As a film enthusiast and critic with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the latest developments in this year’s Oscar race have left me both intrigued and amused. It seems that Netflix continues to dominate the scene with their diverse slate of films, snatching up one-fifth of the spots on the documentary shortlist, and even managing to secure multiple slots for “Emilia Pérez.
Announcing the finalists for the Oscars in ten categories is similar to releasing pre-election surveys on voting day before the polls close; it offers insights into what actual voters prefer regarding certain nominees, but there are always some restrictions involved.
In the announcement of this year’s nominees on Tuesday, it was evident that Netflix’s series “Emilia Pérez” demonstrated a remarkable force, earning a leading six nominations. Universal’s “Wicked,” Fox’s “Alien: Romulus,” Apple’s “Blitz,” Warners’ “Dune: Part Two,” Paramount’s “Gladiator II,” and Universal’s “The Wild Robot” each received three nods as well, showcasing a strong presence. These nominees were selected by various branches of the Academy, not the entire membership.
It’s important to note that films like Neon’s “Anora”, Searchlight’s “A Real Pain”, and Amazon/MGM’s “Nickel Boys” not making any of the shortlists doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t striking a chord with the Academy. These movies don’t typically have original songs, heavy makeup or hairstyling, scores, sound effects, or visual effects that would be heavily considered in these award categories. Instead, their power lies more in areas like writing, direction, and acting.
As a gamer, I find the most intriguing titles are those movies where the aspects that make them appealing are right at the core, yet they didn’t quite strike the right chord with audiences, resulting in a mix or less-than-stellar performance.
The judgments were rendered for Focus’ Conclave (marked only in the narrative aspect, not sound or visual effects), Nosferatu (nominated for makeup and hair design as well as original score, yet neither sound nor visual effects), Mubi’s The Substance (recognized for makeup and hair design but excluded from visual effects consideration), and Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown (honored for sound but not eligible for makeup/hairstyling or visual effects).
In contrast to the high acclaim received by their prequels, sequels like Warners’ “Joker: Folie à Deux” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” were only recognized for technical aspects such as sound in the Oscars, while their predecessors, “Joker” (2019) and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), were nominated and even won in multiple categories. This appears unfair, considering the quality of craftwork in the 2024 films was as impressive as that in the earlier ones. Such is life.
In terms of this year’s highest-profile shortlists?
The doc feature list of 15 includes all of the titles that have been widely regarded as top-tier contenders — Nat Geo’s Sugarcane, Kino Lorber’s Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, Netflix’s Daughters and MTV’s Black Box Diaries — save for Warners’ Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. True, the doc branch has long had a weird aversion to docs about celebrities, but this year it did shortlist Netflix’s Will & Harper and the U.S.-distributor-less Eno.
The outcome of the competition for the remaining document features could significantly shift, especially since only five nominees remain after the branch has narrowed down the candidates. The entire Academy will then have the power to select a winner, often favoring the most popular choice among them. With “Super/Man” out of contention, the spotlight is now on whether or not “Will & Harper” makes it to the final five; if it does, it’s likely to emerge as the victor.
Regardless of the outcome, Netflix secured a fifth of the documentary shortlist positions, featuring titles such as “Daughters”, “W&H”, and “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”. A third of these spots were filled by documentaries self-distributed to address social issues, which included “Hollywoodgate”, “Porcelain War”, “Union”, two Israeli films – “No Other Land” and “The Bibi Files”, the latter of which has garnered numerous critic awards. Interestingly, two documentary contenders also appeared on other shortlists; Mubi’s “Dahomey” was also a nominee for best international feature and is a finalist in that category. Similarly, “Harper and Will Go West”, a tune from W&H, is a finalist for best original song. Remarkably, two films not included on the documentary shortlist were still recognized elsewhere; both “Elton John: Never Too Late” and “Piece by Piece” have original song finalists.
The expected contenders for international features narrowed down to fifteen, with only one exception – Netflix’s “In Her Place”, directed by Maite Alberdi. Her 2020 film “The Mole Agent” was previously shortlisted in this category (and received a nomination for best documentary feature), and has since been adapted into Netflix’s series starring Ted Danson, titled “A Man on the Inside”.
Some might ponder why the Indian film “All We Imagine as Light” by Sideshow/Janus, a critically acclaimed movie that has garnered numerous awards and nominations, such as being chosen as the best non-English film of 2024 by the New York and Los Angeles film critics and the Gotham Awards, and being nominated for the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards, is not on the list. Once again, the blame can be placed upon India’s selection committee, which opted to submit “Lost Ladies” instead, a film that did not make the cut.
In the music category, Miley Cyrus’ song “Beautiful That Way” from her Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominated movie “The Last Showgirl” was notably absent among the 15 advancing songs. As anticipated, Emilia Pérez secured multiple spots for her songs “El Mal” and “Mi Camino”. However, the branch surprised many by omitting two previous Oscar winners and favorites: Jon Batiste, who composed the unconventional and impressive score for “Saturday Night”; and Alexandre Desplat, for “The Piano Lesson”.
Were you expecting more unexpected inclusions? Netflix’s “Maria” didn’t make the top ten list for sound, despite giving the impression of Maria Callas; the film “Waltzing with Brando,” where Billy Zane is transformed into Marlon Brando, managed to outrank several more prominent titles and secure a place on the makeup and hairstyling shortlist of ten; and the Thai film from Well Go USA, titled “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies,” is one of the 15 subtitled films advancing in the competition for best international feature.
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2024-12-18 00:25