These are the awards people actually care about. Why are these the awards people actually care about when none of these are worth shit without the contributions from the other branches? I don’t know, and neither do you. Is anyone even reading these intros? Just go reread the one from part one.
Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple as Sofia Johnson
America Ferrera – Barbie as Gloria
Jodie Foster – Nyad as Bonnie Stoll
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers as Mary Lamb
I’d love to give this to Danielle Brooks, who is just terrific, but Da’Vine Joy Randolph is utterly the heart of The Holdovers, and key to the film opening up emotionally, while Brooks drives into and then, crucially, out of The Colour Purple. I genuinely don’t think the America Ferrera performance is anything.
My vote: Da’Vine Joy Randolph
My prediction: Emily Blunt
Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction as Clifford “Cliff” Ellison
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon as William King Hale
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss
Ryan Gosling – Barbie as Ken
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things as Duncan Wedderburn
I think this is gonna go to Gosling, who is good, but not that good, in a frustrating upholding of the very thing Barbie presents as a problem. But god, that Ruffalo performance is so funny. He’s so distraught. He’s such a snivelling bastard. Just the best.
My vote: Mark Ruffalo
My prediction: Ryan Gosling
Best Actress
Annette Bening – Nyad as Diana Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon as Mollie Burkhart
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall as Sandra Voyter
Carey Mulligan – Maestro as Felicia Montealegre Bernstein
Emma Stone – Poor Things as Bella Baxter / Victoria Blessington
I keep wanting to give this to Sandra Hüller, whose quiet, understated performance is so deep, so rich, but Lily Gladstone delivers such a devastating performance as Mollie Burkhart that I think she deserves this, even if we don’t deserve her. Just fucking incredible. The best to ever do it.
My vote: Lily Gladstone
My prediction: Lily Gladstone
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Maestro as Leonard Bernstein
Colman Domingo – Rustin as Bayard Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers as Paul Hunham
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction as Thelonius “Monk” Ellison
It’s gonna be Cillian Murphy, we all know it’s gonna be Cillian Murphy. But that performance is a good steak with an expensive cigar — while Giamatti in The Holdovers is dinner with family. It fills the heart like nothing else.
My vote: Paul Giamatti
My prediction: Cillian Murphy
Best Director
Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
Again, this is Oppenheimer‘s award and we all know it — I’m gonna say that again — but it’s not the choice I would make. While The Zone of Interest may be the least directed movie I’ve ever seen, and Poor Things occasionally makes a big choice that falls flat for me, Scorsese does the best work of his career with Killers of the Flower Moon, and Anatomy of a Fall is perfect. Truly misses no step. Immaculate work.
My vote: Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall
My prediction: Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer
Best Picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
I’ll say it again — this is Oppenheimer‘s award. But it’s Anatomy of a Fall that blew me away.
My vote: Anatomy of a Fall
My prediction: Oppenheimer
This concludes my Oscars post! Did I make any calls or cast any votes you vehemently disagree with?