no. 30 | special oscars edition
tune in on march 2!
personal news at the end bc what’s happening in my life doesn’t matter rn, awarding a multi-billion dollar self-cannibalizing entertainment industry does!!! everyone clap! and a marvel cinematic universe rambling in between.
(((97th academy awards)))
what a wonderful year for movies!!! as long as emilia perez goes home empty-handed, i’ll be happy no matter what. i’m looking forward to the ceremony a lot!!! watching with friends is obviously the best, but so much drama and so many awards up in the air. conan o’brien is hosting and i’m thankful for a non-kimmel year, absolutely terrified for the in memoriam segment. i’ll be bringing tissues.
if, like me, you’ve been bewildered by the anonymous academy voter ballots that get released every year, i’d like to direct you to the 2025 letterboxd oscars! letterboxd user, darren carver-balsiger, hosted nominations in january and has now put out a form for a community vote. pretend ur submitting your own oscar ballot by march 1st!
best picture nominees (linked here)
i think for the first time ever i’ve watched all of the oscar best picture nominees in time for the ceremony so here are my thoughts on all 10! i would highly recommend watching all of the best pictures bar a complete unknown and emilia perez, i’ll clarify below. i’ll write what it’s nominated before beneath each movie and i’ll bold which awards i think it should win!!
subject to change by oscar’s night. these are also my heart picks and not necessarily what is likely to win.
anora: i really love sean baker’s penchant for really niche and culturally rich communities. and u know what. the modern man’s francis ford coppola. i liked anora!! the longer i’ve sat with it, the more it’s grown on me. i wish i didn’t engage with it under the weight of oscars talk. it was a lot of undue pressure on an otherwise perfect slapstick and snowy cinderella story. full of refreshing performances, it’s a real shame we had to pick between so many brilliant supporting actor performances in just this movie alone. mikey madison expertly navigated the screen queen to drama queen transition and honestly that’s worth more than an oscar win.
best picture | best director | best actress | best supporting actor | best original screenplay | best editing
the brutalist: i actually realized i didn’t complete my thoughts on the brutalist in my last email, i sent it out too soon! anyway, holistically, the brutalist is such a feat. it exists as an emotionally impactful and analytically rich piece of filmmaking. it tells a story that is as complicated and broken and beautiful as america is. adrien brody, guy pearce, and felicity jones are revelations. brady corbet made a director’s movie, for sure, i really enjoyed the insight he provided in this interview. i think this is my favorite movie out of this batch. angel and i talked about it for a good two hours after we watched it and concluded that the fact that it can spark this length of discussion is a testament to its merit. there’s so much to talk about and turn over in the brutalist, it’s so worth its runtime. (and i know what brutalist architecture is now!)
best picture | best director | best actor | best supporting actor | best supporting actress | best original screenplay | best score | best production design | best cinematography | best editing
a complete unknown: look, i entered this as a bob dylan ignoramus. angel had to show me a couple of songs. from what i understand, bob dylan is an enigmatic, deeply private, genius, folk song writing beatnik. and like yeah he was portrayed as much in the movie but without any humanity or interiority that would’ve pushed this movie further than your standard musician biopic. and timothee chalamet was very, very, very good in it. he was much better than the movie deserved. i wish i saw more of boyd holbrook’s johnny cash actually! there are sparks of something interesting, something more emotional but they were really just sparks. it wasn’t a bad movie by any means but it’s not particularly special outside of timmy and monica barbaro. just kind of an ok nice. david ehrlich actually nailed all my issues with it
best picture | best director | best actor | best supporting actor | best supporting actress | best adapted screenplay | best sound design | best costume design
conclave: while i may love the brutalist a little more in my soul, i think conclave is the best movie this year. technically speaking, it is flawless. the performances are pristine and deep. it feels so timely and relevant (not talking abt current status for the irl pope. but prayers up for francis). it handles everything with such class. as a lapsed catholic, this felt like a beautiful meditation on faith that was honest without being melodramatic. this movie was crafted with such a gentle, careful hand, it would be an amazing and perfect best picture winner. it’s a crime it’s not nominated for best cinematography and i would push it for best costume if it weren’t for nosferatu. also editing if it weren’t for the brutalist
best picture | best actor | best supporting actress | best adapted screenplay | best score | best production design | best costume design | best editing
dune: part two: oooooh ohhhh i loved dune: part two. infinitely rewatchable and so well done. the most impossible book to adapt became totally adaptable in the hands of denis villeneuve. an absolute crime that he wasn’t nominated for best director and i think that’s the prize dune2 deserves the most. which is insane considering its cinematography and sound and special effects prowess. i have to hope they’re going to finally honor villeneuve with dune: messiah
best picture | best sound | best production design | best cinematography | best visual effects
emilia perez: i hate this movie. i can’t believe how far it’s gotten. i have to assume netflix has promised something extremely unethical to get it this much awards favor OR hollywood is feeling especially guilty this year. honest review: it’s got a ludicrous plot, unfortunately selena gomez’s acting is really that distracting, really forgettable music sequences, i could go on. it’s a middling movie not worthy of this much discussion. it’s not a fun time even if you’re able to ignore how ridiculous and offensive it is. even if you’re able to ignore how shitty the director and lead actress are. extremely, extremely disappointing that we had a year of pretty interesting and gorgeous trans stories and this is the one the industry has decided to be their virtue signaling scapegoat. proceed with caution but best not to proceed at all.
best picture | best director | best actress | best supporting actress | best adapted screenplay | best international feature film | best score | best song “el mal” | best song “mi camino” | best sound | best cinematography | best makeup & hair | best editing
i’m still here: i was ready to push demi moore or mikey madison up for best actress but fernanda torres really does take the cake here. she deserves the entire world for the work that she does here. fernanda torres delivers a performance that is subtle, graceful, and totally devastating. and the child cast is also very strong. there’s a casting choice in the last 10 minutes that completely floors you. the movie is understated but that’s only so the emotion can burn through each frame all the brighter. where aftersun was a staticky, old video tape you dig out when you’re ready, i’m still here is a sun-worn photo you keep tucked by your chest
best picture | best actress | best international feature film
nickel boys: i didn’t read the book nickel boys by colson whitehead, in fact colson whitehead’s bibliography is a glaring blindspot in my reading history. so i can’t speak on how good of an adaptation of the specific book is. but this movie is filmed from a first person pov. which sounds gimmicky but is applied soooo well here. it works brilliantly with the narrative and serves the overall upfront and visceral tone of the movie. the pov camerawork results in some gorgeous sequences and bits of cinematography and is also the reason some emotional moments and reveals hit as hard as they do. truly impressive and i wish it had a cinematography nod
best picture | best adapted screenplay
the substance: i liked this a lot! it was riotous fun and the b-movie look is so good. demi moore and margaret qualley acted to the skies. if fernanda can’t take the best actress prize, i would be so happy if it was demi moore. those of us who are LOL (2013) disciples deserve a demi moore win. there are great arguments for this to win best director, original screenplay, and makeup & hair, but i think it just barely gets edged out by the competition for me
best picture | best director | best actress | best original screenplay | best makeup & hair
wicked: oohwahhahoewhaohooahahhh i love wicked, i loooooove wicked, i am soooo excited for the wicked live medley. but i am a little hard-pressed to give it anything. sad, it should be very proud of its nods though! i personally wouldn’t give it anything but i do see it winning in best costume design, mayyyyyybe best makeup & hairstyling (and i think naming the second part ‘wicked: for good’ is silly, like i get it, but also)
best picture | best actress | best supporting actress | best score | best sound design | best production | best makeup & hairstyling | best costume design | best editing | best visual effects
if i were an academy member, this would be my ranked voting: conclave > the brutalist > nickel boys > i’m still here > dune: part two > the substance > anora > wicked > a complete unknown > emilia perez
(((on late-stage marvel movie-ism)))
so i was on twitter and talking to angel, where you’ll often find me, and i saw this tweet from hideo kojima:
it sparked a thought and angel agreed with it so i thought it was worth sharing with you. obviously mcu movies have now been a staple of movie theaters for the past 15+ years and after endgame, the phrase “superhero fatigue” has been used a lot to describe the enduring onslaught and decline of the quality/entertainment value of these movies. james gunn, of mcu legend and now of head of dceu, told fans that dceu would try to shed marvel’s problem of needing to watch x amount of movies to watch the newest release.
i think all of this talk about comic book movies being valuable to cinema or being overdone or promising to not require homework is silly and we need to wake the fuck up. because marvel (and dc) movies have become what they once were. they’re comic book movies. they behave like comic books now. i’m not a comic book reader but angel is and i’ve seen him spend hours cataloging different story arcs and trying to find a good spot to dive in on a comic. these marvel characters have century-spanning histories and without years of dedication, you won’t ever reach completion. angel has spent a whole night deciphering the entire x-men print and identifying which runs are worth reading and which runs he has to read to understand them. and i would consider him a fairly casual comic book reader! imagine the time it takes to actually get through it all and say you’re caught up with the x-men!! i think marvel finally made enough movies and the characters passed through enough hands, that the goal is no longer completion. the studio shouldn’t strive for future movies to unite this or that storyline and the fans shouldn’t strive to see all the movies and tv shows to feel up to date. it’s not tenable anymore! continuity doesn’t matter anymore! fuck it!!! these days people pop in for their favorite characters or directors and pass on everything else. fuck context, it’s not real anyway!
and this doesn’t even consider the history of comic book and superhero movies as a whole! dc movies go back so, so far. the portrayal of superman and batman are beyond plentiful. and that’s not to mention the dc animated movies or the marvel animated series. no one is telling DCEU fans that they have to go watch fucking superman: red son to watch corenswet’s superman (i did and it won’t matter) (this is also a facetious argument but you see my point). so why should hideo kojima have to watch the falcon and the winter soldier for mackie’s captain america (i did and it didn’t matter)? the marvel cinematic universe has just finally hit critical mass and is no longer a sequential franchise. it’s simply a ton of different creative people taking their next whack (in a long line of whacks) at these characters. marvel comic books is to marvel cinematic universe as jack kirby is to jon watts as bendis is to the russo brothers as ta-nehisi coates is to ryan coogler. these movies are just multi-million dollar comic books. like with everything in life, it’s up to you if you want to check in! do the homework, don’t do the homework, who cares!!!
anyway, cast hunter schafer as mystique, do not cast sadie sink as jean grey. that’s the key to success, listen up, kevin feige!
(((content digest)))
i have been WATCHING. and as it stands, i am on pace to watch 300 movies this year 🫨🫨🫨 movies only roundup:
down with love: RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN to watch this. i understand at the time of release ppl found the self-aware tone of this to be grating. but watching it in 2025 is so fun bc we were kind of guessing how far it would take some jokes. how fun this was!!! how gorgeous this was!!! a silly, rambunctious, bouncy rom com. this is how to lose a guy in 10 days except fucking better. the core quad of renee zellweger, ewan macgregor, sarah paulson, and david hyde pierce is pitch perfect as they zip around zinging each other. and this looked so goooood. fun and inventive and an all-around extraordinary time.
certain women: finally got around to watching this! what a quiet, unassuming masterpiece. it features three vignettes of lonely women and honestly i find it kind of hard to write about. it was very good though and i would recommend if you’re in the mood for a slow, searching picture. and also if you enjoyed lily gladstone in kotfm. lowk what nomadland wished it was
jezebel: wowowow!! i have never heard of this until it came up in my hbomax suggestions and this was so excellent. essentially follows a feisty southern belle who acts rashly and wears a red dress to a ball to punish her beau. oh it becomes so much more than that!! it becomes much more tragic and you’re swept away with miss julie as she strives to makes things right. what i thought was a quickie black and white gossip drama turned into a much heavier and somber story. just really well executed. i don’t really want to say more to save you the experience. stunning!
aliens: honestly not much to say here besides that this was so fucking fun. so entertaining and so good. it’s been fun exploring old action thriller classics like alien and predator. it’s so nice knowing why exactly they’re so iconic!!! unfortunately this makes the avatar movies worse
will & harper: i’ve heard of this doc being shopped around awards season but never really paid it any mind. but it came up on netflix and the teaser was so good i jumped in and idk i was kind of floored. in case you don’t know, will & harper follows will ferrell and his recently transitioned friend, harper, as they road trip across america as a sort of way to reintroduce harper to the country and environment she used to drive through as a man. it was incredibly heartfelt, emotional, and earnest. harper laments on her hardships as a trans woman, and will supports her as he can, but the moments where she reflects on struggling with her gender are the most tender. it manages the balance of being sensitive with its subject and being healthily funny. the doc shows how beautiful america and americans can be but doesn’t shy away from the uglier, meaner parts of the country. really special watch and a trans story we should uplift over you-know-who
(((personal news)))
honestly not much has happened! i’ve taken it very chill and kept indoors and have just been watching movies and focused on creative pursuits and administrative stuff. i shot my passport photo, practiced calligraphy, integrated sketching into my life more, knitted a lot (i’ve unlocked a new skill, ask me about knit 2aat), read more, angel and i hosted a friend for a quick visit and a lovely catch up. it’s been so cold and while i do love the winter time, this one has felt excruciatingly long. the longer it goes on, the less willing i am to throw on my big coat and go out. i’m tired, i want to be warm.
the vlog is going well!! i actually finished a v1 and shared with angel. he gave good notes and i think i’m going to re-record my VO and edit that in and hopefully have that done in a week. maybe i’m putting too much effort into this, but this is a keepsake i want forever so i’m happy to put the time in :)
angel and i venture out to the morgan library & museum which was so enriching. it was kind of lucky bc i’ve kicked up a recent interest in calligraphy and penmanship and the morgan had an exhibit on the book of marvels with some gorgeous illuminated manuscripts. i snapped up loads of reference photos. in addition to that, the collection of books had some jaw-dropping examples of calligraphy and printing that were so good to study. they had a gutenberg bible which i think is the first one i’ve seen? i don’t remember seeing it at the library of congress but i’m told there is one there.
i really loved this museum and we would highly recommend it!! in big museums, people tend to keep to themselves and their groups. but at the morgan i chatted with so many people. there was an older woman who was also seeing the giant library tapestry for the first time or a mother and her daughters who were as bewildered as we were at seeing a copy of harry potter and the chamber of secrets not two feet from a letter from a woman pleading her innocence in the salem witch trials. we were all just similarly in awe and the feeling was palpable. the morgan came with a cozy intimacy that i haven’t found in a ton of museums. a really surprising and wholesome afternoon <3 i also learned that jp in jp morgan stands for john pierpoint. haha!
hm hmmmmm it’s rat weekend this weekend!! we have a whole slate of activities. looking forward to enjoying 50 degree weather and seeing my friends :) not much else to say, i’ve been thinking seriously about buying more knitting needles. i have to rethink that whole ecosystem. hmmmmm
have many good days, root for your faves this weekend, see you next time!
s.nguyen