Split Decision: "Nickel Boys"

In the Split Decision series, two of our writers face off on an Oscar-nominated movie one loves and the other doesn't. Today, Nick Taylor and Nathaniel R discuss Nickel Boys...

NICK: Hello Nathaniel! Hope you’re doing well on this fine day. We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re . . . . I can’t think of another rhyme. What I can think of is Nickel Boys, and how blindsided I was to see it show up in this year’s Best Picture lineup after only showing up in Adapted Screenplay.

I’m happy for the film and RaMell Ross but also confused, and a little annoyed it didn’t make a bigger showing. It’s one of my favorites from this year’s Oscar nominees, and though I get the divisiveness around its first-person POV and how the film actually uses it, I’m a very big fan of what Nickel Boys achieves. That’s been the biggest point of discussion around the film, so maybe it’s best to dive in there? I’m not sure I actually know what you think of Nickel Boys, so lemme hand you the mic. 

NATHANIEL: It's funny how personal feelings are often distracting static when it comes to Oscar expectations, whether you're on the pro or the con side of any given film.  I wasn't the least bit surprised about Nickel Boys crashing Oscar's biggest category after all the breathless raves and its solid if unspectacular showing in the precursors. I'm Still Here was the only Picture nomination that threw me. Sadly,  trust me I didn't want to feel this way, Nickel Boys is my least favourite of the nominated ten...

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Team Experience Oscar Prediction: Final Scores

by Cláudio Alves

No one predicted I'M STILL HERE in Best Picture. | © Sony Pictures Classics

We're still reeling from this morning's Oscar nominations announcement but it's time to check predictions and assess the numbers. Like last year, various members of the Team Experience put forward their best guesses. While the point of this exercise is to see how different folks see the race, it's also a little competition of sorts, with a pundit ranking at the end. Overall, our collection of writers did better than last year, averaging a 75% success rate when excluding those tricky short film categories. These predictions also help us grasp what the day's big surprises truly were, both in terms of shocking selections or notorious snubs. Without further ado, here's the final score…

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"I Saw the TV Glow" leads the 16th annual Dorian Award nominations

by Nathaniel R

I SAW THE TV GLOW © A24

Oopsie. While celebrating Paul Newman's centennial we forgot to mention another round of nominations. This time it's GALECA: THE SOCIETY OF LGBTQ ENTERTAINMENT CRITICS taking on the challenge of naming "best" this and than of the year. This group, which includes over 500 entertainment journalists (including some of us here at TFE) and media personalities, showered I Saw the TV Glow with nominations. Perpetually overperforming gonzo horror satire The Substance was a close second.  

For my part I'm grateful that the category list has been expanded to make the awards more LGBTQ centric, because what is the point of any critics groups if they don't have a specific point of view/ place of origin apart that differentiates them from other critics groups? See the nominee list after the jump...

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Weekend Awards Wrap-Up: New Year, New Winners

by Cláudio Alves

Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin are keeping HARD TRUTHS in the awards conversation.

It's been a while since our last Weekend Awards Wrap-Up. So long that the year changed, as we all bid adieu to 2024 and welcome 2025 with open arms. Mayhap inspired by a sense of annual renewal, critics groups varied up their game a tad. Colman Domingo is now leading in the number of wins, trumping Adrien Brody in Best Actor, while Margaret Qualley is pulling ahead of her other co-leads masquerading as supporting actresses. Yet, the week's biggest story is Marianne Jean-Baptiste securing the critical trifecta of the NYFCC, LAFCA, and NSFC. This feat has never before been achieved by a woman of color and has only once been given to an actress who AMPAS didn't then herald with an Oscar nomination of their own…

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Oscar Volleys: Best Picture is all about Narratives

Here’s Cláudio Alves and Ben Miller on the Best Picture race...

THE BRUTALIST, Brady Corbet | © A24

CLÁUDIO: Hello Ben, it's time to discuss the biggest category of them all - Best Picture.

This year, I'm sad to say I'm not especially passionate about the top contenders. Indeed, taking a glance at my rankings, it's likely that not a single nominee even cracks my top 25. Then again, miracles do happen once in a while, even when all seems said and done. Even so, imagining an AMPAS lineup without Anora, The Brutalist, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, or Wicked seems increasingly difficult. In those times before the category's re-expansion to ten nominees, these would be the five I figure most folks would be predicting. Do you concur? 

BEN: I am really enjoying the variance in this year's race…

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