From ‘Nickel Boys’ to ‘The Substance’: the movies and performances that deserve Oscars | Opinion
In previous years, one movie has dominated the Academy Awards, scooping up all the Oscars and making for one heck of a boring ceremony (one example being “Everything Everywhere All At Once” winning seven much-deserved awards during the 2023 Oscars). This year, however, I suspect things will be different: Of the 10 movies nominated for Best Picture, there is seemingly no front-runner ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards gala at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater.
The entertainment publication ScreenRant has dubbed it “the most unpredictable Oscars race.”
Having seen all 10 Best Picture nominees, it seems the lack of a clear and obvious front-runner is a testament to the strength of the nominations. It’s anyone’s game. And it should make for quite an exciting ceremony, especially with host Conan O’Brien, a surprisingly good pick after years of duds.
Here are my choices in the five major categories:
Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro - “A Complete Unknown”
Taking on the role of American musician Joan Baez with no formal voice or guitar skills was a huge risk for Barbaro and an even bigger gamble from the team behind the Bob Dylan biopic. But after watching her performance, you would think Barbaro had been singing and playing the guitar all her life. Her depiction of Baez — specifically the way she captures the singer’s trademark vibrato — has earned her the Oscar.
In the same category, Ariana Grande’s own impressive vocal chops combine with her Chenowethian portrayal of Glinda in the musical “Wicked” to great effect. But Grande — unlike Barbaro — is a trained singer. That’s why 34-year-old Barbaro deserves the win: She appears to be truly channeling the great American singer in an even more impressive way than her co-star, Timothée Chalamet, channels Dylan.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Kieran Culkin - “A Real Pain”
It’s a shame that “A Real Pain,” written and directed by its lead actor, Jesse Eisenberg, was not nominated in the Best Picture or Directing categories. A dark comedy about two cousins who participate in a group tour around Poland in honor of their late grandmother produced my favorite role yet from Culkin.
The “Succession” star, perhaps best known for his portrayal of the show’s spoiled youngest child, now plays Benji, an extremely likable but troubled young man who feels too deeply and seemingly oozes with raw emotion. The meaning of the movie’s ending, which centers on Culkin’s character, still haunts me months after viewing it.
Actress in a Leading Role
Demi Moore - “The Substance”
Despite covering my face with a pillow for approximately 25% of the run-time of this body horror thriller, Demi Moore deserves the Oscar for her traumatizingly good performance in French director Coralie Fargeat’s film. Despite minimal dialogue, Moore’s depiction of a woman who sacrifices her body and suffers immense physical and emotional pain is stunningly resonant.
This category, however, is perhaps the strongest of all. Moore competes with “I’m Still Here” nominee Fernanda Torres, “Anora” star Mikey Madison and “Wicked” lead Cynthia Erivo.
All five actresses in this category play fierce, determined, self-assured women fighting for their survival. But it’s Moore — in what is surely the most difficult role — who is fiercest and most determined. And for that, her character suffers truly grotesque consequences.
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody - “The Brutalist”
Despite loving “Conclave” exceedingly more than Brady Corbet’s lengthy film, “The Brutalist,” Brody’s devastating and masterful performance in it earns him the Oscar.
I was blown away by Brody’s raw, powerful portrayal of fictional Jewish Hungarian architect László Tóth. Though the film works hard to convince us that Tóth is a genius with little actual proof, I think Brody’s unsettling depiction of a disturbed, drug-addicted Holocaust survivor is what makes the film memorable.
Though there was some recent controversy over the film’s use of AI to correct and slightly alter Brody and co-star Felicity Jones’ Hungarian pronunciations, reporting on the subject makes clear that Brody’s performance is entirely his own — and it is excellent.
Best Picture
“Nickel Boys”
Only once before has a movie made me sob — yes, sob — as “Nickel Boys” did.
Based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, director RaMell Ross’ distinct personal style makes for an unforgettable, heartbreaking experience. The movie is about a young man, a talented student named Elwood, who is unjustly arrested and sent to serve time at the Nickel Academy, a brutal reform school. There, he meets and befriends another young Black teen, Turner.
My favorite movie critic, Indiewire’s David Ehrlich, named “Nickel Boys” his favorite movie of the year. In his review, he writes, “Light on its feet and soft as a velvet hammer, ‘Nickel Boys’ mourns the stolen potential of its characters while rescuing a profound resilience from how they come to see themselves in each other.”
This year’s slate of nominees demonstrates what a strong year 2024 was for movies. Though some of my favorite films of the year were disappointingly snubbed (namely, “La Chimera,” “Janet Planet” and “Dìdi”), each category is stacked with serious talent and competition. Even a more minor category like Best Animated Short Film has five terrific and different candidates.
I, for one, can’t wait to watch on Sunday night.