Oh, Emilia Pérez. Nobody thought (myself included) that the film would become an Oscar nominee back when it had its humble premiere at Cannes last May.
But not only is it set to receive a string of nominations, it’s being predicted the film could usurp record holders All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016) as the most nominated film ever.
This is due to the fact that it will most likely get two nominations in Best Supporting Actress category (for Zoe saldana and Selena Gomez) as well as the Best Original Song category.
It would need to get recognition in the Cinematography and Sound categories, too.
Zoe Saldaña in ‘Emilia Perez’ (Netflix)
Jacob Stolworthy23 January 2025 10:00
OK, let’s run through all of the contender for nominations today – and the films that might just miss out.
Let’s start with Best Picture, which currently looks set to be a two-horse race between Brady Corbet’s sweeping epic The Brutalist and the frankly average Emilia Pérez.
Other nominees will undoubtedly include Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave and Wicked – but that’s where it gets trickier.
A nomination for The Substance would be huge considering body horror films rarely, if ever, get recognised by the Academy, and it would also be unfair for Dune: Part 2 to miss out considering it was perhaps the best use of IMAX ever put to screen.
Outside bets include critical darlings The Nickel Boys, A Real Pain and Sing Sing – but expect one of those to creep in.
Oscar frontrunner: Adrien Brody in ‘The Brutalist’ (A24)
Jacob Stolworthy23 January 2025 09:30
Wicked, the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, proved a box office success and boasted all-singing, all-dancing performances from stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Back in 1940, The Wizard of Oz was overlooked for the Academy’s top prize in favor of Gone With The Wind. Could Wicked finally take Best Picture back to Oz?
It will surely be in the running, but The Independent’s critic Clarisse Loughrey had some misgivings:
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande showcase phenomenal vocal ability in this adaptation of the blockbuster musical, but they’re let down by a film that is aggressively overlit and shot like a TV advert
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 07:59
As a reminder, this year’s Oscars take place on Sunday, March 2 and will be hosted for the first time by former talk show host and genius The Simpsons writer Conan O’Brien.
Here’s how to watch them live:
The 97th Academy Awards will air on ABC and be streamed live on Hulu at the same time
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 07:11
Emilia Pérez, a florid Spanish-language musical by French auteur Jacques Audiard about a Mexican cartel boss who undergoes a series of gender-affirming surgeries, could make history as soon as nominations are announced.
It has been tipped to set a new record for most nominations for an international film: the current number to beat is 10, held jointly by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Roma (2018).
Whether it breaks that record or not, The Independent’s critics aren’t sure it deserves the highest recognition. In a two-star review, Clarisse Loughrey called the film a “reductive” take on the trans experience:
Karla Sofía Gascón could make history as the first openly transgender Best Actress Oscar nominee – but you can’t help but wish this Netflix musical-crime-drama was better than it is
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 06:10
Horror has traditionally been underserved at the Oscars, but there are plenty who consider Demi Moore a favorite to go home with an Oscar after she won a Golden Globe for her gripping performance in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror The Substance.
The Independent’s critic lauded Moore as “sensational”, but didn’t think much of the film’s ending:
Coralie Fargeat reimagines the historical misogynist ‘hagsploitation’ genre to powerful effect – at least until her film’s disgusting ending
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 05:09
In Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, two cousins (played by Eisenberg and Succession star Kieran Culkin) travel to Poland for a tour that includes visits to Majdanek concentration camp and their late grandmother’s former home.
It’s a sharp, witty and beautifully observed story, lit up by Culkin who The Independent’s critic said delivers a “poignant, wrecking ball performance”. Read our review in full here:
Jesse Eisenberg’s Oscar-tipped comedy drama revolves around two cousins on a trip to Poland to visit their grandmother’s childhood home
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 04:08
Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front took home four Oscars in 2023, and the German-born director has been tipped to be similarly fêted for his follow-up Conclave.
The film, led by Ralph Fiennes, is a tense, taut thriller following the internal politics of the elections to decide a new Pope.
The Independent’s critic gave it just three stars. Here’s why:
Ralph Fiennes is a vaping cardinal tasked with electing a new pope, in a film that plays as a conspiracy thriller – if only it interrogated its own ideas, though
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 03:07
Anora has won over plenty of fans since triumphing in the Palme d’Or at Cannes last May, and Sean Baker’s intimate tale about a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch could yet have a fairytale ending of its own with victory at the Academy Awards.
Here’s The Independent’s review:
It’s far more a fairytale than director Sean Baker’s previous films. But it’s about holding onto a dream you know is about to collapse
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 02:16
It’s rare for a sequel to win Best Picture, although The Godfather: Part II and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King did both manage it. Could Dune: Part Two repeat the trick?
The epic certainly has its fans, including The Independent critic Clarisse Loughrey who wrote that the film contains moments “that feel so audacious, they play out as if they were already etched onto the cinematic canon.”
Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and a snarling Austin Butler add star power to a work of total sensory and imaginative immersion in the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic
Kevin Perry23 January 2025 01:05
