# The 2026 Oscars (celebrating films of 2025) - nominations, predictions, discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 22, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926 "2026-01-22T15:11:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/61 "2026-02-27T15:34:48Z")
Not a role that I liked, but I do hope she wins (admittedly I’m not familiar with the other nominees) — I really liked her in _Field of Dreams_. She is 75 today. When she was 35 she was nominated for best supporting actress in _Twice in a Lifetime_ (1985), and per wiki this 40-year gap is the longest between two nominations for an actress. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/62 "2026-03-02T00:46:15Z")
The **Short Film nominees** have been in the theaters (and are most likely streaming as well) for about a week. I saw **Animated** and **Live Action** Yesterday and thought I better post my thoughts before they begin to blur together in my memory. **Best Live Action Short Film** _Butcher’s Stain_ _A Friend of Dorothy_ _Jane Austen’s Period Drama_ _The Singers_ _Two People Exchanging Saliva_ The good news is that this year’s nominees are not as relentlessly downbeat as is traditional in this category. The bad news is that the most downbeat nominees are the most likely to win (the voters like their faux profundity, yes they do). My favorites are the most upbeat, _The Singers_, which is a nice little shaggy dog of a story, and _Jane Austen’s Period Drama_, which is just laugh out loud hilarious. Neither has any chance. Most likely winners are either the dystopian _Two People Exchanging Saliva_ or _Butcher’s Stain_, which makes a timely political statement. _A Friend of Dorothy_ is the nominee that is most out of place. Nice, but aside from the obvious theme, not much there there, **Best Animated Short Film** _Butterfly_ _Forevergreen_ _The Girl Who Cried Pearls_ _Retirement Plan_ _The Three Sisters_ Another category which usually downbeat (because profound is always tragic, dontcha know). So the most downbeat nominee, _Butterfly_ is the one most likely to win (though it deserves some merit for the innovative animation). Both _Forevergreen_ and _The Three Sisters_ are pleasant, but not remarkable. I liked _The Girl Who Cried Pearls_, despite the poor story resolution and _Retirement Plan_ is clever and sly, so I’m torn between these two as to the “best”. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/63 "2026-03-02T01:21:09Z")
I actively hated _The Three Sisters_. The messaging of it was so bizarre and tone deaf. Women are sad and lonely and drab unless a man is in their life, no matter how gross he is. Any man will do. I kept waiting for the twist that would turn that idea on its head but nope, that’s literally all the story is. No thank you. _Butterfly_ is heads above all the other nominees both in animation and story. I was really enjoying _Forevergreen_ until they added the religious glurge at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/64 "2026-03-02T08:30:19Z")
I just saw a movie I liked: _Song Sung Blue_. A nice story, albeit a bit sad. A good movie. It helps that I like Neil Diamond’s music but I don’t think that’s required to like this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/65 "2026-03-03T04:14:15Z")
For the 3rd year in a row, I have now completed seeing all 50 nominated films in all 24 categories! This year was _much_ easier to see all the films than the past two. (Could have finished last week but was putting off **The Lost Bus** and **Relentless**. Turns out the Dianne Warren doc was actually rather good!) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/66 "2026-03-03T04:20:07Z")
I still have _Train Dreams_ to watch, otherwise I’ve seen all the other Best Picture nominees. And I’m sticking with (in no particular order) _Frankenstein_, _Hamnet_, and _Sentimental Value_. But I predict (do not want, and will not agree, but predict) that _Sinners_ will win Best Picture. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/67 "2026-03-06T02:53:24Z")
The first Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot has dropped. To be honest, it’s way less brutal than they often are, but at least you can see how a voter’s wheels turn while voting. (Hollywood Reporter has a lot of damned ads, hopefully you’re blocking them) [Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot: ‘Sentimental Value,’ Jessie Buckley](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/brutally-honest-oscar-ballot-sentimental-value-jessie-buckley-1236523010/) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/68 "2026-03-08T02:40:27Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > My favorites are the most upbeat, _The Singers_, which is a nice little shaggy dog of a story, and _Jane Austen’s Period Drama_, which is just laugh out loud hilarious. Neither has any chance. Most likely winners are either the dystopian _Two People Exchanging Saliva_ or _Butcher’s Stain_, which makes a timely political statement. I actually found _Two People Exchanging Saliva_ quite funny and the most enjoyable save _The Singers_. The most worthy is probably _Butcher’s Stain_ though it was the hardest to watch. I found the animated shorts rather disappointing. Technique seems to have trumped storytelling in that category this year. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/69 "2026-03-08T06:26:49Z")
We just got back from watching five nominated films in a row at the theater, and… Train Dreams. The only one of the five I’d seen before, and I liked it even more the second time. There’s something I like very much about a pace that gives you time to absorb things and think about them. I’m scoring it 82/100. The Secret Agent. An engaging film, and Wagner Moura was compelling to watch. I did also like seeing these old views of Brazil, though coming literally one year after a very similar film (I’m Still Here) made it feel a little familiar. 76. One Battle After Another. It can sometimes not work when satire and polemics mix, and making fun of self serious revolutionaries and rich white men while showing the plight of immigrants, and then let’s throw in a father daughter relationship, I don’t know, it was a lot of tonal shifting for me. I did find parts of it funny. 65. Hamnet. A predictable movie (it’s not whether the play Hamlet will be used to reflect the death of a child and its resulting grief, it’s how it will be used) with the best lead performance in maybe a couple of years and an ending that made it difficult not to sob in the theater. 80. Frankenstein. I had heard that this was a more faithful version of the book, and I guess if you compare it to the Abbott and Costello version that’s true, but generally this is a very poor adaptation. On top of that, Guillermo del Toro has zero subtlety, and everything gets its exposition. Who’s the real monster Victor? It’s you! It’s you! And that ending, just terrible. Gah. 45. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/70 "2026-03-08T07:20:15Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > The first Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot has dropped. I agree with many of the assessments but certainly not all. Glad to see _Sentimental Value_ getting major kudos, and especially Renate Reinsve for Best Actress. I think _Frankenstein_ is being underrated – it’s well-crafted entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![schnebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@schnebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnebs)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/71 "2026-03-08T22:12:08Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > The only Best Picture nomination that puzzles me is _F1_. It’s a perfectly executed traditional Hollywood racing flick, but nothing elevates it to “Best”. I think that’s kinda the point - it’s the obligatory average blockbuster nominated to show the public that Academy members don’t only nominate and vote for artsy movies that the general public can’t relate to. Remember the “Best Popular Film” category the Academy proposed until the members had a fit? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/72 "2026-03-08T22:24:46Z")
> [@schnebs](#): > > > [@peccavi](#): > > > > The only Best Picture nomination that puzzles me is _F1_. It’s a perfectly executed traditional Hollywood racing flick, but nothing elevates it to “Best”. > > I think that’s kinda the point - it’s the obligatory average blockbuster nominated to show the public that Academy members don’t only nominate and vote for artsy movies that the general public can’t relate to. Not always. _Titanic_ was an immensely popular blockbuster with a mediocre and maudlin script that was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11 of them, including Best Picture, Director, and Cinematography. It sure as hell didn’t get any nominations for “Best Writing”! This year we have an example of the opposite in _Sentimental Value_, whose strength lies entirely in the writing and stunningly realistic performances. I’m curious to see how well it does. ---
**Author:** ![schnebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@schnebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnebs)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/73 "2026-03-08T22:29:23Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I just saw a movie I liked: _Song Sung Blue_. A nice story, albeit a bit sad. A good movie. It helps that I like Neil Diamond’s music but I don’t think that’s required to like this movie. That’s about the only movie with a nomination in the major categories I’ve seen this year. I’m rooting for Kate Hudson, but I don’t think she has much of a chance. I’m disappointed that the film didn’t pick up any other nominations besides Kate’s and that “Rental Family” didn’t get any (I’m guessing because Brendan Fraser won for “The Whale”). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/74 "2026-03-08T22:35:22Z")
Wait; F1 was a popular film? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/75 "2026-03-08T22:41:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > F1 was a popular film? 7.6 on IMDb, 82% on RT (critics) and 97% on RT (audience), so I’d say yes, pretty popular, though certainly no _Titanic_. It’s a technically well-made movie with great cinematography, but a movie that has no artistic pretensions. I expect it may win something minor like cinematography or sound, but nothing major. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/76 "2026-03-08T23:02:01Z")
And $633M in worldwide box office. A reminder that back when there were only five best picture nominations, there were occasional calls to expand it…it was only when The Dark Knight was snubbed that the call was [finally heeded](https://variety.com/2018/film/in-contention/dark-knight-changed-movies-christopher-nolan-1202874041/). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/77 "2026-03-09T04:29:06Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > 7.6 on IMDb, 82% on RT (critics) and 97% on RT (audience), so I’d say yes, pretty popular, though certainly no _Titanic_. It’s a technically well-made movie with great cinematography, but a movie that has no artistic pretensions. _F1_ is much MUCH better than the old _Days of Thunder_, if anyone here remembers that one (or is old enough to have seen it). ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/78 "2026-03-09T17:15:04Z")
**F1** is much better than **Frankenstein**. That’s a film that I really don’t understand how it got so hyped up to get into so many categories _especially_ Best Picture. “You’re the real monster Victor!” 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/79 "2026-03-09T17:47:29Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Frankenstein. I had heard that this was a more faithful version of the book, and I guess if you compare it to the Abbott and Costello version that’s true, but generally this is a very poor adaptation. On top of that, Guillermo del Toro has zero subtlety, and everything gets its exposition. Who’s the real monster Victor? It’s you! It’s you! And that ending, just terrible. Gah. 45. I’m very much with you on that. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926/80 "2026-03-09T17:54:10Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > **F1** is much better than **Frankenstein**. That’s a film that I really don’t understand how it got so hyped up to get into so many categories _especially_ Best Picture. “You’re the real monster Victor!” 🙄 Hot take: Both were adequate, but not great. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2026-oscars-celebrating-films-of-2025-nominations-predictions-discussion/1026926.md?page=5)