A Year to Roll in the Hay With! - The Best Films of 1974

It is very fitting that the 70s reached their peak right in the middle of the decade. I already wrote about 1975, which I will have a link for at the end of this post, but the combo of 1974-1975 makes up for quite possibly the strongest one-two punch of cinema in history. 

Here's a tally of where we stand in terms of the films that received a 5-star rating in our 70s journey so far:

1970: none

1971: 3

1972: 7

1973: 3

1974: 9...at least.

I really don't try to give out 5-star ratings that easily, but 1974 is one of those years where I am truly in awe and cannot help myself. In addition to my top 10, I will be listing SIX Honorable Mentions instead of five as I couldn't pick one to remove to make a round number.

With that said, let's dive into one of the greatest years in cinematic history.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

**My dear friend Tommy pointed out that he was a bit startled by the fact I didn't include THIEVES LIKE US on this list and frankly, it just goes to show you how crazy of a year this was that a film like that completely slipped my mind!**

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THE MAN WHO SLEEPS

A bit of an avant-garde film of sorts, this French outing by Georges Perec follows an unnamed student (Jacques Spiesser) who wanders the streets of Paris as his inner thoughts are narrated by actress Ludmila Mikael...although the English language narration would be done by Shelley Duvall.

Perec's instincts were certainly far more abstract in how he perceived film even to the point that he avoided even trying as he felt filmmaking was too constraining and commercial.

I am admittedly not as familiar with his other works, but I do have to also comments him on such an epic look.

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THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123

In what would be one of the worst nightmares of any New York resident, The Taking of Pelham 123 is about a group of criminals who hijack a train that departed from Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx with the goal of obtaining a $1 million ransom from the city within an hour otherwise they will kill each of the hostages one by one for every minute late. 

One little tidbit I do love is that after the film's release the NYC Transit Authority would not schedule a single a train to leave Pelham at 1:23.

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FEMALE TROUBLE

It makes me happy that John Waters' work has gotten a lot of positive critical re-evaluations in recent years for being what could be considered the finest of camp filmmaking.

As Dawn, Waters uses his frequent muse Divine, and I absolutely find them incredible in this...particularly the amazing Christmas scene that opens the film where her parents give her the wrong shoes (she wanted cha-cha heels) which leads her to smash all the presents and causes the Christmas Tree to fall on her mother, who yells out one of my favorite line deliveries ever: "PLEASE, DAWN...NOT ON CHRISTMAS!!!!"

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ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE

Most people remember the concept of this film being adapted into a sitcom called Alice starring Linda Lavin, but as a rare example of a female-led Martin Scorsese film, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore contains a truly strong Oscar winning performance from Ellen Burstyn...although as you will see later on, I am not sure she should've won for this particular performance considering her chief competition.

However, that's the downside with awards and comparing other performances to ones that can be so drastically different. This still remains the only time Burstyn has won an Oscar, which is a shame considering how stellar she was in Requiem for a Dream, which was the performance of her career.

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BLACK CHRISTMAS

To think that the man who directed a horny teenage sex comedy and an iconic family Christmas film also directed another kind of Christmas film that delved into a darker story.

Black Christmas, much like another film I will be talking about shortly, is one of the earliest examples of the slasher genre and the idea of combining a group of college girls getting murdered in their sorority house with the whimsical twinkling aura of Christmas is such a great contrast. 

Maybe otherwise it could be seen as pretty straightforward, but Bob Clark does give this film so much tension and insanely creepy moments.

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PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE

Something of an outlier in Brian De Palma's career, Phantom of the Paradise was seen as a failure at the time but gained quite the following in years since. Written as a mix of elements from The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Phantom of the Opera, the film tells the tale of a songwriter named Winslow Leach (William Finley) is forced to sacrifice his life's work to a rather diabolical music producer known as Swan (played by Paul Williams to great effect considering how warm he is typically perceived).

A truly chaotic and creative film that was a highlight in what I have always considered the rather erratic catalog of Brian De Palma.

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 #10 - THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

Written & Directed by Tobe Hooper

Co-written by Kim Henkel

Placing this one in my top 10 gave me a little pause because it isn't a film I exactly revisit all the time. In fact, I have only seen it in full once.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre can be seen as an early forerunner to the eventual slasher genre that would really take off with the success of Halloween in 1978. The film is credited as originating elements that would go on to be staples within that genre: using power tools as murder weapons, the killer being a man wearing a mask, and "the final girl". I think what really makes me admire it so much is how effective an atmosphere Tobe Hooper achieved with it. 

With its very low-budget and grainy cinematography, the film almost comes across as if it were some kind of documentary. Although, Hooper does still give the film cinematic flourishes...such as that great shot where Sally (Marilyn Burns) jumps from the window and the camera is situated on the ground behind her, so we see her land and then start running away. For some reason, that shot always stayed with me.

It is a film that is rough around the edges in the best possible ways, and I think it could be nearly as comparable to effective low-budget horror as Romero's original Night of the Living Dead.

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#9 - ALICE IN THE CITIES

Written & Directed by Wim Wenders

Co-written by Veith von Furstenberg

Considering I talked about a particular film of Wim Wenders in the past on my blog, I will go ahead and reference it again. Paris, Texas is one of my all-time favorite films and it is the masterpiece of Wenders' career. So much of that film is achingly beautiful, and when I heard about an earlier film of his that dived into similar themes, I had to check it out.

Alice in the Cities follows Philip Winter (Rudiger Vogler), a writer who loses his job when he cannot complete an assignment about traveling in the United States. After spending time in New York, he quickly boards a flight back to Munich, hoping to salvage his job. While at the airport upon entering Germany, he meets Lisa (Lisa van Dam) and her daughter Alice (Yella Rottlander). They all strike up a quick camaraderie which leads Lisa to ask Philip to watch Alice as she attempts to deal with a recent breakup asking them to meet her in Amsterdam after Philip helped obtain tickets for them. 

Lisa doesn't show up on the flight, leaving Alice alone in Philip's care and with very little money left to spare. Philip hopes to get Alice to a grandmother that she barely remembers back in Germany, and they go on a road trip to try locating her.

While there is a clear sense of melancholy here, I also feel the film has so much charm and whimsy. I also think Rottlander's work as the precocious Alice has got to be one of the finest child performances ever captured on film; she's so real and genuine in how she approaches everything.

It is also a film that is very much of its time in that a lot of its story would be easily fixable in today's society, but that honestly isn't a valid criticism. I do think in the grand scheme, this is a truly wonderful film that should be talked about more.

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#8 - CELINE & JULIE GO BOATING

Directed by Jacques Rivette

Written by Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier, Marie-France Pisier, w/Jacques Rivette

The French New Wave makes yet another appearance here, but it is interesting to see how the films made by those filmmakers evolve as they entered the 1970s.

Jacques Rivette was to me, if I were to compare him to a filmmaker, the Mike Leigh of the New Wave. Leigh is usually known for having scripts that are formed out of improvisational exercises. However, Celine & Julie Go Boating was not a film that fell under this practice. Rivette has said this was a film he meticulously crafted with his co-writers who also just so happened to be his actors.

We meet Julie (Labourier), a librarian with a vibrant imagination who crosses paths with a magician named Celine (Berto). The two of them hit it off and start a bit of a crazy odyssey where both try swapping identities and even becoming something of a Nancy Drew mystery duo as they try to uncover the mysteries of a haunted house.

Celine & Julie Go Boating is so weirdly indulgent in its presentation, but it is so uniquely itself. Perhaps another staple of Rivette is that his films tend to be lengthy as this one is over 3 hours long, and yes perhaps that can be a detriment at times. I will say I likely don't find myself thinking of his films as highly as I do some of his contemporaries, but I do very much love what he does with this one.

It's a very fanciful and imaginative work that I do commend for Rivette and crew taking the swing on.

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#7 - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Written & Directed by Mel Brooks

Co-written by Gene Wilder

Mel Brooks had a banner year in 1974. While he had won the Original Screenplay Oscar for The Producers a few years prior, it felt as though his true legendary prowess for comedy didn't take hold until the one-two punch of Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein came out.

While I do admire a lot about Blazing Saddles, I still think that Young Frankenstein remains his finest achievement. The script that he co-wrote with Gene Wilder has got to be one of the best scripts for a comedy ever written and even just the simplest of gags are very humorous.

One that I always loved is when Frederick Frankenstein's Monster comes alive and Wilder proclaims this while Peter Boyle just quietly lays there as if he just woke up from a nap. 

So much can be said about this film and all of the bits, from Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman) being the disdain of nearby horses and professing her love of Frederick's grandfather Victor (from the original Frankenstein). Leachman with that violin wailing "Yes. YES! Say it! He VAS...my BOYFRIEND!!"

What an amazing cast all-around. There is Teri Garr as Inga, the eventual love interest that comes between Frederick and his fiancée Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn). Garr has the more comedically written role and she does marvelously with it, but what Madeline Kahn is able to achieve with this role is astonishing. She was one of those actresses who could make any line funny no matter how banal it may be. Plus, her great moment when she sleeps with the monster and when she begins to climax, she bursts into "Oh, Sweet Mystery of Life!"

Oh, and Marty Feldman as Igor! That introduction where he informs Frederick that his name is pronounced EYE-gor and when Frederick says he was told it was Igor and Feldman sassily snipes "Well, they were wrong then weren't they?!"

God, what a comedic masterpiece. And I didn't even mention the great Gene Hackman cameo or the hilarious "Puttin' on the Ritz" dance routine.

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#6 - ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL 

Written & Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

The 70s were the peak time for Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who makes an appearance on my lists nearly every year of the decade. 

Something of a departure from his other works that primarily delve into queer relationships, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul tells the story of a 60-year-old German widow named Emmi Kurowski (Brigitte Mira) who meets a younger man in his late 30s named Ali (El Hedi ben Salem, who just so happened to be Fassbinder's partner at the time). Ali is from Morocco and everything about him intrigues Emmi. 

Soon after, they form a friendship that turns into a courtship which then leads to a marriage done at the local civic court. Due to the age gap, not to mention his heritage, Emmi's family dismisses the union and consider it to be a sham.

The amount of vitriol this union receives is painful to witness, and you absolutely loathe those in Emmi's family like her daughter Krista (Irm Hermann) and her husband Eugen (played by Fassbinder). It is sad to watch when Emmi begins to cave under pressure and distance herself from Ali, but the thing about Fassbinder is that you typically expect him to fully embrace a tragic result.

While there is a little bit of ambiguity in the end, you get the sense that Emmi is going to be there for Ali as he is about to undergo surgery and that she will stay for good.

It's about as hopeful an ending you will get from Fassbinder.

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#5 - CHINATOWN

Directed by Roman Polanski

Written by Robert Towne

Perhaps the 70s answer to Casablanca in how much its script was readily embraced and heralded, Chinatown also happened to be the last film Roman Polanski directed before his sexual assault allegations led him to flee to France.

Chinatown is a film that is dripping with style. It is somehow gritty and extremely elegant all at once, and when you have that script combined with Polanski's direction and all of the tech aspects, it is a truly glorious experience.

Set in 1930s LA amidst the California Water Wars, a woman named Evelyn Cross-Mulwray hires a private detective named Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) to follow her husband Hollis, who is the chief engineer at the Department of Water & Power. After Hollis is revealed to be having an affair with pictures being plastered in the papers, it turns out the Evelyn in question was an imposter. The real Evelyn (Faye Dunaway) comes forward. When Hollis soon turns up dead, things begin to unravel at an insane rate.

The first time I saw Chinatown, I truly went in almost blind with most of knowledge only being that it was a highly regarded film from the 70s that lost Best Picture and was directed by Roman Polanski, who at the time, just infamously won the Best Director Oscar for 2002's The Pianist. 

I am not sure I truly appreciated it on the first watch, despite being rather positive about it, because in many ways, but I also acknowledged that it was a very bold film. I hesitate to even spoil the moment if you haven't seen the film, but the reveal of who the character of Katherine is to Evelyn must have been incredibly jarring to audiences of the 70s.

Chinatown is almost like a grand Shakesperean or Greek tragedy cloaked in the glory of what would become known as "neo-noir". A truly provocative suspense thriller that doesn't hold anything back.

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#4 - A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Written & Directed by John Cassavetes

Would I be willing to listen to the belief that Gena Rowlands was the greatest actress who ever lived? Truthfully, yes. She was THAT good.

Rowlands was an actress who never tried to seek superstardom, nor did she even truly try to play the Hollywood game, but she built up a reputation as a great actress. Although in my opinion, calling her a "great actress" is frankly cheap because she was rather transcendent. She always felt so raw and genuine and like she truly poured her soul into everything she did. 

For as incredible as she was in other Cassavetes' (her husband) works, I do think A Woman Under the Influence is not just her finest work, but I also would consider it to be among the greatest performances ever captured on film. Rowlands wanted Cassavetes to write a play for her to star in about the many conflicts that women were facing in the country, and when he presented her with the script, she knew it would be too emotionally and physically demanding to tackle 8 times a week, so it became a film.

Her Mabel Longhetti is a ferocious creation, a woman whose psyche seems to be crumbling along with her marriage to Nick (Peter Falk). I do have to sidestep for a moment to say that a role like this must've felt glorious for Peter Falk as it is such a far cry from his work as the titular Columbo. He is a marvel in this, and I do wish he had gotten an Oscar nomination.

I have sat through the film twice, and it is certainly a rewarding experience if you truly want to appreciate a great indie film about what is essentially a domestic drama to the max...but yes, it is also a very complicated and messy film and despite its brilliance, is not exactly the easiest watch.

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#3 - THE CONVERSATION

Written & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola had a banner year in 1974, and there was a time when the edgy film buff in me proclaimed that The Conversation was my favorite film of his. While I don't proclaim that anymore, I still think this film is nearly as masterful as his other film from that year (stay tuned for that).

As that year's Palme d'Or winner at Cannes, The Conversation centers in on Hary Caul (Gene Hackman), a surveillance expert who has been hired to eavesdrop on a couple as they are walking in circles around San Francisco's Union Square. Despite doing evasive work, Harry is intensely private about his personal life and feels that it isn't his responsibility what his clients will do with the audio recordings he obtains. In truth, Harry is racked with guilt as a past job of this caliber led to three people getting killed. 

When it comes to mystery thrillers, The Conversation has to be one of the finest I have seen. Even more impressive is Gene Hackman as Harry because I always think of Hackman as an actor who exuded a lot of bravado and machismo in his work...but I mean that in a good way, because he was truly one of the greatest actors to have ever lived. Here, he is so subdued and quietly eccentric that it stands out as such a great departure for him.

I also love the supporting cast here which includes the legendary John Cazale, a young Harrison Ford, and Cindy Williams just 2 years before she began playing Shirley Feeney on Laverne & Shirley. 

I do feel like with all the talk that Coppola gets with The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, I do love when people rope The Conversation into that group because the film is an absolute masterpiece and a beacon of the thriller genre.

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#2 - SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE

Written & Directed by Ingmar Bergman

This isn't the first time I have talked about Scenes from a Marriage on this blog, but I will go ahead and give a little history for those who might not be familiar.

Scenes was originally produced as a 6-episode miniseries that aired in Sweden in 1973 to immense popularity and acclaim to the point that streets would be empty as episodes aired and it also caused divorce rates to skyrocket as couples began working through their issues in a way that felt far more freeing...although a lot have disputed that this was necessarily a major factor.

The miniseries was edited down from roughly 5 hours to 3 hours and released as a theatrical film in the US, much like Bergman's Fanny & Alexander would do a decade later. So, for all intents and purposes, I am going to be basing this off the theatrical version rather than the miniseries. If I am being totally honest though, if I were considering the full miniseries, I would have to say that it is one of my favorites of all time.

Usually when I think about Bergman being my favorite filmmaker, Scenes is one of the biggest reasons why because it is such an honest and genuine viewpoint of us watching a marriage/relationship fall apart over several years.

We have Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson as our couple, Marianne and Johan. It is clear that these two were incredibly trustworthy and fond of each other as friends/colleagues in real life, because the trust/chemistry/bond these two have just makes the entire experience feel so real.

Josephson does such strong work here, but Ullmann's work might be the greatest of her career which is certainly saying a whole hell of a lot. Considering it had been a miniseries first, the film cut was deemed ineligible for the Oscars which is an absolute shame. Frankly, it would've been hard for me as a voter to have to choose between Gena Rowlands and Liv Ullmann. In terms of powerhouse performances, this might be the ultimate battle for me...even though Rowlands still lost the Oscar that night as I already brought up. 

I do think this film version works...clearly, because I am putting it at #2 on a year that I have deemed one of the strongest in cinema history...but I will also admit that the miniseries is the best way to see it, and that perhaps it is the idea of it that makes me put it so high here.

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#1 - THE GODFATHER PART II

Written & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Co-written by Mario Puzo

Is The Godfather Part II the greatest sequel ever made? Yes.

Is it better than its predecessor? For me, that is debatable.

As I mentioned when discussing Part I, my late Nan was very much an admirer of this film series, and she always talked about how much she loved Part II to the point where it was her favorite film of all time.

I do think that while the original film might be a smidge better overall, I would argue that this sequel is a bit more engaging and entertaining on a rewatch level. It is certainly the one I have more of an interest in revisiting, so I suppose you can take that as you will.

The sequel/prequel element works well as we flashback to the rise of young Vito Corleone (Robert DeNiro) while witnessing the moralistic downfall of his son Michael (Al Pacino). DeNiro did win the Oscar for Supporting Actor, but Pacino infamously lost to Art Carney for Harry & Tonto which is clearly one of the biggest examples of a career win in Oscar history. Not to mention, Jack Nicholson was in the category for Chinatown and would've made a deserving winner...but speaking of Pacino, it is truly a crime he didn't win for this. Frankly, he should've joined the back-to-back club with Spencer Tracy and Tom Hanks with an Oscar win in 1973 for Serpico and then another in '74 for playing Michael. Hell, I'd even consider giving him a third in '75 for Dog Day Afternoon. 

But alas...only one Oscar for 1992's Scent of a Woman which ironically enough was almost as weak of a win as Art Carney's was.

I know awards aren't everything and I am frequently talking about them, but I do think it is a bit bizarre that they nominated Talia Shire for this when she is barely in the film. It's not like Diane Keaton is the film a huge amount of time, but it does boggle the mind that when they went to nominate people, they didn't think about the chilling confrontation with Michael about her abortion. That nomination would've made a lot more sense.

Considering this is what even Coppola considers to be the true end to the saga as he deemed Part III to essentially be an epilogue, I do find the final moments very chilling as Michael watches Fredo get shot on the boat in the middle of Lake Tahoe followed by the flashback of the family showing how far things have fallen leaving Michael to sit all alone, ruminating.

If anything, it just makes the ending of Part III feel no different other than Michael is older. Then again, Part III has been raked over the coals enough, so I suppose there's no point dwelling on that now.

The simple truth is that The Godfather Part II is a masterpiece and as a full saga with its predecessor, it's pretty unparalleled.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

This is truly such a stellar year, and I have said that many times and it bears repeating.

As I wrote about Alice in the Cities, I thought to myself "How is this only #9 on this list?!?!" and it always makes me incredibly happy when a year of film is as rich as this. Admittedly, it isn't as common as you might suspect. Off the top of my head, I can't think of many other years that had as many homeruns as 1974...but...as I have stated, I already wrote about 1975 which you can read here.

1975 is somehow even stronger than 1974 in that not only is my entire top 10 filled with 5 star films, but even my #11 is a 5-star film. The year was so strong that I decided to list 8 additional films not as Honorable Mentions.

So, with that, I will get ready to prepare my list for 1976 which does contain a couple of stellar classics, but it will not continue the strength of '74 and '75. 

But considering I also wrote about '78 and '79 already, that means 1977 will be the last year of the 70s to discuss! I will gladly say that it has been a joy to do these lists thus far!

A YEAR I CAN'T REFUSE - The Best Films of 1972

In my post about 1971, I referred to 1972 as "an abundance of riches". Truthfully, I can say that about quite a few years from that decade...but 1972 is among the best of the best.

I am giving you my top 10, plus four Honorable Mentions but to give you an idea of how epic of a year this will be in my eyes, this top 10 contains a whopping SEVEN films that would net a 5-star rating from me.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

THE DEVIL

Perhaps one of the most mentally exhausting films ever made, The Devil takes on the idea of moral corruption to a whole new level. Made by Andrzej Zulawski, who would go on to make his masterpiece with Possession, this shows so much promise for what we would see from him. The lead character of Jakub more or less sells his soul...though perhaps it might have been a bit lighter if it was Milhouse van Houten that took it.

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REMINISCENES OF A JOURNEY TO LITHIUANIA 

I talked Lithuanian American filmmaker Jonas Mekas in my 2000 post with his film As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty. He was known as the grandfather of American Avant-Garde Cinema and had been a highly influential mentor to filmmakers and writers alike. This outing, which was his 2nd diary film, consists of him and his brothers returning to the Lithuanian village they were born 27 years after leaving, and it is a deeply personal and moving piece of work.

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WHAT'S UP DOC?

In a complete departure from The Last Picture Show, Peter Bogdanovich manages to make the banal and infuriating Ryan O'Neal a bit more charming when he pairs him with Barbra Streisand in this delightful screwball comedy with a 70s slant. I will say that the ending is pure gold!

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THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE

I still think it's crazy that disaster films like Airport and The Towering Inferno slipped into the Best Picture races in their given years, whereas the finest of the 70s Disaster films was not able to do so. There is certainly a stronger emotional resonance in this one compared to the others, plus it certainly doesn't hurt when you have one of the greatest actors of all time, Gene Hackman, leading the way.

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#10 - LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON

Written & Directed by Eric Rohmer

I mentioned this when I wrote about Eric Rohmer back on my 1996 list, but of all the French New Wave directors, he was the last of the group to get established. However, that wasn't due to any kind of struggle on his part; he was busy working as the editor for the legendary Cahiers du Cinema publication where some of his proteges were Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard.

Despite his later start and being about 10 years older than a lot of the French New Wave directors, Rohmer would end up having the most sustained and consistent career out of all of them...unless you want to count Godard in that group, but he was far more abstract as the years went along.

Love in the Afternoon was the last of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales and it was likely the best of the six. The thing about Rohmer that I always notice is that he almost seems less concerned with the confines of making a film. At a couple of points, you see the boom mic dip into the shot and even one of the cameras...but it somehow enriches the experience in a charming way.

We meet Frederic (Bernard Verley), who is married to Helene (his real life wife Francoise) happily. While at work, Frederic does often fantasize about other women but never dreams of the idea of stepping out on his wife. However, a mistress of a colleague, Zouzou as Chloe, shows up at the office and the two strike up a friendship that Frederic intends to keep a friendship...until Chloe presents the idea of an affair to him.

Rohmer's works may often be a little quieter and rough around the edges, some may even border on one-note, but Love in the Afternoon is one of his best.

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#9 - SOUNDER

Directed by Martin Ritt

 Written by Lonne Elder III

Sounder was such a welcomed and resounding success that even the bitchy and vile John Simon couldn't help but praise it. If you are familiar with the writing of John Simon, look him up and be thankful that the man ended his life writing for a penny-saver out of Yonkers. 

Set in 1933 Louisiana, we follow the lives of the poor sharecropper Morgan family, led by Cicely Tyson as Rebecca and Paul Winfeld as Nathan Lee along with their 3 kids and the family dog named Sounder.

A lot of the tension comes from when the local sheriff arrives to arrest Nathan for stealing a ham from a nearby smokehouse, to which Sounder chases after the car. One of the deputies tries to shoot Sounder until the eldest son David (Kevin Hooks) intervenes by kicking at the gun. Unfortunately, Sounder is still injured and runs away.

Here's the thing about Sounder that I love: this was at a time when a lot of the films coming out about the black community were essentially blacksploitation. This was a film that was made with such care and dignity and doesn't (spoiler alert) end with any kind of tragedy.

There is a sense of hope and pure love radiating from the screen, and a lot of that comes from the truly luminous Cicely Tyson, who is so freaking good in this. The scene in which Nathan returns home, and Rebecca runs to him (as evidenced above) was so beautifully acted by Tyson that when Martin Ritt asked cinematographer John Alonzo if he got the shot, he couldn't confirm because he was too busy crying.

While they didn't win, I love that Tyson and Winfeld received nominations for this. I also love that the film also received a Best Picture nomination.

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#8 - CABARET

 

Directed by Bob Fosse

Written by Jay Presson Allen

I feel like Cabaret is a film that I should hate with a passion and yet I don't. There was a time when I considered Cabaret to be my favorite musical, and it is clear that aspects of this film adaptation differ rather severely from the stage.

For starters, the Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz subplot is gone, and also it is kind of evident that if you're casting Liza Minnelli to play Sally Bowles, who is supposed to be British and a relative no talent when it comes to singing, you are going off in a different direction.

What makes me be able to accept Cabaret as a film is that it is just simply its own separate beast. Sure, it has elements that are clearly from the stage show...and you even have the original emcee Joel Grey there as well...but I can't deny that Fosse's kinetic style of directing translates so well to the screen. Considering how bad a lot of stage directors do when they tackle film (Harold Prince and Susan Stroman), it isn't always a guarantee they will be successful.

Cabaret is famously the film to win the most Oscars without winning Best Picture, and for a time, I actually felt it should've won.

However, as you will learn later on, I suppose I had to finally admit that a certain other film became impossible to refuse.

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#7 - AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD

Written & Directed by Werner Herzog

While more known these days for his documentaries and popping up in various projects with his distinctive voice being so instantly recognizable that it makes me smile every time I hear it, Werner Herzog did have some narrative features under his belt. While I am pretty fond of his Nosferatu adaptation that did make my 1979 list, I think that Aguirre, the Wrath of God might be his best work.

Led by the legendary Klaus Kinski (father of Nastassja no less) as the titular Lope de Aguirre, the film follows him and his conquistadores as they trek down the Amazon in search of El Dorado. 

A lot of the film is very minimalist when it comes to its script, but the actual scenery manages to sweep you up in awe as Herzog basically throws us into the trenches with them. There were a lot of visually stunning films in the 70s, I always name Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and Malick's Days of Heaven among them...but there is almost something about Aguirre that feels worthy of being added to that list.

Sure, it is rougher around the edges in some ways, but that is what the film needs. It comes off like some brutal painting come to life, and while Herzog may throw us in the trenches, there is also a bit of a distance too. I feel like it is not a film that is presented with any ambiguity, but not every film will need to be an existential crisis.

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#6 - THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISE

Written & Directed by Luis Bunuel

Co-written by Jean-Claude Carriere

Uh oh! Chaos is happening amongst the 1%!

Francois and Simone Thevenot (Paul Frankeur and Delphine Seyrig), with her sister Florence (Bulle Ogier), are on their way to a dinner party being hosted by their friends Alice and Henri Senechal (Stephanie Audran & Jean-Pierre Cassel). In tow - they are bringing Rafael Acosta (Fernando Rey), an ambassador to France for the fictional South American country Miranda.

All this group would like to do is dine together and yet, the universe just doesn't want these people to eat, drink, and be merry. In addition to this, we have an assassination plot by a Maoist terrorist and multiple dream sequences from different characters.

There is no real logic to it, but in this world, the bizarre events are accepted with a level of normalcy amongst this group...but perhaps the most fascinating thing was that despite the fact the film was embraced by critics and even won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for that year, Bunuel grew to resent the response the film got as he felt critics got everything wrong with it.

Could the fact that it was seen as his most "accessible" work be something that he didn't take to? Perhaps, but whatever the case may be, this is a truly bewildering film in the best way.

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#5 - THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT

Written & Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

The 1970s were the peak time for Queer German filmmaker Rainer Werne Fassbinder, and this is perhaps one of his best works. It was also a strong year for him as he went the Ingmar Bergman route by diving into the world of TV miniseries with the stellar Eight Hours Don't Make a Day.

As for The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, it stands out as it is a film that truly dives in full-on with a female perspective to the point that the entire ensemble is made up of women. 

Petra (Margit Carstensen) is still deeply mourning the death of her husband Pierre that occurred while she was pregnant. A lot of the film deals with her desperately trying to make connections with the women around her, including aspiring model Karin (Hanna Schygulla). 

I could see some compare this to Jeanne Dielman in how it seems to feel rather stationary in its setting, but Bitter Tears is certainly far more stifling considering we are as trapped in the bedroom setting just as Petra is trapped in her own crumbling psyche. 

Fassbinder is never exactly a filmmaker known for finding the joy in life, which one could argue that he may fall under the category of LGBTQ+ people living in a constant state of self-pity and loathing...but I consider his works to be very rewarding and groundbreaking for their time. 

In the end, it is shame to have to watch someone self-sabotage in this manner as Petra does, but if someone is going to guide us masterfully through the emotionally charged existential crisis of a Queer person, Fassbinder is your leader.

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#4 - THE NEW LAND

Written & Directed by Jan Troell

Co-written by Bengt Forslund

And now it's time to check in on everybody's favorite 19th Century Swedish immigrants!

We had The Emigrants in 1971, and I did mention that the follow-up The New Land would be appearing here, and frankly, both films are on par with each other to the point that I think The New Land is an unsung as being one of the best sequels ever made.

This outing focuses primarily on the early days of the Nilsson family settling in Minnesota that happens just as the Civil War is beginning to rage and societal discontent is at its highest peak. 

Considering it is 3.5 hours long, The New Land might seem like it would be a slog to sit through, but I would say that what Troell achieves here is absolutely riveting. Sure, it may be depressing and bleak, but I think the one thing here that does stand out in comparison to the work of fellow Swede Ingmar Bergman is that it goes more for the jugular in terms of the emotional punch.

No surprise, both Liv Ullman and Max von Sydow are magnificent here and their work must always be treasured. I came across a quote by the late author Philip Roth talking about the film where he felt he "actually believed in the life and death of the characters". There is something truly so real about this family that makes the story all the more difficult to watch in terms of their tragedies.

Also - the portrayal of the Native Americans in this can be perceived as a bit dark, but honestly, by that point in history leading up to the Dakota War, I don't think we can truly blame their actions.

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#3 - CRIES & WHISPERS

Written & Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Well, if any of you are in the market for watching genital mutilation, I suppose I would question what you want out of life, but if that is the case, might I recommend Cries & Whispers?

Granted, that isn't what the film is about, so don't get repelled too fast!

Cries & Whispers is perhaps Bergman at his most bleak in a lot of ways, which is frankly quite the statement considering how frequent his works are dripping with dread and melancholy. He is someone whose style was often poked at for being too dreary, but the truth is, the man was a master and he managed to find a way to make you compelled in ways that are rather surprising. 

Here, we have three sisters who are currently suffering as the fourth sister is dying of cancer. One of the servants of the family is closer to the dying sister than the others, including two: Maria and Karin (Liv Ullman and Ingrid Thulin) who are struggling with emotionally connecting to one another.

Karin is the one who actually does the mutilation to herself as a means to prevent her Fredrik from touching her as she seems to not even want physical contact from another person. To be completely upfront, I was a bit gob smacked when I saw this scene for the first time so I can't even imagine how it must've been for audiences of 1972 to see it.

I have always considered this to be Bergman's ode to legendary playwrights Anton Chekhov and August Strindberg but with a clear boldness that neither of those writers could've dreamed of in the era that they conquered the stage. 

With its sumptuous set design of reds, golds, blacks, and whites, Cries & Whispers manages to make you bask in such a rich and vibrant bloody beauty while feel as they you are drowning in the sorrow of this family struggling with so much grief and repression.

God, I love Bergman.

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#2 - SOLARIS

Written & Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

Co-written by Fredrich Gorenstein 

While Sci-Fi filmdom fanatics will battle between Star Wars and Star Trek, I can't say I am necessarily a big fan of the genre. Having said that, my battle is between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris.

To be fair, both are a bit different, but I do adore Solaris pretty much on the same level as I do 2001. I feel like it at least has a stronger emotional resonance compared to 2001's moodier simplicity which Tarkovsky actually didn't care for and called Kubrick's work "shallow".

The main premise begins with a psychologist named Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) who is sent on a mission to observe an old space station that is orbiting the oceanic planet known as Solaris. He has to determine whether or not they should still continue their research as the small crew has begun to experience an emotional breakdown...only for him to suddenly fall under the same spell.

When I wrote about both Mirror and Stalker in 1975 and 1979 respectively, I made a comment that I don't think I could even truly begin to properly analyze the work of Tarkovsky.

I know that the original critical response was a bit more mixed, with some critics like Roger Ebert bemoaning its slow pace despite admiring it only for him to add the film to his Great Movies list 30 years later saying "No director makes greater demands on our patience" which is a statement I can understand completely.

Tarkovsky himself once considered Solaris to be a failure and that he eventually did the genre up right in Stalker. Honestly, he may be right that Stalker might be better (I personally prefer Mirror), but Solaris is nowhere near being a failure. 

This is a truly deep and profound film, and I don't think anything I can say can truly do it justice.

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#1 - THE GODFATHER 

Written & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Co-written by Mario Puzo

This little-known film deserves to be seen!!!!

All kidding aside, this is the most anti-climactic and predictable selection...and I am sure the title of this post only added to that.

To be honest, there was a time when my thought process behind The Godfather was not truly understanding its appeal. I felt cool because I had a different opinion than what the general consensus was. It was like I was Peter Griffin saying that film "insists upon itself" and everyone else was the Lois Griffin stand-in asking, "What does that even mean?"

I do closely associate the Godfather trilogy with my Nan, who passed way in 2024. The first two were her favorite films of all time, although she did technically prefer Part II, but we will get to that soon.

I do recall she would like to watch them if they were ever on TV, plus she owned them on VHS. I distinctly remember she would do rewatches around the holiday season, so you could say that The Godfather was one of those films that was a frequent presence in my life and yet I seemed willing to run away from it as something I would be considering as "canon".

It wasn't until just a few years ago that I sat down to watch both Part I and II (I highly doubt I will ever revisit Part III) and it was as if something clicked for me that weirdly avoided me for decades. I found myself drawn in and intrigued by the saga unfolding and while I would argue that Part II is a bit more entertaining to me, I do love the careful plotting and build of this first installment.

Of course you have Marlon Brando there and he's a legend for a reason, but I think it is truly incredible to watch Al Pacino in this knowing how much the studio hated him when watching the dailies. 

Pacino is known for being one of those actors who is very loud and abrasive in how he approaches his roles, which actually makes watching him in this film a masterclass in reservation. The Michael Corleone we meet here is essentially a blank slate, practically a boring everyman of sorts, but we slowly watch that empty vessel get filled with the blackest of souls. 

I just don't think there is anything I can really say other than the fact that I feel a tad embarrassed it took me nearly 20 years between first watching and finally realizing what a masterwork this film actually is. 

I know some do love to latch onto Citizen Kane when dishing out this hyperbolic title, but I might proclaim The Godfather (especially when paired with Part II) as the Best Film to come out of the Hollywood film system. 

The opening monologue by Bonasera pulls you in right away.

The allegories, even the obvious ones like Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes", are sublime.

The horse's head.

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli"

The baptism scene is fire. 

The final shot with the door closing on the late great Diane Keaton? Iconic.

And that's just small tip of the iceberg.

To quote Chris Griffin: "It has a valid point to make, IT'S INSISTING!!"

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

I will say that despite me talking about how strong American cinema was in the 70s, it seems that 1972 is another year that is international top heavy with 7 of the top 10 films not being in the English language...but...we got The Godfather and that has to account for something.

As I stated when I started the 70s, I already tackled 1973 which you can read here.

So that means I will be making my way to 1974 next, and I must say that if you thought I was waxing rhapsodic about 1972, you might not be prepared for the epic roster ahead of us.

It's That Time Again - Predicting the 2026 Oscar Nominations

*As of this writing, I still have sadly not seen The Secret Agent*

The crazy thing about award season is how for a snapshot of time, it may seem like the tides are going in one direction only for them to switch later on. At that point, it seems crazy that you ever thought it was going the other way.

Last year, due to the devastation of the wildfires, there was a significant gap in between the Globes and when the Guilds were holding their ceremony. When The Brutalist and Emilia Perez won the GG top prizes, it seemed like the tide was turning in their direction. In the case of Emilia Perez, which that film can go suck a lemon, some did dismiss it as being embraced for being an international feature and that maybe they just didn't respond to the film that had been considered the frontrunner: Anora. 

I had suspected that Anora could still pull off the PGA win and maybe the win at CC and become viable again...and as it ended up panning out, Sean Baker won DGA in a bit of an upset along with the film taking CC and PGA and WGA. In one fell swoop, Anora overtook the odds, although some thought Conclave would put up a fight. 

This year, I am not sure we are going to see that kind of shift. If we do, I think we will all be floored.

I can't exactly say I am upset because the frontrunner, One Battle After Another, is a fantastic film plus it also doesn't hurt that Paul Thomas Anderson is so insanely overdue, so it works not just as a career win, but his work on the film is stellar.

I think we could be in for a boring season honestly. However, we've had a couple hectic ones recently, so it was bound to happen that we'd get one like this again. We COULD see a couple of interesting shifts in the Supporting races, but we will get to that.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

1 - One Battle After Another

2 - Hamnet

3 - Frankenstein

4 - Bugonia

5 - No Other Choice

A semi-quick history lesson before diving into the category.

When it comes to sweeps these days, it seems as though the days of a film winning 8, 9, 10+ Oscars may be over. We've managed to get two films recently winning 7 (Everything Everywhere All at Once and Oppenheimer) while last year, Anora won 5 but they were a whopping 5.

The Academy gave Sean Baker FOUR Oscars, which is a record for the most a person has won for a single film, and it is tied with most Oscars won in a night along with Walt Disney.

However, that fourth win for Baker was in Best Editing, a category that had been all over the place and didn't have a true consensus winner since a lot of the precursors went for the snubbed Challengers. While Conclave had an edge after winning at BAFTA, it seemed as if Anora's Oscar win was one born from passion and a down-the-ballot vote. 

What I am getting at is that there seems to be a feeling every year that perhaps the Academy will want to spread the wealth and yet we get these cases where they reward Sean Baker with 4 Oscars.]

I was thinking early on in the season that if PTA was going to be winning Picture and Director for One Battle that maybe Chloe Zhao could get recognized here in Adapted Screenplay. Plus, it just felt more like a Screenplay movie in comparison...but it seems like PTA may just do a clean sweep. Honestly, I will accept it gladly because the film is great and he is long overdue.

I honestly don't see a path for any of these other contenders beyond Zhao overtaking PTA.

I do want to state that I actually really loved the screenplay to Bugonia and think it would be a great dark horse contender. I think as great as the script to No Other Choice is, I was more wowed by Park Chan-wook's directing there.

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

1 - Sinners 

2 - It Was Just an Accident

3 - Sentimental Value

4 - Marty Supreme

5 - The Secret Agent

I feel like our top 3 are locked in, and I feel pretty good about It Was Just an Accident as well. It's that last slot that proves to be a bit tricky. Truthfully, I had been holding out hope for Sorry Baby after it got the surprise CC nom. It also helped that the decline of Jay Kelly freed open the spot many expected it would get. 

With the surge that The Secret Agent seems to be getting right as Oscar voting begins, I am going to predict for it to sneak in. However, there is even a world where we could see Weapons sneak in here or perhaps another longshot would be Blue Moon. 

However, it seems to be on track for Sinners to take this prize. With all the critical hosannahs and audience approval, it seems like the one place where the film will win a major prize.

I do want to say that I personally really loved the Screenplays for Marty Supreme and It Was Just an Accident and I wish they could also gain some traction.

Sentimental Value is sort of the surprise in a way because I suspected it would have more of a presence in this race, but it hasn't really won anything.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1 - Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value

2 - Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

3 - Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

4 - Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

5 - Paul Mescal, Hamnet

What a bizarre category!

Really early in the year, people talked about this as being the year that Adam Sandler would finally get nominated for an Oscar for his work in Jay Kelly, and sure, he may have a slight chance of sneaking in but considering how much the film has blanked and how he didn't even get an Actors nom, I would say he is out.

Then - Sentimental Value premiered at Cannes and early word was that Stellan Skarsgard was wonderful and became the predicted frontrunner.

That was followed by One Battle After Another getting released in late September and suddenly, everyone seemed to think Sean Penn had what it takes to win a whopping THIRD Oscar for his villainous Col. Lockjaw. 

People talked about his co-star Benicio del Toro as being a delightful scene stealer acting as the calm breeze next to the manic Leonardo DiCaprio, but not everyone seemed to buy into a narrative for him. That is until he began sweeping all the critics' prizes at an insane degree.

We then get to CC where people suspected del Toro would take it only for, out of nowhere, Jacob Elordi to take it for Frankenstein.

Then we get to the Globes, which have a heavy international influence. Would Elordi win again? It is clear that Frankenstein was well liked enough by the HFPA. Would del Toro rebound here? It has been 25 years since his last Oscar winning quest with Traffic and it is clear he had some passion around him. Or - would Skarsgard win as a means to honor a great veteran actor for a sterling performance in one of the most acclaimed international features of the year?

Skarsgard, after all that, came back to win at the Globes AFTER he was shut out of SAG...sorry the Actor Awards...and now, I think that despite the snub there, he could still win at BAFTA and then be very viable for the Oscar.

Paul Mescal is just along for the ride here, but I would be a bit surprised if he got left out. The only people I could see potentially showing up here aside from Sandler would be Miles Caton or Delroy Lindo for Sinners.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1 - Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

2 - Amy Madigan, Weapons

3 - Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

4 - Inga Ibdsdotter Lilleas, Sentimental Value

5 - Odessa A'zion, Marty Supreme

Yes, I am indeed predicting Ariana Grande to get snubbed. Honestly, the journey that film has taken has been rather crazy considering how the early buzz seemed as though the film stuck the landing if not even exceeded expectations only for the reviews to come out and faltered. She went from being the person a lot of people thought would win to suddenly dropping off the lists entirely and seeming like an afterthought nominee.

Here's the thing: she still could totally get the nomination, but we do have contenders each year who make multiple precursors and still miss out on the nod. Just one major example that got a lot of attention was Margot Robbie for Barbie. The interesting thing about the Margot Robbie omission is that a lot of pundits, myself included, thought she was going to get left off the list anyway because the Actress category that year was STACKED. Then, when she kept getting nominated everywhere, many of us felt that we were wrong and put her back on the list...only for her to get snubbed.

I will say the idea of Grande being in Supporting is somehow even more egregious this year than it was last year as she is a bit more prominent in For Good and has more of an emotional arc. I personally really liked her work in it, but I do get this vibe that she could be the "surprise" snub.

I feel like Taylor and Madigan are locked in, and I am going to say that Mosaku is close to a lock. I feel pretty good about Lilleas too even though Sentimental Value was completely shut out at Actors. I could even see a world where she could win at BAFTA and then she'd have a dark horse push to win.

I am predicting A'zion to sneak in after she got the Actors nom, but she is certainly by no means a sure thing. I do, however, feel she really deserves this nomination, and I hope she gets it. 

Madigan is the one that is really interesting here because she has built up so much goodwill and a profile, not to mention winning a ton of critics' prizes and the CC. However, it is a horror performance and the stigma against the genre is still there. 

When Weapons got nominated for Best Picture at PGA, that does show that there is an outside chance it could slip into Best Picture at the Oscars. It's even on the brink in Original Screenplay and Casting...so if by chance it does score those nods, I could see Madigan becoming more competitive. 

There is definitely a world where I could see Madigan make a rebound at SAG and lose the BAFTA to Taylor or someone else which will still make her viable...it's just that Taylor being in the Best Picture frontrunner gives her a bit of an edge.

Also - NINA HOSS SHOULD BE IN THIS RACE IN STRONG CONTENTION FOR THE WIN!!!! Alas, Hedda has mostly been quiet aside from critics mentions and Thompson's Globe nod.

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BEST ACTOR:

1 - Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme

2 - Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

3 - Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

4 - Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

5 - Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

This race does seem to be shaping up to be the coronation for Timothee Chalamet. 

It does seem like his insanely cocky attitude is cooling off, which is a good thing because frankly he was becoming insufferable. Here's the honest truth though: he is very deserving in Marty Supreme, especially considering how much of a cad his character is and yet he still keeps him compelling, and you even find yourself oddly rooting for him in moments.

What is kind of incredible about this category is how strong it is. 

You have an actor like Michael B. Jordan who has been doing good work for so many years. Let's not forget his turn as Wallace during the first season of The Wire, which is where I first remember seeing him. I do think there is a world where he could upset Chalamet at the Actors, especially since Chalamet won there last year. If he still did win, it would be a first and it would clearly show the passion for his work. I don't feel as bad for Jordan though, I still think the best is yet to come for him.

DiCaprio may not be giving his absolute best work in One Battle After Another, but to be honest, I loved him in it. While he may not be as dominant a lead as someone like...well...basically all of the main contenders here, I love what he does with his role of Bob. The exasperation, the manic nature, him trying to capture the energy of his younger revolutionary days...it is a great performance.

As I warned at the beginning, I have not seen The Secret Agent yet, but I do suspect the surge of the film and Moura's GG win will put him on a similar path to a nod like Fernanda Torres last year...even down to him not having Actor or BAFTA nominations.

I will say though, I do think there is a world where Ethan Hawke could miss out on a nomination here and that would be a shame because he is so transformative as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon. His mannerisms and even how he alters his voice feel so different from anything we've seen him do. Part of me actually does wish he could be more in contention to win because it was a true tour-de-force.

As for who could potentially take a slot here, frankly I would love to see Jesse Plemons slip in for Bugonia, which is his best work to date, and I admittedly liked him more than Stone if I had to pick an MVP. His surprise Actors nod does show there is a possibility it could happen.

The only other person who could slip in here that wouldn't overly shock me is Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams, but I don't think anyone else has a chance. I do wish Lee Byung-hun had more of a path to a nod for No Other Choice, but it does seem like that film is sadly fading.

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BEST ACTRESS:

1 - Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

2 - Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You

3 - Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

4 - Emma Stone, Bugonia

 5 - Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

While you could argue that Chalamet is quickly approaching lock status, I do think Jessie Buckley is the biggest lock of the acting categories. While I do agree with some other pundits that I could see her possibly losing at the Actors, I still think she will win there too. I would also be floored if she lost BAFTA considering she is an Irish actress in a film playing Shakespeare's wife. So even if she lost SAG to someone like Rose Byrne, I still think she would take the Oscar. 

I think what really hurts Rose Byrne is sort of the same thing that hurt Glenn Close back in 2019 for The Wife. Her film is not going to get nominated in any other category and is also a film that will be weird enough that I could see it turning some voters off. Having said that, she is wonderful in the film and in a just world, if someone is worthy to win for their film as its only nomination, that is how it should go down.

Reinsve's nod seems secure even with the Actors snub, because it is pretty apparent that they rarely nominate performances from foreign films...even though they are portions of the film in which she speaks English. I am still happy to see her get the recognition after she didn't take off for The Worst Person in the World.

Emma Stone is a bit of an Academy darling considering she managed to win 2 Lead Actress Oscars before even turning 35. She does an amazing job in Bugonia, but I have been a tad surprised at how the film has managed to stick around as I thought it wasn't getting much buzz. In this case, she is just happy to be here.

I am going to predict Chase Infiniti for the last spot mainly due to the fact that she is in the big awards juggernaut this year and she will likely coattail. The thing about her being in Lead is clearly due to the fact that they were looking to ensure that Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall would have a better shot to fit in the crowded Supporting Actress category. Infiniti, in that comparison, would be the defacto female lead but she is very much a supporting player as well. Truthfully, I was a fan of her performance but I think she belongs in Supporting.

Who else could sneak in?

Cynthia Erivo is done. After not getting nominated at CC or Actors combined with the fact Wicked is as dead as Elphaba supposedly is, this is not going to be her time.

As much as I would like to see someone like Tessa Thompson for Hedda or Eva Victor for Sorry Baby, neither made any traction aside from their Golden Globe nods. While those were richly deserved, it felt like the contender pool was a lot smaller in the Drama categories. I feel the same about Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love as well, which might even be the best performance of her career to date.

Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee is actually one I have not seen yet, and that also seems to be a major reason why she keeps getting snubbed as Searchlight, a studio that is normally known for being brilliant with campaigning, dropped the ball with promoting the film. It also doesn't help that the film itself has gotten divisive responses, but even those acknowledge Seyfried is amazing here. Earlier in the season, some felt she was going to be the biggest competition to Buckley. 

The one I think has the best shot of getting into the race is Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue, which I also haven't seen yet but by all accounts, she is the best thing about it. I suppose I wouldn't be shocked if she takes the last slot instead.

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BEST DIRECTOR:

1 - Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

2 - Ryan Coogler, Sinners

3 - Chloe Zhao, Hamnet

4 - Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

5 - Kleber Mendonca Filho, The Secret Agent

Honestly - how this category will shape out is one of the bigger mysteries that I will be curious about. The Directing Branch of the Academy is certainly known for being a tad more highbrow in that they will throw in nominations for contenders who weren't getting as readily embraced by prior voting bodies like Triet and Glazer in 2023, Ostlund in 2022, Vinterberg in 2020...so basically more international selections.

This year, the international slate is perhaps the strongest it has ever been which makes me wonder how exactly it will pan out. Earlier in the season, it seemed as though Jafar Panahi was going to be the candidate who might give PTA a run for his money, but then somewhere along the way, it died down and the critical surge seemed to shift to Ryan Coogler as a runner-up.

The other international director who has been getting nominated a bit more in the precursors is Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value, but as you can see, I am not predicting him. Honestly, if he were to make the final 5, I would not be the least bit surprised but instead, I am going out on a limb and predicting Filho.

My reasoning behind this is that The Secret Agent is picking up steam whereas It Was Just an Accident seems to be fading. I mentioned Ostlund getting nominated for 2022's Triangle of Sadness which was that year's Palme d'Or winner. While The Secret Agent didn't win that award, Filho DID win their Director prize so that could account for something. It is still an outside shot, but I am going to do the NGNG prediction.

So yes, we COULD still see Panahi, we could still very much see Trier, and also...I should mention we could very well see Guillermo del Toro get in here for Frankenstein as it is clear the industry seems to be very fond of the film. It's not that he did a bad job or anything, but I just feel the film was "good" at best and not great. So yes, maybe I am predicting with some bias, but he could end up missing. Not for nothing, he was missing from the BAFTA shortlist which actually listed someone like Yorgos Lanthimos over him.

Josh Safdie is the other one here I would consider to be the most vulnerable. I suppose I wouldn't necessarily call Chloe Zhao a lock, but I do think she is damn near close. The thing about Safdie is that his work for Marty Supreme is so kinetic and alive and with the film picking up steam as more people see it...not to mention the strength it'll have by winning Best Actor and being a strong contender to potentially take the newly minted Best Casting category, I am hoping he will slip in here.

Zhao is a former winner and attached to one of the most beloved films of the year that is in the top 3 of the Picture contenders. I would be floored if she missed.

But yes...Coogler is in, and PTA is finally going to get the elusive Best Director win that he arguably should've won maybe 3 times by now.

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BEST PICTURE:

1 - One Battle After Another

2 - Sinners

3 - Hamnet 

4 - Marty Supreme

5 - Sentimental Value

6 - Frankenstein

7 - The Secret Agent

8 - Bugonia 

9 - Train Dreams 

10 - It Was Just an Accident

Can One Battle After Another get taken down by another film?

I suppose if the Guilds end up going hog wild for another film in a way we aren't expecting, we could see Sinners emerge as that alternative. However, even if Sinners takes the Actors' Ensemble Award and WGA for Original Screenplay, I still think One Battle will prevail as I expect it to take PGA, DGA, the WGA for Adapted, and it'll likely be received better by BAFTA even though I sort of expect Hamnet to dominate more there. 

I am in the minority here, but the only film of these 10 that I wasn't overly fond of was Train Dreams (aside from not seeing The Secret Agent as of yet). I am still a bit baffled by the love Frankenstein has been getting. I am not sure it is worthy to be in Best Picture, and the only real major nomination I can support from it is the one Jacob Elordi will get.

Beyond that, this would be a pretty solid group of nominees, but I am not sure what else could sneak in as a surprise. I will say that Sirat making so many appearances on the Tech category shortlists could signal that maybe a really huge surprise nod is coming, but I do see a path that Weapons could sneak in following its PGA nom... especially if it somehow can snatch the last slot in Screenplay, too.

I am not sure if we will get a major surprise nomination for something this year like I'm Hot Here was last year. I just think Weapons is the only real alternative if they opt for something more populist.

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The nominations will be announced Thursday January 22nd. I suspect I will make a post with my reactions, so I will be back with that later next week!