Oscar Season 2024-2025; Final Predictions; An Open Spot for Original Screenplay; Can Musicals Finally Break the Adapted Screenplay Dryspell

01/23/25 • 41 min

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

ANORA & A REAL PAIN locks for Original Screenplay
Two unconventional writing pieces in THE SUBSTANCE & THE BRUTALIST cement their chances for Screenplay with solid Best Picture bids, but are they really writers’ cup of tea?
Four first-time nominees and the shrinking window for a veteran writer on the Original Screenplay shortlist. Can CIVIL WAR or SATURDAY NIGHT recover?
Justin Kuritzkes to ride breakthrough year into first Oscar nomination for writer-fave CHALLENGERS
A (too little too late?) boost for writer Mike Leigh’s HARD TRUTHS with vocal support from Barry Jenkins & Greta Gerwig
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT hopes for a solo nod in writing after being the rare critics darling not submitted for International Film
Can the experimental NICKEL BOYS lock up a screenplay nod on the strength and popularity of its Pulitzer Prize-winning source material
DUNE PART 2 struggling to repeat after Dune Part One’s nomination
Can the Almodovar name push his English-language debut THE ROOM NEXT DOOR past musical fare
SING SING vast writing team hopes to secure at least one nomination with writers
Veteran CONCLAVE writer the favorite to finally win
Former writing nominees, Mangold and Jay Cocks collaboration an easy call for Adapted Screenplay
WICKED and EMILIA PEREZ trying to scale a mountain of history against them and land among the Adapted Screenplay nominees. Can ONE or BOTH beat the odds?

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

ANORA & A REAL PAIN locks for Original Screenplay
Two unconventional writing pieces in THE SUBSTANCE & THE BRUTALIST cement their chances for Screenplay with solid Best Picture bids, but are they really writers’ cup of tea?
Four first-time nominees and the shrinking window for a veteran writer on the Original Screenplay shortlist. Can CIVIL WAR or SATURDAY NIGHT recover?
Justin Kuritzkes to ride breakthrough year into first Oscar nomination for writer-fave CHALLENGERS
A (too little too late?) boost for writer Mike Leigh’s HARD TRUTHS with vocal support from Barry Jenkins & Greta Gerwig
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT hopes for a solo nod in writing after being the rare critics darling not submitted for International Film
Can the experimental NICKEL BOYS lock up a screenplay nod on the strength and popularity of its Pulitzer Prize-winning source material
DUNE PART 2 struggling to repeat after Dune Part One’s nomination
Can the Almodovar name push his English-language debut THE ROOM NEXT DOOR past musical fare
SING SING vast writing team hopes to secure at least one nomination with writers
Veteran CONCLAVE writer the favorite to finally win
Former writing nominees, Mangold and Jay Cocks collaboration an easy call for Adapted Screenplay
WICKED and EMILIA PEREZ trying to scale a mountain of history against them and land among the Adapted Screenplay nominees. Can ONE or BOTH beat the odds?

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

A “Perfect” LOCK - Saldana reaps reward for years of work in mainstream Hollywood fare with demanding, delicate dance in “Emilia Perez”
A VULNERABLE kind of “Perfect” - Ariana Grande hits everywhere so far, but is her turn in “Wicked” on par with the dramatic performances her fellow musicians gave in order to find Oscar success?
Three Is A Crowd: vote-splitting between too many musical performances.
Two Of A Kind: the Gomez-Grande parallels that hurt both
Selena Gomez bid undone by a Screen Actors Guild snub
Isabella Rossellini cashes in her “WAY PAST DUE” ticket with Best Picture contender “Conclave”
Felicity Jones fights for veteran’s spot, but is “The Brutalist” running time hurting her chances?
Jamie Lee-Curtis “afterglow” nomination NOT IMPOSSIBLE - but far from sure-thing going it alone.
“SAG Remembers” - Danielle Deadwyler campaign marches on after Actors Guild refuses to forget egregious snub for “Till”
Monica Barbaro sings her way into the category with scene-stealing performance as Joan Baez in “A Complete Unknown”
Margaret Qualley - “nepo-baby” & coattail nominee OR rising starlet building bridges with the right indie/international/art-house cinema insiders (Lanthimos, Denis, Tarantino, Coen).

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

"Conclave" Costume Designer FINALLY breaks into Costume Designers Guild - but will it be enough to overcome the "Contemporary Curse"
Jacqueline West falls short at BAFTA as "Dune, Part 2" loses ground
"Wicked" the perfect recipe for Costume & Production Design crossover nods
Robert Eggers and Linda Muir welcomed into BAFTA & CDG - "Nosferatu" looking good to double-up on Costumes & Makeup
After FINALLY returning with a nod for last year's "Napoleon," can the Costume Designer of "Gladiator 2" go back-to-back?
Arianne Phillips' BAFTA-"bounce-back" a promising sign for "A Complete Unknown" after guild and Makeup snub.
Can Tim Burton's Makeup effects give "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" an edge in the Makeup category
As actress campaign stumbles, can "Maria" still reap nods Below-The-Line
"The Substance" looking like the favorite for Makeup but is the team too unfamiliar for Academy voters
"Emilia Perez" the rare international title to make Makeup guild - a positive sign or a red-herring
In Makeup, where performance matters, at least one nod featuring the work of "Man of a Thousand Faces" Sebastian Stan looks promising
All signs point to Makeup voters omitting any work modeled after real-life people. Will voters really go full-genre this year?