For example, I think Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman and Helen Hunt for As Good as It Gets are highly deserving wins.

There's a new power couple in Hollywood and they demand your attention. Brady Corbet and his common-law partner, Mona Fastvold, created The Brutalist, an Oscar contender that not only took years to create but also pushes the boundaries of the cinematic form. The Brutalist has cemented Corbet as an iconoclast director, akin to egomaniacal geniuses like Frank Capra and John Ford. Through deft creativity, an unbelievably sharp script and a willingness to push the envelope, Corbet and Fastvold have caught the attention of this cinephile, who will wait patiently for their next feature, which is expected later this year.

When I walked into The Brutalist, I had two questions: Who is Brady Corbet and how did he get to direct a three-and-a-half-hour movie, which includes an overture and an intermission, that was also shot on 70-millimetre film? In an interview with CBC's Tom Power, Corbet stated that he's had show-business representation since he was seven years old, meaning he's been in the biz for a long time. Through his adolescent years as an actor, he worked with top indie directors like Catherine Hardwicke, Gregg Araki, Michael Haneke and Lars von Trier.

After establishing himself in the indie scene, Corbet decided to focus on writing and directing along with his partner, Fastvold. They co-wrote and he directed The Childhood of a Leader, which won best debut film at the Venice Film Festival. This movie was shot on 35 mm and, when accepting his award, Corbet stated, “Celluloid should be a filmmaker’s right, not a privilege.” The movie had an abysmal box office return. After that, the duo co-wrote and Corbet directed Vox Lux, the Natalie Portman movie where she played a pop star. Didn't see it? Me neither. The movie returned $1.4-million on a budget of $11-million, although it received praise from critics.

Bombing at the box office hasn't seemed to bother Corbet and Fastvold. Since Vox Lux's disappointment, they've worked steadily to get The Brutalist made. The duo co-wrote the script and I was surprised to learn that it was only 131 pages, which is a common length for two-hour movies, not three-and-a-half-hour epics. I was equally surprised to find out that its final budget was $9.6-million, very modest for such a grandiose picture. The movie premiered at Venice, where Corbet won the Silver Lion for best direction and A24 purchased the movie's distribution rights for approximately $10-million. The movie winning Best Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globes made it a frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars. But all this backstory is moot if the movie is no good. Luckily, the duo created an inventive, cinematic experience.

I am fascinated with the form of The Brutalist. This original-concept fiction uses past, unseen events to inform the actions of the characters, while not revealing these unseen events until the movie's end. Its final scene made me recontextualize every action from the characters, especially the protagonist, László Tóth, played by the superb Adrien Brody. It's similar to how I felt after first watching The Usual Suspects, only The Brutalist doesn't rely on some witty twist, but rather on an expected realization that, after its made clear, reinforms every scene. Let me provide some examples.

As László works to build his commission for Harrison Lee Van Buren, played by the sensational Guy Pearce, László is livid when another architect is brought on to edit his plans. At the time, we think that László is being egotistical, akin to the architect stereotype made famous by Ayn Rand. In the end, we realize that the reason László is so upset is because the changes would compromise the entire vision and purpose of his project. The changes would cause the project to lose all of its unspoken meaning, which, to László, is unacceptable.

The Brutalist includes an intermission where, for 15 minutes, there is a picture on the screen from László and Erzsébet's wedding. After the credits roll, we realize the significance of this picture. It seems that it was taken during the last time things were really good in László's life; the last time he was able to feel love without limitation.

In The Brutalist, we receive a Jewish story that focuses on the search for home. This is not an exclusively Jewish theme, but, in this instance, the specification is important. László, after surviving the war and being separated from Erzsébet, comes to America to start a new life. As a Jew in Europe, he was unwanted in the early 20th century. The Holocaust did not happen in a vacuum. It was decades, if not centuries, in the making, as non-Jewish Europeans grew more antisemitic. This antisemitism was so strong that Jewish Zionists searched for a place away from all the hatred that they could call home. For László, America held the hope of being that loving home.

However, it is not. Rarely in The Brutalist does László even have a home to call his own. He lives in the storage closet of his cousin's furniture store, before moving to a charity house and then to the guesthouse on Van Buren's property. Only later does he finally get the smallest, dingiest apartment in New York to call his own, and even then he does not stay long. His passion to make something out of his indignities call him back to the Van Buren property.

László is dealing with a vicious amount of trauma. As such, he comes off as a very flawed individual. He has a dangerous drug problem, using marijuana and heroin to numb his physical and emotional pain. His trauma also makes him sexually impotent. Even when he is eventually reunited with Erzsébet, played with devastating precision by Felicity Jones, he still cannot give an ideal performance. It's not until when they are both enraptured in the numb velvet of heroin that they can properly love each other again.

The movie is not without its flaws. The movie's magic fades in the late third act, before the epilogue. The story slips into melodrama, making it feel like any run-of-the-mill period-piece drama. The pacing of these final scenes felt rushed, which is ironic considering the movie's length. It's like Corbet and Fastvold felt the pressure to wrap everything up in a neat package in the last 20 minutes. Thus, action unfolds at a rapid pace and plot points that had slowly gestated quickly conclude in a not-so-artistic way.

I was also unimpressed with the static nature of some of the characters, such as Joe Alwyn's Harry Lee Van Buren and Stacy Martin's Maggie Van Buren. Although the actors give great performances, their character's felt steeped in tepid, rich-person tropes like smugness, cruelty and decadence. Regardless of the film's anarchistic undertones, I would've preferred more well-rounded side characters.

Despite The Brutalist being fiction, there was a real Laszlo Toth. In 1972, Laszlo Toth physically attacked Michelangelo's Pietà with a geologist's hammer. He dislodged Mary's arm, took off a piece of her nose and chipped her eyelid. Despite my vehement denunciation of this action, it is an iconoclastic thing to do.

This brings me to the final part of this article. Corbet as an iconoclast; a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions. The iconoclast is a unique director trope, akin to the auteur. An iconoclast is not afraid to break the rules if they believe the rules deserve to be broken. I would not have demanded that an argument be made for Corbet as iconoclast if it wasn't for the song he chose to accompany The Brutalist's closing credits.

“One for You, One for Me” by La Bionda is a an Italian disco bop that feels somewhat at odds with the rest of The Brutalist's subtle, brutal story. But the song is a statement of Corbet's artistic vision. A stalwart of Hollywood philosophy is that you do “one for them, one for me.” This means that you make one movie to appease the studio, then you do one movie to appease your artistic passion. For example, in 1993, Steven Spielberg did Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. I think you can guess which one was for the studio and which one was a passion project. Martin Scorsese has done it too, following The Wolf of Wall Street with his 25-year passion project, Silence. The idea is that you make a box-office smash in order to finance your next picture, which will appeal to a more niche audience.

Corbet throws dirt on this entire concept. None of his movie's are financially successful, The Brutalist being the exception only because A24 bought the distribution rights for the equivalent of the movie's budget. By using “One for You, One for Me” in the closing credits, it felt like Corbet was throwing two middle fingers up at the modern studio system, like he was saying, “See? I can make an epic, pack the theatre and keep my creative integrity all without your help… oh, and it's in 70 mm.” It seems that he wants to tear down the very concept of supplementing creative movies with box-office hits.

Corbet and Fastvold show no signs of leaving their independent roots, despite the buzz around The Brutalist. Their next picture, Ann Lee, is directed by Fastvold and the pair co-wrote the script. It's described as a musical about Quakers and it stars Amanda Seyfried and Thomasin McKenzie. It's slated for a 2025 release.

The Brutalist is a harrowing and demanding watch. Despite, it's long run time, the story is less intricate than I expected. However, the phenomenal script from Corbet and Fastvold, and Corbet's confidence as a director make this a must-watch movie for any cinephile. Corbet and Fastvold have created a genius, original-concept movie that should please cinephiles, if not confound the general public.

There is no distinction between a male author and a female author, which is why both are simply called "authors." Writing is not a performance-based art where gender plays a role in presentation, which is why major literary awards like the Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize in Literature, Booker Prize, and National Book Award do not separate categories by sex—both men and women compete equally.

Acting, however, is different. An actress specifically refers to a woman who plays female roles, while an actor refers to a man who plays male roles. Though both share the same profession, acting inherently involves embodying gendered roles, which is why awards like the Oscars, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes maintain separate categories for male and female performers.

If this distinction didn’t exist, then the Academy should eliminate the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories and have both sexes compete solely for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

For me, they would be Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice, Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry, and Kathy Bates in Misery.

Diana Ross - Lady Sings the Blues - nominated but likely lost due to Barry Gordy’s overly aggressive campaign.

With 29.7% of the vote, Promising Young Woman (2020) has been eliminated. Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman won Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Annual Academy Awards, and received a total of 5 nominations, including nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. The other films nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Annual Academy Awards were Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Promising Young Woman also won Best Original Screenplay at the WGA Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Critics’ Choice awards, and received a nomination at the Golden Globe Awards. The writer for Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fenell, made her writing feature debut in 2020 with Promising Young Woman, and has since gone on to write Saltburn (2023). Her Academy Award for Promising Young Woman was her first and only Oscar for writing so far, as well as her first and only nomination for a writing award.

Fill out the form by just selecting the winner you most want to be ELIMINATED next. The more people who vote, the more competitive and fun the competition will be! Keep in mind, you’re voting for which film you think has the WORST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY. NOT which film is your least favorite.

Remaining Contestants: - Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe - Gosford Park, Julian Fellowes - Talk to Her, Pedro Almodóvar - Lost in Translation, Sophia Coppola - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Charlie Kaufman, Michael Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth - Little Miss Sunshine, Michael Arndt - Juno, Diablo Cody - Milk, Dustin Lance Black - The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal - The King’s Speech, David Seidler - Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen - Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino - Her, Spike Jonze - Birdman; Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Nicolás Giacobone, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu - Spotlight, Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy - Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan - Get Out, Jordan Peele - Parasite, Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won - Belfast, Kenneth Branagh - Everything Everywhere All at Once, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari - Anora, Sean Baker

Ranking so far:

1. Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell

2. Green Book; Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, and Nick Vallelonga

3. Crash (Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco)

Use the reply thread for discussion!👇

With 16.7% of the vote, Jack Nicholson (As Good As It Gets) has been eliminated. Vote for the performance you liked the least in the form below and the one with the most votes will be eliminated.

VOTE HERE

40: Roberto Bengini (Life is Beautiful)

39: Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love)

38: Jessica Lange (Blue Sky)

37: Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules)

36: Jack Palance (City Slickers)

35: Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets)

34: Jack Nicholson (As Good As It Gets)

Ranking:

1. The Broadway Melody

2. Crash

3. Cimarron

4. Cavalcade

5. The Greatest Show on Earth

6. The Great Ziegfeld

7. Gigi

8. Around the World in 80 Days

9. Tom Jones

10. Driving Miss Daisy

11. The Life of Emile Zola

12. Green Book

13. Out of Africa

14. Shakespeare in Love

15. Chariots of Fire

16. Going My Way

17. A Man For All Seasons

18. Oliver!

19. Gentleman's Agreement

20. Grand Hotel

21. The Artist

22. CODA

23. Nomadland

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLtJfRioYxjXNycqox4xC3x3AiC-6-Prlpvl3BRWqY2zgVMQ/viewform?usp=dialog

• 25. Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
• 24. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
• 23. Reneé Zellweger (Judy)

For example I feel that instead for Christoph Waltz either DiCaprio or Sam Jackson should have been nominated for Django Unchained.

The nominees for the All-Time Oscar for Best SOUND are:

• JURASSIC PARK (1993)
• SOUND OF METAL (2019)
• STAR WARS (1977)
• WALL•E (2008)
• THE ZONE OF INTEREST (2023)

Now let's nominate for BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Rules:

1. Please format your answer as follows: Movie (Year). For example: Star Wars (1977)
2. Nominate a film released during the years the Oscars have been active (1927- 2024)
3. One film per comment
4. The film does NOT have to be a former nominee or winner
5. No 2025 movies
6. The FIVE top comments with the most upvotes will be our Best Production Design nominees

For example, 2019 for Best Actor.

Shame Ethan Hawke wasn't nominated for First Reformed, his performance is miles ahead of any of the nominees.

I was surprised to learn that Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress for Aliens (1986) with Heath Ledger winning for Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight (2008). These two actors are only ones that come to my mind who were nominated for an Oscar for acting in action movie.

For example: Best Actress in 2003

All five performances are worthy of the award. Moore is my personal favourite but I can't really argue against Kidman winning as well.

This movie has just the right edge, entertainment value, and all-around excellence across the board. And quite honestly, one of the most chilling films I've seen. (That ending...)

This would've been such a cool, inspired pick for Best Picture and would probably land in my Top 10-15 winners of all time had it won.

What are other overlooked films that could've been all-timer Best Picture winners?

Lion realesed on September 10th of 2016 at Toronto international film festival(TIFF) and realesed on Usa on November 25th and international on January of 2017. It was directed by Garth Davis and it is based on non-fiction autobiography book "A Long Way Home" by Saroo Brierley and starred Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Sunny pawar, David Wenham. The film received pretty positive reviews from critics who praised the acting of Patel and Kidman, screenplay and musical score and grossed 140m at the box office worldwide against 12m. It swept at ACCTA award and won two baftas for supporting actor and adapted screenplay and on 89th academy awards the film was nominated for six oscars but didn't won anything that night: Best picture, Best adapted screenplay, Best supporting actor for Patel, Best supporting actress for Kidman, Best original score and best cinematography.

Lion was the last film produced the Weinstein company to get nominated for Best picture before closing up. And while the film has positive reviews, it wouldn't probably regarded as a good winner given the fact it was competed against Moonlight and la la land. As a winner it would has probably be see as a okay feel-good bio that didn't deserved to win over more acclaim and beloved titles.