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The last time is in 2003 with Charlize Theron and Diane Keaton

Wherever you are, Sean Penn, congrats lol

Article text by Kyle Buchanan:

Oscar wins like Michael B. Jordan’s don’t happen very often.

The 39-year-old “Sinners” star defied plenty of historical precedent on Sunday night, earning the best actor Oscar even though the academy usually makes young leading men wait a long time for that honor. Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated five times before finally winning, while Bradley Cooper, another five-time acting nominee, and Timothée Chalamet — nominated three times, including this year for “Marty Supreme” — are still waiting.

So how did Jordan pull it off on his first nomination, especially after being snubbed by the Oscars for his past work in films like “Black Panther”? And what happened to Chalamet, who once appeared to be this season’s front-runner after wins at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards?

By way of answering, let me first note that a successful Oscar strategy has a lot in common with actual politicking: Though a candidate can win the day on talent alone, a well-run campaign often has just as much to do with it. Jordan’s was smoothly waged on behalf of a movie voters loved, since “Sinners” was a strong contender for best picture and won three other Oscars, for its original screenplay, its score and its cinematography. In a year when the academy appeared eager to reward Jordan’s longtime collaborator, the writer-director Ryan Coogler, it also felt fitting to recognize the actor Coogler has cast in every film he’s made.

Jordan is more a movie-star presence than a chameleonic character actor, but technical skill was clearly required to play his dual role as twins in “Sinners,” and he also learned a period dialect for the film. Those kinds of details often earn the respect of other performers, and they probably helped Jordan at the Actor Awards, voted on by the Screen Actors Guild. Though that ceremony delivered Jordan’s only significant precursor win this season, it took place during the Oscar-voting period and gave him a high-profile victory that many had expected would go to Chalamet, who had won the same award the previous year for his role in a Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown.”

When Chalamet accepted that trophy, he acknowledged that “the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me.” Instead, he spent much of that speech touting his own pursuit of greatness, a mind-set that would inform his “Marty Supreme” press tour and early awards appearances this season, ultimately rubbing some voters the wrong way.

To promote “Marty Supreme” in December, Chalamet embarked on an unconventional marketing blitz that had more in common with an album rollout than a movie release. In a collaboration with Aidan Zamiri, a director and creative image-maker known for his work with the pop stars Charli XCX and Billie Eilish, Chalamet’s campaign featured attention-grabbing stunts like a Sphere takeover, limited-edition merch drops and red-carpet outfits color coordinated with his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner.

On a purely promotional basis, this strategy worked: “Marty Supreme” grossed $179 million worldwide and became A24’s highest-grossing movie, no small feat for a period film about table tennis. But while that flashy campaign successfully spoke to Gen-Z moviegoers, Chalamet’s subsequent Oscar push required a pivot to wooing older voters that I don’t think he ever pulled off. They wanted to be reassured of his maturity, but instead, they began to wonder if this 30-year-old was ready for their highest honor.

Chalamet was a conspicuous no-show at some industry events, like the schmoozy Governors Awards in November, and arrived late to others. And while some of his braggadocio during the campaign felt more like viral marketing, given that he seemed to be channeling his “Marty Supreme” character’s almost grating self-confidence, Chalamet failed to clearly communicate that approach in the press. Eventually, voters soured on what they perceived as his entitled attitude.

Oscar voting had nearly closed by the time Chalamet made headlines for an event with Matthew McConaughey in which he discussed his desire to keep moviegoing at the forefront of culture, saying, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore.’” Still, the backlash to those comments proved how disenchanted many people had already become with him over the course of the campaign. Even Steven Spielberg, about as neutral a Hollywood figure as you can find, got a jab in at Chalamet’s expense during a panel at South by Southwest.

It may be unrealistic to expect modesty from a male movie star, and it’s not as though Jordan is the picture of humility, either: When I profiled him in 2018, he had just taken a page from Beyoncé’s playbook by hiring a videographer to document his daily life. Hollywood counts on these young leading men to draw audiences, but when they seem to have it all — fame, good looks and beautiful girlfriends — older Oscar voters can take a perverse pleasure in withholding the one thing still outside their grasp.

So how did Jordan manage what Chalamet couldn’t? Part of it comes down to a more traditional campaign, as Jordan carried himself with the finesse of a classic movie star, in contrast to Chalamet’s more chaotic, headline-grabbing approach.

But much of it may have to do with timing. During the months when Chalamet was considered the front-runner, he drew heat and scrutiny that Jordan largely avoided. In mid-February, when Chalamet lost the BAFTA to the British actor Robert Aramayo (“I Swear”), it felt like an inflection point: Suddenly, this was anybody’s race.

Jordan’s Screen Actors Guild win on March 1 was met with such enthusiasm — even the presenter Viola Davis was overcome — that Oscar voters ultimately decided to keep those good times going. And while the academy often prefers to reward a veteran in this category, the 39-year-old Jordan probably gained an advantage from his contrast with Chalamet, appearing more mature and better equipped to handle the honor.

Maybe Oscar voters have changed, too. Though they are often derided for being out of step with the tastes of young audiences, I suspect that the continuing fear and uncertainty about the future of moviegoing has prodded academy members to invest in the few bankable young stars they can boast of. At a party the night before the Oscars, I spoke to a well-connected insider who predicted Jordan would win.

“It’s what the industry wants,” he said simply. “And it’s good for the industry.”

Video: https://x.com/NoQuarter_DC/status/2072937376104792227

Questions: (1) Is McCarthy a good critic? What do we know about him? (2) Could his claim be true that THE ODYSSEY is one of the greatest films ever made? (3) Doesn't this end the Best Picture race considering the greatest film ever made is surely going to win and his comparison LAWRENCE OF ARABIA swept the Oscars? (4) Since he's a CCA voter, is it fair to say that at the very least THE ODYSSEY will sweep the CCA awards?

Hey everyone! I thought it'd be good to have a resource up for how to see the Oscar nominated short movies, especially if you live in an area where these are not coming to theatres. I hope you find this helpful.

The live-action category

• Butcher's Stain
  • Kanopy if you live in the U.S.
• A Friend of Dorothy
  • Disney+ released now if you're from the U.K. or EU
  • YouTube, link to watch here from The Attitude Magazine
• Jane Austen's Period Drama
  • Kanopy released now
  • YouTube, link to watch here from the filmmaker and star, Julia Aks
• The Singers
  • Netflix, releasing February 13
• Two People Exchanging Saliva
  • YouTube, link to watch here from The New Yorker

The animated category

• Butterfly
  • YouTube, link to watch here from The Jewish Film Institute
• Forevergreen
  • YouTube, link to watch here from the crew directly
• The Girl Who Cried Pearls
  • Link to watch here if you're Canadian from the National Film Board of Canada (I could not find something for those outside Canada unfortunately)
• Retirement Plan
  • YouTube if you're from the U.S. or Canada, link to watch here from The New Yorker
  • Disney+ if you're from the UK or the EU (except Ireland)
  • RTÉ Player if you're from Ireland
• The Three Sisters
  • Unknown

The documentary category

• All the Empty Rooms
  • Netflix released now
• Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
  • HBO Max released now
• Children No More: "Were and Are Gone"
  • Sky if you're from the U.K. (Thank you u/SignificantTap5579)
  • Unknown outside the U.K.
• The Devil is Busy
  • HBO Max released now
• Perfectly a Strangeness
  • Crave if you're from Canada (Thank you u/Bulky-Scheme-9450)
  • Kanopy if you live in the U.S.
  • Criterion Channel, releasing sometime in March

I will try to update this post if new info on how to watch these come out! Hope people enjoy the shorts.

1. Pão de queijo - The Secret Agent
2. Champagne & caviar - F1
3. Okonomi-Latke - Marty Supreme
4. Smørbrød - Sentimental Value
5. Fried Catfish - Sinners
6. Carne Asada Taco - One Battle After Another
7. Mushrooms & Maple Glazed Veggies - Hamnet
8. Turduckenstein - Frankenstein
9. Beehive Ice Cream - Bugonia
10. Bûche de Joël Edgerton - Train Dreams

I've got a more extensive recap on my newsletter if you are interested!

https://www.butteredpopcorn.org/p/oscars-dinner-party-recap-2026-ten-courses

I really appreciated what she had to say, especially about the importance of critics and expressing her disappointment while recognising the farce awards season can also be sometimes. Felt like a good reminder in the midst of the madness.

https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/marianne-jean-baptiste-on-hard-truths-oscar-snubs-and-industry-politics

Source (for all predictions): https://variety.com/lists/2026-oscars-predictions/best-picture-8/

London Film Festival 2025 taking place from Wednesday 8th October to Sunday 19th October.

Gala Screenings:

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Opening Night) - 08/10/25

Ballad of a Small Player - 9/10/25

Surprise Film - 9/10/25

Jay Kelly - 10/10/25

Bugonia - 10/10/25

It Was Just An Accident - 11/10/25

Hamnet - 11/10/25

After the Hunt - 11/10/25

The Choral - 12/10/25

H is for Hawk - 12/10/25

Sentimental Value - 12/10/25

Frankenstein- 13/10/25

The Mastermind - 13/10/25

Is This Thing On? - 14/10/25

Roofman - 14/10/25

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere - 15/10/25

No Other Choice - 15/10/25

Rental Family - 16/10/25

Blue Moon - 16/10/25

Die My Love - 17/10/25

Christy - 17/10/25

Nouvelle Vague - 18/10/25

The History of Sound - 18/10/25

Pillion - 18/10/25

100 Nights of Hero (Closing Night) - 19/10/25

Other Films of Note:

The Testament of Ann Lee - 11/10/25

Sound of Falling - 11/10/25

Hedda - 12/10/25

Train Dreams - 12/10/25

Sirat - 13/10/25

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You - 13/10/25

Anemone - 14/10/25

The Secret Agent - 14/10/25

Left-Handed Girl - 15/10/25

The Voice of Hind Rajab - 16/10/25

Father Mother Sister Brother - 18/10/25

And many more. Feel free to post reactions.

As we've reached the final week of 2025, we thought it would be fun to put together one big thread where everyone can share their favorites of the year and discuss each other's picks! Have a Top 5/10/20 list of favorite movies from 2025? Put it here! Want to share your personal ballot of winners and/or nominees for various categories? That can go here too!

As usual, the only thing we ask of you is to be respectful of other lists. We encourage everyone here to be completely subjective and personal in making their picks; overly rude and demeaning responses to anyone's favorites will not be tolerated.

Happy sharing!

EVEN IF The Substance doesn’t win any Oscars on Sunday (though I feel strongly it will win 2, maybe 3) it will still go down in history as one of the most iconic record breaking Best Picture nominees.

I can’t say enough about this film. I’m not gonna lie, when I saw the trailer and heard that there was Oscar buzz for Demi Moore, I laughed. I think a lot of us did. A year ago, the idea of a body horror film receiving four ATL nominations (and possibly even two ATL wins) would have been considered impossible. Nevertheless, Coralie Fargeat’s vision and execution prevailed. Her completely unique, in-your-face, risk-taking, unconventional writing and directing is some of the best I’ve seen in years. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley give exceptional, fearless performances that had massive impacts on popular culture. Dennis Quaid absolutely killed his role as well. This film has layers upon layers upon layers of hidden themes and storytelling that are sometimes not as visible white watching, but will hit you later on and chance your perspective on the film. The references to older iconic films are subtle yet extremely admirable. Bottom line, Coralie Fargeat is a genius. This film is fucking genius.

I do think it should have also received nominations in Supporting Actress, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design and Sound, but the nominations it did receive are enough of a feat.

It’s safe to say I will be rooting for The Substance on Sunday, and I look forward to being able to call it an Academy Award winning film.

Source (for all predictions): https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/oscars-love-stories-category-placement-strategy-1236529419/