I thought I’d try something new and give a review of two of the most talked about contenders this awards season that I have seen so far.

Anora: I enjoyed it for the most part! I really loved the overall premise and the arc for Mikey Madison’s character. Personally, I thought it was too long. The scenes in between Vanya running away and then her being tied up with the rope around her mouth, DRAGGED. Yes, it was funny but it was unnecessarily long. There wasn’t much growth for her within that time either so I didn’t understand why they were spending so much time there. If anything, I actually wish there would have been more to Vanya and Anora just after the wedding in Vegas. I felt like I needed just a little more to feel the spark and connect but I guess maybe that’s where I missed the mark in understanding the “why” of the movie? Idk. Alas, it was still a great film but I do think it’s overrated and overhyped. I also don’t mean that negatively, but rather just matter of factly. I give it a solid 7.5/10. As for Mikey Madison in Best Actress, I’m indifferent at this point being that I see it being her however I don’t think she’s the strongest contender and, to me, is not even in the strongest film.

Emilia Perez: My immediate thought about 30 minutes into the film was, “the hate is SO forced on this film.” By the end of it, my final thought was, “that was wonderful.” It exceeded my expectations and completely left me confused as to what people were struggling to grasp with it. It is actually a VERY simple film with incredible performances from all four actresses. It was the appropriate length and I never once felt bored. The numbers were fun, and some of the lyrics for some of the songs were mediocre at best, but it was still fun. There isn’t anything wrong with fun, in my opinion. The story also made sense to me and I was able to follow along beginning to end. I’m not trans so I can’t speak on anything the community may feel regarding the film, however what I can say, if it’s relevant at all, is that I never once forgot Emilia was trans and not because of her looks, but I don’t think the film lost that message personally. This is Zoe Saldaña’s magnum opus, tenfold. She is absolutely excellent. Karla was a force, and Selena had a breakout performance. (I won’t speak more on Selena Gomez since I am a fan, but I am rooting for her.) Solid 8/10 for me. I see Zoe winning Supporting at the Oscars, and actually see Karla being a strong contender over Mikey in Lead.

Overall: Both are very strong films and both deserve to be in the Best Picture conversation, (not that there was ever any doubt for Anora.) All the women did exceptionally and I think they’re all really carrying the year in film.