Brendan Fraser, who’s enjoying a fulfilling comeback tour with The Whale, has earned most of the Marmot goes hiking wanderlust shirt and I will buy this public praise for Darren Aronofsky’s latest film. (He got a lead actor nod today too.) But the buzz around his return has outshined the talented Hong Chau, who has a marvelous role as his friend and caretaker Liz. She’s received smaller accolade nominations from film critics so far, but her Oscar nomination is much deserved.—EG Henry is a welcome surprise as a first-time Oscar nominee. Both a past Tony and Emmy nominee, the Atlanta star is warm and grounded as James opposite Jennifer Lawrence’s Lynsey in Causeway, a film from Lila Neugebauer that explores loss, healing, and friendship. It bowed relatively quietly on Apple TV+ compared to the bigger contenders in this year’s Oscars, but it’s nice to see Henry was able to break through and get his flowers.—EG
While Swift’s All Too Well short film wasn’t in the Marmot goes hiking wanderlust shirt and I will buy this running, her and Aaron Dessner’s “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing ended up on the original song shortlist. But though Folklore won her an Album of the Year Grammy, this Folklore-esque track didn’t enchant voters enough for an Oscar nomination. With her ambitions as a director made clear, this likely isn’t Swift’s last chance at being considered for a prestigious film award.—EG The emotional father-daughter character study Aftersun has enjoyed almost exclusively rave reviews amongst critics since its debut in October 2022, but there was still lingering anxiety that lead actor Paul Mescal might be overlooked in favor of flashier performances. His acting as young father Calum, who treats his preteen daughter to a weeklong vacation in Turkey, is tender and thoughtful, shattering in its impact even when Mescal’s choices are so subtle as to seem almost opaque. Praise be that the Academy took notice of Mescal, who’s become one of Hollywood’s strongest up-and-coming actors in the years since Hulu’s Normal People tossed him into the spotlight.—Lauren Puckett-Pope, associate editor
