Midday Movies and Weekend Arts Preview double up this week.
The 97th Academy Awards announced its nominations last Thursday. The Academy also announced that lavish production numbers for all of the Best Original Song nominees will no longer be a part of the broadcast. Yay! That could trim the broadcast by almost half an hour — unless they add other production numbers to replace the songs. Remember that head-scratching "In Memoriam" number?
Hopefully, this is a harbinger of the entire category being wiped clean from the Academy Awards because the only reason movies add an unnecessary song is that they're hoping for a Best Original Song nomination. And yes, I have never forgiven the Academy for not nominating the title song from the 007 film "Goldfinger" and having Shirley Bassey come out and sing it.
Once again, Yazdi Pithavala of the Moviewallas podcast, has weighed in with his opinions.
So here are our hot takes on the nominees.
Snubs
For Pithavala, the biggest snubs were ignoring Pedro Almodóvar's first English-language feature, "The Room Next Door"; Amy Adams for her performance in "Nightbitch"; and "Challengers."
"But the one that stings the most of all for me is that 'Challengers' was completely left out," Pithavala added. "It was left out from Best (Picture), Best Director and lead actors. And the one nomination that it missed, which is completely inexcusable, is for its score because the musical score in that film is just incredible."
For me, the biggest Oscar omission is leaving Clarence Maclin off the Best Supporting Actor list for his work in "Sing Sing." Other notable snubs include Steve McQueen's "Blitz" being completely shut out — without even its stunning sound design acknowledged — and Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis for their stellar acting work in "The Last Showgirl."
I will also add "Megalopolis." I know it was flawed and kind of a glorious mess, but the craft categories — cinematography, production design, costume design, hair and makeup — were just spectacular. It should have garnered a nomination in one of those categories. But I do feel that Hollywood was prejudiced against it. I think they didn't like that filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola made this film completely outside the Hollywood studio system, so they refused to even consider his film.
Surprises
One of the biggest surprises for me was "Nickel Boys." The film is done completely from the point of view of the two characters, with the camera perspective moving back and forth between them. It's a lot like a Terrence Malick film where it's told in brief moments and flashes of memories. It's not a traditional linear narrative, so I was pleasantly surprised that a film that pushed the envelope got recognition from the Academy, especially in the Best Picture category.
In the Best Documentary Feature category, "Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat" was a dense, multilayered documentary with each frame stacked with information, and viewers were trying to pay attention to all of this in a 2 1/2-hour documentary. But it was so engrossing and engaging. Still, I thought the complexity of the format might be something that would put off some Academy voters.
In the acting category, my big joy was Yora Borisov in "Anora." He plays Igor, and he hardly has any lines, yet he is so compelling and engaging and with so little dialogue. He completely wins us over. And then, of course, as a horror fan, I was thrilled to see the amount of award nominations for "The Substance" — especially for Demi Moore.
Pithavala was also pleased with Borisov's Best Supporting Actor nomination. He also noted "Flow's" dual nominations in Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature as well-deserved. And he was happily surprised that Brazil's "I'm Still Here" garnered multiple nominations.
And finally, Pithavala said, "I'm really happy that Sebastian Stan is having such a good year. He was in two movies that were very well received. Interestingly, he got the Best Actor nomination for 'The Apprentice,' but actually, in my opinion, I think he should have been nominated for the other film, which is 'A Different Man.'".
Replace 3 Best Picture nominations with your own choice
Pithavala would replace "Wicked" with "Challengers"; "Emilia Pérez" with "Sing Sing"; and "A Complete Unknown" with any of these smaller indie films: "Didi," "Love Lies Bleeding" and "All We Imagine as Light."
I chose the same three films to delete but my replacement choices would be "Strange Darling," "I Saw the TV Glow" and "Blitz."
What to look forward to in 2025
Beth's picks:
- Guillermo Del Toro's "Frankenstein"
- Edgar Wright's remake of "The Running Man"
- Ryan Coogler's "Sinner"
- "The Rule of Jenny Pen" featuring John Lithgow and a creepy doll in a rest home
Yazdi's picks:
- Celine Song's "The Materialist"
- Bong Joon Ho's "Mickey 17"
- New films from David Cronenberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloe Zhao, Yorgos Lanthimos and Darren Aronofsky
Things to do outside a cinema
Pithavala recommends: San Diego Restaurant Week; Lunar New Year events at the San Diego Zoo, Sea World and Mission Valley Mall; and the play "Appropriate" opening at The Old Globe Theatre.
I am recommending GamerCon returning to Tenth Avenue Arts Center; Vintage Social Club San Diego's vintage flea market at the Normal Heights Masonic Center; and, not specific to this weekend, puppy yoga — which I desperately need to help me deal with my stress.
Our artist recommendation
Jennifer Cooksey of Horrorgasm has a shoutout for the Punxsutawney Sunday at Winstons Beach Club in Ocean Beach.
