The 97th Academy Awards are coming up this Sunday, March 2.
From the looks of it this year, the Academy knew they couldn’t top Barbenheimer and just decided to throw it all at the wall. At least Conan O’Brien is hosting.
If you’re just now tuning in and haven’t seen any of the nominees, don’t worry.
We’re here to guide you through this year’s Oscars: which best picture nominees are worthy of the title, which ones can be skipped altogether, which films we thought deserved a better shot and which ones we think might actually win.
But before we begin, here’s a little bit about the reviewers:
Caitlin:
Not to be a film bro, but I genuinely love watching and talking about movies—I am a film major, after all. While I will watch basically anything, I tend to prefer what some would consider “pretentious,” though I dislike the use of the word in relation to cinema.
My Letterboxd top four are “Ikiru,” “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” “Whiplash” and “Totally Fucked Up.”
Ayelet:
A friend of mine once told me he wished our conversations would journey deeper beyond just “this superficial talk of what movies we like” and I didn’t know how to break it to him that he had the wrong girl.
My Letterboxd top four are “Juno,” “The Graduate,” “Y Tu Mamá También” and the “Princess Bride.”
“The Brutalist” – Best intermission
Ayelet:
Including the 15-minute drive to and from Williston, this movie was a four-hour affair. Even with the 15-minute intermission, I barely had the attention span for this movie. As a staunch brutalism defender, I was glad to see the architecture style given its flowers.
Caitlin:
“It’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination,” says the architect’s niece in a speech at the end of the film. For me, viewing this film was genuinely a journey. I spent over an hour on public transportation to see it projected on 70mm film, and that journey was better than the destination of finishing the film.
If you asked me what I thought during the intermission, I would have said it was the best film of the year. Unfortunately, the second half becomes a little brutal as it loses itself and the central character. However, the score and cinematography are beautiful, so it’s definitely worth a watch.
“A Complete Unknown” – Most likely to spark a million white boy impressionists
Ayelet:
I didn’t listen to anything but Bob Dylan and Joan Baez for a month after first seeing “A Complete Unknown.” I’m still recovering.
I don’t usually like music biopics, but I had faith in Timothée Chalamet’s performance and, as usual, he did not disappoint. I don’t know why they felt the need to give Joan a nose job, though.
Caitlin:
Very average music biopic and most obvious Oscar bait but at least the music was good. I can only watch Bob and Joan sing romantically on stage while his girlfriend watches sadly so many times.
“Dune: Part Two” – Best upholds the five pillars of Islam
Ayelet:
Watching this film felt akin to how I imagine watching “The Godfather Part II” in 1974 must have been like. While Zendaya’s lack of screentime in the first “Dune” left many audience members feeling blue-balled, “Part Two” delivered.
Having read the novel “Dune” and “Dune Messiah” by Frank Herbert twice now, I am beyond impressed by Villeneuve’s ability to adapt the unadaptable without sacrificing the ambition or scope of the film.
Caitlin:
“Dune: Part Two” had beautiful cinematography, a riveting story, tense action and Timothée’s best performance of the year. It was one of the best films nominated and anyone who hasn’t seen it should. Lynch’s “Dune” is still better though.
“Nickel Boys” – Most viscerally heartbreaking
Ayelet:
Over winter break, my millennial sister tasked me with reading the novel “Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead so we could see the movie together when it came out.
We were nervous the film adaptation wouldn’t live up to the book, but when we finally saw the film we were stunned by the beauty of the visuals and were rendered inconsolable by the ending.
The entire film is shot from the point of view of the main characters, which shouldn’t work as well as it does. The camera work creates such a visceral viewing experience unlike any film I can remember, and I can’t believe it’s not even nominated for cinematography.
Caitlin:
The streaming industry has had a lot of negative effects on the movie industry. That being said, I don’t know why can’t they get their shit together and have all of the Oscar movies streaming, including this one.
“The Substance” – Most campy
Ayelet:
“The Substance” was the last movie I saw at the Roxy. I didn’t know it was going to close the next day — I had plans to see “The Apprentice.” I wish I had gone to see “The Apprentice” instead. Mid as hell.
Caitlin:
“The Substance” was also the last movie I saw at the Roxy on the recommendation of my amazing film professor Todd McGowan and thank god I did. This satirical, campy, body horror was a great send-off to the theater.
While it’s unlikely, due the Oscars’ history of snubbing the horror genre, I am rooting for it to win best picture.
“Wicked” – Most space held
Ayelet:
As a former theater kid, I had no desire to see the “Wicked” movie. I had seen the show on the West End as a tween and was not about to sit and watch Hollywood’s bastardization.
But at my friends’ behest, I did, and I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike most movie musicals made nowadays — cough, cough, “Emilia Pérez” — the singing wasn’t unlistenable. I still don’t understand how they stretched out Act I longer than both acts of the entire stage production.
Caitlin:
Boring. How two bad musicals got nominated in the same year beats me.
“Anora” – Most awkward to watch with your parents
Ayelet:
This film filled me with a full-body stress I haven’t experienced since first watching “Uncut Gems” in theaters. Except this time, it’s “Uncut Gems” from Julia Fox’s perspective.
Male gaze be damned: this film handled the issues inherent to sex work without dehumanizing sex workers in a way rarely seen.
Caitlin:
There’s a lot to say about “Anora;” I watched it for a class called Capitalism and Cinema and spent over a week discussing it. Despite the controversy around the lack of an intimacy coordinator, I’m glad Sean Baker and Mikey Madison are getting the recognition they deserve. It’s a must-watch.
“Conclave” – Best outfits
Ayelet:
This film has become disturbingly prescient and has made me ten times more worried than I already was — which, to be fair, was not very much — about what might happen if anything might happen to Pope Francis.
Current events aside, I absolutely adored this film and found myself enraptured by the unexpected cliquiness and petty gossip of the cardinals. For a film about such a clandestine and exclusive process, the themes were universal and I found it surprisingly relatable.
Caitlin:
I haven’t seen “Conclave” yet because I’ve been too busy watching movies for class — I love being a film major. My dad said it was good, though the character archetypes were predictable. I’ll try to watch it soon, hopefully before Pope Francis dies.
“Emilia Pérez” — Most likely to sweep the Razzies
Ayelet:
From the recent resurfacing of star Karla Sofía Gascón’s racist tweets, to GLAAD denouncing the film’s trans representation, to the lack of Mexican representation in the cast or crew and its French director’s disinterest in achieving an authentic portrayal of Mexico, Emilia Pérez is riddled with controversy.
This was the last best picture nominee I watched. Well, that’s not completely true. I started the movie with my family over break but about 20 minutes in — after the “penis to vaginaaaaaaa” number — we decided our time would be better spent watching “The Godfather Part III.”
Unlike many of the other nominees, “Emilia Pérez” is available for streaming on Netflix. Watch at your own discretion.
Caitlin:
So bad. Please don’t waste your time watching this. If you want a movie about trans people from 2024, watch “I Saw the TV Glow.” Or just watch paint dry — anything is better than “Emilia Perez.”
Not only is the movie considered offensive by every group it attempts to represent, but it’s also offensive to the art of cinema that it’s even being talked about at this level.
“I’m Still Here” – Most underrated
Ayelet:
I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I decided, “what the hell, sure, I’ll drive to Montpelier to see this film.” But boy, it was worth it.
Even though I had to strain to read the subtitles over some big-ass heads, the film was so riveting I would’ve been sitting at the edge of my seat no matter what.
I probably spent the latter two-thirds of this film unsuccessfully holding back tears, and from the sounds of it, I wasn’t alone. I cannot emphasize this enough: in a middling year for best actress, Fernanda Torres is the clear standout.
Caitlin:
I miss the Roxy, please come back — I don’t have time to drive to Montpelier to see a movie. However, having heard Ayelet and the critics’ praise for this film, I will be watching as soon as it’s on streaming.
Ayelet Kaminski is a junior microbiology major and history minor, as well as the opinion co-editor.
Caitlin Applebee is sophomore film and television studies and environmental studies double major.
