Sunday Service

After a four-day delay, film and pop culture enthusiasts were glued to their screens for this year’s Oscar nominations. A year of cheers and jeers culminated in the official listing set for the March ceremony. While the final spread felt pretty safe, there were some surprises and egregious snubs.

Much like the rest of the season, Denzel Washington was vacant for Gladiator II after many sang his praises all year. The opposite happened for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, whose stunning festival circuit wins garnered her left out of the Best Actress category. And while Wicked landed three acting noms, a flurry of technical, and Best Picture, the Academy fell short including Jon Chu in Best Director. Nickel Boys also caught a BP nomination but missed the more deserving nod in Cinematography.

Who am I rooting for? Given I’ve seen a majority of the 10 films up for the major award of the evening, I’ve got my should list down pat.

• Best Actress Cynthia as Elphaba is a wonder, and she could clinch an EGOT with this win. However, Demi has the better story: the Brat Pack alumna coveted a career first major award win at this year’s Golden Globe. If Jamie Lee Curtis won over Stephanie and Angela, Demi deserves the damn thing. But I’m Still Here’s Fernanda Torres could pull an upset.

• Best Actor I’ve only seen Conclave but I’m rooting for Colman Domingo in Sing Sing. I have yet to see what people are calling a magnificent film. But the stars are aligning to grant Adrian Brody a win for the three-hour saga, The Brutalist.

• Supporting It’s honestly a duel between Zoe and Ariana. My mind could change if I see the other two films (A Complete Unkown, The Brutalist). As for actor, Yura Borisov has been getting a lot of hype for Anora, however, one of the Logan bros — Kieran or Jeremy — could steal his thunder.

• Screenplay I’ve seen two of the original contenders, and I’d’ have to give it to The Substance. Adapted is a bit more challenging. Of the three I saw, Conclave could have the edge over Nickel Boys.

• Director My vote may change, but I’m betting on Coralie Fargeart for The Substance. A loss would prove a point for the lone woman nominated.

• Best Picture Here is my ranking of the films I’ve seen, from most to least favorite

  • Wicked

  • The Substance

  • Conclave

  • Nickel Boys

  • Emilia Pérez

  • Dune: Part Two

I hope to see the other four — Anora, The Brutalist, I’m Still Here, and A Complete Unknown before March 2.

Did you have any favorites this year? Who didn’t and should have? Let me know in the comments.

In other streams, I finished the first season of Shrinking. I saw that ending a mile away. I can’t wait to see how Jimmy handles that development in season two. Max’s The Pitt continues to shine. And episode two of Severance, exploring the “five months” outside Lumon, was straight heat.

Coming Attractions

• Tonight, CBS premieres Morris Chestnut in Watson after the playoff NFL game

• Sterling K. Brown reunites with Dan Fogelman for Hulu’s political thriller, Paradise 

• Disney Plus launched Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, a new animated series that sees Peter Parker back in high school

• Thursday the second halves of Elsbeth (S2) and Matlock (S1) commence on CBS

• Netflix releases the long-delayed second season of Mo, the comedy starring Ramy Yousef collaborator Mohammad Amer