After being delayed due to the California wildfires, the long-awaited Oscars nominations were announced this morning by Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang, live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. It looks like the Oscar-nominated songs won’t be performed at the ceremony this year. Instead, the Academy is choosing to recognize Los Angeles as the city of dreams and a hub for filmmakers and creative minds. I think it’s a solid decision to honor the recent tragedy while also celebrating the brave individuals who battled the wildfires.
I’m still wrapping my head around Emilia Pérez getting 13 nominations, wow!! It made history as it broke the record for a non-English-language film previously held by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Roma, which got 10 nominations. The 13 Oscar nods tie with the likes of From Here to Eternity, Gone With the Wind, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and last year’s very-deserving winner, Oppenheimer. The last time a musical film got 13 nominations was back in 2003 with Chicago, and I can’t remember much about that movie.
Every time you scroll through social media, you can’t escape the controversy of Emilia Pérez, which tells the story of an infamous Mexican cartel leader who pretended to die to get gender-affirming surgery. Mexican pundits and moviegoers are saying that the movie turns the country’s brutal drug wars into a silly musical joke, and they’re also upset with how it supposedly misrepresents Mexican culture, especially since it was directed by a cis male French filmmaker, Jacques Audiard, in France.
Even GLAAD, which champions LGBTQ+ representation, argues that the portrayal leans on damaging stereotypes rather than offering a genuine representation. As a cis, non-Latina woman, I might not be the best person to comment on the misrepresentation, but as a critic, I believe art should be evaluated on its own merits and I do think authenticity is important in storytelling. I haven’t watched the whole film yet, but from what I’ve seen, I’m not convinced it really deserves all the praise it’s getting for its writing, acting, and overall quality.
In any event, there are a lot of firsts in this year’s nominations. Somehow 13 is the lucky number of the year. The most-nominated movie got 13 nods and there are 13 actors nominated for their first Oscars in the acting category:
- Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
- Yura Borisov – Anora
- Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
- Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
- Ariana Grande – Wicked
- Mikey Madison – Anora
- Demi Moore – The Substance
- Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
- Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
- Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
- Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
- Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
- Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
I have a lot of thoughts about this year’s nominations, so let’s get right down to it, shall we?
Egregious Snubs
I’m trying to stay positive as there are nominations that make me happy. There’s no Award season without some obvious snubs, but that doesn’t make them any easier to swallow.
- Every year five excellent movies seemingly direct themselves… most notably: Denis Villeneuve and Edward Berger who did such outstanding directing work for Dune: Part Two and Conclave respectively. It’s especially egregious that Villeneuve is snubbed a second time after Dune Part One, and the second part is bigger and even more spectacular than the first, ugh!
… - What must Danielle Deadwyler do to earn some respect?? She was snubbed for TIL a few years ago and now she is passed over once more for The Piano Lesson.
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Danielle Deadwyler
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
- Same with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor who is terrific in Nickel Boys. She’s also overlooked for her amazing work in Origin last year 😦
… - I haven’t seen Challengers yet but I have listened to its score on YouTube a few times and I’m scratching my head that Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor weren’t nominated! The score is excellent and some have said the score is the best thing about the movie!
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- Speaking of music… while it’s arguable that The Last Showgirl is snubbed in the acting categories (for both Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis), I honestly think its original song Beautiful That Way (written by Miley Cyrus and Lykke Li) should’ve been nominated!
I’ve listened to both songs from Emilia Pérez and no, neither deserves a nod. Ok so Zoe Saldaña‘s performance is great in El Mal, but that’s about it.
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Enchanting Surprises
- Thrilled for Fernanda Torres!! The phenomenal lead actress in Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here made history today by matching her mom Fernanda Montenegro‘s incredible feat from 1999 (for Central Station), becoming just the second Brazilian ever to snag a nomination for best actress at the Academy Awards. I am rooting for Torres come Oscar night!!
… - Happy for Isabella Rossellini for getting nominated despite being on screen for about 8 minutes in Conclave! It was a well-deserved mic-drop moment though, I definitely remember her in a male-dominated film. She pulled a Judi Dench who was nominated (and won) in the Best Supporting Actress category for her 8-minute performance in Shakespeare in Love.
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She’s got a formidable pedigree as both of her parents were Oscar nominees—her mom, Ingrid Bergman, scored seven acting nominations and took home three Oscars, while her dad, Roberto Rossellini, got a screenwriting nod back in 1950.
… - LOVE that FLOW, the Latvian animated movie that could is nominated in not one but TWO categories: Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature! Its main rival in the Animation category has to be The Wild Robot, and it’s cool to note that both stories take place in post-apocalyptic settings with hardly any humans around. They are both Oscar-worthy, but Flow definitely feels more ‘off the beaten path’ while The Wild Robot is more formulaic. It earns a spot amongst my Top 10 movies of the year.
… - Monica Barbaro is now an Oscar nominee, woot!! I actually said in my review that Barbaro is so magnetic that at times she upstages Timothée Chalamet, though, of course, he did an extraordinary performance as Bob Dylan. She’s got a gorgeous voice and an alluring presence as folk singer/songwriter Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown. Glad that her performance isn’t overlooked and hopefully it will lead to more prominent roles for the talented actress.
… - YES for Nickel Boys! I was afraid this outstanding film got lost in the award shuffle as the only big win was the Best Picture prize from the National Society of Film Critics. I for one am a big fan of the film and I applaud Ramell Ross’ decision to break the traditional form of narrative storytelling. I find it an immersive experience so I’m glad to see it being recognized.
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… - I haven’t seen The Apprentice yet but yay for Sebastian Stan for nabbing a lead-actor nomination for playing Donald Trump after winning a Golden Globe for his role in A Different Man. I’ve been so impressed with the Romanian-born actor for carving a strong career after starring in a series of Marvel movies. Few actors of his generation could do that as he was a relative unknown when he was cast as Bucky aka The Winter Soldier.
… - I also haven’t seen The Substance as I can’t stomach the gore, but I’m happy for Demi Moore for cutting through tough competition to score a Best Actress nomination! Coralie Fargeat is having a big year, being the only woman director nominated this time around. The Substance makes a breakthrough for horror by landing a spot in the Best Picture shortlist.
… - Could this be a sign that the Academy is starting to embrace horror? Three other horror flicks are also getting some love. Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and Alien: Romulus are recognized in technical categories, while The Girl With The Needle, scores a nomination for Best International Feature.
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FULL LIST OF OSCAR 2025 NOMINEES
Best Picture
- Anora
- The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown - Conclave
- Dune: Part II
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
- Wicked
Directing
- Sean Baker, “Anora”
- Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
- James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
- Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
- Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”
Actor in a Leading Role
- Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
- Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
- Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
- Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
- Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”
Actress in a Leading Role
- Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
- Mikey Madison, “Anora”
- Demi Moore, “The Substance”
- Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
- Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Yura Borisov, “Anora”
- Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
- Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
- Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
- Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
- Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
- Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
- Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
- Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Nickel Boys
- Sing Sing
Writing (Original Screenplay)
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Real Pain
- September 5
- The Substance
International Feature Film
- Brazil, “I’m Still Here”
- Denmark, “The Girl With the Needle”
- France, “Emilia Pérez”
- Germany, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
- Latvia, “Flow”
Costume Design
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave,
- Gladiator II
- Nosferatu
- Wicked
Best International Feature
- Brazil, “I’m Still Here”
- Denmark, “The Girl With the Needle”
- France, “Emilia Pérez”
- Germany, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
- Latvia, “Flow”
Make-up & Hairstyling
- A Different Man
- Emilia Pérez
- Nosferatu
- The Substance
- Wicked
Music (Original Score)
- “The Brutalist,” Daniel Blumberg
- “Conclave,” Volker Bertelmann
- “Emilia Pérez,” Clément Ducol and Camille
- “Wicked,” John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
- “The Wild Robot,” Kris Bowers
Music (Original Song)
- “El Mal” – “Emilia Pérez”
- “The Journey” – “The Six Triple Eight”
- “Like a Bird” – “Sing Sing”
- “Mi Camino” – “Emilia Pérez”
- “Never Too Late” – “Elton John: Never Too Late”
Animated Feature Film
- “Flow”
- “Inside Out 2”
- “Memoir of a Snail”
- “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
- “The Wild Robot”
Animated Short Film
- “Beautiful Men”
- “In the Shadow of the Cypress”
- “Magic Candies”
- “Wander to Wonder”
- “Yuck!”
Documentary Feature Film
- “Black Box Diaries”
- “No Other Land”
- “Porcelain War”
- “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
- “Sugarcane”
Documentary Short Film
- “Death by Numbers”
- “I Am Ready, Warden”
- “Incident”
- “Instruments of a Beating Heart”
- “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
Live-Action Short Film
- “A Lien”
- “Anuja”
- “I’m Not a Robot”
- “The Last Ranger”
- “The Man Who Would Not Remain Silent”
Cinematography
- The Brutalist
- Dune: Part II
- Emilia Pérez
- Maria
- Nosferatu,”
Film Editing
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez,
- Wicked
Production Design
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Dune: Part II
- Nosferatu,
- Wicked
Sound
- A Complete Unknown
- Dune: Part II
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Visual Effects
- Alien: Romulus
- A Better Man
- Dune: Part II
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Wicked
Comedian Conan O’Brien is set to host the 97th Academy Awards, which will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, March 2, starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
I’m not entirely surprised by some of the snubs though the one for NIN for Challengers was a bit of a surprise. Yet, I’m more angry over the fact that fucking Diane Warren got another Oscar nod for a shit song from mid-tier. Whose dick is she sucking to get another fucking nomination when she hasn’t made a decent song in 30 years? This is bullshit.
I am happy for Zoe Saldana, Mikey Madison, Fernanda Torres, Timothee Chalamet, Isabella Rossellini, Coralie Fargeat, Demi Moore, and Sebastian Stan getting nominations. I’m rooting for Moore in Best Actress and Fargeat for Best Director. I know you can’t stomach gore but watch The Substance. Just get a bucket next to your chair or couch.
I immediately thought of you when I saw the NIN snub! It’s a bummer as it’s an excellent score and they won the Golden Globe for it, for once they were correct instead of the Academy!
Oh that is harsh about Diane Warren, I didn’t even know what song she was nominated for. Oh well, cut her some slack, I think she lost her beach house in the wildfire.
Yeah, I’m happy for some of those first-time nominees. I still can’t believe Demi and Guy Pearce have not been nominated before, they’ve been in the industry for ages!! Ahah, I’m gonna see if I could watch The Substance. and just ffwd the really gruesome parts.
Don’t fast forward. Just deal with the blood. Remember, it’s fake. There’s also a BTS doc on YouTube about the film.
Nah, I don’t want the nightmares, thank you… I just can’t with excessive gore. I might give the BTS doc a watch though and I’ll see if I can even stomach THAT.
Wow 13 noms for Emelia Perez is surprising- Haven’t seen it but I second your doubts about its merit. I look forward to watching The Brutalist since it was your fav mov of the year. Also now wanna see FLOW and The Wild Robot… And The Substance!😉
I’ve only seen parts of Emelia Perez since it’s on Netflix, haven’t mustered enough interest to finish it. I don’t mind musicals but some of those numbers are awful to the senses (both my ears and my eyes)
The Brutalist is worth the 3.5 hours running time! I understand if you’d rather watch at home though. Flow is a must-see and it just makes me smile every time I think about it. So good!!
I just watched Emilia Perez. It’s a unique experience but c’mon, academy, 13 noms!? Smh
Yeah it’s mind-boggling!! I’ve been meaning to watch it in its entirety but kept getting distracted by well, any movie really. I heard Zoe Saldana is good in it though, what are your thoughts?
Mind-boggling indeed. I’m out of the loop, but what’s most striking to me about this bizarre situation is that neither Mexicans or Trans people seem to like it… WHO then is this movie reaching so direly, I ask🤷🏽 … I am not close-minded, but I happen to be acquainted with many close-minded people who’ve been drifting away from cinema for years because of shit like this. Sadly, this may be the final nail in coffin for some of them.
That’s the thing, when a film so despised by the general public get historic-level nominations, it’s gotta make you wonder, right? It’s got the lowest Letterboxd score (2.8/5) for best picture nominees and an audience review of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes 🤔 so perhaps the argument that the noms aren’t based on merit might be justified.
I’m happy with a lot of the nominations, in particular for Flow and Conclave.
Very disappointed that the music for Challengers, which practically fires up the propulsive energy of the movie, fails to make the list.
Not a fan of Emilia Perez. As a musical, not a single song is memorable or catchy. More like monologues set to a rap rhythm and when they need to be emotional or poignant, never succeed to do so. I’m also unconvinced that Selena Gomez’s character has zero inkling about the new “cousin” when they’re now LIVING IN THE SAME HOUSE! You were married to the guy before and had two kids and you have no idea?
Yeah, after seeing Conclave last Fall I knew it’d get nominated. Flow is so enchanting, I’m so glad it got the world to notice it now.
Yeah, the music of Challengers is excellent and without having seen the movie, I think it fits the tennis theme well.
I haven’t seen the movie in its entirety, just haven’t mustered enough interest to finish watching. Yeah, that seems like a giant plot hole, though that’s likely the least of its many problems.
I only saw one movie from the Best Picture noms, Dune Part 2, so I don’t have any opinions on the other movies. But I still don’t understand why there are more Best Pictures noms but only few directors were nominated? This is why I don’t take the Oscars seriously anymore.
As for Emilia Pérez, I knew nothing about this movie until people on Twitter/X started pissing and moaning about its nominations. I guess if we had Twitter/X back when Crash got nominated and won Best Picture, I would be one of the many people who pissed and moaned about that picture. Lol!
Well you saw one of the very best, Ted!! LOVE Dune Part Two, it’s amazing what Villeneuve did with the two-part films, yet he wasn’t nominated 😦
Yeah, I read that some people are calling Emilia Perez as this year’s Crash. I think people are still angry that movie won and many will be too if EP wins, but I hope either The Brutalist or Conclave would get the top prize.
Just as befuddled by Emilia Perez. I remain mystified by the movie so it’s nominations are only that much more perplexing to me.
Agree on the snubs. Villeneuve ought to have been a frontrunner for Best Director imo, and Reznor & Ross absolutely should’ve gotten nominated for Challengers. At the same time, there were so many surprises that I can’t really be mad here. Monica Barbaro, Sebastian Stan, and The Substance – a horror movie – getting major nominations. Exciting stuff!
I was discussing the same thing with Experience Film’s comment above, so yeah I think many people are either mystified or irritated by the nominations. I mean, an unmerited nominations take away from the films and artists that truly deserve the recognition.
Like you said, there are some exciting nominations this year. While they don’t exactly offset the disappointing snubs, there are at least some things to be happy about.
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I’m with you on pretty much everything.
My WIN hopes:
Isabella Rossellini
Demi Moore
Flow
Cheesed off about The Last Showgirl being snubbed.
Thanks Ruth! See you at The Oscars!
I think FLOW has a big chance of winning one of the two nominations, hopefully it’s Best Animated Feature, so I’m Still Here will win the Best International Feature [fingers crossed!] If you love films about strong women, Resa, then you gotta find I’m Still Here when it’s available to stream.
I’d rather see The Last Showgirl being nominated instead of Emilia Perez, oh well ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Ahah, “see” you at the Oscars! I’ll see if I can live blog on X or Threads this year.
Okay,March 2!
I quit X! It’s become a place of hate. I did start up on Blue Sky. It seems a lot more positive, with a lot more creatives, so far!
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