Written by Julia Lane. Graphic by Anna Porter.
Well, it’s that time of year again! On Sunday, March 2, the 97th Academy Awards will be presented to this year’s shining stars, both in front of and behind the camera. I don’t know about you, but I’m a film-loving gal, which means that the Oscars season is my jam. For the more casual movie watcher, the Oscars might mean a watch party where you feel out of the loop and somewhat clueless. Don’t fret, casual movie watcher, because that’s where I come in. Grab your popcorn and movie candy (Buncha Crunch, anyone? I’ve been judged for this choice), because we’re about to make a fake cinephile out of you.
1. What movies are even nominated?
For the sake of brevity, I’m only going to list the films nominated for Best Picture, but you can find all of the nominations on the Academy’s website here. The Best Picture nominations include: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Perez,” “I’m Still Here,” “The Nickel Boys,” “The Substance” and “Wicked.” You don’t need to have seen all of these (or any, perhaps) to hold your own at your Oscar party. I myself have only seen two of the Best Picture Noms, but I make up for it in curiosity and conversation, which you can do too.
2. What’s the story, Morning Glory?
You may be saying to yourself, “Alright, Julia, good to know, but I haven’t seen any of these movies.” Never fear, dear reader, for you can also read reviews for quite a few of the films in conversation on our very own website! Hear our District staff’s thoughts on films such as “Anora,” “The Substance,” “A Real Pain” (by yours truly), “Flow,” “Sing Sing” and “Alien: Romulus.”
3. Pre-game with your favorite movie scores (or, with my favorites).
I wouldn’t be living up to my District bio if I didn’t blab about scores in a conversation about movies. To honor our surprisingly non-nominated friend (see step number five), I’ll make my suggestions Hans Zimmer-themed. My personal favorites of his include “Armada” from “Dune: Part One” (the bagpipes!), “Cornfield Chase” from “Interstellar” (“Message from Home” seemed too sad an option) and “This Land” from “The Lion King.” To really get the party going, cue up a shockingly snubbed favorite of mine, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ “Challengers.”
4. Reference lore of Oscars’ past.
Remember the memorable 2017 Oscars, when there was the envelope mixup with “La La Land” and “Moonlight?” How about when John Travolta infamously butchered Idina Menzel’s name, calling Broadway’s original “Wicked” actress “Adele Dazeem” in 2014? And of course, the slap heard around the world delivered from Will Smith’s hand to Chris Rock’s cheek in 2022? Few will question your loyalty to the awards show, and these double as pop culture moments, so now you’ve also proved that you haven’t been living under a rock.
5. Knock their socks off with some fast facts and filmy lingo.
I’ll tally off some fast facts for you to use as talking points. This is especially impressive if you focus on the technical aspects of filmmaking, like the production design (the set, the concept of the film’s “look”), score (original music composed to accompany the film), or cinematography (the shots, lighting, composition). Learning a lot already? The production design for “Wicked” stands out because of how much of it was practically built, meaning that it was an actual, physical set as opposed to relying on CGI. They planted nine million tulips to help bring the set of Munchkinland to life. “The Nickel Boys” is actually a book adaptation, based on the 2019 novel written by Colson Whitehead, which you can read a review of here, thanks to our Editor-in-Chief Ally Abruscato. Dabbling into literature as well now, aren’t we!“Dune: Part Two” is an absolute spectacle, with nearly every shot taking my breath away, brought to the next level with Hans Zimmer’s score. However, the score for “Dune: Part Two” was disqualified from receiving a nomination because, according to the Academy, it wasn’t different enough from its predecessor, “Dune: Part One.” Hans Zimmer, you will always be famous.
And so, with that, the Oscar for Best Actor/Actress in a Leading Role goes to you! Enjoy the awards show, and if you want to keep up the facade, let us know your thoughts on the winners. See you at the movies!
Julia studies Production Design at SCAD, focusing on Set Design and Themed Entertainment Design. Her role as Copy Editor fulfills a dream of being paid to correct people’s grammar, which she normally does for free. You can often find Julia at the Forsyth Farmer’s Market, people watching around town with an iced chai, or listening to movie scores; sometimes all at once.
