By Colton Silva
On January 25th, 2025, the 97th annual Academy Awards announced their nominees for the film industry for the year 2024. We had a stacked year with some very impressive films releasing, from animated films, to comic book movies, to new original works and adaptations alike. With that being said, I want to give my predictions as to what I believe will win and what I want to win (along with what films have been nominated for each category). With that, let’s begin.
Nominees for Best Original Screenplay:
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Real Pain
- September 5th
- The Substance
What I want to win: September 5th.
What I think will win: The Brutalist or The Substance.
I want September 5th to win because it was a real historical story that just got swept under the rug. The chaos behind this event was well represented. I think either The Burtalist or The Substance will win just because of how they experiment with storytelling and script writing as a whole.
Nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay:
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Emilia Perez
- Nickel Boys
- Sing Sing
What I want to win: Sing Sing.
What I think will win: Conclave.
I want Sing Sing to win because it made what might have been a basic story a lot more entertaining, all thanks to the writing. I think Conclave will win just because of the twists and dialogue written.
Nominees for Best Visual Effects:
- Alien: Romulus
- Better Man
- Dune: Part Two
- Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes
- Wicked
What I want to win: Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes or Wicked.
What I think will win: Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes or Dune: Part Two.
I want Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes or Wicked to win because they did more than just put cool visuals on screen. They used those visuals in a way that heightened the movie’s levels and made everyone more real and magical at the same time. I think Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes or Dune: Part Two will win, though, because of the scale used for the storytelling.
Nominees for Best Sound:
- A Complete Unknown
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Perez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
What I want to win: Wicked or Dune: Part Two or The Wild Robot.
What I think will win: Dune: Part Two.
I want Wicked or Dune: Part Two or The Wild Robot to win because they all made real life sounds with materials in a studio instead of an online sound library, which made the environment on screen much more real. I think Dune: Part Two will win because it used the most sound variation out of all the films.
Nominees for Best Production Design:
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Nosferatu
- Wicked
What I want to win: Wicked.
What I think will win: Wicked or Dune: Part Two.
I want Wicked to win because the studio and crew behind it built actual hundreds to thousands of feet of buildings, trains, lands with 9 million tulips, and so much more, and deserve this credit. I think Wicked or Dune: Part Two will win just because of the scale and practicality of everything.
Nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
- A Different Man
- Emelia Perez
- Nosferatu
- The Substance
- Wicked
What I want to win: Wicked or A Different Man.
What I think will win: Nosferatu or A Different Man.
I want Wicked or A Different Man to win because they had people from around the world who specialize in specific details about certain characters or, for A Different Man, capture the same details from the face of Adam Pearson. I think Nosferatu or A Different Man will win because of the use of different techniques and details from different eras of time.
Nominees for Best Original Score:
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emelia Perez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
What I want to win: The Wild Robot.
What I think will win: The Brutalist or Conclave.
I want The Wild Robot to win because the score, to me, was the most beautiful and impactful and is the only animated film on the list nominated for this category. (It is not common to see an animated film in this category.) I think The Brutalist or Conclave might win because each score greatly heightens every scene in both.
Nominees for Best Director:
- Sean Baker – Anora
- Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
- James Mangold – A Complete Unknown
- Jacques Audiard – Emelia Perez
- Coraline Fargeat – The Substance
What I want to win: The Brutalist.
What I think will win: The Brutalist or The Substance.
I want The Brutalist to win because Brady Corbet has such a unique way of storytelling and directing that usually isn’t present, and especially never nominated. I hope that this can start a new generation of unique films with unique directions. I think The Brutalist or The Substance will win for the same reasons as I want The Brutalist to win.
Nominees for Best Costume Design:
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Gladiator 2
- Nosferatu
- Wicked
What I want to win: Wicked.
What I think will win: Wicked or Gladiator 2.
I want Wicked to win because every costume is some of the most dedicated and detailed piece of materials I’ve ever seen and should be acknowledged as such. I think Wicked or Gladiator 2 will win just because of the high amount of details represented in each and every costume.
Nominees for Best Animated Feature:
- Inside Out 2
- Flow
- The Wild Robot
- Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- Memoir of a Snail
What I want to win: The Wild Robot.
What I think will win: Flow or Memoir of a Snail.
I want The Wild Robot to win because it is one of the most beautiful animated forms of media I have seen in years from the animation itself, the music, the characters and, of course, the story. I think Flow or Memoir of a Snail will win because they are the types of films that aren’t marketed as much but get huge praise.
Nominees for Best Picture:
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- Wicked
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Emelia Perez
- Dune: Part Two
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
What I want to win: The Brutalist or Wicked or Dune: Part Two.
What I think will win: The Brutalist or The Substance.
I want The Brutalist or Wicked or Dune: Part Two to win because all have given some of the best work in every field of creating a motion picture and all deserve the Oscar easily. I think The Brutalist or The Substance will win because their work in all of their fields of filmmaking and their stories and cast all together will get them the Oscar.
The 97th Annual Oscars will be held on Mar 2, 2025. We here at The Paw say good luck to each of the nominees!
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