Since the Oscars are this weekend, here are my thoughts on the Best Picture nominees…
I loved Dune: Part Two and Wicked, as did most theater goers, although I don’t think either one will win. Anora was surprising and heartbreaking, and The Substance, while bizarre, featured an incredible performance by Demi Moore and served as a scathing satire of unrealistic beauty standards. Conclave was… fine, I guess. Well-acted but kinda boring until the final act. I feel like it was only nominated because of its provocative look at Vatican politics. I watched The Brutalist last week, and all I can say is that the acting, cinematography, and sound design were all excellent, and the story was tragic and thought-provoking, but it’s not a movie that I would ever want to watch again. Most recently I watched A Complete Unknown, and while the musical performances were excellent and Timothée Chalamet did a fantastic job channeling Bob Dylan, the story was just okay.
If I had to pick, I’d give Best Actress to Demi Moore, Best Actor to Timothée Chalamet, and Best Picture to Anora.
Other movies I really liked this year that weren’t nominated:
Nosferatu was amazing and should have gotten a nod. Both Deadpool & Wolverine and Alien: Romulus were great fun, but those aren’t the kind of movies that get Oscars, obviously. The Wild Robot was really good as well, and it should probably win Best Animated Feature.
