Oscar voting is officially over for the 97th Academy Awards, and now we are just patiently waiting until the awards are handed out on March 2nd. Will Mavity and I spoke with several Academy voters about what they are voting for and why. We’ll be posting some of those thoughts for your amusement in the lead-up to the Oscars (because that’s all this is at the end of the day). Here are the first and second 2025 Anonymous Oscar voters we spoke with. Remember, as you read these, they represent only a tiny fraction of the 10,000+ people who vote on the Oscar winners. While these may help provide some insight into how voters make their selections, they are far from the be-all-end-all of what will win the Oscars and should be taken with a grain of salt.
Best Picture:
I can appreciate the brilliance of making “The Brutalist” for less than $10 million, but it’s also alienating for viewers. It probably would’ve worked better if it had been an hour shorter. “Anora” re-contextualizes the entire movie with its final scene and it’s excellent. I can still hear those windshield wipers going back and forth. If that or “Conclave” wins, I’ll be fine with either one. I don’t care about “Wicked” or “Emilia Pérez.” Maybe I’m just not a musical person, but then again, my favorite was “A Complete Unknown,” so I guess I like that type of music film. Even if I don’t think it will win, that’s what I voted for.
Best Director:
I’m sure Brady Corbet will win this, but I’d be happy with Baker or Mangold taking it. I said Mangold since I’m picking Sean to win Screenplay, and I like to spread things out so everyone gets something. Also, I don’t know what happened this year, but Denis Villeneuve and Edward Berger should’ve been nominated.
Best Actress:
I’m sure Demi Moore is going to win Best Actress, but pound for pound, Fernanda Torres should take this. It’s such an emotional, heartfelt performance that feels like a classical best Actress-winning role. Madison is good in “Anora,” but we’ve seen other performers be big and loud before. In contrast, what Torres does with silence is so powerful, and I would argue that it is the more difficult role for an actor to pull off.
Best Actor:
Adrien Brody was truly amazing in “The Brutalist,” but he already won an Oscar for playing the same role twenty-something years ago. However, Chalamet was equally fantastic in “A Complete Unknown.” I found that movie to be a better version of “Elvis,” as it was more grounded in its storytelling.
Best Supporting Actress:
Isabella Rossellini did so much with so little, so I went with her. She got the audience to their feet applauding during her big scene and left such an impression. I really didn’t feel much passion for the other nominees this year.
Best Supporting Actor:
Kieran Culkin is likely winning this, but Edward Norton was cast against type and delivered such a soft, sweet performance that I didn’t know he had in him. It was surprising and mesmerizing to watch because I think people forget what a great actor he is.
Best Original Screenplay:
“The Substance” is so thinly veiled in how it conveys its messaging. I get why it’s here, but it wasn’t for me. So, as I said earlier, I went with Baker here. The blend of comedy and drama and how the movie evolves is so entertaining and fascinating to me on a character level.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
“Conclave” should win this for sure. That’s what I went with.
Best Animated Feature:
“The Wild Robot” should take this. I enjoyed “Flow,” but if you know the animation community, then you know many feel it’s time Chris Sanders finally won an Oscar. So that’s another reason why I went with it.
Best Documentary Feature:
“No Other Land” should win. It’s the dominant issue of the moment and speaks to where we are now as a society more so than any of the other nominees. Winners in recent years have been less about the craft and more about the issue that appeals to the hearts and minds of the Academy, and “No Other Land” is that film this year. It got my vote, and I hope my colleagues feel the same way.
Best International Feature Film:
“I’m Still Here.” No question.
Best Cinematography:
“The Brutalist” revived an antique format with VistaVision and made it look so beautiful on such a small budget. To do that is nothing short of phenomenal.
Best Costume Design:
I went with “A Complete Unknown.” I may not be a big fan of “Wicked” but this is one you can give it and I’d be perfectly ok with it.
Best Film Editing:
“Conclave” was masterfully constructed from the first frame to the last. Notice how it introduces characters and keeps the story flowing at all times for its two hours. That’s all editing, and it really helped that screenplay pop in such a way that made it both tense and thrilling.
Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
“The Substance.” Say what you will about the movie, but the makeup was extraordinary.
Best Production Design:
I was going to say “Wicked” by default because that’s where my brain went at first when I was debating this category, but the longer I debated, the more I started to land on “Dune: Part Two” here. Some may look at the open desert and think, “What production design?” but take a look at the sets they created for the different cultures, and it’s a really incredible feat of world-building.
Best Original Score:
I know it’s been used in marketing, but the “The Brutalist” score really was something monumental. When he steps off the boat and you hear those majestic horns for the first time, that’s what cinema is all about: creating moments like that.
Best Original Song:
“El Mal,” I guess…But really, who cares?
Best Sound:
If we’re going by biggest and loudest sounding, then “Dune: Part Two.” However, “A Complete Unknown” had some of the most complex and immersive sounds in that mid-range level that you rarely see get recognized, so I went with that, fully expecting to see it lose.
Best Visual Effects:
“Dune: Part Two.” That’s it. There’s nothing else that needs to be said.
***This voter, a member of the documentary branch, abstained from voting in the shorts as they didn’t get around to all of the nominees in time this year.***
Please let us know your thoughts on our X account and be sure to listen to our final Oscar predictions podcast episode coming this Sunday. Here are the first and second 2025 Anonymous Oscar voters we spoke with about their ballots. Please click here for more important upcoming dates this awards season and here for the most recent tally of awards season winners for the current year.
You can follow Matt & Will and hear more of their thoughts on the Oscars & Film on Twitter at @NextBestPicture& @mavericksmovies
