The next three movies on our list are heavy hitters below the line:
5 nominations
- Picture
- Director: Coralie Fargeat (1st time nominee)
- Actress: Demi Moore (1st time nominee)
- Original Screenplay: Fargeat (1st time nominee)
- Makeup & Hairstyling
Cast: Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Hugo Diego Garcia, Christian Erickson, Oscar Lesage, Robin Greer, Edward Hamilton Clark, Gore Abrams
This movie wasn't my favorite—mostly I was frustrated with the way it kept acting like it was very deep when all of its analysis felt very shallow to me. This was especially evident in Dennis Quaid's cartoony characterization. (Which isn't to say that he's bad in it; only that his character lacks dimension.) But the news here is that a horror-adjacent movie is doing well with the Oscars and that Demi Moore has had an extraordinary, wonderful comeback. I am actually very glad that Margaret Qualley missed on a supporting actress nomination here because it just lets Demi Moore be the film's shining light. Perhaps more surprising is Coralie Fargeat's nomination in the directing category. I don't quite understand this nomination, but who can be mad about it? The Substance is an instantly iconic movie—drag queens were already doing the Demi Moore look last Halloween—and Fargeat's direction is grotesque and outrageous. This film is a fan favorite, and its five nominations (quite a haul, actually) are a way of honoring one of the year's most iconic wild rides.
Will win: Actress
Could win: Original Screenplay, Makeup & Hairstyling
My rating: #68 out of 94
5 nominations
- Picture
- Cinematography: Greig Fraser (Dune: Part One, Lion)
- Production Design: Patrice Vermette (Dune: Part One, Arrival, The Young Victoria) & Shane Vieau (Nightmare Alley, The Shape of Water)
- Sound
- Visual Effects
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Charlotte Rampling, Giusi Merli, Alison Halstead
Well at least one of the best films of the year—and probably the epic cinematic event of the year—was nominated for five Oscars. Dune: Part Two is extraordinary, deeply pleasurable, visually stunning, emotionally rich, and brilliantly crafted. The acting is great, the effects are spectacular, and I've been listening to the original score since the movie came out (somehow the nepotistic music branch failed to nominate Hans Zimmer, but I guess it's ok since he already has a dozen nominations and two statues, including one for Dune: Part One). I do wonder how you get off a sand worm, though. It's one thing to board the old girl for some trans-planetary travel, but how does one dismount? Extra points for the sequences in grayscale under that planet's black sun. What a visually stunning choice!
Will win: Cinematography
Could win: Production Design, Sound, Visual Effects
My rating: #11 out of 94
4 nominations
- Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke (The Lighthouse)
- Production Design: Beatrice Brentnerová & Craig Lathrop (1st time nominees)
- Costume Design: Linda Muir (1st time nominee)
- Makeup & Hairstyling
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Simon McBurney
I've already written about my problems with the film's real lack of eroticism here (despite its ranking as #69 for me for the year), so I won't belabor the point again. But let's take time to talk about the production design and costume design, which really were breathtaking. At one point my companions and I were really stunned by how real the town looked as Nicholas Hoult walked to work. It looked to me as if it was built from scratch, and it looked absolutely gorgeous. The costumes were exquisite. The suiting was impeccable. The whole thing looked so good and perfect that Nosferatu can best be compared to a slow, vaguely scary, sexless Wes Anderson movie. Like imagine the immaculately designed intricate detail of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou but with no jokes or songs.
Will win: N/A
Could win: Makeup & Hairstyling
My rating: #69 out of 94
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