2025 Academy Award Nominations

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We've arrived! The 2025 Oscar nominations are here. Below is a full list of nominations + my thoughts.

Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
I’m Still Here
The Substance
Wicked
I'm so happy that The Subtance and Dune Part II are here. I'm kind of shocked Nickel Boys made it over Sing Sing, which I thought was a far better film. Bummed that A Real Pain was left out as well, because it's a far better film than half of these. The biggest surprise here was I'm Still Here.

Best Director
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Sean Baker – Anora
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
James Mangold – A Complete Unknown
I really don't think Audiard or Mangold deserve to be here. I will be hoping for a Coralie win. 

Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
Fernanda Torres is the biggest surprise of the category. She was gaining momentum, but was never a lock. I wish Nicole Kidman could've gotten in for Babygirl. I'd even argue that Lily-Rose Depp could've been here for Nosferatu. 

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
Sebastian Stan! He was not a lock, but he's such a nice guy I can't help but be happy for him. I still haven't made myself watch The Apprentice. Since A Different Man just dropped on Max, I'll watch it on my flight later today. I can't be too sad for Jesse Eisenberg since he did nab a Screenplay nomination for A Real Pain, so at least he got something.

Best Supporting Actress
Monica Barbaro - A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande - Wicked
Felicity Jones - The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini - Conclave
Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez
Monica Barbaro really had a last minute surge didn't she? I weep for Margaret Qualley. I was really hoping she'd get in here. It was Jones who I expected to swoop in at the last second, but she, Rossellini and Barbaro never felt like locks to me.

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov - Anora
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce - The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice
The Roy Brothers are nominated together!! They're serious people!!

Best Original Screenplay
Anora
The Brutalist
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance
Both September 5 and The Brutalist are holding up my Best of 2024 list because I haven't seen them yet, but I love the other 3 nominees. It's hard for me to choose a favorite between Anora, The Substance and A Real Pain, but A Real Pain has the edge because there was no 3rd act struggles like the other two had. 

Best Adapted Screenplay
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
Psyched for Conclave and Sing Sing. I'm still annoyed with what Nickel Boys left out from the novel. 

Best Cinematography
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu
The cinematography was the best part of Maria, so I'm happy to see that here. 

Best Original Score
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Challengers, you will always be famous 

Best Original Song
“El Mal” - Emilia Pérez
“The Journey” - The Six Triple Eight
“Like a Bird” - Sing Sing
“Mi Camino” - Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late” - Elton John: Never Too Late
This category is pretty underwhelming this year. 

Best Editing
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
September 5
Wicked
Challengers, again you will always be famous! I would've easily put that here above Wicked. I'm just thankful Emilia Perez missed here. 

Best Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked
I'm happy for any love Nosferatu gets. 

Best Costume Design
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked
The costumes in several other movies stood out to me more than A Complete Unknown to be honest. Dune Part II, The Last Showgirl, Wicked Little Letters, there were so many choices.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
I honestly would've put Deadpool & Wolverine in here over Emilia Perez and that is not even me being a Marvel stan. 

Best Sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot getting in here was nice. I'm kind of surprised Flow didn't make it. Sound was a huge part of that. 

Best Visual Effects
Dune Part II
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Alien: Romulus
A Better Man
Wicked
Who do I have to blow to get a Planet of the Apes film an Oscar win? I wish they were not up against Dune here. 

Best International Feature
Flow - Latvia
I'm Still Here - Brazil
Emilia Perez - France
The Seed of the Sacred Fig - Germany
The Girl With The Needle - Denmark
I was really hoping Ireland's Kneecap would get in here because God, that film is a treat (review coming in a few days!) I've only seen Flow and Emilia Perez. Needle comes out on Mubi this Friday, so I'll be catching that on my flight home. I still need to find the other two.

Best Animated Feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
The Wild Robot
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
This is exactly the line up I expected. Still need to see Inside Out 2 and Wallace & Gromit. Both are on streaming so it should be fairly easy, though I can't imagine anything affecting me as much as Memoir of a Snail did. 

Best Documentary Feature
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
This might be the first time I've seen 4/5 Doc noms on nomination morning! The only one I'm missing is Porcelain War. I was really hoping the 4 I saw made it, so I'm happy.

Best Animated Short
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
Excited start my Oscar nominated Short film binge like I do every year!

Best Live-Action Short
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Best Documentary Short
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra

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