This Year’s Oscar Hopefuls for Best Picture Includes Surprise Specialty Hits Like CONCLAVE
Best Picture Contenders Offer Some Unique Possibilities
This year’s Oscars are going to be hosted by Conan O’Brien and the Best Picture contenders offer a diverse and competitive field of hopeful movies looking to make the cut.
As far as the 2025 Academy Awards (which we just learned will be hosted by Conan O’Brien) are concerned, several films are almost sure-fire candidates to make the final list as Best Picture nominees. Among them are Anora, Conclave, The Room Next Door, Wicked, Dune: Part Two, The Brutalist and Blitz. A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, could also make the cut. Other than that, it’s kind of an open door for some other contenders to sneak in and join this list of highly prestigious motion pictures.
Dune: Part Two has been a shoo-in for a nomination this year even since the release of the film was announced. Though the momentum of that film’s odds of winning the top prize was steady for much of the year, it has now been overshadowed by the fact that many insiders are calling Wicked the definitive movie of the year. Let’s face it-great sequels like The Empire Strikes Back failed to yield the top prize at the Oscars whereas musicals like Chicago have gone on to nab the coveted honor. It looks like Wicked’s year thus far but that could all change in the blink of an eye.
Conclave, which I have just seen and admired, is the movie with the most buzz considering its hugely surprising ending. There’s no denying it will make the final list of nominees for Best Picture with its star, Ralph Fiennes, competing for Best Actor. The beauty of Conclave is it leaves the door wide open for discussion after viewing it. Wicked may not be as thought-provoking but Conclave is a specialty release which could give the much more mainstream Wicked the upper hand. The Brutalist, which is an upcoming specialty release, has divided audiences at festivals a bit though its certain to make the final cut for Adrien Brody in the Best Actor category which could push the mostly praised film into the Best Picture race where it probably won’t win.
Blitz and The Room Next Door have all the ingredients that Oscar nominated films tend to possess. Blitz has a war-time setting and moving story-line that could certainly help get it into the race. The Room Next Door is a performer’s paradise with either Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton destined to get into the Best Actress race which could put the movie in serious contention for a Best Picture nod.
Anora, though, is the closest thing Wicked has to a major enemy. Anora won numerous prizes elsewhere and has the feeling of a creative masterpiece that rivals the likes of films made by Scorsese. But, Scorsese didn’t win his Oscar till much later in his career which could make Sean Baker’s Anora ultimately lose to Wicked though Anora will definitely be nominated in many categories. Other Oscar hopefuls for Best Picture include the highly regarded Nickel Boys and, in my humble opinion, Clint Eastwood’s great Juror #2.
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