My 97th Academy Awards Hopes and Dreams

I don't really care... but, actually I really do.

I’ve said before, from what I’ve seen (which, to be completely fair, is far from everything) 2024 has not been my favorite film year. At all, really. I’m not just in love with… almost any of the film releases I have seen, but especially those that are the frontrunners for the main Oscar categories right now. Yet still… on Sunday, guess what I will be watching?

I have kept up with this award season heavily, just as I always do. In a sense, isn’t it actually more relaxing when you don’t have skin in the game? Whatever happens… the world will still be spinning tomorrow, you know? There is something comforting about engaging with an Award Season at very low stakes. Well, not entirely. For starters, I was on the front lines trying (and failing) to get Angelina Jolie recognized left, right, and center, as though I were her agent. And, ultimately, discourse will always prevail, and yes! I will always engage with every last bit of it. I am a student of pop culture, after all. I have thoughts on literally everything. Pop culture, media, and the behind the scenes of it all has been my hyper-fixation since I was literally born. I brought my Tiger Beat magazines to school every single day and would get into HEATED arguments over the features with my schoolmates. It was never that serious, but it was. It really was to me.

In the case of this particular presentation of the Academy Awards, though, I have some confessions… I haven’t seen everything. I’ve tried. Let it be known that I tried. In Best Picture alone, I have plans to see Nickel Boys on Saturday, I thought the book was simply brilliant so I’m optimistic about the film as well. I missed a screening of I’m Still Here due to a lack of having a car at the moment… The Brutalist is the film I predict is going to get the most love come Oscar night, yet it has completely missed me. I’ve missed a few other nominees here or there, so you can take my insight with the tiniest baby grain of salt. I’m just a student of the pop culture sphere. This isn’t a ballot, after all. I am not a member of the Academy, I have not seen everything. If you were looking for that, look to Kirsten Dunst.

Getting into my hopes and dreams…

Best Actress.

If there were one campaign in which I have the most investment in it’d be - if you know me it’s quite obvious - I want Demi Moore to win the Oscar for Best Actress. I really, truly, fully do. To be completely fair, I have not seen Fernanda Torres’ work in I’m Still Here, so I can’t speak in definite terms… being said, I’ve been about this Demi Moore campaign for YEARS… before she was even cast in The Substance. Since I saw Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, to be transparent. Which is why I also have two minds about this entire Oscar era we are currently in. Real Demi Moore fans are in it for the love of the game. We NEVER thought we’d live to see this harvest. Especially in the 2020s decade, we never thought we’d be in Oscar conversations, much less for such an ambitious and outlandish role as The Substance. This is entirely uncharted territory for mother. The win has been the journey so far… but listen… if the win can be an Oscar, too? Oh, I’ll take exactly that! Let’s get that trophy on Pilaf’s shelf. I also think it’s very realistic. We very well may be living in a world where Demi Moore is an Oscar winner… and I’m proud to have gotten this far, but I’d love to see us go all the way now.

I see some people try to discredit Demi’s performance, and to that I say… I don’t give a fuck. Read that again. And let’s follow that up with: Demi Moore sure doesn’t give a fuck, either. SAG award on Demi’s shelf, no SAG award on your shelf. Oscar nomination in Demi’s name, no Oscar nomination in your name. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I do find the claims that this is being awarded to her “career” or her abilities to give a “speech” to be disingenuous. Because, well, yes! She has given show-stopping speeches time and time again, and that certainly helps. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but to win an Oscar, you have to campaign. Everyone currently in the race to win their Oscar has been promoting themselves aggressively, and part of that is to make the most out of any speech they have the opportunity to give. To network at every event they attend. It’s all part of the game. Now, to be clear, I fully believe Demi Moore has given the best performance out of the four I’ve seen, and it will only age better with time. I don’t believe some other performances from this year will hold up in the same way. This was such a bold and audacious performance. Nothing was held back, while also being a grounding presence in a film that became increasingly outrageous around her. Her sense of self never got lost in the prosthetics or the body horror. She carries so much from point A to point Monstro Elisasue. Despite being a performance unlike anything she has ever done before, this works as a culmination of her entire career. Seeing such a performance awarded and so highly regarded is very satisfying to me, personally.

I say that to say, I have been vocal about how much I do not particularly care for Anora, and especially Sean Baker as a filmmaker. I have two minds about Mikey Madison’s performance. In my opinion, the script just did her a great disservice, but I quite like Mikey Madison as an actress. To her credit, she made a lot of really good choices in bringing this role to life. I think her dialect work and line deliveries are quite smart. She really does have a Jenna Se Quoix to her. Though I have my issues with the writing for her character, and ultimately, I’m not particularly warm on her performance… you’ll never see me mad at a young girl getting her acclaim and accolades. Either she wins the Oscar, which is amazing for her, or she doesn’t but has already gotten so much recognition in the process. Good for Mikey Madison, either way. In the grand scheme of things, she kind of won the 2025 Awards Season.

Fernanda Torres seems to be the sleeper hit contender of this line-up. I haven’t seen the film yet. I hear great things. I could see her pulling the big shock of the night.

I’m a Cynthia Erivo Oscar truther. At the very least, I hope she gets her things for Best Original Song next year. I haven’t heard the song, but if her vocals are on the track, it can’t be bad. Let’s take it to the EGOT.

Karla Sofía Gascón… oh, Karla Sofía Gascón. There was a moment in time where I was accepting of Ms. Karla as a representative for the trans community in this really dark time. Truthfully, though, I never had much love for Emilia Pérez. I know, what a hot take. But, with a certain presidential administration going on right now, and the amount of cruelty being externalized in our current social and political climate… I was prepared to celebrate a victory where it manifested! Oh… what a devastating turn of events. I admit Karla has been a troubling presence since Emilia Pérez premiered. And, to put it plainly, I did not like her performance in this film. At all. Never did. My appreciation was less so because of her as an individual, and more so as someone who is breaking down an almost century long held barrier.

I don’t want to give Karla more power than she has. I can’t say she disappointed me, because I did not hold her to any standard whatsoever. But, well! She still did manage to surprise me. She found ways to be despicable in ways that I only expect to be found in The White House. She was on Twitter for two decades managing to disrespect and hurl derogatory remarks at quite literally every possible group of people you could think of. She was 50 years old shouting FOX News rhetoric at the sky. Needless to say, I don’t have much positive to say about Ms. Karla anymore! And this is all cold food I’m serving right now… this conversation is a month old, at this point, and people have hated Emilia Pérez since its release. Though Karla-Gate does have some standing on its Oscar projections, that’s not the conversation for right now. Karla was never taking this trophy. Moving on!

Best Actor (sort of, kind of)

I have nothing to say about the Best Actor line up. I have seen less than half of the films nominated. I would love to see Colman Domingo become an Oscar winner in my lifetime, specifically for Best Actor. I love that he’s been nominated 2 years in a row now, let’s keep that up! Any time he’s nominated in a line up, chances are I am heavily cheering him on.

I’m aware this is very much a race between Timothée Chalamet and Adrien Brody, though, with the odds leaning in Adrien’s direction as well… which is just not my business. I have not seen The Brutalist. I really liked Timothée’s SAG speech, yet I have very little positive to say about A Complete Unknown.

The Supporting Categories.

If there were an open and shut case in this awards season, it would be Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

Best Supporting Actor isn’t even a race anymore. I have never seen a sweep so aggressive. Has it quite literally been a 100% success rate for this tiny man? I’ve accepted it very early on. The powers that be just want Kieran Culkin to have an Oscar for A Real Pain. I don’t even have to analyze the other nominations, because… it’s just the fact of the matter. Kieran will be an Oscar and Emmy winner come March.

Zoë Saldaña is in a very similar boat, though. For a second it seemed like the Emilia Pérez campaign might have been shaken up by KSGate, but that just resulted in pretending the transgender lead never existed and that it was always Zoë Saldaña’s star vehicle. A bold move, but seemingly effective! I think this is just Zoë’s year. I’ll say, I really was not particularly impressed by her performance. Truthfully, the only actor whom I think got by mostly unscathed by the direction of Emilia Pérez is Adriana Paz, who has gotten wildly overlooked this entire year… I’m also not entirely mad at Zoë becoming an Oscar winner this year. She didn’t turn in a weak performance; she certainly gave the role her all.

It’s no secret I would’ve preferred Ariana Grande-Butera, but ultimately this has been a huge re-breakout moment for Ariana. She has found a new home in acting, and I feel similarly as I do with Demi Moore. The win has been the journey. Nobody thought Ariana Grande was going to pull out an Oscar nomination for Wicked until Wicked actually came out. This has been an incredible era to see come to life. I never doubted her talents, yet the degree in which she has surpassed every bar people had set for her… When I see and hear her performing Thank Goodness, you will just have to sedate me. I won’t survive.

Outside of that, I don’t have overwhelmingly positive or negative feelings about the other nominations in this particular category. Again, I haven’t seen The Brutalist, but - throughout all of the discourse, all of the positive and negative buzz - I’ve yet to hear much negative about Felicity Jones’ performance in it, so I trust the gossip. Unless I just missed the criticisms, which is possible as well.

Isabella Rossellini is a legend of all time, so I’m not mad that she got her overdue recognition… I don’t see it for Conclave whatsoever, though. I know this has become somewhat of a discourse, and I really don’t care to defend my stance one way or the other… but this was a weak showcase given Isabella Rossellini’s true caliber of talent. On the other side of the spectrum, I think Monica Barbaro was working overtime to salvage the script and direction that seemed completely uninterested in all matters of Joan Baez. I’m not upset at her nomination, though, because it’s probably the only performance I’ve seen out of this line-up that fits the title of “Supporting Role” more than the category fraud of Zoë and Ariana, meanwhile Isabella’s performance barely feels like it classifies as a cameo… but, I’ve got to say… the script of A Complete Unknown writes women in a way that I thought had been outlawed.

Best Picture.

I don’t know why I’ve put full stock in The Brutalist winning here. It just is an energy that I’ve always felt. I know there’s a lot working in Anora’s favor, so perhaps I should cast my net wider to one or the other… it just feels like depending on the show Anora either gets A LOT of love or absolutely none. I’m leaning towards Brutalist, I have to say my piece! I also think if Karla-Gate impacted any of Emilia Pérez's chances, it’d be for Best Picture. They can only cover her up so much. She quite literally is Emilia Pérez.

My favorite film in this line up is The Substance, and I’m beyond thrilled Coralie Fargeat got the Best Director nomination. I’m less thrilled that she’s only the 9th ever woman to be nominated in Best Director. Is that not fucking insane? Anyways, I know some people would’ve preferred a more subtle approach to the themes in the screenplay, but I actually don’t believe that’s any productive way to analyze media. You can’t just say “this isn’t what I wanted it to be,” and claim that to be criticism. In my opinion, you have to meet art for what it is attempting to be… and everything on the screen was fully intentional. You don’t have to respect what it’s trying to be, but to claim as though it’s a failing on the director’s part is disingenuous. Anyways, it will not win Best Picture, but I do hope it gets its things come Sunday.

I also do love Wicked, but I couldn’t possibly separate that from my love for the stage production. I’m a theater kid to my core. Though, I truly believe the costume and set design to be so jaw-droppingly marvelous along with every casting choice being truly flawless. I have so much love for so many choices made in the production, though I also don’t always see eye to eye with Jon M. Chu as a filmmaker.

Nickel Boys is fully the film that I’ve wanted to see the most for the longest time. I am aware I’ve had my chance now that it’s on demand, but I’m going to see it in theaters on Saturday. I apologize for my oversight!

For final predictions:

Best Actress: Demi Moore, The Substance

Best Actor: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Best Supporting Actress: Zoë Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Best Picture: The Brutalist

Personal choices:

Best Actress: Demi

Best Actor: Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande-Butera, Wicked

Best Supporting Actor: The friends we have made along the way.

Anyways… this entire ceremony is all being done in God’s plan. Trust the process. Respect the balance. I just hope we all have fun. Is Conan a good host? Male talk show hosts and comedians aren’t my business, so I don’t know his game.

Hope everyone is thriving in this last week of February!