Some further thoughts on the Oscars

Last night I watched the Oscars. Why did I do that to myself?, some of you might ask. I don’t know. Some of the wins were shocking.

I suppose it says something about the Oscars—and Hollywood as a whole—that a film such as Sinners is so celebrated, with 16 nominations and 4 wins. But unlike many people on the internet, I don’t think it’s entirely political—Sinners is popular, and that popularity is revealing about the lack of discernment among the audience, among people in the film industry and in film criticism. One may argue that the Oscar for Best Cinematography going to Sinners is political—Train Dreams has much better visual storytelling, much more interesting framing, much more memorable shots—but Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first female cinematographer to win an Oscar. One may argue that the Best Actor award for Michael B. Jordan is political, as he’s the weakest of the five nominees—the other four are all better, Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme and Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon especially carry the whole film. But Sinners *is* popular. I can see the hype online. I can see that lots of people don’t seem to notice that it’s a stupid film, a complete mess in which the director constantly spoonfeeds the audience. I can see lots of people go mad over Michael B. Jordan’s performance as the twins, sounding like they have only watched five films their whole lives and the other four are Marvel. It’s nonsensical that the Oscar for Best Actor is awarded to Michael B. Jordan instead of Ethan Hawke, Timothée Chalamet, or Wagner Moura. It’s even more laughable that the award for Best Original Screenplay goes to Sinners instead of Sentimental Value or Blue Moon.  

These choices are as ridiculous as the Best Picture for The Shape of Water, Best Cinematography for Mank, and Best Editing for Bohemian Rhapsody. Does anyone take the Oscars seriously?

I also don’t like One Battle After Another, the one that won Best Picture (though of course I was relieved it didn’t go to goddamn Sinners). This has been a strong year (especially compared to last year and the year of Everything Everywhere All at Once), but the great films of 2025 are Train Dreams and Sentimental Value; you could also make the case for The Secret Agent, an engrossing film that constantly changes directions and defies our expectations. One Battle After Another is a fun, well-crafted film but it’s essentially empty and forgettable—it doesn’t have the depth or complexity of Paul Thomas Anderson’s best films, Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood. 

(I suppose I don’t particularly mind that Paul Thomas Anderson won Best Directing for One Battle After Another—it is a well-directed film—it just feels like the voters decided it was time for him to finally get an Oscar after so many nominations, the same way Martin Scorsese made many great films only to win for The Departed). 

I guess it’s on me, to pay attention to the Oscars. What a joke. 

PS: My friend Himadri, who lives in the past and generally doesn’t like today’s films, has just watched and thought highly of Train Dreams. 

PPS: The ceremony was all right. Conan O’Brien was quite a funny host—my favourite part was his joke at the very end, after the last announcement. The worst part was Javier Bardem—now that gave me second-hand embarrassment.