Oscar Reviews: 2025
This year I made it my goal to watch all of the Oscar nominated films before the award show aired. I unfortunately was not able to watch all of them, but I got through a good amount. Here are my reviews for each film I saw.
Best Picture Nominees (Watched 8/10)
Conclave
Rating: 10/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Lead Actor, Supporting Actress, Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay, Production Design, Original Score, Costume Design
This film is absolutely outstanding. The premise is about the process of selecting a new pope, and throughout that process drama arises affecting the voting. However, it’s best to go into it completely blind, so I will not talk much about the plot. Extremely beautiful visuals, each shot displays like an oil painting. It’s the type of movie where the room has to be dark, your phone has to be off, and you’re just captivated into this world for the entire duration. The film depicts the modern day Vatican, with the ancient architecture and traditional cardinal uniforms contradicting iPhones, espresso machines, and vape pens. It has that type of lowkey humor. But the story is serious and thrilling with the characters’ actions keeping you on the edge of your seat. And by the end, the message is heartfelt and pure, leaving you still thinking about the film days later. The performances are amazing and the score perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere. I am immensely disappointed the film didn’t receive any nominations for Sound and Cinematography. This was my favorite film so far this award season and has made it into my top 3 films of the decade. Bottom line: I could not recommend this masterpiece more.
The Brutalist
Rating: 8/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Film Editing, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Original Score, Cinematography
This monster of a film sits at a whopping 3.5hr run time, with a built in 15 minute intermission. However, the film flows along smoothly. Beautifully shot on 35mm film, the story ranges from the 1940’s to the 1960’s about a Hungarian immigrant (Adrien Brody) arriving in America to escape WWII. Being an architect, he tries to build his life and career while assimilating with the culture and lifestyle. However, I will say this is not a pleasant movie. The story itself presents the character’s struggles with prejudice and discrimination. But the tone almost transfers his feelings to you- every scene just feels uneasy, like you don’t know who to trust or you feel something bad is about to happen even though there is nothing bad happening in the scene. Post-intermission is darker than the first half and by the end of the film, I’ll just say the main character doesn’t get his happy ending.
I've realized I have problems with this film because of how it depicts the American immigrant experience. Coming from an immigrant family, everyone has hardships and struggles starting a new life in America, and some are more fortunate than others. However, with the way this film tells its story, it almost feels like this character’s experience is being pushed as fact. Certain interactions within the family just aren't realistic to the immigrant culture and almost makes the story feel like the director/writers' belief on what he thinks the Eastern European immigrant experience is like when assimilating to America. I won’t say anymore to avoid spoilers. Artistically it is outstanding and at least partially tells a very interesting and poetic yet sad and uncomfortable story.
Wicked: Part 1
Rating: 8/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, Film Editing, Original Score, Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup & Hair, Visual Effects
Wicked was much better than I was expecting it to be. I had seen the Broadway musical in 2016, so I knew what the story was about, but still had forgotten a lot of the details and plot points. They really pulled this off.
The obvious place to start is the music. The singing and instrumentals truly had the energy of a broadway performance, and not a weird film version like Les Miz or La La Land (also noting that the original composers from the broadway musical worked on the film). All of the vocals sounded amazing, and after listening to some of the original broadway soundtrack to compare, the music in the film really improved upon itself with adding layers and creative vocal choices- including Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s personal choices into their characters’ singing. Those two fit their characters so well. Ariana knocked Galinda out of the park and is extremely entertaining to watch, but you can still see her as Ariana. Meanwhile, Cynthia completely transforms into Elphaba and truly embodies the character, especially when she sings. Moving on, the camera work was more creative than I was expecting and the sets were mostly practical and extremely unique. Though I think one of the best parts were the costumes. So much detail went into every outfit the characters wear and it really makes it feel like the magical land of Oz.
However, this goes along with my complaints. I agree with the many that have complained about the color and lighting throughout the whole film. The coloring appears washed and pastel, and although some films do have a pastel color pallet, I don’t think it works for this film, especially with color being the most important part of the story. Contrast was set to low and most of the film just feels flat visually. And the lighting doesn’t help either. There’s a constant backlight throughout most of the film that washes out the visuals even more. It can take you out of the element a bit, but the film is still definitely watchable and every other aspect I think is great. It is a bit long but for the most part it was paced pretty well.
Dune: Part 2
Rating: 9.5/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Cinematography, Visual Effects, Production Design, Sound
Dune 2 was very good. I saw it in IMAX last summer, and it was quite the experience. I’m not as crazy about the Dune franchise as a lot of others are, but both films were done very well in all aspects. The world is very immersive and shown beautifully through the cinematography. The plot rises to intense highs that make your heart jump and a thrilling and interesting story overall. This film was unfortunately snubbed by the Academy with the first film receiving 10 nominations. Neither film received a nomination for Directing which I think is unjust. Dune 2 is a cinematic blockbuster that makes sci-fi feel immersive and real. You’ll need a big screen and a dark room for this one.
The Substance
Rating: 9/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Lead Actress, Original Screenplay, Makeup and Hairstyling
This is typically not the type of film I go for, so when I booted up this film let me say I was pleasantly surprised. An incredibly artistic vision, The Substance starring Demi Moore gives commentary about how aging women are treated in the entertainment industry and the public eye in a very creative manner.
First and foremost, a warning: this is a "body horror" film. There is blood, nudity, needle injections, skin ripping, body deformation, etc. So if you are uncomfortable with watching any of this, then I advise you won't be comfortable watching this film. Despite all this, the tone is not dark or scary, but more so cartoony in a way. By that I mean the characters and the environment around Demi Moore's character are all incredibly personified to blatantly represent the stereotypes of these people. This aspect was very well done and took advantage of the camera work and sound editing to accentuate the character acting and translate the main character's emotions through the screen. The entire film is very bright and colorful, adding to that personified cartoonish feel which gives a balance to the sci-fi inspired plot and dark message that this story gives.
With the popularity of plastic surgery these days and the obsession for looking "perfect", which then haunts women as they grow older into their natural beauty, this film does a wonderful job of portraying this issue and gives a great reminder that perfection is overrated and may do more harm than good. I do feel like the ending went overboard with the visuals, but nevertheless it still sticks to the message. This is a very left field film that excites me with the popularity it's getting this award season.
Anora
Rating: 9/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing
Wow. This movie was a surprise for me. I had seen the trailers, and thought it was going to be some sappy and serious sexy romance drama, and it was. But only for the first 30 minutes.
The film follows Anora, a Brooklyn girl in her early 20’s working as a stripper in a club. She’s ethnicly Russian but tries to hide it, refusing to speak the language and goes by Ani instead of Anora. She then meets a young rich Russian guy visiting America at the club, they hit it off, and get married after a few weeks, Anora thinking this is her happily ever after.
Then, things go wrong, obviously. I just didn’t know the plot would turn into a comedy. Specifically a Russian-Armenian comedy. The Russian boy, Ivan, has two body guards who are Armenian. I was surprised when they cut to scenes inside an Armenian church, seeing the familiar architecture and hearing the familiar hymns. They even filmed right outside of my grandmothers church she was a principal at- Holy Martyrs! So there was great Armenian representation, but the fact that the Armenians were the heart of the comedy made it even better. Their interactions and Russian/Armenian dialogue were so funny to watch, I feel like they could even get a spinoff just about them. Throughout the film, the story still focuses on Anora/Ani, and the ending brings us back to her leaving the audience with an emotional finale. I loved this movie way more than I was expecting and the trailer + first 30 minutes of the movie may fool you.
I definitely recommend a watch, but also will let you know that the film is rated R and does have many explicit sex scenes, so don’t watch with your kids.
I'm Still Here
Rating: 10/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Lead Actress, International Film
This film blew me away. I'm Still Here is a Brazilian film about the military takeover in 1970's Brazil and covers the true story of Eunice Paiva dealing with her husband being taken by the military and having to protect her family. The story itself is based on the book written by the real Eunice's son. I went into this film not aware that it is a true story and nearly blind about the plot. Everything about this film was extraordinary.
The filming was beautiful, truly capturing the era of 1970 with the coloring. Kids living in a beach town, the culture, the clothing, the looks, everything was just so immersive to the era. One character had a videotape camera and seeing the POV of her videos on old film really brought the scene to life. I can't even stress enough how realistic they made this story feel through this movie. Nothing felt dramatized or cheesy at all, it looked like you were truly watching real people living their lives and dealing with the danger that took place.
On top of all this, the acting was absolutely phenomenal. Even the children played their characters so well, you're just convinced they are the real people. Fernanda Torres, who plays Eunice, is just flawless with her performance and is definitely a strong contender for Best Lead Actress. The acting plus everything else put into this film just authenticates the story so much and grabs your heart throughout the whole film. I cried multiple times throughout yet I enjoyed watching it so much, but it is still a depressing story. This film brings the purest of filmmaking and a perfection of the art. I'd count this as one of the best films I'd ever seen and it 100% deserves the win for best International Film.
A Complete Unknown
Rating: 9/10
Nominations: Best Picture, Directing, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Sound
I really enjoyed this film! It's not a left-field or transcendent biopic, but for being straightforward, it was an enjoyable and well made watch. Timothée Chalamet absorbs Bob Dylan's aura in his performance and I think his 5 years of training for the role and learning how to play guitar really paid off. Monica Barbaro is amazing as Joan Baez and has an incredible voice, and also learned guitar for the role. It's nice that all of the singing was recorded live on set and all sounded very natural within the scenes. Ed Norton gives an exceptional performance as always, and a surprise to me was seeing Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, who kind of stole every scene he was in. Back to Timothée, it was very entertaining and intriguing watching him as Dylan and you learn how interesting of a character Bob Dylan is. A Complete Unknown is a pleasant musical watch, and I recommend it whether you like Bob Dylan's music or not.
Animated Feature Nominees
The Wild Robot
Rating: 9/10
Nominations: Best Animated Feature, Original Score, Original Song
This is probably one of the most visually outstanding animated films you will ever see, and definitely the best Dreamworks film visually. Absolutely beautiful paint strokes flood the screen with bright colors and unique details. It is said to be inspired by the visuals from Hayao Miyazaki’s films from Studio Ghibli (for those who aren’t familiar, that's a pretty high bar- I recommend all his films), and I would have to agree. However, plot wise, it doesn’t completely match up to the Miyazaki standard. The plot is very heartfelt and introspective, bringing in subjects of adoption, being outcast from society for being different, and the brutal circle of life and possibility of death. All of these themes were touched on wonderfully and I am very glad to see animated films spreading their wings and covering these kinds of topics for all ages. However, there are some parts in the movie that bring you back to the mindset of “this is a kids movie”. The dialogue comes off as cliche sometimes and just feels “kiddy”. Also I feel like the script kind of changes the narrative throughout the story and kind of fits 2-3 plots into one movie. But, still a great film and totally recommend it for the family or even if you want to watch a movie on your own one night. This was the film that I wanted to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature... until I watched Flow.
Flow
Rating:10/10
Nominations: Best Animated Feature, International Feature
This movie blew me away. This story follows a cat living in some post-apocalyptic world, and within the forest he lives in, a great flood crashes through, pushing the cat to escape on an abandoned boat in order to survive. The cat finds animal friends along the way one by one and they form a found family. Now this may sound pretty normal for an animated movie about animals, but it is actually truly a unique concept for a film- there is no dialogue at all. Every animal in this film sounds and behaves like a real animal. Each animal and species has their own distinct personalities that translate so well through their facial expressions and behavior that it really does feel like they’re speaking their thoughts. Their dynamics match so well with each other and their decisions feel natural and personal.
This, on top of all the hardships they face on their journey from natural disasters and learning to survive with each other, it is a film injected with pure emotion. All you hear are the sounds of nature and animals speaking in their own animal language, and the beautiful adventurous score to top it all off. I do wish this film was nominated for Score and Sound. The visuals are also extremely beautiful with the lighting and color, unique animation, and camerawork. What’s most impressive is this film being created by a small independent studio from Latvia- their film being recognized to this degree is very exciting. I hope this wins best animated feature (international feature would be great too, but highly unlikely lol). And warning: you WILL cry while watching this film.
Memoir of a Snail
Rating: 7/10
Nominations: Animated Feature
This was an interesting film. It follows the life of Grace Pudel from birth to her adult hood, and she didn't have a very great life. Created by an indie stop-motion filmmaker from Australia, this film has a very off-putting unique look and is labeled as a tragicomedy. The art of the claymation was very fascinating to watch and I did get more attached to the story as the film went on. I did convince myself that the main character, Grace, was the creator of the film and decided to make a story about her life, but I found out the director/writer is Adam Elliot, so this was not the case. However, the story is loosely based on his life. Grace is also voiced by Australian actress Sarah Snook, some may know her as Shiv from the HBO series Succession. Definitely an off-beat film, and sad at times, but in the end very heartfelt and inspiring.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Rating: 10/10
Nominations: Best Animated Feature
Classic. I grew up watching the original Wallace & Gromit shorts on VHS so it’s so exciting to see that they’re back, and better than ever before. Such a fun film with great stop motion animation as always and hilarious puns throughout the movie. I was afraid that the return of Feathers McGraw would be more of a cash-grab decision, but the plot was very well done by bringing back nostalgia from the original short while also bringing a new main plot to the table. The message the movie gives is a great choice for Wallace & Gromit and relevant to today’s world, but not done too harshly at all. With technology growing and taking over our daily lives, a lot of it can be convenient and truly innovative, but there are some aspects of the human experience that technology just can’t replace. The film expresses this theme in a fun and comedic way and is true to the medium of the art. It was also nice hearing the classic theme song again, took me back to my childhood. When you have an evening off, get in your PJ’s, make yourself a nice cup of tea, and boot this film up on your TV. You can’t go wrong with some classic Wallace & Gromit.
Other Nominees
Sing Sing
Rating: 8/10
Nominations: Lead Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song
Very heartwarming film, use of film was worth it with the glow and deep range of color, it really made the movie stand out. The overall tone was great. I loved the ensemble and the subject of the story. The fact that most of the actors played themselves just added to the authenticity and is what makes this film special.
However, I still have critiques. First I think the film was a little too short. I think we could’ve explored more into Divine G and Maclin’s dynamic, and Maclin's character who I really enjoyed watching. This also goes along with that I think the film focused too much on Coleman’s character and not enough on Maclin. I understand that Coleman is playing a real person and that this is everyone else’s first time acting for a film and experiencing a film set. But at times it just felt like the movie and camera was yelling at us to pay attention to Coleman and “Look! He’s the main character!” Maybe it’s the way Coleman portrayed Divine G? He felt a bit full of himself which I’m not sure if that’s the intention for the character or if that’s because of what Coleman brought into the role. It just took me out of the film sometimes because Coleman felt so separate from everyone else that I could tell he was an actor that is acting in this movie. Going back to my first point, I think extending the film and diving deeper into the characters probably could’ve improved upon this.
But overall, I’m proud of everyone who was a part of this movie, especially the real people acting as themselves, and it’s so great that they’re spreading this message into prisons to promote rehabilitation. A W for our system.
The Apprentice
Rating: 8/10
Nominations: Lead Actor, Supporting Actor
This was a very well made film. The first thing that stood out to me were the camera visual effects. Set in the 70's and 80's, the camera quality was edited to replicate the quality of that era. Many films are known to do this to add to the immersion, but I think this film is the best I've seen. Shot in 4:3 ratio, the grain quality, the color filter, and the contrast all pull this together. The 70's portion of the film really looked like they recorded real scenes from that era on film. Then in the 80's portion of the movie, the sharpness is dialed up to 11 and it looks like you're watching a VHS tape. Incredibly immersive and accurate with the visuals. The acting is very well done too, and I think Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong's nominations are well deserved. The story in this film is obviously unpleasant, but nonetheless interesting and was displayed well as a film. Though I wouldn't recommend it if you want to have a relaxing evening.
A Real Pain
Rating: 9.5/10
Nominations: Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay
This was a phenomenal pocket-sized film. At 1 hour 30 minutes, Jesse Eisenberg (director & writer) gives us a deep exploration on family, the past, and dealing with pain. Two cousins, played by Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, travel to Poland to learn about their late grandmother's past and where she grew up. The film projects the feeling of family with the calming Chopin soundtrack contradicting with the chaotic cousin duo, ultimately cementing a connection when the emotional scenes come to light. Both Eisenberg and Culkin were absolutely natural for their respective roles as if they were written just for those two (and surprisingly they weren't.) The refreshing aspect of this film is the decision to end it where it did, the story didn't need to be any longer than it was and felt perfectly compact while still having breathing room within the film.
Emma Stone was a producer on this film and it probably wouldn't have been made if not for her taking Eisenberg's story and vision and pushing to make it a reality.
September 5
Rating: 7.5/10
Nominations: Original Screenplay
I'd call this a decent film. This one is about the hostage situation at the 1972 Munich Olympics solely from the point of view of the ABC Sports broadcasting team. It gives a very interesting perspective of ABC finding out what has happened in the Olympic Village and making the decision to cover the live events, being the only news station actually in Munich for the Olympics (also considering the fact that this was the first Olympics ever to have a global live broadcast). The pacing was pretty good in this 1.5 hour film and the tension and suspense was well done. All the performances were great and it was very interesting seeing the events unfold and the decisions ABC had to make. If you want to learn more about this perspective of this historical event, I'd recommend this film.
However, I would have to say that's all this film really is. The script is pretty good, but some of the dialogue I find cliche and the film is really nothing more than the whole event. The set is great and the visuals make it pretty immersive, though I would say it's very dimly lit at times. There isn't too much the film gives that would just be displayed in a documentary, which according to sources this film is pretty accurate with the information it displays. The only main addition is a fictional character- a German translator, who was most likely added for female representation and for a German perspective. Though I did enjoy the addition of her character.
So basically, watch this if you're interested about the Munich Olympics hostage situation or would like to learn more about it. But if you're looking for something extraordinary in filmmaking, you won't find anything here.
Nosferatu
Rating: 9.5/10
Nominations: Cinematography, Makeup & Hair, Production Design, Costume Design
Nosferatu is a well known story retelling Dracula. This 2024 film gives a wonderful portrayal with its acting, visuals, and tone. It takes itself very seriously as a melodramatic horror. Lily-Rose Depp gives an exceptional performance, as well as the supporting characters played by Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Willem Dafoe. The sets and costumes are well made bringing you into the 19th century. The film is very grim and dark, both tone wise and visually. The style is well perfected and I appreciated the craft everyone put into this well made movie. My personal opinion though, it's just not my kind of movie. I was just never into dark vampire stories or melodrama, so I'm not exactly the right audience for this movie. But it was very well made and an objective 10/10.
A Different Man
Rating: 9.5/10
Nominations: Makeup & Hair
This film tackles physical disability and self confidence in an extremely unique manner. It takes place in some alternate 80's-esque universe where the main character tries an experimental drug to "cure" the physical disfigurement in his face. However, the outcome is not what he expected. It was shot on 16mm film (and partially digital), and the film quality and colors look magnificent. The film has a dry and ironic-type of humor to it that brings lightheartedness to uncomfortable situations. It delivers its message extremely well and the acting is superb. Unfortunately there are no acting nominations for this film, but Sebastian Stan did win a Golden Globe for his performance. I definitely recommend this film, and if you're unsure about it, you should really give it a chance.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Rating: 8.5/10
Nominations: International Film
I went into this film aware that it was made in secret from the Iranian government. Just after finishing shooting for this film, the director, Mohammad Rasoulof, had been informed that he was sentenced to 8 years in prison due to his previous films and activism. Once this film was complete, he fled the country on foot for 28 days until he arrived in Germany (who sponsored and submitted this film for the Oscar's). The Iranian government had also confiscated the cast and crew's passports due to this film. There is a lot more to learn about what Mohammad Rasoulof went through and how he was inspired to make this film to which you can read about here: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/26/nx-s1-5163638/mohammad-rasoulof-iran-seed-of-sacred-fig
Now for my review. When I started watching, I noticed some of the filmmaking techniques felt a bit amateur, and on top of that the first act was a bit slow. But as the film played on, I was becoming more engaged and the quality seemed improved for the rest of the film. This story focuses on a family living in Iran during the 2022 protests for women's rights. The father is an investigator for the Iranian government, and he and his wife have two teenage daughters, one in high school and one in college. The daughters are exposed to the protests through social media which cause them to question their father in his position and his beliefs. The mother is torn between her husband's/ the country's duty and her daughters' voices. Tension begins to rise between family members and as society's actions escalate. The film also shows the protests through real social media footage from the movement. I'd call this a nail biting thriller and a huge feat against the Iranian government. Kudos to this film being recognized by the academy.
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