Yesterday, we looked at seven miscellaneous Oscar categories that most people tend not to care about. Today, we’re changing pace and focusing on five incredibly sexy filmmaking disciplines that get even the most jaded viewer’s heart pumping. Better strap in.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES
The Brutalist—Lol Crawley
Dune: Part Two—Greig Fraser
Emilia Pérez—Paul Guilhaume
Maria—Ed Lachman
Nosferatu—Jarin Blaschke
WILL WIN
The American Society of Cinematographers guild held its own ceremony two days ago, and they went with Maria, a totally real movie that isn’t just a glitch churned out by the Netflix algorithm. But while Lachman’s peers clearly admire him—he’s been nominated three times previously, including last year for El Conde, another Netflix joint from Pablo Larraín—I don’t see that appreciation transferring to the voting body at large. (Remember, although the nominations are determined by their respective branches, the winners are voted on by all Academy members.) You could make a case for either Nosferatu, which is extremely stylish, or Dune: Part Two, which is simply colossal. But I’m going with The Brutalist—a similarly big, handsome epic whose muscular craft seizes your attention, but which has greater overall awards cachet than a blockbuster sequel.
SHOULD WIN
Nosferatu. The Brutalist and Dune 2 both look terrific, but Robert Eggers’ horror movie is a different kind of entrancing, with a nigh-monochrome color scheme that makes brilliant use of darkness and shadow. I doubt I’ll ever forget its shot of a phantom hand clawing its way through a bustling city—just one of a bevy of visual wonders.
MOVIEMANIFESTO’S BALLOT
The Brutalist—Lol Crawley
Challengers—Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga—Simon Duggan
Nickel Boys—Jomo Fray
Nosferatu—Jarin Blaschke
Challengers’ style is deceptively precise, especially during its on-court set pieces. Furiosa is eye-popping in its splendor. Nickel Boys exhibits some of the most inventive cinematography I’ve seen on screen, and while some of that is thanks to the vision of director RaMell Ross (who was also the camera operator), it certainly deserves recognition here.
MovieManifesto’s winner: Nickel Boys—Jomo Fray.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
NOMINEES
A Complete Unknown—Arianne Phillips
Conclave—Lisy Christl
Gladiator II—Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Nosferatu—Linda Muir
Wicked—Paul Tazewell
WILL WIN
Wicked. It’s possible that Conclave could leverage its burgeoning momentum in the down-ballot categories, but the fantastical design of Wicked seems tough to top.
SHOULD WIN
Nosferatu. Those frocks! Those gowns!
MOVIEMANIFESTO’S BALLOT
Fly Me to the Moon—Mary Zophres
Lisa Frankenstein—Meagan McLaughlin
Nosferatu—Linda Muir
Smile 2—Alexis Forte
The Substance—Emmanuelle Youchnovski
Fly Me to the Moon’s wardrobe evokes its ’60s setting with vivacious pizzazz. Lisa Frankenstein features multiple montages of its characters trying on clothes, and for good reason. Smile 2 decks out its perpetually traumatized heroine in an array of dazzling outfits. The Substance has that yellow coat, and also that pink leotard.
MovieManifesto’s winner: Lisa Frankenstein—Meagan McLaughlin.
BEST FILM EDITING
NOMINEES
Anora—Sean Baker
The Brutalist—David Jancso
Conclave—Nick Emerson
Emilia Pérez—Juliette Welfling
Wicked—Myron Kerstein
WILL WIN
This is one of the rare categories where there’s no odds-on favorite; short of Emilia Pérez, any of these could snag the trophy. I’m taking Anora because, I dunno, it’s a good movie that isn’t 215 minutes long? Don’t bet your kids’ college fund on this one.
SHOULD WIN
The Brutalist, I guess?
MOVIEMANIFESTO’S BALLOT
Blink Twice—Kathryn J. Schubert
Challengers—Marco Costa
Juror #2—David Cox and Joel Cox
Rebel Ridge—Jeremy Saulnier
Red Rooms—Jonah Malak
Suffice it to say that my read on this category doesn’t quite align with that of the Academy, whose approach seems to be, “Let’s just pick a bunch of Best Picture nominees.” (Factoid: The last time this field include multiple movies that weren’t also nominated for the top prize was 2017, when both Baby Driver and I, Tonya made the cut.) Anyway, Blink Twice is a flawed movie, but its editing rather ingeniously brings you inside its characters’ bewildered headspace. Challengers is drum-tight. Juror #2 continually amps up its tension without resorting to gimmickry. Rebel Ridge is a coiled spring that refuses to unwind itself. It’s absurd how suspenseful Red Rooms is, given how much of the movie involves people staring at computer screens.
MovieManifesto’s winner: Red Rooms—Jonah Malak.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
NOMINEES
The Brutalist—Daniel Blumberg
Conclave—Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez—Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked—John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot—Kris Bowers
WILL WIN
As with Best Costume Design, you could make a case for Conclave if you’re feeling frisky, but I don’t see it. The Brutalist takes this one.
SHOULD WIN
And rightly so. I can still hear those trumpets booming at the end of its masterful opening sequence.
MOVIEMANIFESTO’S BALLOT
The Brutalist—Daniel Blumberg
Challengers—Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Evil Does Not Exist—Eiko Ishibashi
Nosferatu—Robin Carolan
The Watchers—Abel Korzeniowski
Still angry about the Challengers omission here. Smashing my racket on the ground in frustration.
MovieManifesto’s winner: Challengers—Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOMINEES
The Brutalist—Judy Becker
Conclave— Suzie Davies
Dune: Part Two—Patrice Vermette
Nosferatu—Craig Lathrop
Wicked— Nathan Crowley
WILL WIN
The Brutalist is in some ways about production design; does that give it a leg up here? Or will voters prefer the boisterous imagination of Wicked, or maybe the crepuscular castles of Nosferatu? I’ll go with Wicked, under the dubious theory that Academy members might want to spread the wealth a bit.
SHOULD WIN
The Brutalist, though frankly I’d be fine with any of these besides Conclave.
MOVIEMANIFESTO’S BALLOT
Blitz—Adam Stockhausen
The Brutalist—Judy Becker
Dune: Part Two—Patrice Vermette
Nosferatu—Craig Lathrop
Wicked— Nathan Crowley
My own ballot matching with the Academy’s on four out of five selections is virtually unprecedented. Nice work, Oscar voters! Now, about that Challengers score…
MovieManifesto’s winner: The Brutalist—Judy Becker.
Coming tomorrow: the supporting actors and the screenplays.
Jeremy Beck is the editor-in-chief of MovieManifesto. He watches more movies and television than he probably should.