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2025 Oscar nominations: Biggest snubs and surprises
See which movies are actually worth watching. Hint: It's not the one with the most nominations.
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If the Oscars telecast is my Super Bowl, then the 2025 Oscar nominations announcement – which took place bright and early Thursday morning — is my Christmas.
After waking up extra early, barely able to sleep, my favorite cousins (Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott) unwrapped categories one by one. And while some of the gifts were exactly what I expected (“Oh, you got me ‘Emilia Perez’ again?”), others were genuine surprises.
The biggest winners, losers, surprises, and snubs
Winners
“Emilia Perez” and Netflix: The Jacques Audiard musical led all films with 13 nominations. With the Academy’s increasingly international voting body, the bilingual, French-produced, Mexican-set movie gives Netflix a real chance at its first Best Picture win.
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“The Brutalist”: The ten nominations for Brady Corbet’s 218-minute historical drama — a $10 million film that looks like it cost $200 million — are a testament to voters recognizing filmmaking with a Capital F. (This is a streaming newsletter, but Bostonians should go see it at the Coolidge or Somerville Theatres in Vistavision!)
“Wicked”: After “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” brought heightened interest to last year’s awards, Academy voters made sure to reward John M. Chu’s buzzy musical with ten nominations. Read my review.
Losers
Apple: After winning Best Picture with 2021’s “CODA” and contending last year with “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Apple-produced films received zero nominations. Its only awards hopeful, Steve McQueen’s war drama “Blitz,” was actually quite good, but never built any momentum.
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Amazon: Amazon Studios should be proud of the two nominations for RaMell Ross’s “Nickel Boys.” But the formally daring film deserved more, and the company’s other contender, “Challengers,” was shut out entirely.
“Gladiator II”: The other half of “Glicked” only managed one nomination (for Costume Design), leaving Denzel Washington’s bravura supporting performance on the sideline. See my take on the “Glicked” craze that never was.
Surprises
“Dune: Part Two”: After being shut out by the Golden Globes and other awards bodies that act as Oscar precursors, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic earned five nominations, including an unexpected Best Picture nod. Read my review.
“The Apprentice”: Considering that the Donald Trump biopic was shunned by every major studio due to its subject matter, seeing both Sebastian Stan (playing Trump) and Boston native/Number One Boy Jeremy Strong (playing fixer Roy Cohn) earn nominations was a significant surprise.
“I’m Still Here”: The second Best Picture surprise came in the form of the Brazilian drama “I’m Still Here,” which was also nominated for Best Actress (Fernanda Torres) and Best International Film. The power of the international voter bloc is clearly growing in the Academy.
Snubs
“Challengers”: My Spotify Wrapped was full of songs from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s propulsive score, which gave this erotic tennis drama its beating heart. “Compress/Repress” should’ve landed a Best Song nod, too. Read my review.
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“Hard Truths”: Mike Leigh’s spiky drama is anchored by one of the most bitter, acidic lead performances in recent memory from Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who refused to let audiences (and Academy voters) off the hook by making her depressed housewife even one percent more likeable.
“Nickel Boys”: Watching “Nickel Boys” is like learning a new film language, and while it earned two nods (Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay), RaMell Ross’s film also deserved nominations for Editing, Cinematography, and Director at a minimum.
Play or Skip: Oscars edition
Add these Oscar nominees to your watchlist:
- “The Wild Robot”: (My favorite of the Best Animated Feature nominees, streaming on Peacock.)
- “Gladiator II” (Worth it just for Denzel, newly streaming on Paramount+.)
- “Dune: Part Two” (After months on Max, the sandworms have slithered to Netflix.)
… but go ahead and skip these:
- “Emilia Perez” (It might win Netflix its first Best Picture, but it’s the worst of the 10 nominees.)
- “Elton John: Never Too Late” (Only a must-watch for huge Elton fans, streaming on Disney+.)
Read my guide on how to watch or stream all of the nominated movies.
End Credits
That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.
Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!
— Kevin
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