Posters for 10 movies nominated for the category “Best Picture” for the 97th Academy Awards are shown above. Variety Staffer Sylvia Robinson predicted the winners in several categories, including Best Animation Film, Best Actress and Best Actor. “While there were many formidable competitors in this category, “Emilia Pérez” still managed to rise above the rest. With a total of 13 nominations, this movie was clearly impactful,” Robinson wrote. “Emilia Pérez has the audience on the edges of their seats at all times and deserves to be named this year’s Best Picture.” Photos fair use of IMDb, graphic by Sylvia Robinson
Variety Staffer Sylvia Robinson predicts the winners of various categories for the 97th Academy Awards, which will take place on March 2.
2024 was a big year, with various events, both cultural and political, happening worldwide. The same reigns true in the entertainment industry, as a variety of films containing themes like love and family were premiered, invoking emotions from tears to laughter in viewers. As the 97th Academy Awards approach, let’s predict which films will walk away with the ultimate prize.
Best Picture
Nominees
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
Predicted Winner: Emilia Pérez
Honorable Mention: The Substance
While there were many formidable competitors in this category, “Emilia Pérez” still managed to rise above the rest. With a total of 13 nominations, this movie was clearly impactful. It follows Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), a lawyer who was captured to help Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón) transition from being a cartel boss to a woman in retirement. “Emilia Pérez” has the audience on the edge of their seats at all times with Gascón’s ability to show true emotion and impact by presenting her story, what she has gone through and how she healed emotionally and physically. Although the musical touches in the movie were toned a notch down, it still shined through with multiple important and meaningful messages in the plot, making the movie deserving to be named this year’s Best Picture.
Best Actor
Nominees
Ralph Fiennes – “Conclave”
Sebastian Stan – “The Apprentice”
Timothée Chalamet – “A Complete Unknown”
Colman Domingo – “Sing Sing”
Adrien Brody – “The Brutalist”
Predicted Winner: Adrien Brody – “The Brutalist”
Honorable Mention: Timothee Chalamet – “A Complete Unknown”
Two-time Oscar nominee actor Adrien Brody stars in “The Brutalist,” a movie about an architect coming to the United States in 1947 after surviving the horrific events of the Holocaust. There, Brody’s character, László Tóth, attempts to rebuild his life with his wife, Erzsébet Tóth (Felicity Jones) over the period of the 1950s to mid 1970s. The movie was an emotional and complicated depiction of events, and Brody handled it with innovation. He depicts his battles with trauma as a Holocaust survivor in a foreign nation that doesn’t accept him through his gut-wrenching, but measured manners, further establishing himself as one of the strongest actors of this generation.
Best Actress
Nominees
Fernanda Torres – “I’m Still Here”
Demi Moore – “The Substance”
Karla Sofía Gascón – “Emilia Pérez”
Cynthia Erivo – “Wicked”
Mikey Madison – “Anora”
Predicted Winner: Demi Moore – “The Substance”
Honorable Mention: Karla Sofía Gascón – “Emilia Pérez”
It’s clear that Demi Moore poured her blood, sweat and tears into the iconic role of Elisabeth Sparkle. The movie depicts Sparkles, a famous aerobics show host, as she gets fired by her boss on her 50th birthday due to not looking like her ‘iconic’ self anymore. As she experiences stress, a laboratory offers her an injection called ‘The Substance’, which gives her an opportunity to become young again. Moore’s talent in depicting Sparkle’s feelings of anger and confusion was truly unmatched for this film. The acting she expressed in conflicting situations inflicted distressed emotions upon audiences worthy of earning an Oscar.
Best Original Song
Nominees
Like A Bird (Sing Sing Original Soundtrack) – Adrian Quesada, Abraham Alexander
Never Too Late (From The Film: “Elton John: Never Too Late”) – Elton John, Brandi Carlile
The Journey – H.E.R., Diane Warren
El Mal – Jacques Audiard, Camille, Clément Ducol
Mi Camino – Camille, Clement Docul
Predicted Winner: El Mal – Jacques Audiard, Camille, Clément Ducol
Honorable Mention: The Journey – H.E.R., Diane Warren
Although every nominated song has impacting and hard-hitting emotions behind it, El Mal is easily the best. The song features various striking and suspending beats, causing the dramatic music to highlight the deception of Mexican politicians and criminals in “Emilia Pérez”. Overall, this is very touching with the modern world today and has a broad influence worldwide.
Best Animated Feature
Nominees
Flow – Gints Zilbalodis
Inside Out 2 – Kelsey Mann, Mark Nielsen
The Wild Robot – Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Merlin Crossingham, Nick Park
Memoir of a Snail – Adam Elliot, Liz Kearney
Predicted Winner: The Wild Robot – Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann
Honorable Mention: Flow – Giants Zilbalodis
The book, “The Wild Robot,” written by Peter Brown, was adapted into an animated film — a successful feat deserving of the Academy Award. In general, the directors of the movie did a phenomenal job at bringing it to life. After getting into a shipwreck, a robot becomes stranded on an island. As it adjusts to its natural surroundings, the robot ends up making friends and bonds with the native animals. With its unique visual style in using computer-generated imagery (CGI) and hand-painted animation, along with having a great cast, “The Wild Robot” is engaging to children and adults alike. Sticking to the original plot is something that the movie also succeeds at, sending a message to the world about the importance of understanding unfamiliar surroundings and embracing differences towards one another.
