Nominations are complete. Follow-up posts to come. Awards announced on March 11th.

Best Picture

Armageddon Time 

Avatar: The Way of Water

Crimes of the Future

The Cursed

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

Prey

Smile

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

The Woman King

Best Director

James Cameron Avatar: The Way of Water

David Cronenberg Crimes of the Future

Jame Gray Armageddon Time

Steven Spielberg The Fabelmans

Dan Trachtenberg Prey

Most Overlooked Picture

Armageddon Time 

Brian and Charles

The Cursed

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

Mad God

Best Foreign Film

Not awarded.

Best Editing 

David Brenner, James Cameron, John Refoua, Stephen E. Rivkin Avatar: The Way of Water

Sarah Broshar, Michael Kahn The Fabelmans

Christopher Donaldson Crimes of the Future

Elliot Greenberg Smile

Yorgos Mavropsaridis The Cursed

Best Actress

Jamie Lee Curtis Halloween Ends

Viola Davis The Woman King

Amber Midthunder Prey

Michelle Williams The Fabelmans

Michelle Yeoh Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Actor

Kevin Bacon They/Them

Austin Butler Elvis

Nicolas Cage The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Daniel Craig Glass Onion

Viggo Mortensen Crimes of the Future

Best Supporting Actress

Asia Argento Dark Glasses 

Angela Bassett Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Jamie Lee Curtis Everything Everywhere All At Once

Stephanie Hsu Everything Everywhere All At Once

Thuso Mbedu The Woman King

Best Supporting Actor

Anthony Hopkins Armageddon Time 

Judd Hirsch The Fabelmans 

Pedro Pascal The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent 

Ke Huy Quan Eveything Everywhere All At Once 

Donald Sutherland Mr. Harrigan’s Phone

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Madalen Mills Tiger Rising 

Ryan Kiera Armstrong Firestarter

Rakel Lenora Fløttum The Innocents

Violet McGraw A Christmas Mystery

Momona Tamada Secret Headquarters

Gabriella Uhl 13: The Musical 

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Winslow Fegley Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

Eli Golden 13: The Musical 

Brooks Repeta Armageddon Time

Walker Scobell The Adam Project

Mason Thames The Black Phone

Rueby Wood Better Nate Than Ever

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Aria Brooks Better Nate Than Ever

Alma Brynsmo Ramstad The Innocents

Julia Butters The Fabelmans

Mykal-Michelle Harris Cheaper by the Dozen

Millie Kiss The Cursed

Madeleine McGraw The Black Phone

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role

Jack Champion Avatar: The Way of Water

Max Mackintosh The Cursed

Daniel Ranieri The Tender Bar

Javon ‘Wanna’ Walker Samaritan

Jaylin Webb Armageddon Time

Xinyu Zhang Dark Glasses

Best Youth Ensemble

Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Britain Dalton, Bailey Bass, Duane Evns, Jr. Avatar: The Way of Water

Kylie Rodgers, Andre Robinson, Kaylee Blosenski, Aryan Simhadri, Leo Abelo Perry, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Christian Cote, Sebastian Cote, Alijah Francis Cheaper by the Dozen

Max Mackintosh, Tommy Rodger, Millie Kiss, Tom Sweet, Áine Rose Daley The Cursed

Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord, Keeley Karsten, Alina Bruce, Julia Butters, Birdie Borria, Sophia Kopera, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Isabelle Kusman, Chandler Lovelle The Fabelmans

Walker Scobell, Keith L. Williams, Momona Tamada, Abby Jane Witherspoon, Kezii Curtis Secret Headquarters

Mason Thames, Madeline McGraw, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Rebecca Clarke, J. Gaven Wilde, Spencer Fitzgerald, Jordan Isaiah White, Brady Ryan, Tristan Pravong, Jacob Moran, Brandy Hepner, Banks Repeta The Black Phone

Best Cast

Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie, Roxane Duran, Nigel Betts, Stuart Bowman, Simon Kunz, Amelia Crouch, Max Mackintosh, Tommy Rodger, Áine Rose Daly, Millie Kiss, Tom Sweet, et al. The Cursed

Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tallie Medel, Jenny Slate, Biff Wiff, et al. Everything Everywhere All At Once

Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel Labelle, Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord, Keeley Karsten, Alina Bruce, Julia Butters, Birdie Borria, Judd Hirsch, Sophia Kopera, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Isabelle Kusman, Chandler Lovelle, et al. The Fabelmans

Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr.,Kate Hudosn, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Madeline Cline, Noah Segan, Jackie Hoffman, Dallas Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant et al. Glass Onion

Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya, Masali Baduza, Jayme Lawson, Adrienne Warren, Chioma Umeala,  et al. The Woman King

Best Original Screenplay

Sean Ellis The Cursed

Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Daniel Kwan, Dan Scheiner Everything Everywhere All at Once

Jordan Peele Nope 

Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner The Fabelmans

Best Adapted Screenplay

Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg, Jim Thomas Prey

David Cronenberg Crimes of the Future

Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill and Joe Hill The Black Phone

James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick, Kevin Williamson Scream

Rian Johnson Glass Onion

Best Cinematography

Bruno Delbonnel The Tragedy of MacBeth

Janusz Kaminski The Fabelmans 

Charlie Sarroff Smile

Larkin Seiple Everything Everywhere All At Once

Mandy Walker Elvis

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: The Way of Water

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Nope

Prey

Best Score

Terence Blanchard The Woman King

Cody Carpenter, John Carpenter, Daniel A. Davies Firestarter 

Howard Shore Crimes of the Future

Cristobal Tapia de Veer Smile

John Williams The Fabelmans

Best Soundtrack

The Adam Project

Elvis  

Metal Lords

Minions: The Rise of Gru Spirited

Spirited

Best Song

“The Bloodmaster” Eli Golden, Frankie McNellis, JD McCrary, Lindsey Blackwell, Shechinah Mpulwana, Nolen Debuc, & Ensemble 13: The Musical

“On Broadway (Busking Version)” Rueby Wood, Lucky Chops  Better Nate Than Ever

“Machinery of Torment” Skullflower Metal Lords

“One Way or Another” Bette Middler, Sarah Jessica Parker & Kathy Najimy Hocus Pocus 2

“Good Afternoon” Spirited Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, The Spirited Ensemble Spirited

Best Art Direction

Andrew Babbitt Glass Onion

Rossitsa Bakeva Barbarian 

Mark Beneceraff Armageddon Time

Dylan Cole, Ben Procter Avatar: The Way of Water

Paulo Gonçalves, Patrick Schmitt The Cursed

Best Costume Design 

Ruth E. Carter Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Madeline Fontaine The Cursed

Catherine Martin Elvis 

Gersha Phillips The Woman King

Stephanie Porter Prey

Best Sound Editing and Mixing 

Johnny Burn, Keith Kohn Nope

Dave Chrastka Avatar: The Way of Water

Dave Grimaldi, Angelo Palazzo The Adam Project

Dan Kenyon Smile

Gary Rydstrom, James Mather, Al Nelson Top Gun: Maverick

Best Makeup

Alexandra Anger Crimes of the Future

Mark Coulier and Shane Thomas Elvis

Clarisse Domine The Cursed

Camille Friend, Joel Harlow Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

John Russell, Natasa Krstic Hellraiser

Best Documentary

Not Awarded 

Robert Downey Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year

TBA

Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award

TBA

Special Jury Award

TBA

Neutron Star Award

TBA

I first wrote about this movie for a version of the Underrated Dramas series that Rupert Pupkin Speaks started that I spun-off on my page:

When playing national word-association most will mention football (soccer) when it comes to Brazil. I would hope they would also mention music at some point if pressed for more words. Chico Buarque is among Brazilian music’s legendary names. Here you have a film that’s a dramatization of songs he wrote, but also quite a telling and compelling drama. The images I always associated with these songs in my mind here are given form and context in a great way, incorporating period and obfuscated commentary.

This is one that I know definitely qualifies for the underrated simply because of how overlooked it is. Firstly, there is the fact of the pure lack of unavailability with regards to the title. With a surge in interest in works from Brazil in the 1980s with some of its successful films like Pixote, the rise of Sonia Braga in Hollywood and Marîlia Pera in indies here, the film came here and even had a VHS release.

That’s how I saw it as a rental from Movies Unlimited. All the historical and social context about Brazil in 1941 aligning itself with the Nazi Germany against popular sentiment, is conveyed through the tale. The word malandro is a very specifically Brazilian describing a sort of wiseguy, a guy on the wrong side of the law and tracks whose not a hardened criminal and looking to have good time. It also helps that he’s often referred to that way so it becomes almost like a common noun rather than an adjective.

Not speaking Portuguese really only robs you some of the lyrics, but the music and singing are great and the meaning of the songs are well portrayed in subtitles if not poetic any longer.

It’s a wonder this film has not been restored and repacked on Blu-ray from some repertory label. If you can track it down it’s well worth it.

This will be a live blog. I will be updating all night.

Red Carpet

So, I can’t quit the Oscars and this was breaking the Interwebs so I tuned in slightly early.

Many of the Awards the Academy deemed unfit for broacast went to Dune. My rant on that can be found here and a running list can be found here.

The Show

There are five nominated songs, and one extra musical performance. All will be introduced. This is time the produers will gladly use up and not truncate.

Yes, DJ Khaled randomly walking on stage to introduce the hosts is a great time-saver.

Samuel L. Jackson has a Lifetime Achievement from the Oscars and the BAMs (shameless plug).

No massive opener with a produced video lampooning the year in film is kind of missed.

18 minutes and we’re starting a category, so that’s a positive.

Ariana DeBose is a very deserving winner.

The Regina Hall COVID is very good.

Wow, this pre-corded shit isn’t awkward at all.

Greig Fraser winning is no surprise and well deserved. I agree with this choice as evidenced here.

So Best Documentary Short Subject doesn’t even get a presenter on stage introducing the film. Fun. This is an asinine decision.

I’m getting the feeling Dune will win everything except Best Director and Best Picture.

All these measures to cut time and you still play off the award winning VFX team.

I had completely forgotten about the stupid fan votes.

Yes, let’s have an unadverstised appearance by a K-Pop band. That’ll increase viewership and decrease running time.

Yay, more dumb ass fan moments.

One of the most unimpressive Bond songs ever for your listening pleasure.

All these cuts and its still going to aroud 11 or 11:15. Great job.

So did Will Smith actually hit Chris Rock or was that staged?

OK, P. Diddy answered that question.

So now there’s a Pulp Fiction reunion coming up. This is the 80th anniversary of Citizen Kane anyone alive from that still and up for a reunion?

The Oscar voters really know that they they’re standing in the way of Lin Manuel Miranda’s EGOT, jeez.

Will Smith apologized, as expected. I’m not here to be an arbiter of apologies. As a show it’s been frustrating, yet again, to not see any real surprises.

Also of note: all those cuts to the ceremony and here we are at 3h20 minutes with Best Actress and Best Picture to come and yet another commercial break underway.

The drama of the pre-recorded awards sucks anyway, but cutting to Jessica Chastain kind of gave it away.

Seat-fillers got mentioned. Cue Kramer GIF.

An Oscar for Jessica Chastain feels so overdue.

Whoa, there’s a surprise. Finally!

3h41m – so it wasn’t so much about shortening the show as getting “things no one cares about” less time.

Peace out and fix all this shit for next year Oscars.

It’s late to be getting this post up, but I have been getting some Oscar nominated, so here’s the rundown. I will keep it update throughout the month. One my aims annually is to see 31 films and 100 nominations I had yet to see.

Most of the viewings so far have animated shorts on The Criterion Channel, they total four nominations (naturally) and one win. The win was Neighbours and very well deserved.

Windy Day (1968)

Hunger (1974)

Neighbours (1952)

The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959)

The feature viewing so far was

West Side Story (2021) and it’s absolutely spectacular from start to finish.

Nominations: 7

Wins: ?

Total nominations: 11

Total wins: 1

More to follow.

Well, it’s been a long-ass year, and though I’ve not seen many of tonight’s nominees…let’s do this anyway!

Gotta say I’m loving skipping the 8:00-8:30 bloc of fluff interviews.

What Regina King said is very true about film helping me through the pandemic, mostly in older things. To see what I’ve been watching follow me on Letterboxd.

Promising Young Woman I did see and this screenplay award is well deserved.

Seeing this set-up for the awards makes me think of the photos of the first ever ceremony I’ve seen.

The Father is at or near the top of my must-see list.

Weird that Best International Film had decontextualized images without dialogue for three of the five films. Vinterberg being nominated as Best Director gave away who the winner would be.

His speech was the most moving part of the show so far.

Not adhering to Oscar traditions will make this show memorable.

Kaluuya’s win is very pleasing. If you want to see where I first saw him watch The Fades.

Saw Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom liking this hair and make-up win.

Best Director went out early in the night!

Nothing diminishes cinematography more than hearing approaches described while seeing zero footage.

This will forever be the Oscars Glenn Close did “the butt.”

However, what was the deal with the audio in that segment and through most of the night.

Then, on my ABC affiliate anyway, the commercial break went on too long and cut-in to Angela Bassett’s speech midway through.

Am I missing something, why is Best Picture announced before Best Actor and Best Actress?

Wow, so the acting winners are clearly always-deserving actors but not who you would have believed would win based on the run-up.

So this past year was…something. I’m almost entirely convinced it really happened. For more on my year of being mostly-absent from my blog read this. Commentary on the smattering of films I saw will accompany my post next week.

These nominations will be posted by live blog until the categories are complete.

Best Picture

1917

32 Malasaña Street

Abe

Color Out of Space

Come Play

The Lodge

Team Marco

Vampires vs. the Bronx

We Can Be Heroes

The Wretched

Most Overlooked Picture

Not awarded. Explanation to follow.

Best Director

Julio Vincent Gambuto Team Marco

Fernando Grostein Andrade Abe

Sam Mendes 1917

Albert Pintó 32 Malasaña Street

Richard Stanley Color Out of Space

Best Actress 

Maria Bakalova Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm

Viola Davis Troop Zero

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Downhill

Riley Keough The Lodge

Joely Richardson Color Out of Space

Best Actor

Nicolas Cage Color Out of Space

Sacha Baron Cohen Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm

Robert DeNiro The War with Grandpa

Will Ferrell Downhill

Tom Hanks Greyhound

Best Supporting Actress 

Madeline Arthur Color Out of Space

Dagmara Dominzyck Abe

Anastasia Ganias Team Marco

Allison Janney Troop Zero

Alice Krige Gretel & Hansel

Best Supporting Actor

Jim Carrey Sonic the Hedgehog

Dean-Charles Chapman 1917

Walton Goggins Fatman

Anthony Patellis Team Marco

Seu Jorge Abe

Best Cast

Begoña Vargas, Iván Marcos, Bea Segura, Sergio Castellanos, José Luis de Madariaga, Iván Renedo, Concha Velasco, and Javier Botet 32 Malasaña Street

Noah Schnapp, Seu Jorge, Dagmara Dominzyck, Arian Moayed, Mark Margolis, Tom Madirosian, Salem Murphy, Daniel Oreskes, and Gero Camilo in Abe

Lewis Cancelmi, Greg Rikaart, Thomas Kopache, Anastasia Ganias, Antoinette LaVecchia, Anthony Patellis, Bobby Guarino, Joseph Callari, Owen Vaccaro, Jacob Laval, Jake Katzman, Ethan Coskay, and Skylar Lipkin Team Marco

Robert DeNiro, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Oakes Fegley, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jayne Seymour, Christopher Walken, Juliocesar Chavez, Isaac Kragten, T.J. McGibbon, Poppy Gagnon and Colin Ford in The War with Grandpa

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Pedro Pascal, Adriana Berrazza, Boyd Holbrook, Christian Slater, Taylor Dooley, Sung Kang, Hailey Reinhart, Christopher McDonald, Jill Blackwood, John Valley, YaYa Gosselin, Lyon Daniels, Andy Walken, Hala Finley, Lotus Blosson, Dylan Henry Lau, Andrew Diaz, Isaiah Russell-Bailey, Akira Akbar, Nathan Blair, and Vivien Lyra Blair in We Can Be Heroes

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Alivia Clark 18 to Party

Chloe Coleman My Spy

Sophia Giannamore The True Adventures of Wolfboy

McKenna Grace Troop Zero

Sophia Lillis Gretel & Hansel

Madalen Mills Jingle Jangle

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Oakes Fegley The War with Grandpa

Winslow Fegley Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Jaeden Martell The Lodge

Noah Schnapp Abe

Azhy Robertson Come Play

Owen Vaccaro Team Marco

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Lotus Blossom We Can Be Heroes

Cree Cicchino The Sleepover

Johanna Colón Troop Zero

Hala Finley We Can Be Heroes

Milan Ray Troop Zero

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role 

Harry Collett Doolittle

Gregory Diaz IV Vampires vs. The Bronx

Winslow Fegley Come Play

James Freedson-Jackson 18 to Party

Charlie Shotwell Troop Zero

Best Youth Ensemble

Alivia Clark, Ashling Doyle, Tanner Flood, James Freedson-Jackson, Oliver Gifford, Nolan Lyons, Sam McCathy, Ivy Mille, Taylor Richardson, and Eric Schuett 18 to Party

YaYa Gosselin, Lyon Daniels, Andy Walken, Hala Finley, Lotus Blosson, Dylan Henry Lau, Andrew Diaz, Isaiah Russell-Bailey, Akira Akbar, Nathan Blair, Vivien Lyra Blair We Can Be Heroes

Sadie Stanley, Maxwell Simkins, Cree Cicchino, Lucas Jaye and Calidore Robinson The Sleepover

Owen Vaccaro, Jacob Laval, Jake Katzman, Ethan Coskay, and Skylar Lipkin Team Marco

Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, Coco Jones Vampires vs. The Bronx

Best Original Screenplay

Lucy Alibar Troop Zero

Jacob Chase Come Play

Fernando Grostein Andrade, Lameece Isaaq, Jacob Kader, and Christopher Vogler Abe

Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns 1917

Jeffrey Roda 18 to Party

Best Adapted Screenplay

C.S. Forester, Tom Hanks Greyhound

Pat Casey, Josh Miller Sonic the Hedgehog

Rob Hayes Gretel & Hansel

H.P. Lovecraft, Richard Stanley and Scarlett Amaris Color Out of Space

Stephan Pastis and Tom McCarthy Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Best Score

Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans The Lodge

Thomas Newman 1917

Blake Neely Greyhound

Colin Stetson Color Out of Space

Rebel Rodriguez We Can Be Heroes

Best Editing

Brett W. Bachman Color Out of Space

Claudia Castello, Bruno Lasevicius, and Suzanne Spangler Abe

Andrés Federico González 32 Malasaña Street

Robert Rodriguez We Can Be Heroes

Terry Yates The Wretched

Best Sound Editing/Mixing

1917

Color Out of Space

Come Play

Extraction

Greyhound

Best Cinematography

Steve Annis Color Out of Space

Thimios Bakatakis The Lodge

Roger Deakins 1917

Blake McClure Vampires vs. The Bronx

Daniel Sosa 32 Malasaña

Best Costume Design

David Crossman, Jacqueline Durran 1917

Pierre-Yves Gayraud The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two

Caroline Eselin Troop Zero

Sammy Sheldon Differ Artemis Fowl

Michael Wilkinson Jingle Jangle

Best Art Direction

1917

32 Malasaña Street

Artemis Fowl

Gretel & Hansel

Jingle Jangle

Best Makeup

32 Malasaña Street

Artemis Fowl

Gretel & Hansel

The True Adventures of Wolfboy

The Wretched

Best Visual Effects

1917

Color Out of Space

Greyhound

We Can Be Heroes

Wonder Woman 1984

Best (Original) Song

“Getting Better (otherwise)” The Aubreys & The Turning The Turning

“Mother” Courtney Love & The Turning The Turning

“The Spirit of Christmas” Kurt Russell & Darlene Love The Christmas Chronicles 2

“I Still Believe” Cast of I Still Believe, KJ Apa

“Rock You Like A Hurricane” Rachel Bloom Trolls: World Tour

Best Soundtrack

I Still Believe

Jingle Jangle

Hubie Halloween

My Spy

The Turning

Robert Downey, Jr. Entertainer(s) of the Year Award(s)

To be announced January 11th.

Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award(s)

To be announced January 11th.

Neutron Star Award(s)

To be announced January 11th.

Special Jury Award(s)

To be announced January 11th.