeat
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley in The Substance; Photo from Mubi
Best Original Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Thoughts: Man, I’d love for this to be Challengers. It feels like the score of the year, and without it, the movie would have a completely different tone. Seeing Dune: Part Two here is also fascinating since it’s been disqualified in this category at the Oscars. However, I’ve heard the overture that opens The Brutalist, and it’s very Christopher Nolan-like. I haven’t heard of Daniel Blumberg, but I’m very excited to hear the rest of his score.
Will Win: The Brutalist
Should Win: Challengers
Austin Butler in Dune: Part Two; Photo from Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Original Song
“Beautiful That Way” (Miley Cyrus) – The Last Showgirl
“Compress / Repress” (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) – Challengers
“El Mal” (Zoe Saldaña & Karla Sofia Gascón) – Emilia Pérez
“Forbidden Road” (Robbie Williams) – Better Man
“Kiss the Sky” (Maren Morris) – The Wild Robot
“Mi Camino” (Selena Gomez) – Emilia Pérez
Thoughts: I don’t have many thoughts on this. I actually gave all of these a listen while writing this, and since Emilia Pérez has two songs, there’s a good chance one of them will win. However, the song I enjoyed the most was “Compress / Repress” from Challengers. Like the score, the sound is tied to the movie so deeply that it’s a different movie if you take out that clubby, EDM-inspired score. A lot of fun.
Will Win: “El Mal”
Should Win: “Compress / Repress”
Josh O’Connor, Zendaya, and Mike Faist in Challengers; Photo from MGM
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
Alien: Romulus
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Deadpool & Wolverine
Gladiator II
Inside Out 2
Twisters
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Thoughts: Man, what to do with this award? I’m pretty sure that this is the award that they made last year so that Barbie would actually win a Golden Globe, but they say that this is to pay tribute to the movies that people went out to see this year. Now, though, we don’t have Barbie this year, and Barbie did end up being the highest-grossing movie of last year. So, with that logic, Inside Out 2 would win, right? It’s the highest-grossing movie of the year right now, and there’s maybe one movie I could imagine passing it, and it’s not even nominated: Moana 2. Its opening weekend, along with Gladiator II and Wicked, ended up leading the highest-grossing Thanksgiving weekend EVER last month. Why isn’t that here? Actually, why is Gladiator II here? It’s not doing insanely well. It’s doing good, but it kinda got carried by Wicked and Moana. The same thing could be applied to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Twisters. They did alright, but they weren’t insane. If we’re going to go down the route of success stories, either The Wild Robot or Alien: Romulus would probably fit best. Romulus was going to be a Hulu original, but it was sent to theaters and it made a good profit. The Wild Robot ended up being a slow burn, releasing this past September and just steadily making money still doing pretty well in theaters, on top of being able to rent at home just a few weeks after its release. All of that isn’t even mentioning another big absence: Where is Dune: Part Two? The rumor is that Dune wasn’t submitted to begin with. There is a requirement for the movie to make $150 million at the box office, with at least $100 million grossed in the U.S., but even that is just strange. That means that genuine box office success stories like The Substance, Longlegs, and Terrifier 3 didn’t even qualify. It’s just a strange category that I hope they do away with soon, I don’t like to think about it.
Will Win: Inside Out 2
Should Win: The Wild Robot
Still from Inside Out 2; Photo from Walt Disney Studios / Pixar
Right out of the gate, the most nominated movie of this year is Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard’s ambitious crime-thriller-musical, with 10 nominations across the board. Personally, I’m only about a half-hour into it, and I’m just not a fan. I’m gonna finish it before awards season fully kicks into gear, but I think my thoughts won’t change too much on it. Now, I’m just gonna go through the film categories one by one to talk about how I feel about it.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
September 5
Thoughts: I’m very confused by some of these choices. Sure, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, and Conclave have other nominations and are pretty much locked for Best Picture at the Oscars. I’m a little scared for Dune, especially since it’s missing a lot of key places, especially with Denis Villeneuve getting snubbed for director here. Honestly, it’s probably going to be The Brutalist. However, just to have a little fun, I’ll throw in Conclave as one that should win. I like the idea of a good, old-fashioned thriller about electing a new Pope.
Will Win: The Brutalist
Should Win: Conclave
Adrien Brody in The Brutalist; Photo from A24
Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical
Anora
Challengers
Emilia Pérez
A Real Pain
The Substance
Wicked
Thoughts: This is an absolutely stacked category for me. The movies I’ve seen here, which are Anora, Challengers, and The Substance, are all very good. I do think Anora is a tiny bit overhyped, but The Substance and Challengers are two of my top three best movies of the year. I’d obviously love it if one of those two won, but I feel like Emilia Pérez is gonna take it. It’s the most nominated film of the whole ceremony, and they certainly liked it more than the other musical in here, Wicked. It feels like a done deal, but I’d love it if The Substance or Challengers could win.
Will Win: Emilia Pérez
Should Win: The Substance
Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez; Photo from Netflix
Best Motion Picture – Animated
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Moana 2
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
Thoughts: Honestly, these are just the most popular choices I’ve seen talked about. I’ve been lacking in my animated movie bag this year, the only nominee I’ve actually seen being Moana 2, which was a big disappointment for me. I’m sure I’ll like Inside Out 2 since the first is one of my favorite Pixar movies, and I’ve seen more and more people mention how great Flow is. Admittedly, I’m not too surprised that something like Transformers One isn’t here, mainly because they just don’t flock to those movies, like with the last Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I wanted to catch Memoir of a Snail, but I missed it at the nearest indie theater. And I just don’t know anything about Wallace & Gromit, so it feels right that I should watch the last movie before I watch this (I do like Chicken Run, though). However, it seems pretty clear to me that The Wild Robot is gonna sweep this category this year. The trailers didn’t do too much for me, but it’s gotten to the point that this is getting so much acclaim, as well as being very successful for the kind of animated movie it is.
Will Win: The Wild Robot
Should Win: The Wild Robot
Still from The Wild Robot; Photo from Universal Pictures
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
All We Imagine as Light (USA/France/India)
Emilia Pérez (France)
The Girl with the Needle (Poland/Sweden/Denmark)
I’m Still Here (Brazil)
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (USA/Germany)
Vermiglio (Italy)
Thoughts: I’m man enough to admit that non-English films are my blindspot, but I’ve at least heard about all of these except for The Girl with the Needle and Vermiglio. NEON is releasing The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and the release date here says it’s November 27, and it’s just not anywhere near me. Sony Classic’s got I’m Still Here, but they’re very strange with their releases too. Probably not going to get to see any of these in theaters, but how this category usually goes is that the most nominated movie wins. So, Emilia Pérez is probably going to win. Although, since All We Imagine as Light is in Best Director, that could be an upset.
Will Win: Emilia Pérez
Should Win: All We Imagine as Light
Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here; Photo from Sony Pictures Classics
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
Thoughts: Look, I haven’t seen any of these movies. I’m very excited to see Queer and Conclave (which I should be watching soon), and if they ever give a white boy from Ohio access to watch Sing Sing, I can’t wait to see that too. Like all of the buzz around The Brutalist, I’ve heard nothing but insanely-high praise for Adrien Brody. If you’re getting compared to Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, the film bros will pay attention. We’re wired that way. However, I’ve really been won over by Timothée Chalamet in his last roles I’ve seen. A Complete Unknown still has to come out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it came down to Brody and Chalamet by the end.
Will Win: Adrien Brody
Should Win: Timothée Chalamet
Elle Fanning and Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown; Photo from Searchlight Pictures
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama Actress
Pamela Anderson – The Last Showgirl
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door
Kate Winslet – Lee
Thoughts: I really don’t have a bunch to say about this category. All of these are either not released here yet or just didn’t get released at all here. Out of what I want to see, I’m most excited to see Maria, mainly because this is the final film in director Pablo Larraín’s trilogy of important 20th century women. The trilogy included the Natalie Portman-starrer Jackie and Spencer, my favorite movie of the 2020s so far (and maybe my favorite lead performance of the decade in Kristen Stewart). I’ve also heard a lot about Babygirl, where Nicole Kidman won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival last year. I feel like there’s a lot of love for Pamela Anderson out there now, especially since the movie she stars in, The Last Showgirl, is so tied to her own persona. For that alone, I could see them wanting to give Anderson her flowers. I’m a sucker for that sort of story too, so I’ll say that Anderson should win.
Will Win: Nicole Kidman
Should Win: Pamela Anderson
Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in Babygirl; Photo from A24
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical Actor
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Gabriel LaBelle – Saturday Night
Jesse Plemons – Kinds of Kindness
Glen Powell – Hit Man
Sebastian Stan – A Different Man
Thoughts: Wow, what a category. This is actually by far the most movies I’ve seen here, with only A Real Pain eluding me as of writing this. The biggest shocker to me is Hugh Grant being nominated, I honestly never expected him to show up here. Sebastian Stan, though. What a one-two punch A Different Man and The Apprentice ended up being for him. Again, I still need to see The Apprentice, but his performance in A Different Man is some truly fantastic work. I know it’s a long shot, but I’d love to see him get the Oscar nomination for it. Gabriel LaBelle for Saturday Night is also a great pick, but I do think this is where the awards start and end for such a fun movie. Glen Powell for Hit Man is also a wonderful choice, one that could honestly win. It’s really been his year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins. Not that I’d be mad, he’s delightful in it. While I think Kinds of Kindness is definitely one of the more disappointing movies of the year for me, Jesse Plemons is absolutely the standout of the film and is a nice pick. I do imagine seeing Eisenberg winning the most because he has the clearest shot of an actual Oscar nomination, but I’d love it if we get weird with this one.
Will Win: Jesse Eisenberg
Should Win: Sebastian Stan
Adam Pearson and Sebastian Stan in A Different Man; Photo from A24
Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical Actress
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Zendaya – Challengers
Thoughts: Woah. Two of my favorite performances of the year are right in here, Demi Moore and Zendaya. Both The Substance and Challengers feel career-defining in how fantastic they are, especially Moore. While I’d love it if either of them won, I’d be very surprised if Mikey Madison doesn’t win. I don’t technically agree with this, but Madison is being considered the frontrunner for the Oscar, so she’ll probably win. I’d love to see Moore take this, though.
Will Win: Mikey Madison
Should Win: Demi Moore
Mark Eidelstein and Mikey Madison in Anora; Photo from NEON
Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II
Thoughts: At the time of this writing, a new trailer for The Brutalist dropped today (Tuesday) and had a good showcase for Guy Pearce, who wasn’t in the first trailer at all. I’m excited to see him act his butt off. Honestly, though, this award could go to any of them. Yura Borisov is actually my favorite performance from Anora, especially his scene with Madison close to the end of the movie (not the actual ending). I’ve already said that I still need to see The Apprentice, but seeing Jeremy Strong get a nomination is great to see, as well as his Succession co-star Kieran Culkin, who’s probably going to win. He’s got a lot of hype and is being called the heart and soul of A Real Pain, so that makes sense to me. I’m pretty surprised that Clarence Maclin isn’t here for Sing Sing, who’s been nominated pretty much everywhere else.
Will Win: Kieran Culkin
Should Win: Yura Borisov
Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain; Photo from Searchlight Pictures
Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Actress
Selena Gomez – Emilia Pérez
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez
Thoughts: I mean… sure? Outside of Qualley (unfortunately), I think this list is gonna be the Oscar nominees. The bits I’ve seen of Saldaña in Emilia Pérez were pretty good, and I’m glad she’s finally getting her flowers. However, I can’t deny the buzz around Ariana Grande in Wicked. The awards do love a supporting actress in a musical (like Ariana DeBose), so there’s a big chance it goes to Grande.
Will Win: Ariana Grande
Should Win: Margaret Qualley
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in Wicked; Photo from Universal Pictures
Best Director
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Payal Kapadia – All We Imagine as Light
Thoughts: What a fascinating bunch. I know nearly nothing about All We Imagine as Light other than the title and that it’s in Hindi, gonna have to check that out soon. Either way, I think this is pretty alright. I’ve heard insane things about The Brutalist, but this should easily go to The Substance. You’re gonna see that a lot, but it’s pretty wild that this is a very serious awards contender now. A movie that’s as creative, as bonkers, and as gory as The Substance would usually be repellent to awards like this. I don’t know if it’s the star power, but I’m so happy that it’s even gotten this far. That being said, The Substance would be an inspired choice. Wouldn’t be mad if Anora got this either.
Will Win: Brady Corbet
Should Win: Coralie Fargeat
Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci in Conclave; Photo from Focus Features
Best Screenplay
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Peter Straughan – Conclave
Thoughts: It’s The Substance. Much love to Sean Baker and Anora (who will probably win), but it’s The Substance. If you’re starting a script with a wild idea, you have to sell them on it. Being able to easily swap with a younger version of yourself with just an injection of a special liquid is pretty weird, but it’s easy to get. Throw in the Hollywood ageist/sexist backdrop, and I think you’re striking gold. Where I realized this screenplay was genius wasn’t even the body horror elements or the fantastic performances from Moore, Qualley, and even Dennis Quaid. It’s the scene where Moore’s character is getting ready to go on a date. I’m going to leave it at that because you could honestly watch that scene in a bubble and it just works perfectly. On top of that, every single emotion is pulled through without a single line of dialogue. Just fantastic stuff.
Will Win: Sean Baker
Should Win: Coralie Fargeat
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley in The Substance; Photo from Mubi
Best Original Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Thoughts: Man, I’d love for this to be Challengers. It feels like the score of the year, and without it, the movie would have a completely different tone. Seeing Dune: Part Two here is also fascinating since it’s been disqualified in this category at the Oscars. However, I’ve heard the overture that opens The Brutalist, and it’s very Christopher Nolan-like. I haven’t heard of Daniel Blumberg, but I’m very excited to hear the rest of his score.
Will Win: The Brutalist
Should Win: Challengers
Austin Butler in Dune: Part Two; Photo from Warner Bros. Pictures
Best Original Song
“Beautiful That Way” (Miley Cyrus) – The Last Showgirl
“Compress / Repress” (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) – Challengers
“El Mal” (Zoe Saldaña & Karla Sofia Gascón) – Emilia Pérez
“Forbidden Road” (Robbie Williams) – Better Man
“Kiss the Sky” (Maren Morris) – The Wild Robot
“Mi Camino” (Selena Gomez) – Emilia Pérez
Thoughts: I don’t have many thoughts on this. I actually gave all of these a listen while writing this, and since Emilia Pérez has two songs, there’s a good chance one of them will win. However, the song I enjoyed the most was “Compress / Repress” from Challengers. Like the score, the sound is tied to the movie so deeply that it’s a different movie if you take out that clubby, EDM-inspired score. A lot of fun.
Will Win: “El Mal”
Should Win: “Compress / Repress”
Josh O’Connor, Zendaya, and Mike Faist in Challengers; Photo from MGM
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
Alien: Romulus
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Deadpool & Wolverine
Gladiator II
Inside Out 2
Twisters
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Thoughts: Man, what to do with this award? I’m pretty sure that this is the award that they made last year so that Barbie would actually win a Golden Globe, but they say that this is to pay tribute to the movies that people went out to see this year. Now, though, we don’t have Barbie this year, and Barbie did end up being the highest-grossing movie of last year. So, with that logic, Inside Out 2 would win, right? It’s the highest-grossing movie of the year right now, and there’s maybe one movie I could imagine passing it, and it’s not even nominated: Moana 2. Its opening weekend, along with Gladiator II and Wicked, ended up leading the highest-grossing Thanksgiving weekend EVER last month. Why isn’t that here? Actually, why is Gladiator II here? It’s not doing insanely well. It’s doing good, but it kinda got carried by Wicked and Moana. The same thing could be applied to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Twisters. They did alright, but they weren’t insane. If we’re going to go down the route of success stories, either The Wild Robot or Alien: Romulus would probably fit best. Romulus was going to be a Hulu original, but it was sent to theaters and it made a good profit. The Wild Robot ended up being a slow burn, releasing this past September and just steadily making money still doing pretty well in theaters, on top of being able to rent at home just a few weeks after its release. All of that isn’t even mentioning another big absence: Where is Dune: Part Two? The rumor is that Dune wasn’t submitted to begin with. There is a requirement for the movie to make $150 million at the box office, with at least $100 million grossed in the U.S., but even that is just strange. That means that genuine box office success stories like The Substance, Longlegs, and Terrifier 3 didn’t even qualify. It’s just a strange category that I hope they do away with soon, I don’t like to think about it.
Will Win: Inside Out 2
Should Win: The Wild Robot
Still from Inside Out 2; Photo from Walt Disney Studios / Pixar
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