We are back for a fifth year in a row proving that Dakota and Rachel Ho have better taste than Oscar voters. We made our own list of nominees and winners for each category and added a little commentary for each of our picks. Enjoy some gentle teasing and ruthless evisceration! Who would you have picked for the Oscars? Also as an added bonus this year, we are including our picks for Best Canadian film!
Read our previous picks from 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
Best Supporting Actress
Dakota: Starting off strong with three of our picks overlapping. I know a lot of people were down on Margaret Qualley’s performance, especially in comparison to Demi’s but I thought she was great and was a complicated antagonist opposite her. I also didn’t expect to enjoy The Piano Lesson as much as I did considering I didn’t care for the previous two August Wilson adaptations. John David Washington just missed my cut for Best Actor.
Rachel: Deadwyler once again gets shafted. She’s such an incredible performer, I hope her time comes soon. Monica Barbaro was fighting for that fifth spot for me, I thought her and Elle Fanning both were incredible in a movie that was otherwise meh for me.
Best Supporting Actor
Rachel: I love Denzel, I really do. Pressed to name my favourite actor of all time, it’s probably Denzel, and he’s definitely the only thing I really liked about Gladiator II; but I do not understand the award-season talk around the performance! Really love the rest of your picks though — I’m surprised Cory Michael Smith didn’t pick up more heat.
Dakota: SATURDAY NIGHT got middling reviews out of Telluride and TIFF (I was one of only four people that were hysterically laughing during the TIFF press screening alongside Darren Zakus and Ethan Simmie) and never recovered, which is a damn shame. I love the story of how Jesse Plemmons was a last minute replacement for another actor but knew the scene already from practicing with Kirsten Dunst and just steals the whole movie in five minutes and one memorable line.
Best Actress
Dakota: I’m correcting category fraud here. Ariana Grande was a co-lead in Wicked. I almost had Zoë Saldaña until I rewatched Anora and appreciated it more. I would have also put Kieran Culkin in Best Actor as well because I don’t care what anyone says, he is just as important as Eisenberg is, but I didn’t care for that movie and performance that much.
Rachel: I don’t want the heat from her fans so I’ll just say, yes, she definitely was a co-lead in Wicked. Love the Lily-Rose Depp pick; an incredible performance I was very surprised by.
Best Actor
Rachel: Same top two just with a flip. Both of them have turned in some amazing performances over the last few years and it’s really satisfying to see them get awards recognition finally.
Dakota: I could have picked Domingo and it would have been correct too. Also what an incredible year for Stan. I can’t think of another actor who had two lead roles as dominant as he did in a single year.
Best Original Score
Dakota: What a crazy year for scores and how the Academy got it almost completely wrong. I’m still furious that Challengers, scored by the best active composers in Reznor and Ross, got snubbed. This is an all time miss by them. Your boy Volker got in for Conclave, and deserves another win.
Rachel: I am not a Challengers fan in the slightest, but I’m really surprised the way Reznor and Ross have been snubbed. This is one of my favourite categories, and while I love the ones we both picked, I wasn’t super enthused with any of them this year (save for Volker…he really is my dude).
Best Original Song
Dakota: Does this make me a redneck for putting a Twisters song first? Maybe. Kneecap had the best music in any film last year and I urge anyone who hasn’t seen it put on a balaclava, do some ketamine and watch it. How dare you include a Diane Warren song!
Rachel: I will not stand for Diane Warren slander. That woman has given us so many hits! (I’ll be completely honest and say I don’t know which one is Diane’s, but I stand by her still.)
Editor’s note: It’s The Six Triple Eight song Rachel, c’mon!
Best Original Screenplay
Rachel: This is the one category that I’ve felt really strongly about The Substance winning. No other movie produced a script as intricate and interesting as Coralie Fargeat’s. Also, justice for Thelma, the most joyful movie experience of 2024.
Dakota: It annoyed me how people watched Civil War and called Alex Garland a coward for not spelling things out for them, despite you know, if you actually paid attention realize he lays EVERYTHING out there. And it’s terrifying. Thelma was this year’s best James Bond film.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Dakota: The weekend after I saw Conclave at the Vancouver International Film Festival, I went out and bought the book. I loved the story that much. I really liked the dual perspectives of religious fanaticism in Dune: Part Two between the cult-like following Lady Jessica cultivates and the true believer in Stilgar. The People’s Joker was a really pleasant surprise for me, using Vera Drew’s experience of coming to terms with her transness with the world of Batman characters.
Rachel: I had a similar experience with Nickel Boys. Right after I finished watching it, I went home to learn more about the book and the history, and I was (and still am) blown away at how RaMell Ross translated everything with such artistry. (I’ll also add that after I watched Conclave, I also looked up the book to see if the ending was a book thing or a movie thing, because I just wasn’t feeling it.)
Best Cinematography
Dakota: Another absolutely stacked category. I considered two of your picks that didn’t make my list. I love cinematography and probably is my favourite aspect of filmmaking. You know my appreciation of Nosferatu films, and while I was slightly disappointed overall with the latest one, its cinematography was a standout.
Rachel: Aesthetically speaking, Maria has the most affecting cinematography; but as a feat of cinematography, it’s hard to top Dune: Part Two. Anora’s a great shout here, too. I love the blue clinical comedown after the bubblegum, dream-state.
Best Sound
Dakota: How was Civil War snubbed? Every photo taken had the impact of a gunshot all thanks to its sound design. My sneaky addition is In A Violent Nature, a Canadian film that is like if a Friday the 13th movie was shown only from the perspective of the killer. The death scenes are crazy inventive and the sounds are so disturbing and evocative. I am quite surprised at your love for Maria across the board, especially in this category.
Rachel: I loved Maria! (Clearly.) The sound in Maria reminded me a bit of the sound design in The Father, where it incorporates the design as part of the narrative rather than only serving the narrative. I’m with you on the Civil War snub, and not just in this category but generally speaking.
Best Costumes
Rachel: The spandex alone is all I needed for The Substance. I have to admit to going round over Conclave. At first I thought it was a bit of an “easy” task to copy these uniforms that have been so well documented; but I think it’s because of that knowledge, it almost makes it more difficult.
Dakota: I love all the little flair and attention to detail to make the cardinals look differently in Conclave. But The Substance knocked it out of the park. The iconic yellow jacket Demi wears to all the spandex that both of the ladies wear. Love it all! I can’t believe we both picked the same four movies too.
Best Hair and Makeup
Dakota: Back to back awards to The Substance from the both of us. I don’t think anything could top Monstro Elizasue this year, but Sebastian Stan probably had the best hair and makeup year for any actor, with some of the best prosthetic work in A Different Man and managing to look exactly like that asshole in the White House in The Apprentice.
Rachel: Not enough orange though.
Best Animated Feature
Dakota: Much like how Best Song is your toughest category each year to pick nominees, mine is always Animated. I watched exactly five animated films this year, all of them were Oscar nominees. Wallace and Gromit was my favourite, but Memoir was the best.
Rachel: I struggled this year with animation, honestly, which is disappointing. I have to give a shout out to Transformers One though. I know Mars Express was this random French movie and didn’t have a chance in hell, but Transformers One was a massive Hollywood production with the backing of one of the keystone studios. It’s really surprising that a movie like Moana 2 got more heat (even considering the Disney factor).
Best Documentary
Rachel: I think this was the strongest category of the “best features” awards. Dahomey’s a movie that I’ve thought about constantly since I saw it, all of my picks actually are ones that have stayed with me.
Dakota: You’re right about the staying power of Dahomey. I really liked the fun that Secret Mall Apartment had as a group of artists performed an act of protest through art by building an apartment unit within the walls of a mall that had forced affordable housing tenants out of their homes.
Best International Film
Dakota: This was a weaker year for me for International films. I wished more jumped out to me. Kneecap was an insane breath of fresh air and Dahomey’s unique storytelling method worked great for me. We also both have a Canadian film here!
Rachel: International films may have not been the strongest but it has been an incredible year for Canadian films! I like the Dahomey pick — it’s kind of like when Flee crossed multiple categories. I also just want to express my extreme disliking of Emilia Pérez winning this category — even before all the controversy, it was never the strongest international film.
Best Visual Effects
Rachel: I mean, was there ever a question here…
Dakota: No there wasn’t. Also shout out to monkey Robbie Williams! That Rock DJ sequence might have been the most imaginative scene of the year.
Best Production Design
Rachel: I know people are a bit lukewarm on September 5 for political reasons (understandably so), but the 1970s-era broadcast booth they assembled blew me away. The research, accuracy, and details they put into the movie is an incredible feat — sure, it’s not as expansive or even as intricate as something like Dune: Part Two, but the execution is precise.
Dakota: The tactile nature of September 5 was just incredible. I felt like I learned more about how television was produced in this film than all my years of knowledge. Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language made Winnipeg look like Tehren and so I badly wish it was a real place that I could go and visit. But we all know Winnipeg isn’t real.
Best Film Editing
Dakota: Did I include Challengers here solely for the tennis ball shot at the end of the movie? Not really, but it would be fitting. I loved the cross cutting between eras to build this mystery and ménage à trois that kept me on my toes the entire ride. Such a shame it was shut out of the Oscars.
Rachel: Does Zendaya have a rabid fan base? If so, I can agree that Challengers had a tennis ball shot at the end.
Best Director
Rachel: If Coralie Fargeat doesn’t actually win, I’ll be pissed. Denis must have done something to the Academy, right? Why is he always getting shafted? Nice that we both have Alex Garland again!
Dakota: Clearly the Academy hates Canadians. 14 times a Canadian has been nominated for Best Director with only one win for James Cameron on Titanic. If he doesn’t win for Dune: Messiah, we march on down to the Kodak Theater.
Best Canadian Film
Dakota: I decided to add an additional category this year, we both love Canadian cinema and I thought it would be fun to name our top five films. I really need to see Shepards, it’s one that is about to come out so I’ll likely have seen it by the time this post goes live. But both The King Tide and In a Violent Nature knocked my socks off with how unique and bold they were.
Rachel: I think you’ll absolutely love Shepherds, it’s exactly why we like cinema, which is a big statement but I don’t mean it in a big way. I said it already, but Canada had a great year! I feel like every genre was represented well and filmmakers made some really bold moves.
Best Picture
Rachel: How does Matthew Rankin score a Best Director nomination but Universal Language doesn’t get a Best Picture nod?
Dakota: Look you’re not wrong for pointing this out, it does seem crazy but let me explain. I thought the world that Rankin created was so original, unique and bold, blending Persian culture with Canadiana that I had to include him for Best Director. It was my 11th Best Film of the year so it just missed the cut. There were so many great movies this year it was tough to leave any off.
Rachel: See, I struggled with movies this year. I wasn’t particularly bowled over by anything, although I do really love the movies I selected. I like how much you like Kneecap; I didn’t expect it to be a big awards contender but I thought it would be a bigger indie film. (I also do not accept your explanation for leaving Universal Language off your BP selections.)
Dakota: This is why we can’t be friends. It was a bit of a surprise to see I’m Still Here top your list, based on what you were awarding I thought for sure it would have been Maria or Civil War. Also I love that I was such a big supporter of Pablo Larraín’s earlier films but Maria, while still good, just didn’t hit that sweet spot for me. I’m happy to see Sing Sing place so highly on both of our lists.
What do you think of our picks? Any better than the so-called real Academy’s? Leave a comment with your picks!
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