OSCARS 2025 : The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I. Introduction: Setting the Stage for the 2025 Oscars

As we know, The Oscars are one of the most important events in cinema, the moment for us cinephiles live for the nominations, the speeches, and the heated debates that follow.

This year, more than ever, it seems the Academy's selections haven't completely reflected the audience's preferences. We often recognize the genuine artistry, passion, and films that genuinely connect with viewers. The 2025 awards season has highlighted numerous instances of this disconnect.

The 2025 nominations and snubs have sparked a firestorm of debate, from the absence of well-regarded performances like Margaret Qualley or great directors like Denis Villeneuve to the wildly disparate reactions to musicals like Wicked and Emilia Perez.

The latter particularly serves as a lightning rod, sparking discussions about its influence not only on the music scene but also on the global film industry, especially affecting the Latin American community.

In this article, I'll delve into the most talked-about films, offering predictions (Critics' logic, audience favorite, and personal likes) based on a blend of critical reception, audience buzz, box office performance, and personal insights.

WARNING!!!!:
PLEASE DO NOT BULLY OR HARASS ANYONE MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE.

I DO NOT CONDONE SUCH ACTIONS AND ANY KIND OF HARASSMENT TO ANY CREATOR IS UNACCEPTABLE.

II. The "Good": Nominations that Sparked Joy and Validation

*Rating as a cinephile and breakthrough writer*

Best film
Anora, by Sean Baker
The Brutalist, by Brady Corbet
A Complete Unknown, by James Mangold
Conclave, by Edward Berger
Dune: Part 2, by Denis Villeneuve
Emilia Pérez, by Jacques Audiard
I'm Still Here, by Walter Saller
Nickel Boys, by RaMell Ross
The Substance, by Coralie Fargeat
Wicked, by Jon M. Chu

Best Actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here

Best supporting actor
Yura Borisoy - Anora
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce - The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice

Best support actress
Zoe Saldaña, 'Emilia Pérez'
• Ariana Grande, 'Wicked'
• Isabella Rossellini, 'Conclave'
Monica Barbaro, 'A Complete Unknown'
• Felicity Jones, 'The Brutalist

Best Director
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Best original Screenplay
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David, September 5
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Best adapted Screenplay
James Mangold and Jay Cocks, A Complete Unknown
Peter Straughan, Conclave
Jacques Audiard, in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi, Emilia Pérez
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, with a story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield, Sing Sing


Best foreign film
I'm Still Here, Brasil
The Girl with the Needle, Denmark
Emilia Pérez, France
The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Germany
Flow, Letonia

*Rating as an animation and design student*

Best animated film (Narrative / Animation quality)
Flow (Sideshow/Janus Films)
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney) Kelsey Mann y Mark Nielsen
Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films) Adam Elliot y Liz Kearney
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
The Wild Robot (Universal) Chris Sanders y Jeff Hermann

Best production design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Best cinematography
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu

Best visual effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Why there are good nominations?

These are the most important categories in my point of view, not only analyzing the general in film but also in design. As an art student, one of the points I focus on is the visual section and the results of a great production.

So, the category of animated film is also special for me knowing it's not a genre but a type of art. The last two years were not disappointing in my opinion not because the winners were non-Disney but because the films had great animation quality, a meaning behind, that were written with effort, and the noticeable love put into the projects.

In performances, we see beloved people who are finally recognized for their talent in acting, singing, or both. Either breakthrough artists, independent ones, who carry legacies, comebacks, etc.

But who is who?

Sebastian Stan: for a long time, he has been showing he's more than a good-looking person. It wasn't until he joined the MCU with the role of Bucky; that he didn't only had fun and made a lot of friends, but also started to appear in more projects outside of Marvel. However, the role he was nominated for a specific role we will talk about later.

Demi Moore: Just like Brendan Fraser with The Whale, she's the definition of "You either die as a Hollywood icon or live enough to turn your personal fight in art". Demi had the courage to not give up and portray her suffering in a story every woman would be identified with, including my mother and myself.

Fernanda Torres: For being the first time I have ever watch a film with her, as long I can remember, she was truly amazing and a pride for us Latin Americans along the rest of the team. She proved the Academy there's latin talent outside of the States and Mexico itself, that's to say that Academy is finally recognizing other countries' talent and creativity.

Kieran Culkin: Although his brother, Macaulay, is the one who marked my childhood, it's great seeing Kieran carrying his acting legacy. Watching Kieran grow, seeing his acting career, and representing the Culkin's last name, feels nostalgic. It's also motivating Macaulay to get back in acting in the second season of Fallout, franchise that probably has a special meaning for him.

Ariana Grande: Seeing Ariana as an Oscar nominee is something beautiful, but mostly because it's for her dream role of Glenda The Good. In which she had worked hard for years, and had accepted every sacrifice and challenge to get it. That's why she has been acting weird, or looking tired lately, because while working on something you always wanted to be, you have one thing in mind: Show a result YOU will love and not regret for the rest of your life.

Lastly I want to recognize the different genres that stand out this year like were Horror, Fantasy, and Musical. These genres are mostly ignored by big awards shows, but this year was were they were focusing by the critics. With four titles securing Horror for the first time in more than forty years: The Substance, Nosferatu, The Girl with the Needle, and Alien: Romulus. Two titles securing Fantasy: Wicked and Dune Part 2. And three securing Musical: Wicked, Better Man, and... ummm, well... the controversial Emilia Pérez we will talk about later...

III. The "Bad": Disappointments and Missed Opportunities

BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS GREAT....! And here's where we talk about the nominees and the snubs.

Before starting my main disappointment, I wanna talk about Sebastian Stan's nomination. I heard fans (Mostly girls and Marvel fans) how proud they are of Sebastian for being an first time Oscar nominee, and hoping he will totally win. But... I don't know if they got confused, they don't care about the role but the performance, or they are so proud of him they ignore it his character, but he was nominated for The Apprentice where he played Donald Trump, the actual president of the United States.

I am not going to politic topics or anything BUT if my hypothesis doesn't fail me, he's not gonna win sadly. Even though his performance was great, his character is a controversial figure, the movie was made to annoy the government and right now it's a delicate season. So let's not get into details.

But this is not the first time an actor/actress is nominated for played a real life controversial figure who still alive; and even though they did wonderful jobs, they didn't win. We saw it with Margot Robbie who played the former ice skater champion, Tonya Harding, in I, Tonya, and Leonardo Dicaprio as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.

In my opinion, Sebastian should have been nominated for his role in A Different Man, in which he won the Golden Globe. This is the best performance of Stan in my opinion, and I think where he should have been nominated for it.

Now, let's move on with the topic that has been in my mind for days and I really want to let out: Emilia Pérez didn't deserve that recognition.

For a year, we have been debating which film was gonna be mostly nominated and the one I had in mind has been Dune Part Two. It cost the double of the budget of the first one, it has been delayed multiple times to have a quality result, the release dates were perfectly scheduled for an amount of audience, it solved the many questions from the book, and the last film was the most awarded in the Oscars 2022; making people call it "The Lord Of The Rings of the 2020s".

Until Emilia Perez appeared…

Sadly, this film is the one that represents the musical genre while having Wicked right next it, another project with 14 years of making in total, delays, and schedules.

Emilia Perez is the responsible of many snubs this year. For example best director for Denis Villeneuve with Dune Part 2, best supporting actress for Margaret Qualley with The Substance, best score for Challengers, best actress for Pamela Anderson with the Last Showgirl, another former icon that decided to turn her fights into art as she wanted to. Even toom away the spotlight to many more productions with more quality.

To be honest, the concept is quite interesting: A cartel leader fakes his death and changes his identity, but needs help to find his family and later fight for the good. This easily can be inspired in a true case

III. The "Ugly": Controversies and Questionable Choices

After reading the previous thing, you might be thinking: So, is this section gonna be mostly about how much you hate Emilia Pérez and you are gonna throw hate to the team, showing how proud you are for being a Mexican woman like what almost of 99 percent of the latinos are doing right now in social media?

No... actually the opposite is true. First things first, I don't like getting involved in these situations and second of all, this is not the moment or place. I am only here to talk about movies, so I am going to give my opinion about Emilia Pérez and the new academy rules.

*I don't know, it kinda reminded me this video*

Recently I saw that they changed their candidates politics, and the noticeable diversity in nominations (Some of them are acceptable and others are questionable) to prevent any clasist choices with zero traumatizing topics.

Examples: A Complete Unknown, Conclave, and The Apprentice. These are films about white people's lives where we only explore their lives but there's no trauma involved. And you can see, these are the only three movies (Don't know if Better Man and Gladiator II count) that are considered default stories, without counting female supporting characters, black secondaries, among others.

Examining most of the works, the stories are the opposite, such as the trauma depicted in "Nickel Boys" (set in a reform school mirroring a prison) and "Sing, Sing" (taking place within an actual prison), are often lauded. Similarly, "The Brutalist" explores the post-Holocaust life of a Jewish survivor, and "A Real Pain" touches upon the enduring impact of the Holocaust on a contemporary Jewish individual. Even "Wicked," while seemingly not about race due to Elphaba's green skin, tackles themes of marginalization that echo real-world discrimination. This pattern suggests recognition is granted primarily to narratives of pain and historical trauma. Finally, "Emilia Perez" received a nomination despite criticisms of cultural insensitivity and misrepresentation of transgender issues.

Now that we mentioned it, let's talk about it.

As a Mexican woman, I find myself wrestling with Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Perez," a film that I objectively disliked, yet find myself compelled to revisit. The individual elements, while potentially compelling, clash violently, creating a jarring, overstimulating experience akin to gorging oneself at a buffet. Crime and melodrama collide with musical numbers and romance in a manner that feels both exploitative and tonally inconsistent.

My initial reaction is one of profound dissatisfaction. Despite my visceral aversion to the film's execution, I begrudgingly concede Audiard's audacious attempt to transcend genre conventions is worthy of recognition. However, to conflate the grim realities of forced disappearances and drug trafficking in Mexico with a comedic musical is, at minimum, insensitive and borders on offensive. While the concept of "cultural appropriation" remains a mutable and contested term, "Emilia Perez" presents a problematic foundation for this debate. Also, the songs are badly translated, emotionless, and it was found out some parts were made with AI to get the higher tones. It also makes these nominations a joke comparing better quality results.

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXAMPLE!!!

The premise possesses undeniable potential, even mirroring documented instances of cartel leaders faking their own deaths. Sadly, the decision to frame this narrative within a lighthearted musical context, particularly one that romanticizes these issues, diminishes its impact entirely.

It could have been a musical, but dark. Where the characters sing loudly or show anger while praying. E.g. Epic Musical, Phantom of the Opera, Ride the Cyclone, The Road to Bethlehem up to Joker 2.

IV. My Predictions: Who Will Take Home the Gold?

NOW, the moment you have been waiting for... my Predictions!!!

Best film
Anora, by Sean Baker
The Brutalist, by Brady Corbet
A Complete Unknown, by James Mangold
Conclave, by Edward Berger
Dune: Part 2, by Denis Villeneuve
Emilia Pérez, by Jacques Audiard
I'm Still Here, by Walter Saller
Nickel Boys, by RaMell Ross
The Substance, by Coralie Fargeat
Wicked, by Jon M. Chu

Main prediction: Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist
Fan favorite prediction: Wicked, The Substance
Personal favorite: Conclave, Dune 2, The Substance, Wicked

Best Actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Main prediction: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Fan favorite prediction: Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Personal favorite: Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Her

Main prediction: Demi Moore, The Substance
Fan favorite prediction: Demi Moore and Cynthia Erivo
Personal favorite: Fernanda Torres, Cynthia Erivo, and Demi Moore

Best supporting actor
Yura Borisoy - Anora
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce - The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice

Main prediction: Kieran Culkin
Fan favorite: Kieran Culkin
Personal favorite: Kieran Culkin

(This one is complicated, I'll be updating it)

Best support actress
Zoe Saldaña, 'Emilia Pérez'
• Ariana Grande, 'Wicked'
• Isabella Rossellini, 'Conclave'
Monica Barbaro, 'A Complete Unknown'
• Felicity Jones, 'The Brutalist

Main prediction: Zoe Saldaña
Fan Favorite: Ariana Grande
Personal favorite: Ariana Grande

Best Director
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Main prediction: Brady Corbet
Fan favorite: ?
Personal favorite: Coralie Fargeat

Best original Screenplay
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Main prediction: ?
Fan favorite: ?
Personal favorite: Substance and Conclave

Best adapted Screenplay
James Mangold and Jay Cocks, A Complete Unknown
Peter Straughan, Conclave
Jacques Audiard, in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi, Emilia Pérez
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, with a story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield, Sing Sing

Main prediction: Conclave
Fan favorite: Conclave
Personal favorite: Conclave

Best foreign film
- I'm Still Here, Brasil
The Girl with the Needle, Denmark
Emilia Pérez, France
The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Germany
Flow, Letonia

Main prediction: Emilia Pérez (PLEASE Critics, don't do this to me), I'm Still Here
Fan favorite: FLOW
Personal favorite: FLOW, I'm Still Here

*Predicting as an animation and design student*

Best animated film (Narrative / Animation quality)

Flow (Sideshow/Janus Films)
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney) Kelsey Mann y Mark Nielsen
Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films) Adam Elliot y Liz Kearney
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
The Wild Robot (Universal) Chris Sanders y Jeff Hermann

Main prediction: FLOW
Fan Favorite: The Wild Robot, FLOW
Personal favorite: FLOW, The Wild Robot

Best production design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Main prediction: Conclave, Dune Part Two
Fan favorite: Wicked
Personal favorite: Wicked, Dune Part 2

Best cinematography
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu

Main prediction: Dune Part Two
Fan favorite: Dune Part Two
Personal favorite: Dune Part Two

Best visual effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Main prediction: Dune Part Two
Fan favorite: Wicked
Personal favorite: Dune Part Two

ENDING:
All right, that's it for today! I am not going to add a conclusion because all things are clarified. But I will be updating my article according to Critics, Awards, and debates. I will also log in Gold Derby page to stay tuned for more updates. Do you have opinions / predictions of the Oscars? Comment below!!!