Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For April

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Now that the 2024 Oscars are over with, it’s time to move on to the 2025 Oscars!

Needless to say, there’s probably nothing more pointless than trying to guess which films are going to be nominated a year from now. I can’t even guarantee that all of the films listed below are even going to be released this year. And, even if they are released this year, I can’t guarantee that they’ll actually be any good or that the Academy will show any interest in them. I mean, someone like Martin Scorsese always seems like a safe bet but we all remember what happened with Silence. For months, everyone said Silence would be the Oscar front runner. Then it was released to respectful but not ecstatic reviews. Audiences stayed away. The film ended up with one technical nomination. And let’s not forget that last year, at this time, the narrative was that it was going to be Ridley Scott’s year.

My point is that no one knows anything. As much as I hate quoting William Goldman (because, seriously, quoting Goldman on a film site is such a cliché at this point), Goldman was right.

(Add to that, 2025 is starting to look like it’s going to be a seriously underwhelming year as far as the movies are concerned.)

Anyway, here are my random guesses for April! A few months from now, we can look back at this list and have a good laugh.

Best Picture

After The Hunt

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Deliver Me From Nowhere

Eddington

Frankenstein

The Lost Bus

One Battle After Another

Wicked For Good

The Young Mothers Home

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another

Jon M. Chu for Wicked For Good

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for The Young Mother’s Home

Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein

Joseph Kosinksi for FI

Best Actor

Austin Butler in Eddington

Timothee Chalamet in Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another

Matthew McConaughey in The Lost Bus

Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Best Actress

Olivia Colman in The Roses

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked For Good

Julia Roberts in After The Hunt

Amanda Seyfried in Ann Lee

June Squibb in Eleanor The Great

Best Supporting Actor

Colman Domingo in Michael

Josh O’Connor in The History of Sound

Sean Penn in One Battle After Another

Joaquin Phoenix in Eddington

Christoph Waltz in Frankenstein

Best Supporting Actress

Fran Drescher in Marty Supreme

Ayo Edebri in After The Hunt

Ariana Grande in Wicked For Good

Gabby Hofman in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Nia Long in Michael

Scenes That I Love: Rick Dalton Sets Susan Atkins On Fire In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

With today being Quentin Tarantino’s birthday, I almost feel like I have no choice but to pick this scene from the explosive finale of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as my scene that I love for the day.

When this film, there was a lot of controversy by Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) using a flame thrower to set a hippie on fire in his swimming pool. Never mind that the hippie in question (played by future Oscar-winner Mikey Madison) was specifically in Rick’s bungalow to try to kill him. On twitter, there were cries about how this scene proved that Tarantino misogynist. On TV Tropes, someone actually wrote, “You have to feel a little sorry for the hippie at the end….”

No, actually, you don’t have to feel sorry for her in the least. In this scene, Madison is playing Susan Atkins, a.k.a. Sadie Mae Glutz. In real life, Susan Atkins was the most enthusiastic of Charles Manson’s band of hippie killers. She was the one who personally stabbed Sharon Tate to death while Sharon, 8 and a half months pregnant at the time, begged for the life of her baby. I won’t quote what Atkins said to Sharon while killing her but you can find it in any of the books written about the case. How do we know what Atkins said? Because she bragged about it in prison. She didn’t show a shred of remorse until after she realized she was going to spend the rest of her life in prison, which is when she suddenly decided she was born again and started claiming she was brainwashed. In real life, Sharon Tate, only 26 years old, died in 1969. Susan Atkins lived to be 61, saved just because the Supreme Court temporarily suspended the death penalty in the 70s.

So, as far as I’m concerned, turn those flames up, Rick. In Tarantino’s world, Sharon lived and had her baby. If the choice is between Tarantino’s alternate reality or the world in which Atkins spent 40 years having her food and housing paid for by the same California taxpayers that she wanted to kill, I know which one I’m going with.

Scenes That I Love: Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Caine in Inception

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 91st birthday to Sir Michael Caine.

Today’s scene that I love comes from 2010’s Inception, a film that featured Caine in a small but key role. Caine shares this scene with Leonardo DiCaprio and, as good an actor as DiCaprio may be, Caine dominates from the moment he first looks up.

Chicago Honors The Killers Of The Flower Moon!

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Film Critics Association have announced their picks for the best of 2023! The winners are listed in bold.

BEST PICTURE
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
May December
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

BEST DIRECTOR
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Todd Haynes – May December
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio – Killers of the Flower Moon
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers
Teo Yoo – Past Lives

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Huller – Anatomy of a Fall
Natalie Portman – May December
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Emma Stone – Poor Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry
Charles Melton – May December
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Sandra Huller – The Zone of Interest
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Julianne Moore – May December
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anatomy of a Fall – Arthur Harari & Justine Triet
Barbie – Greta Gerwig
The Holdovers – David Hemingson
May December – Samy Burch
Past Lives – Celine Song

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. – Kelly Fremon Craig
Killers of the Flower Moon – Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
Poor Things – Tony McNamara
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Boy and the Heron
Leo
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

BEST DOCUMENTARY
20 Days in Mariupol
Beyond Utopia
Kokomo City
Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Anatomy of a Fall
The Boy and the Heron
Godzilla Minus One
The Teachers’ Lounge
The Zone of Interest

MILOS STEHLIK AWARD FOR BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER
Kyle Edward Ball – Skinamarink
Raven Jackson – All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Cord Jefferson – American Fiction
A.V. Rockwell – A Thousand and One
Celine Song – Past Lives

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Milo Machado Graner – Anatomy of a Fall
Charles Melton – May December
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
Teo Yoo – Past Lives

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
Asteroid City
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Asteroid City – Robert D. Yeoman
Killers of the Flower Moon – Rodrigo Prieto
Oppenheimer – Hoyte Van Hoytema
Poor Things – Robbie Ryan
The Zone of Interest – Lukasz Zal

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Asteroid City – Milena Canonero
Barbie – Jacqueline Durran
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West
Poor Things – Holly Waddington
Priscilla – Stacey Battat

BEST EDITING
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
John Wick: Chapter 4
Killers of the Flower Moon
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One
Oppenheimer

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Barbie – Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson
Oppenheimer – Ludwig Goransson
Poor Things – Jerskin Fendrix
The Zone of Interest – Mica Levi

BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS
Barbie
Godzilla Minus One
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Here Are The 2023 Nominations of the Chicago Film Critics Association

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Chicago Film Critics Association have announced their nominees for the best of 2023! The winners will be announced on December 12th. For now, here’s what has been nominated in the town of Capone!

BEST PICTURE
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
May December
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

BEST DIRECTOR
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Todd Haynes – May December
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio – Killers of the Flower Moon
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers
Teo Yoo – Past Lives

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Huller – Anatomy of a Fall
Natalie Portman – May December
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Emma Stone – Poor Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry
Charles Melton – May December
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Sandra Huller – The Zone of Interest
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Julianne Moore – May December
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anatomy of a Fall – Arthur Harari & Justine Triet
Barbie – Greta Gerwig
The Holdovers – David Hemingson
May December – Samy Burch
Past Lives – Celine Song

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. – Kelly Fremon Craig
Killers of the Flower Moon – Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
Poor Things – Tony McNamara
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Boy and the Heron
Leo
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

BEST DOCUMENTARY
20 Days in Mariupol
Beyond Utopia
Kokomo City
Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Anatomy of a Fall
The Boy and the Heron
Godzilla Minus One
The Teachers’ Lounge
The Zone of Interest

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Milo Machado Graner – Anatomy of a Fall
Charles Melton – May December
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
Teo Yoo – Past Lives

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
Asteroid City
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Asteroid City – Robert D. Yeoman
Killers of the Flower Moon – Rodrigo Prieto
Oppenheimer – Hoyte Van Hoytema
Poor Things – Robbie Ryan
The Zone of Interest – Lukasz Zal

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Asteroid City – Milena Canonero
Barbie – Jacqueline Durran
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West
Poor Things – Holly Waddington
Priscilla – Stacey Battat

BEST EDITING
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
John Wick: Chapter 4
Killers of the Flower Moon
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One
Oppenheimer

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Barbie – Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson
Oppenheimer – Ludwig Goransson
Poor Things – Jerskin Fendrix
The Zone of Interest – Mica Levi

BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS
Barbie
Godzilla Minus One
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions For November

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

With the announcements of both the Gotham and the NYFCC winners, awards season is finally here! Over the next 30 days, the Oscar race will become very, very clear. As of right now, it truly does appear to be a Oppenheimer vs. Killers of the Flower Moon contest with perhaps Poor Things and Barbie overperforming when the nominations are finally announced.

Below are my predictions for November. Be sure to also check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August and September and October!

Best Picture

American Fiction

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

May/December

Oppenheimer

Passages

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Best Director

Bradley Cooper for Maestro

Greta Gerwig for Barbie

Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest

Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer

Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper in Maestro

Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Franz Rogowski in Passages

Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction

Best Actress

Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Huller in Anatomy of a Fall

Carey Mulligan in Maestro

Margot Robbie in Barbie

Emma Stone in Poor Things

Best Supporting Actor

Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey, Jr. in Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling in Barbie

Charles Melton in May/December

Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks in The Color Purple

Sandra Huller in Zone of Interest

Julianne Moore in May December

Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers

Scene That I Love: Jordan Meets The Government In The Wolf Of Wall Street

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today is Martin Scorsese’s birthday, it only makes sense that today’s scene that I love comes from one of his best films.

In this scene from 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) hosts a meeting with two federal agents on his yacht. Jordan knows that the agents want to put him in prison but that they don’t have enough evidence as of yet. The main agent (played by Kyle Chandler) knows that Jordan’s arrogance is his greatest weakness.

This scene, with its faux friendly banter and it’s iconic shot of Jordan throwing money to the wind, is one of Scorsese’s best “confrontation” scenes. DiCaprio and Chandler perfectly play the two adversaries. Jordan knows that the agent is determined to catch him but Jordan also knows the agent will never be rich and there’s no way Jordan’s not going to remind him of that every chance that he gets. The passive aggressiveness of it all is truly a wonder to watch and, in its way, just as intimidating as the conversations between the gangsters who populate many of Scorsese’s other films.

From The Wolf of Wall Street:

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions For October

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s that time of the month again! Here are my Oscar predictions for October! To be honest, I’ve been so busy with Horrorthon that I haven’t given the Oscar race as much thought as usual. As of right now, it still appears to be a Killers Of The Flower Moon vs. Oppenheimer vs. Barbie race.

The Bikeriders, which seemed like a strong contender, seems to be in limbo right now. It was scheduled to be released on December 1st but it was taken off the schedule until the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved. (The studio wants the actors to be able to promote the film, which is understandable given the subject matter.) So, for now, I’m moving The Bikeriders off of my list of predictions.

I’m also pretty confident that The Color Purple will not be the major Oscar contender that many expected, if just because of Alice Walker’s long history of anti-Semitic rhetoric. (Seriously, Alice Walker is a huge supporter of David Icke, the conspiracy theorist who claims that the world is controlled by a group of shape-shifting aliens and Zionists.)

Below are my predictions for October. Be sure to also check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August and September!

Best Picture

Air

American Fiction

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

May/December

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Best Director

Greta Gerwig for Barbie

Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest

Cord Jefferson for American Fiction

Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer

Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon

Colman Domingo in Rustin

Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction

Best Actress

Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon

Natalie Portman in May December

Margot Robbie in Barbie

Emma Stone in Poor Things

Kate Winslet in Lee

Best Supporting Actor

Willem DaFoe in Poor Things

Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey, Jr. in Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling in Barbie

Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer

Sandra Huller in Zone of Interest

Julianne Moore in May December

Cara Jade Myers in Killers of the Flower Moon

Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions For September

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s that time of the month again! Here are my Oscar predictions for September! The festival season has brought along a host of new contenders.

For instance, American Fiction made a splash at the Toronto International Film Festival and it looks like both it and Jeffrey Wright are going to emerge as legitimate contenders come awards season. In the past, a film like Dream Scenario would probably be considered too strange for the Academy but, after A24’s success with Everything Everywhere All At Once, it seems like anything’s possible. If nothing else, A24 knows how to sell a film.

Personally, I’d love it if Richard Linklater’s Hit Man picked up a few nominations, even though I haven’t seen it yet and I’m not even sure when Netflix is going to release it. (Linklater is the patron saint of Texas filmmaking, so I’ll always hope the best for anything he’s involved with.)

There’s still quite a ways to go until the year ends and the race is very much in flux but we are finally at the point where we can look at a few films and say, with more than a little confidence, “That’s going to be nominated.”

Below are my predictions for September. Be sure to also check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August!

Best Picture

Air

American Fiction

Barbie

The Bikeriders

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Rustin

The Zone of Interest

Best Director

Greta Gerwig for Barbie

Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest

Cord Jefferson for American Fiction

Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer

Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon

Colman Domingo in Rustin

Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction

Best Actress

Jodie Comer in The Bikeriders

Natalie Portman in May December

Margot Robbie in Barbie

Cailee Spaeny in Priscilla

Kate Winslet in Lee

Best Supporting Actor

Willem DaFoe in Poor Things

Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey, Jr. in Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling in Barbie

Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer

Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Huller in Zone of Interest

Julianne Moore in May December

Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions For August

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s that time of the month again! Here are my Oscar predictions for August!

This month, the biggest development in the Oscar race was Dune Part Two being moved to a 2024 release. With no end in sight for the SAG/AFTRA strike, it wouldn’t surprise me if more big productions — like The Color Purple — ended up following Dune to 2024. (One film that will not be moving back is Killers of the Flower Moon, as everyone knows that Martin Scorsese is the true star of that film.) With so many films potentially moving back, this Oscar race could end up paralleling the 2020 race, in which a lot of movie that might otherwise not be nominated moved into the slots that would have otherwise been reserved for the big studio productions. (Regardless of their individual strengths, both Nomadland and CODA owed a bit of their victory to the way COVID disrupted their Oscar races.)

Below are my predictions for August. Be sure to also check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July!!

Best Picture

Air

Barbie

The Color Purple

Ferrari

The Holdovers

The Killer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

The Zone of Interest