Academy Anonymous

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• Has the Karla Sofía Gascon controversy sunk the "Emilia Pérez" campaign? Can anything be salvaged?
• Do Oscar voters care about social media backlash
• The problem at the heart of the Critics Choice Awards organization
• Forecasting the winners at the Directors Guild & Producers Guild
• A new front-runner after this weekend?

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• Film Editing, a possible rough draft of the Academy Award’s Best Director
• ACE Eddie film editing snubs & surprises: “A Complete Unknown” & “Civil War”
• “Challengers” using the the sports film genre to its advantage
• Too many nominations for Sean Baker
• Less veterans likely at the Oscars with editors of American blockbusters “Dune, Part 2” & “Wicked” having reaped nominations recently
• The curious case of “September 5” mirroring the editing snubs of “Spotlight” - are voters watching the film?
• “Emilia Perez” editor to be welcomed back into the Oscar, “Conclave” editor poised for first career nod
• “The Brutalist” overlooked at BAFTA & ACE, too long for editors to consider it seriously in this category. Will it doom its Best Picture chances?
• The films potentially trying to jump from surefire Best Sound nominees to Film Editing nominees
• Performance & Writing mentions still key for any film trying to crack Film Editing nomination
• “Emilia Perez” SNUBBED by Cinematographers guild, behind SEVEN other titles!
• Netflix streak of Cinematography nominations in jeopardy
• Can beloved veteran Ed Lachmann go back-to-back this year for “Maria” after last year’s surprise lone nomination for black-and-white “El Conde”?
• Jarin Blaschke and Lol Crawley FINALLY land ASC nominations for Best Cinematography
• ‘Wicked” cinematography backlash not enough to stop female director of photography, Alice Books. Can she ride her historic inclusion at the American Cinematographers Society into an Oscar nomination?
• ‘The Girl With The Needle” & “Nicke Boys” striking visuals land in ASC Spotlight category, but too edgy for mainstream Academy voters
• Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” out at ASC. But Jacques Audiard’s frequent DP collaborator finally breaks in with “Conclave” - how’s that for irony.

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

1. Reacting to BAFTA Longlist reveal
2. Recapping the winners of the National Society of Film Critics
3. Our Golden Globe winner predictions

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• BAFTA awards stall FLOW’s momentum, Latvia likely to fall short of historic win in Animated Feature
• Dreamworks Animation to ride studio-best 3 Oscar nominations into first Animated Feature win in nearly two decades
• Brazil to make OSCAR HISTORY - surging I'M STILL HERE poised to upset EMILIA PEREZ and capture first International Film title for the country
• Netflix’s EMILIA PEREZ wrestles to maintain hold as International Film favorite, can the film survive Mexican controversy and growing unpopularity?
• Does BAFTA snub foretell of trouble for NO OTHER LAND at the Oscars?
• With win at DGA, can PORCELAIN WAR upset in Documentary and result in a three-peat for the Ukrainian War in the category?
• DUNE: PART TWO still favorite for VFX Oscar with BAFTA win, but Visual Effects Society snub leaves the door open for WICKED
• DUNE: PART TWO vs. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN vs. WICKED - a three-headed monster in SOUND makes it nearly impossible to select a favorite
• Cratering EMILIA PEREZ tries to salvage Original Song win, but Diane “Never-Say-Die” Warren might just deliver the death blow
• THE SUBSTANCE the clear front-runner for Makeup Oscar, but can a win give Demi Moore an edge in Best Actress?
• WICKED's Paul Tazewell to makes OSCAR HISTORY as first black man and only second black costume designer to win Costume. Nathan Crowley to FINALLY win Production Design (without Christopher Nolan)!
• An absolute free-for-all in Film Editing - BAFTA win for CONCLAVE either a mirage or the win that seals its fate on Oscar night!
• Can Sean Baker get on stage four times on Oscar night?
• Will EMILIA PEREZ and WICKED cancel each other out or ride their Sound nominations to a surprise victory in Film Editing?

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• An uncertain future for Utah and the Sundance Film Festival
• Sundance 2025 again key to unlocking the early favorites for Best Documentary Oscar
• A24 teams with Pastel again on Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby” - screenwriting winner, early critics darling and standout debut among US Dramatic Competition
• Race for Best International Feature starts with selection of co-production titles among World Dramatic Competition - Canada, Argentina, North Macedonia, Turkey, India, UK, Poland, France
• Underdog “Omaha” and John Magaro pull on the heartstrings just right, dismiss the title at your own peril!!
• Crowd-pleasing debuts for “The Ballad of Wallis Island” and “The Wedding Banquet” look to signal sleeper hits for Focus Features and Bleecker Street in theaters this spring
• Josh O’ Connor makes first (but NOT last) festival stop this year with “Rebuilding” - in a year where he’s primed to finally break into major Oscar acting race
• Will the Academy Awards ever wake up to the artistic achievement of “Peter Hujar’s Day” director Ira Sachs?
• The BIG 3 titles from Sundance 2025!
• “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” kickstarts a big year for Safdie-esque cinema, BUT can this brand of filmmaking crossover with the Academy Awards in a big way?
• Can “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” succeed where “Hereditary” failed and finally bring Rose Byrne to the Oscars for Best Actress?
• Will “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” get lost among A24’s slate of films?
• Queer-Golden Age Hollywood musical hybrid “Kiss of the Spider Woman” has all the cards it needs for a long, successful Oscar run
• The prestigious legacy of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” - Bill Condon, William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Hector Babenco, Kander & Ebb, Chita Rivera, Terrence McNally
• Colleen Atwood, Oscar-winning Sound Designers and veteran Production Designer and DP in the Oscar hunt for sumptuous visuals on display in “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
• Jennifer Lopez channels old-Hollywood glamour and dances her way to another Oscar bid for Best Supporting Actress in “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
• Tonatiuh poised for breakout year as Molina, Diego Luna's heartfelt turn and reputable career to figure in Best Supporting Actor
• Netflix bets on “Train Dreams,” but after last year’s “Sing Sing” can Bentley and Kwedar score consecutive Best Adapted Screenplay nods with prized source material?
• “Train Dreams” to factor into Best Cinematography, but is it going to miss the big-screen treatment?
• Joel Edgerton wins strong mentions for Best Actor but will he be the victim of the film’s use of voice-over?
• Is Netflix the right fit for “Train Dreams” Best Picture hopes?
• Where have all the distributors gone?! Big-name independents scaring themselves out of sure-fire Oscar contention and potential mass audience appeal