The 97th annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

State Organs is a powerful documentary spotlighting on the forced organ harvesting in China. It's 75 minutes. The film follows two families in their 20-year search for their loved ones who disappeared from the police custody in China. Along the way, they uncovered a sinister state crime of forced organ harvesting which has thousands of victims and still occurs to this date. Watch the trailer on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOiBc9mxN7I&t=7s

Writing some trivia for a party next week and one of the question I might use involves the fact Jerry Bulter (of The Impressions) and Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas) are the only Rock Hall inductees have been elected to public office.

The question has me wondering what Oscar winners have held elected posts in public office. I know Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea for a term but has anyone else?

Me? I'd say that it would've been viewed as a film that completely wrecked the credibility of Academy Award as they gave Best Picture Oscar to a poorly-edited mediocrity that was directed by a child sex offender + lazy @$$hat, especially soon after the director got into even bigger child sex offense scandals. In fact, I seriously doubt that Academy Award would've even existed after that if they gave Best Picture Oscar to that. It would make Oscar judges collectively wish that they gave Best Picture Oscar to Black Panther instead.

I would choose Tár.

I can see The Hunchback of Notre Dame making a sweep.

It's been said to death that The Greatest Show on Earth is a terrible best picture winner, and watching the rest of the nominees for the year makes it more true. It's as interesting a year as any other. The anti-Communist and blacklisting political situation makes the choices more complex. Considering how much John Wayne hated High Noon as an anti-American film, the nominees of High Noon and The Quiet Man boils the subtext of what a vote for one can mean, and then you have Gary Cooper winning Best Actor for High Noon and the Duke accepting the award on Cooper's behalf.

Just looking at the films on their own, I struggle to imagine one preferring The Greatest Show on Earth to the other four. It's overlong, filled with boorish romance, and the conflict is uninteresting. The "twist" with the James Stewart clown is obvious and provides no satisfaction.

Even looking at The Greatest Show on Earth as a triumph for all entertainment systems, and extending a message of the need for a day to the circus as a day to the movies, you can't help but see the gaping absence of recognition for Singin' in the Rain that year. Now commonly listed as the greatest musical of all time, Singin' in the Rain was short changed at the Academy by only receiving a Best Supporting Actress nom and a Best Score for a Musical nom. The huge cast and crew for The Greatest Show on Earth is remarkable, yes, but any creative praise within the film can be applied to Singin' in the Rain to a much higher degree.

The most interesting Best Picture nominee is Moulin Rouge, a biopic of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Like a lot of biopics, it doesn't go all the way in showing the darkness of a tortured artist's soul, but it does present a unique toxic relationship with a prostitute and the alcoholism of Henri is hard to watch. It pokes fun at the conservative nature of 19th century audiences and critics of art who get enraged at the smallest suggestion of sex and nudity. However, in a contradictory way, the salacious aspect raises the reputation of the Moulin Rouge cabaret.

Zidler: "Oh, I know I'm making millions, but I liked the Moulin Rouge as she was, lighthearted and hot-blooded, a little strumpet who thought only of tonight. Now she is grown up and knows better. She has money in her stocking, wears corsets, and never drinks a drop too much. Worst of all, she never sees her old friends anymore. She has gone into society. Last night she entertained a cabinet minister and his wife and daughter. It's disgusting!"

Jose Ferrer doesn't even try a French accent which makes him more of an outsider among the other Parisians. It doesn't shy away from the tragedy even if it hides some trash.

Ivanhoe is a classic adventure story with Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Fontaine. It's not as good as Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) but it's a nice companion piece. It's also an interesting watch after The Lion in Winter, seeing what happens to the brothers in their roles, and how the "commoners" live under them, which ones have allegiance to Richard the Lionhearted or Prince John. At just over 100 minutes, it's a breath of fresh air to watch an epic story not take an epic amount of time. The politics are relevant in this case because Marguerite Roberts, one of the screenwriters, was blacklisted and her screenwriting credit was taken away.

The Quiet Man was probably the runner up for Best Picture since Ford won Best Director. Neither High Noon or The Quiet Man won the Oscar for Best Screenplay; that went to The Bad and the Beautiful. The Quiet Man is a confusing watch. It presents the trouble of a conforming to tradition and shows different sides of masculinity, but the resolution uses machismo with a fist fight and Maureen O'Hara is good, but I don't know if it's a role to look back on for nostalgic inspiration, nor do I know if the reconciliation of male and female roles with marriage, dowries, and defending honor is satisfying to audiences now. In the end, it's still a great story to get invested in and the humor works.

High Noon is the best rated nowadays and the simple tale makes a lasting impression. It's perfectly open to multiple readings while not feeling ambivalent or ambiguous about the subject of individuality, enforcement of the law, social pressure, and integrity. The strong willed Gary Cooper is a hero like many others, but it's not clear cut that he should be a hero in this situation by staying when his wife and the townspeople would rather him leave.

Other bad best picture winners like Cavalcade, Cimarron, and Broadway Melody have some sense to them given the time period, but The Greatest Show on Earth sticks out as something that's just a mistake powered by irredeemable politics, and a bad case of choosing an overdue winner instead of the best film.

While I think Ralph Fiennes is one of the finest (and under-appreciated) actors working now, I also think his performance in ‘Conclave’ might have served the story well, but was not a standout at all. Yet, he’s largely considered to be the frontrunner this year because the field of options is just so weak.

The three performances that I consider to be locks at the moment are Fiennes, Adrien Brody, and Colman Domingo (who I think is unfairly not even being considered as a front runner here - maybe it’s because the film didn’t do well and came out too early?). If Domingo wins regional critics awards, he could displace Fiennes and/or Brody. He’s also, arguably, a more marketable name than either of them right now.

I’m not buying into the Chalamet hype yet, but he’s ‘most likely’ of the runner-ups if the film and his performance live up to the online chatter right now. His singing and mannerisms in the trailer did not impress me, but I know that the Academy fawns over music biopics. Even if his performance is mid-tier, if the film is a hit, he’s in this year.

How is Paul Mescal even in consideration? The film has received mixed reviews, and some reviews cite him as particularly underwhelming. I know Hollywood wants to anoint him as the ‘next big thing’, and he’s talented (in the right role), but it’s like he’s being discussed just by default because the field is so weak this year.

Daniel Craig is no Daniel Day-Lewis or Ralph Fiennes. He’s never done a film where his performance was even close to being considered for a nomination, so I don’t think he’s ‘overdue’ for one. “Queer” is going to flop -mark my words. Burroughs is a tough author to adapt to the screen, and while Craig gives what some might call ‘a warts and all’ performance, no one is talking about this film anymore. In any other year, his name would be dropped, but he’s consistently showing up in Top 5 predictions.

These next Oscars will be the 25th of the 2000s. If you wanted to celebrate a 25th anniversary, apparently it would be called a "Silver Jubilee." Given that, I wanted to look back and award my favorites of the 2000s so far. I'm hoping it may start a trend to name your own.

There's a theory that this type of hindsight (picking winners 5 or 10 years later) would be the most objective and smartest way to do the Oscars, but that doesn't ring true for me here. I didn't go back and re-watch 1000 movies, so I'm relying a lot on my memory of movies that I may not have seen for 10 or even 15 years. As a result, I'm leaning to my gut and my heart more than my brain here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

the nominees (in chronological order)

--- Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator (2000)

--- Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008)

--- Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds (2009)

--- J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (2014)

--- Barry Keoghan, Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

the winner

We come out of the gates swinging with some epic performances -- especially in terms of memorable villains. Among them, Christoph Waltz's Hans Landa may be the best character overall, but I'd attribute a good amount of that to the writing. In terms of doing the most with what's on the page, I'd have to go to Heath Ledger for his captivating appearance as the Joker.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

the nominees (in chronological order)

--- Meryl Streep, Adaptation (2002)

--- Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone (2007)

--- Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

--- Greta Gerwig, Greenberg (2010)

--- Rooney Mara, Carol (2015)

the winner

This category is not as splashy, and even includes a shocking nomination for Greta Gerwig in the mediocre Noah Bambauch drama Greenberg. Still, that role stood out to me as memorable. At the time, I didn't know Gerwig (pre Frances Ha and Lady Bird), so her natural and effortless style felt downright shocking. It was almost like: "hey, they accidentally let a real person into the movie." That same feeling helps Rooney Mara ultimately take the win for a similarly natural and understated (supporting?) role in Carol. I wasn't familiar with Rooney Mara's off-screen personality and mannerisms, which maaay be a little similar to the character, so at the time it rang even more believable.

BEST ACTRESS

the nominees (in chronological order)

--- Carrie Mulligan, An Education (2009)

--- Natalie Portman, Black Swan (2010)

--- Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine (2013)

--- Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn (2015)

--- Emma Stone, Poor Things (2023)

the winner

We have a mix of understated and BIG performances here, but ultimately the two sides of the aisle will cede to Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn. It's a lovely movie, and she's the heart of it. And in a way, it feels like the movie is in the heart of her in turn. She's always great, but she was born for this role more than any other.

BEST ACTOR

the nominees (in chronological order)

--- Russell Crowe, Gladiator (2000)

--- Bill Murray, Lost in Translation (2003)

--- Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood (2007)

--- Joaquin Phoenix, The Master (2012)

--- Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer (2023)

the winner

In my mind, Saiorse Ronan is an actor who never delivers a false note; she's great in everything I've seen her in. I don't actually feel like that for other greats like Cate Blanchett or Daniel Day-Lewis. Sometimes they take big swings that don't connect with me. But when they do hit their mark -- it's a 600 foot home run. That's certainly true for Daniel Day-Lewis's performance in There Will be Blood, perhaps the most striking of all the ones in our field.

BEST DIRECTOR

the nominees (in chronological order)

--- Ridley Scott, Gladiator (2000)

--- Peter Jackson, LOTR Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

--- Baz Luhrmann, Moulin Rouge! (2001)

--- Neill Blomkamp, District 9 (2009)

--- George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

the winner

We're rewarding a lot of directors who creating different worlds and tones here. And in terms of "vibes", no one transported me more than Peter Jackson for his Lord of the Rings films. There's something about the combination of filmmaking here (from the sets, to the makeup, to the effects/CGI, and especially to the musical score) that is just pure magic. Turning the movie on immediately puts a nostalgic smile on my face. (Note: going with the first film here because setting that tone is probably harder than repeating it.)

BEST PICTURE

the nominees (in chronological order)

--- Gladiator (2000)

--- Inception (2010)

--- Her (2013)

--- The Imitation Game (2014)

--- Manchester by the Sea (2016)

--- Dunkirk (2017)

the winner

There's a theory that rings true for me. Your favorites -- favorite book, favorite movie, favorite band -- tend to be formed when you're around the age of 15-18 or so. I saw Gladiator around that age, and came away thinking it was the greatest movie of all time. I loved every aspect of it, from the direction to the performances. I actually haven't re-visited it often since then because I want to preserve that memory in my head (hopefully seeing Gladiator II doesn't ruin it). Is it actually an all-time great movie? I don't know. But for me, it always will be.

The Godfather Trilogy has resulted in ten acting nominations. They are:

The Godfather Best Actor - Marlon Brando (won) Best Supporting Actor - Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall (Joel Grey in Cabaret was the winner)

The Godfather Part II Best Actor - Al Pacino (lost to Art Carney in Harry and Tonto) Best Supporting Actor - Robert De Niro (winner), Lee Strasberg, and Michael V. Gazzo Best Supporting Actress - Talia Shire (Lost to Ingrid Bergman in Murder on the Orient Express)

The Godfather Part III Best Supporting Actor - Andy Garcia (lost to Joe Pesci in Goodfellas)

I recently saw The Godfather Part II at my local Alamo last weekend I’ve been thinking about it all week. I know it sounds cliche, but I believe the first two installments are two of the greatest films ever made. I can’t get it out of my head. I was looking at the acting nominations and was surprised that the first two installments each has three nominees from the film. Here are my thoughts.

Part I: Brando’s win was well deserved. No issues there. I believe Pacino is a revelation but to put him in the supporting category is a stretch. When Brando’s on screen, he’s very much the lead. I think Michael starts off as a supporting character, but as he takes over the family business, he becomes more and more of the lead character. It’s a gray area to me. I also can see them pushing Pacino to supporting because he was a relatively unknown, but also because the studio probably didn’t want to split the vote that was going to Brando.

Full disclosure, I’ve never seen Cabaret. Joel Grey very well could have been better than all three of the film’s nominations. Don’t hold that against me. I’m sure I’ll see it some time. Pacino is without a doubt, a revelation. However, if I was voting for a true supporting part, Caan would have my vote. Duvall is a great actor and he is serviceable, but I don’t think his performance as Tom was all that outstanding.

Part II: Art Carney’s victory over both Pacino and Nicholson has been analyzed to death, so I won’t get too much into it. I will say that I believe Pacino’s performance in this movie to be his magnum opus. I would have loved to see him win.

I agree with De Niro’s win in supporting actor. It’s his fellow nominees I have issue with. Strasberg and Gazzo are serviceable, but nothing sticks out to me as being Oscar worthy. I will say that Strasberg makes a little more sense to me because he was a legendary acting coach. This, as his only nomination, could have been the Academy’s way of honoring his life’s work. Gazzo makes less sense. He’s good as Frankie Pentageli, but I don’t see him and think nominee. Ironically enough, if you look at his IMDb page, the only award listed is his Oscar nod for this movie. Nothings else. With all that being said, I would have preferred John Cazale been nominated in this category. The scene where Fredo explains to Michael why he betrayed the family was top notch acting. It’s a shame that despite Cazale’s short career, in which he only appeared in five films (all of which were nominated or won best picture) he never got individual recognition.

In supporting actress, Shire is fine. She has a solid part. However, I’d like to have seen Diane Keaton get a nomination. That scene where she ends her relationship with Michael by revealing she had an abortion was worthy enough in my book.

Part III: This goes without saying, but many consider this to be the weakest link in the trilogy. I can’t disagree. That being said, this is the only film in the trilogy where Pacino was not nominated. I’m happy with Andy Garcia’s nomination. He did have the juicier part, but I much prefer Pesci’s win for Goodfellas.

Those are my thoughts. I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Additionally, I’m curious to hear if you think Pacino should have been nominated for Part III.

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https://preview.redd.it/9i2i7ni6xn2e1.png?width=1536&format=png&auto=webp&s=391f414bcdebd96ef2138f03ae8e22e463114768

For many months Zoe Saldana has been the frontrunner for the Cannes beloved but divisive in America, Emilia Perez. It personally was one of the ones where I just did not vibe with anything EP was doing, despite good performances from its cast. Some may argue that Saldana is committing category fraud by being in supporting and that may work against her. Or people may just not like the movie and that could hurt her

And having just seen Wicked it's hard to deny how much of a true powerhouse Ariana Grande is in Wicked. She's an amazing singer, she's got great comedic timing, showcases a lot of physical comedy, and she's in a critical and box office hit that everyone seems to love. I'm not a Grande fan per say, but I was wowed by her performance. I can see her winning the Globes, and SAG, and may just but the popular choice.

I think the race is really between these two with the category being filled out with contenders such as Isabella Rosselini (Conclave), Saoirse Ronan (Blitz), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Selena Gomez (Emilia Perez), and Margaret Qualley (The Substance).

Remember back in 2007 when Beyonce was a credited songwriter for "Listen" in Dreamgirls, she wasn't nominated .... yet she was nominated for a Golden Globe that same season, however the academy determined she was the smallest contributor and there was a 3 songwriter limit rule....fast forward to 2016 Lady Gaga was nominated for "Til it Happens to You" for the Hunter Grounds with Diane Warren, that same year the song would be up for an Emmy but gaga wasn't on the ballot because the Television Academy determined she wrote less than 20% of the song (source https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lady-gaga-not-nominated-emmys-diane-warren-7438916/ ) . So how did she get an Oscar nom if she contributed the least? Now fast forward to 2019 and Gaga's other song "Shallow" from A Star is Born wins with mind you....4 songwriters including GaGa, didn't the Academy have a 3 songwriter limit? Now what im wondering is why Beyoncé couldn't be nominated when the music branch seemingly bent the rules for Lady Gaga's first two noms and why is no one talking about this? I love both artists but I think Beyonce was unjustly snubbed.

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What if you could do a special Oscars for every movie a director has ever made? So in this case, every Stanley Kubrick movie competing against each other?

My picks would be:

Best Picture: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Best Directing: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Best Actor: Peter Sellers (Dr. Strangelove)

Best Actress: Shelley Duvall (The Shining)

Best Supporting Actor: Laurence Olivier (Spartacus)

Best Supporting Actress: Nicole Kidman (Eyes Wide Shut)

Best Original Screenplay: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Best Adapted Screenplay: Dr. Strangelove

Best Original Score: Spartacus

Best Cinematography: Barry Lyndon

Best Editing: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Best Visual Effects: 2001: A Space Odyssey

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i'm doing an oscar winners poll around the main awards season subreddits to feel the numbers around the potential nominees. i'll post the results later in the week. you can choose one potential nominee or write a name.

https://forms.gle/nNRvPzRuYUJNJVi38

I looked through all the Best Picture nominees and tried to determine based off of nomination/awards total, BAFTA, Golden Globes, and Critics Choicd Awards to determine who Oscar runner ups were. Are there any you think I’m missing or you disagree with?

2023: Poor Things

2022: All Quiet on the Western Front

2021: The Power of the Dog

2020: The Father

2019: 1917

2018: Roma

2017: Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri

2016: La La Land

2015: The Revenant

2014: Boyhood

2013: Gravity

2012: Life of Pi

2011: The Descendants

2010: The Social Network

2009: Avatar

2008: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2007: Atonement

2006: The Queen

2005: Brokeback Mountain

2004: The Aviator

2003: Mystic River

2002: The Pianist

2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2000: Traffic

1999: The Cider House Rules

1998: Saving Private Ryan

1997: L.A. Confident

1996: Fargo

1995: Sense and Sensibility

1994: Pulp Fiction

1993: The Piano

1992: Howard’s End

1991: Bugsy

1990: Goodfellas

1989: Born on the Fourth of July

1988: Dangerous Liaisons

1987: Moonstruck

1986: A Room With a View

1985: The Color Purple

1984: The Killing Fields

1983: Tender Mercies

1982: ET the Extra-Terrestrial

1981: Reds

1980: The Elephant Man

1979: All that Jazz

1978: Midnight Express

1977: The Turning Point

1976: Network

1975: Dog Day Afternoon

1974: Chinatown

1973: The Exorcist

1972: Cabaret

1971: Fiddler on the Roof

1970: M.A.S.H.

1969: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

1968: The Lion in Winter

1967: The Graduate

1966: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1965: Doctor Zhivago

1964: Mary Poppins

1963: Cleopatra

1962: To Kill a Mockingbird

1961: Judgement at Nuremberg

1960: Elmer Gantry

1959: The Diary of Anne Frank

1958: The Defiant Ones

1957: Sayonara

1956: Giant

1955: Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

1954: The Country Girl

1953: Roman Holiday

1952: The Quiet Man

1951: A Place in the Sun

1950: Sunset Boulevard

1949: A Letter to Three Wives

1948: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1947: Miracle on 34th Street

1946: The Yearling

1945: The Bells of St. Mary’s

1944: Wilson

1943: The Song of Bernadette

1942: Yankee Doodle Dandy

1941: Sergeant York

1940: The Grapes of Wrath

1939: Stagecoach

1938: Boys Town

1937: The Awful Truth

1936: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

1935: The Informer

1934: The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1933: A Farewell to Arms

1932: Bad Girl

1931: Skippy

1930: The Big House

1929: The Patriot

1928: 7th Heaven

r/Oscars Top 10 Worst Oscar Losses https://boxd.it/AmJyc

Stand-up comic Steven Wright, best known for his lethargic deadpan anti-humour delivery, won Best Live Action Short Film in 1989 for "The Appointments of Dennis Jennings"

Flee( Flught in danish) was realesed on January 28th of 2021 at Sundance film festival and On December 3th of the same year. It was a co-production with different countries like Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden and Usa and it was directed by Jonas poher Rasmussen and distributed by Neon. The film was met with Universal acclaim and manage to get nominated for best documentary and best international feature and also being the first documentery to get nominated for best animated feature.

Flee is often seen as an important documentary about the life of Rasmussen's friend Amin who escaped Afghanistan for better life. Its nominations was been used for against academy 's year ceremony for treating animation bad. But overall Flee is documentary animated film recommended for watching.

Year's nominations.
Encanto(Winner)(✓).
Luca(✓).
Raya and the last dragon(✓).
Mitchells vs the machines(✓).
Flee( aka flught)(✓).

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With Gladiator II being imho a pretty bad film does it improve Dune Part Twos chances of getting best picture nom, a bunch of craft nominations and Villeneuve getting a best Director Nom?

Babel

Letters from Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine

The Queen

What becomes this legend most? 8 Oscar nominations? 1 Lead Actress Oscar win? Emmy and Tony nominations? Her wide and varied body of work? For actors, to me, my adoration for Geraldine Page’s talent is in a class beyond compare. She relentlessly amazes me in how she was able to utilize and manipulate her tone, movement, posture, and the famous mannerisms to richly portray her characters. I am still new to her work, but this far it has been a feast watching her, no matter how small the part may be. What’s your favorite performance from Miss Page?