The Oscars are a big deal for movie fans. No award is more highly regarded by both movie buffs and casual watchers. So it is a big deal when a film gets a nomination, and especially when it wins an award from The Academy. With the nominations being revealed earlier today, we asked for our writers to submit their general reactions to the Oscar nominations.
When the nominees came out there were obviously a few different things I could nitpick — again, a great documentary I actually watched not getting nominated (sorry Daughters), Challengers erasure, etc. — but I want to use this platform as a fact-finding mission. Dear, invisible Emilia Pérez stans: Please explain the love for this movie. Among the SiftPop mutuals on Letterboxd, there are like three out of roughly 20 that have given it a 3.5 or above, and there are no 4.5 or above. Likewise, I haven’t heard anyone else speak glowingly about it in a way that explains the barrage of nominations (either on podcasts or via social media reactions). I don’t get it. I may not have vibed with The Substance, but I get what it is trying to do. I don’t understand Emilia Pérez at all — particularly given the critiques from the Mexican and transgender communities. If you are one of these people, make it make sense. (Jake Bourgeois)
Each year, I get so much less up in arms about Oscar nomination than my friends do, because I transcended the need to care about these silly little movie awards. So thanks to my pompous enlightened mind, I didn’t have to be upset that my dudes Denis Villeneuve and, especially, Luca Guadagnino (the real heads know that both Challengers AND Queer are incredible) were rudely ignored. (Robert Bouffard)
One word to sum up this year’s Oscars: surprising. In both the bad ways (no Challengers, Denis Villeneuve being snubbed again for directing — those Dune movies must be notoriously easy to make) and good ones. For me, a giant The Substance fan, I had a suspicion that Demi Moore would get nominated alongside the movie, but I secretly hoped Coralie Fargeat would get that Best Director nomination, so when her name popped up, I was so happy. I also love the fact that Nosferatu got some recognition, alongside my other favourite of 2024, The Wild Robot, which got three nominations (Best Animated Feature, Best Sound and Best Original Score). I still need to catch up on many movies, including the very controversial (at least in the SiftPop circle) Emilia Pérez, so my thoughts are brief, but ultimately, it’s the same sh-… stuff, different year. There are some surprising nominations, some snubs people will not shut up about for years to come, and the Earth keeps spinning. See you on the second of March. (Luke Burian)
My dreams of Hundreds of Beavers and Nosferatu duking it out for Best Picture have been dashed! But that was always likely to be the case. Challengers getting zero nominations… now that is horribly unexpected. I guess the Original Score voters didn’t want to go to the club. Crash Part Two: Emilia Perez getting that many nominations is a joke, right? When I heard that they weren’t going to perform the songs this year, I got very upset… then I saw the nominations (except for you, Elton John… losing out on another free concert from of one of the true greats is a shame). But the biggest disappointment has to be the distinct lack of Dune: Part Two love for the bigger categories (outside of Best Picture). You all might be disappointed… but I love the love for A Complete Unknown. But overall, the coolest thing about this year is that we can call get down with… The Substance. (Shane Conto)
Every year I tell myself the same thing: These awards are an exercise in futility, attempting to shove a year of cinematic art into a few categories. Yet there I was, January 2025, glued to the nominations, keeled over with rage at certain omissions and properly celebratory of the outside shots that made it. Much can and will be said about the Emilia Perez wave. Whatever defense I had before for its right to exist, its quality does not align with the subsequent 13 nominations. Like Green Book and Crash before it, everything feels properly queued for Emilia Perez to be the next great Oscars bag-fumble. Huge shoutout to The Substance, Demi Moore, and Coralie Fargeat. I was optimistic about the film’s chances in one of the Best Picture, Actress, and Director, but I wasn’t expecting all three. I also liked seeing Monica Barbaro nominated for A Complete Unknown! The movie itself might be a tad overrepresented for my own taste, but Barbaro and Edward Norton often stand out as the engaging bright spots. The continuation of the Dune Academy Award snubs should be a Hollywood narrative waxed poetic on for years. A downright tragedy that Denis missed yet another nomination. (Nashua Doll)
First, have Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott host the Oscars! Their chemistry was outstanding during the nomination announcements, and they would be great together! I will admit there are a number of pleasant surprises from the nominations, like Flow getting nominated in the Best International Feature category, The Wild Robot scoring multiple nominations, and The Substance (rooting for Demi Moore) and Nosferatu getting way more love than expected. However, there are two thoughts I have that are increasingly causing my anxiety. Certain films getting shut out feels like a victim of circumstance where they couldn’t find a place to break through. In particular, Heretic, All We Imagine As Light (Academy, please change your rules on Best International Feature to allow countries to submit more than one movie), Juror #2 (#JusticeForToniCollette), and The Piano Lesson (#SeriouslyJusticeforDanielleDeadwyler). How on Earth does Challengers walk away with nothing? At minimum, I thought the score would be nominated, along with Zendaya for Best Actress. To be completely shut out is mind boggling for me, though. Moreover, the love for Emilia Pérez has reached critical mass, and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT AT ALL. Netflix must be running the best campaign ever, because to score 13 nominations is outrageous. If this is finally Netflix’s time to shine, I cannot believe that this is the movie that will potentially take them home. (Mike Hilty)
Are you mad that Emilia Perez has more nominations than Lord of the Rings? Did you forget that Dune: Part Two came out earlier this year? Are you also unable to see The Brutalist yet? How many times did you cry in The Wild Robot, and why is it more than 10? Do you know what kind of substances are in THE substance in The Substance? Were you also shocked by how quiet and demure Mikey Madison has been during her press for Anora? Who here has seen I’m Still Here? Did you fall for Ed Norton’s fake folksy crap in A Complete Unknown? Are you happy with yourself for getting Jon M. Chu out of the director’s race for Wicked, because now Jacques Audiard is gonna win and Denis Villeneuve isn’t even nominated? Does the Academy need a new process for ensuring its voters see EVERYTHING they are supposed to? And most importantly, how many beavers were there in Hundreds of Beavers? (Sam Nichols)
I only saw 55 2024 movies in total, and only five of the Best Picture Nominees. Let’s get the snubs out of the way first: Challengers (Best Picture and Score AT LEAST), Civil War (Cinematography), Dune: Part Two (Directing) and Girls State (Documentary) are all nonnegotiables for me. I also believe Hundreds of Beavers, Hit Man, Trap, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and Juror #2 should have gotten some love, but I wasn’t expecting nominations for them for various reasons. My biggest problem with this year’s nominations is that they felt pretty safe. There were some choices that came as a surprise, but they’re still in the category of safe. It felt like there was a shift in recent years to make the awards season more fun, with movies like Mad Max: Fury Road getting a Best Picture nomination, and all the awards that Everything Everywhere All at Once won, but when the nominations came out, I didn’t feel excited. It felt like the dusty awards I thought we were passed. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, since I have only seen 26% of films even nominated, but that is kind of telling in and of itself, isn’t it? (Aaron Schweitzer)