1.The Brutalist
The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet and starring Adrien Brody, follows the story of a Jewish architect who flees post-WWII Europe with his family in order to rebuild his career in America. The Brutalist is nominated for 10 Oscars and has already won two Golden Globes, including best Motion Picture Drama and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. The film was shot in 34 days on a budget of 10 million dollars. This is an extremely impressive feat, especially when you take into account the monstrous 3 hour and 35 minute runtime. However, The Brutalist is not without controversy, as the film is coming under fire due to the use of an AI program which was used to artificially enhance Brody’s Hungarian accent on screen. This is especially problematic when you consider that Brody has already won a Golden Globe for his performance and is also in the running for best male performance at the Oscars. It would be ridiculous to completely denounce all the hard work and artistry that was put into the film under such strenuous conditions, but the use of AI in, arguably, the most acclaimed film of the year is a slippery slope that cannot be ignored. Nonetheless, The Brutalist still remains a top contender to claim the award for Best Picture.
2.Emilia Perez
Emilia Perez is by far one of, if not, the most controversial films to be released this year. With over 13 nominations including Best Picture, as well as lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón being the first openly trans woman to be nominated for Best Female Performance, it seemed like Emilia Perez had everything going for it. However, this all changed overnight when old tweets written by Gascón resurfaced. Past comments causing celebrities to find themselves in hot water is certainly not a new or foreign concept; however, Gascón‘s case is a rather extreme one as her tweets condemn the Black Lives Matter movement, derogatorily speak about Islamic people and even go as far as to directly defend Nazi ideology. In response, Netflix, the distributor of the film, has decided to sever all ties with the actress. Gascón’s travel expenses for the award ceremony will no longer be covered by the streaming service, furthermore, Gascón’s face has been removed from all promotional material despite playing the central character.
Before any of Gascón’s tweets came to light, Emilia Perez had already received backlash from audience members despite the positive reviews from critics. Many transgender moviegoers criticize the film for inaccurately portraying the trans experience, claiming that the film offers a very one dimensional perspective, as the director and writer Jacques Audiard isn’t trans himself. Additionally, many Mexican movie goers felt that the film sensationalizes cartel violence, treating real life victims with little to no regard. With such a mixed reception coupled with negative publicity, it is hard to gauge whether or not Emilia Perez will take home any of the awards it was nominated for.
3.Challengers snub
A lot of great films came out in 2024, however not all of them were nominated, even if many fans believed that they deserved adulation. A popular example for this is the film Challenges, directed by Luca Guadagnino. Challengers follows the story of a tennis coach involved in a love triangle with her husband and his former best friend. Challengers was a commercial and critical success, receiving a score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and making 96 million dollars in the box office. That being said, the film didn’t receive a single nomination. Most surprisingly, Challengers was not nominated for Best Original Score, which was written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the musicians behind the band Nine Inch Nails. The score, which has already received a Critics Choice Award, has garnered lots of attention online, racking up close to 10 million streams on Spotify alone, marking it as one of the most prominent snubs. Additionally, composer Stephen Schwartz is nominated for his work on the film Wicked despite originally writing many of the tracks featured in the film for Broadway years prior. This decision only exacerbates the feelings fans have on The Academy’s decision to not nominate Reznor and Ross.
