Academy Anonymous

On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• We recap our first ever Cannes experience!
• We've seen big Oscar players: SENTIMENTAL VALUE; IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT; DIE MY LOVE; THE SECRET AGENT; NOUVELLE VAGUE; and more (THE MASTERMIND; THE PLAGUE; CHRONOLOGY OF WATER; SOUND OF FALLING; PILLION; YES!; THE HISTORY OF SOUND....); our thoughts!
• We also went to the Tribeca Film Festival; our quick recap.
• We have something brewing... A NEW WEBSITE!

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

We take a deep dive into which titles we foresee in tomorrow's major Cannes announcement!!

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN reunites Bill Condon and Lionsgate Films, reaffirms Roadside Attractions as a committed Oscar flix distributor
• JLo and Tonatiuh enter the awards conversation with lucrative distribution deal and THEATRICAL release!
• Gywneth Paltrow turns heads in the Chalamet-verse with sex-charged MARTY SUPREME talk. One to watch for this year? 
• Warner Bros. rethinks release slate - doubles down on Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Thomas Anderson, railroads Maggie Gyllenhaal's THE BRIDE! 
• Our first takes on what you should expect to pop-up on the Croisette at this summer's Cannes Film Festival - films for cinephiles and Oscar addicts staking a claim as among the year's absolute best! 

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• An uncertain future for Utah and the Sundance Film Festival
• Sundance 2025 again key to unlocking the early favorites for Best Documentary Oscar
• A24 teams with Pastel again on Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby” - screenwriting winner, early critics darling and standout debut among US Dramatic Competition
• Race for Best International Feature starts with selection of co-production titles among World Dramatic Competition - Canada, Argentina, North Macedonia, Turkey, India, UK, Poland, France
• Underdog “Omaha” and John Magaro pull on the heartstrings just right, dismiss the title at your own peril!!
• Crowd-pleasing debuts for “The Ballad of Wallis Island” and “The Wedding Banquet” look to signal sleeper hits for Focus Features and Bleecker Street in theaters this spring  
• Josh O’ Connor makes first (but NOT last) festival stop this year with “Rebuilding” - in a year where he’s primed to finally break into major Oscar acting race
• Will the Academy Awards ever wake up to the artistic achievement of “Peter Hujar’s Day” director Ira Sachs? 
• The BIG 3 titles from Sundance 2025!
• “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” kickstarts a big year for Safdie-esque cinema, BUT can this brand of filmmaking crossover with the Academy Awards in a big way?
• Can “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” succeed where “Hereditary” failed and finally bring Rose Byrne to the Oscars for Best Actress? 
• Will “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” get lost among A24’s slate of films?
• Queer-Golden Age Hollywood musical hybrid “Kiss of the Spider Woman” has all the cards it needs for a long, successful Oscar run
• The prestigious legacy of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” - Bill Condon, William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Hector Babenco, Kander & Ebb, Chita Rivera, Terrence McNally
• Colleen Atwood, Oscar-winning Sound Designers and veteran Production Designer and DP in the Oscar hunt for sumptuous visuals on display in “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
• Jennifer Lopez channels old-Hollywood glamour and dances her way to another Oscar bid for Best Supporting Actress in “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
• Tonatiuh poised for breakout year as Molina, Diego Luna's heartfelt turn and reputable career to figure in Best Supporting Actor
• Netflix bets on “Train Dreams,” but after last year’s “Sing Sing” can Bentley and Kwedar score consecutive Best Adapted Screenplay nods with prized source material?
• “Train Dreams” to factor into Best Cinematography, but is it going to miss the big-screen treatment?
• Joel Edgerton wins strong mentions for Best Actor but will he be the victim of the film’s use of voice-over?
• Is Netflix the right fit for “Train Dreams” Best Picture hopes?
• Where have all the distributors gone?! Big-name independents scaring themselves out of sure-fire Oscar contention and potential mass audience appeal

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• Oscar Sunday post-mortum
• Conan O'Brian takes his Oscar swing
• Musical performances - well executed, but arbitrary and favoritist?
• Supporting favorites stay perfect - category fraud a major advantage?
• Latvia’s FLOW surprises! And the telling connection between Animated Feature and Animated Short winners!
• WICKED makes Oscar History in Costume Design! But did it fall short of its potential wins?
• THE SUBSTANCE makeup controversy? 
• Screenplay wins spotlight a battle between ANORA and CONCLAVE - New Academy vs. Old Academy
• Pesky short films prove difficult for any/every Oscar predictor
• Film Editing STILL key to securing Best Picture 
• IN MEMORIAM - Gene Hackman, notable snubs and where’s David Lynch’s tribute?!
• DUNE, PART TWO doubles up wins and proves more liked than slight nominations suggest
• I”M STILL HERE leads Brazil to historic win! EMILIA PEREZ can’t overcome Mexican controversy
• Adrien Brody proves SAG win optional 
• Sean Baker defends movie theaters!
• Unpacking Demi Moore’s loss, Mikey Madison’s “upset” and Fernanda Torres’s shortcoming
• A new Best Picture winner! 
• Final Takeaways - stats that survived, forecasting future trends, Cannes is King and Oscar voting body in transition

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• BAFTA awards stall FLOW’s momentum, Latvia likely to fall short of historic win in Animated Feature
• Dreamworks Animation to ride studio-best 3 Oscar nominations into first Animated Feature win in nearly two decades
• Brazil to make OSCAR HISTORY - surging I'M STILL HERE poised to upset EMILIA PEREZ and capture first International Film title for the country
• Netflix’s EMILIA PEREZ wrestles to maintain hold as International Film favorite, can the film survive Mexican controversy and growing unpopularity?
• Does BAFTA snub foretell of trouble for NO OTHER LAND at the Oscars?
• With win at DGA, can PORCELAIN WAR upset in Documentary and result in a three-peat for the Ukrainian War in the category?
• DUNE: PART TWO still favorite for VFX Oscar with BAFTA win, but Visual Effects Society snub leaves the door open for WICKED
• DUNE: PART TWO vs. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN vs. WICKED - a three-headed monster in SOUND makes it nearly impossible to select a favorite
• Cratering EMILIA PEREZ tries to salvage Original Song win, but Diane “Never-Say-Die” Warren might just deliver the death blow
• THE SUBSTANCE the clear front-runner for Makeup Oscar, but can a win give Demi Moore an edge in Best Actress?
• WICKED's Paul Tazewell to makes OSCAR HISTORY as first black man and only second black costume designer to win Costume. Nathan Crowley to FINALLY win Production Design (without Christopher Nolan)!
• An absolute free-for-all in Film Editing - BAFTA win for CONCLAVE either a mirage or the win that seals its fate on Oscar night! 
• Can Sean Baker get on stage four times on Oscar night? 
• Will EMILIA PEREZ and WICKED cancel each other out or ride their Sound nominations to a surprise victory in Film Editing?

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• CONCLAVE an easy call for Adapted Screenplay. Can any other film catch up?
• ANORA loses ground in Original Screenplay, but can A REAL PAIN really capitalize on a BAFTA win after its Best Picture snub? 
• Kieran Culkin undefeated in Supporting Actor Race
• Why Zoe Saldaña will cruise to a win in Supporting Actress; Isabella Rossellini too far behind
• Can Adrien Brody stop the late-breaking surge for Timothée Chalamet? Or will Oscars choose Bob Dylan over giving Brody two Lead Actor Oscars?
• Demi Moore vs Fernanda Torres vs Mikey Madison; one of Oscars biggest upsets is brewing, and her name is TORRES
• Is Sean Baker in the clear for Best Director?
• It's PGA & DGA winner VS. SAG & BAFTA winner for the big prize, again
• ANORA vs CONCLAVE for Best Picture; get ready for a great night for ANORA

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On this episode of Academy Anonymous:

• Taking a look at the surprise wins at the Bafta/SAG awards, and what they mean for the race
• Why Demi Moore’s BAFTA loss is a huge RED FLAG
• Can Timothée Chalamet really beat Adrien Brody for that Oscar?
• Discussing the momentum shift towards CONCLAVE, and why it may derail ANORA

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• The state of the race after ANORA’s weekend DGA-PGA-Critics-Choice-wins
• Recapping some curious and possibly telling Critics Choice winners
• Why CONCLAVE is likely the only film that can give ANORA some competition
• Predicting the winners of the BAFTA 2025 awards

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On this episode of ACADEMY ANONYMOUS:

• Has the Karla Sofía Gascon controversy sunk the "Emilia Pérez" campaign? Can anything be salvaged?
• Do Oscar voters care about social media backlash
• The problem at the heart of the Critics Choice Awards organization
• Forecasting the winners at the Directors Guild & Producers Guild
• A new front-runner after this weekend?

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