There are two early entries in the “anonymous Oscar ballot” game today. Both pieces were published after Oscar voting closed yesterday. The Hollywood Reporter began the “Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot” series, and now tons of publications/sites copy the format. Variety puts their own spin on it, summarizing what Oscar voters are telling them and sharing various voters’ “ballots” as well. But I still have love for the OG Hollywood Reporter series, because they really talk to one voter at a time and we get to hear the rationale for why people are making certain choices. So, let’s get to it. THR’s Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot #1, from a female member of the documentary branch.

Thoughts on Best Picture: “F1 was not for me — I watched about 45 minutes of it, and I didn’t need to watch more. I’m a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos, but Bugonia, while I admired its ambition and performances, did not work for me. I liked Train Dreams and thought it was visually beautiful, but I grew a little tired of the character’s point of view and didn’t find it especially unique. Marty Supreme was a great ride, but it ultimately felt like more of the same stuff we’ve seen from the Safdies, even if this one was just Josh. I admired The Secret Agent’s performances and design, but was not as captivated by the narrative as I wanted to be. Hamnet was emotional and beautifully rendered, but a bit overwrought — I didn’t want Jessie [Buckley] turned up to a 10 the entire time. To me, One Battle After Another, Sinners and Sentimental Value are all best picture-worthy. I loved One Battle, but there were flaws — I heard from a lot of friends in the Black community that they were troubled by the character Perfidia Beverly Hills, and I really hear that. With Sinners, I was leaning forward in my seat with my mouth open for the entire movie — it was so ambitious, profound, provocative and entertaining. But at the end of the day, I put Sentimental Value on top because it was, to me, exquisite, nearly perfect, and my kind of movie. VOTE: (1) Sentimental Value, (2) Sinners, (3) One Battle After Another, (4) Hamnet, (5) The Secret Agent, (6) Marty Supreme, (7) Train Dreams, (8) Bugonia, (9) F1, (10) Frankenstein

Best director: “I found [Sentimental Value’s Joachim] Trier’s direction of his actors and design of his film to be outstanding — but I have to go with [Sinners’ Ryan] Coogler. The director is the conductor of all of the crafts that go into a movie, and Sinners was so gorgeously conducted, such a big swing, so ambitious and so unique. VOTE: Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best actor: [Timothée] Chalamet is great in Marty Supreme, but the character felt a bit redundant after the prior Safdie films. Michael B. Jordan is incredible in Sinners. Wagner Moura’s performance in The Secret Agent is the main reason to watch that movie. I was very tempted to vote for Leo [DiCaprio for One Battle]. But Ethan Hawke’s performance in Blue Moon is inspired, magnetic, almost magical. VOTE: Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Best actress: Rose Byrne brought everything to If I Had Legs I’d Kick You — I mean, with the way the filmmaker chose to focus on her face, she was mesmerizing, and it was a tour de force. But I felt that [Sentimental Value’s] Renate Reinsve gave the most stunning performance of the year. She just got into my heart. VOTE: Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Best supporting actor: Sean Penn is incredible [in One Battle], as he usually is. I love Stellan [Skarsgård] in Sentimental Value, who is also always so good. But for me, it was between Delroy [Lindo of Sinners] and Benicio [Del Toro of One Battle], and I went with the Sensei because of the way in which I understand Benicio helped to craft that character. I saw some interviews about how he brought to PTA all of these ideas about the apartment and other things, and how they really worked together to build that character, who is the spiritual heart of the film. I have friends to my left who felt it made fun of activism, and friends to my right who found it to be too celebratory, and I would always point to Benicio’s character as an ideal for this moment — someone with deep community ties who knows how to open doors and make things happen. I’ll never forget that performance. VOTE: Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Best supporting actress: While I’m a fan of One Battle After Another, Teyana Taylor’s character was tough for me to swallow. Wunmi [Mosaku, in Sinners] and Amy [Madian, in Weapons] are great. Though I loved Sentimental Value, I don’t think Elle Fanning had much to do. But Inga [Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Fanning’s costar] is getting my vote. The nuance that Inga and Renate Reinsve brought to that sibling relationship was incredible, and the scene of the two of them in the bedroom is one of the best-performed scenes of the year. VOTE: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

[From THR]

I’ll be honest, I read this right after I read Variety’s summary of the chaos in nearly all of the races, and I was so pleased that at least one Oscar voter saw Sentimental Value and recognized it as a wonderful movie. Is is! It’s a great movie, quiet and beautiful, about generational wounds and art and artists. Do I think SV is going to win anything? No. Variety said that basically no one saw the foreign films (SV and The Secret Agent), and I believe the only SV actor getting any genuine consideration is probably Stellan Skarsgard, because he’s been around forever and he’s worked with everyone. Something else I find interesting is that between this piece and Variety’s piece, I now believe that Paul Thomas Anderson is nowhere near a sure thing for Best Director. And that’s so interesting.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.