By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMB
Los Alamos
Nominations for the Oscars were announced Feb. 23, the announcement delayed by a week due to the fires raging around Los Angeles County. The delay gave more time to local members, dealing with the fires and their aftermath, to view and nominate their favorite films of the year. The Academy noted that this year’s Oscar ceremony will honor Los Angeles area residents for their resilience, and local services for their support, in the wake of the wildfires.
In case you are unfamiliar with the annual buzz, let me note here that the Oscars are the long-awaited and much debated annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For the awards to be given in March 2025, all eligible films had to have been released in calendar year 2024.
Nominations are based on Academy members’ input and winners are based on total votes of the membership, all of whom are professionals in the movie industry.
The awards ceremony, revealing the 2025 Oscar winners, will be broadcast live on ABC and streamed on Hulu, at 5 p.m. MT, Sunday evening, March 2. Comedian Conan O’Brien will host the ceremony. SALA plans to host a local Oscars Viewing party here in Los Alamos, live that evening; for details, watch for SALA program postcards and announcements in the L.A. Daily Post.
As for Los Alamosians’ access to these films, we can credit SALA Event Center for bringing several of the just announced Best Picture nominees to town.
Currently showing, for a second weekend, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, is “A Complete Unknown”. The following weekend, Feb. 7 to 9, SALA will offer “The Brutalist”. The much-acclaimed animated film “Flow”, from Latvia, was to be shown at SALA at some point, so watch for that; it’s excellent! Recently, SALA offered Los Alamos showings of Best Picture nominees “Wicked” and “Conclave”, both of which got extra showings.
Nominees in most, if not all, categories are currently showing or have been shown at Violet Crown, the CCA, and Regal cinemas in Santa Fe. Check local listings for details. Some of the nominees are also available to view or rent on streaming services, but not all can be viewed at home just yet.
Highly recommended for your viewing pleasure, this weekend, is “A Complete Unknown”, the story of a 19-year-old Robert Zimmerman, from Hibbing, Minnesota, taking the East Coast folk music scene by storm. He took the surname Dylan (for his favorite poet), and was publicly promoted by Pete Seeger, helping him get his start.
Bob Dylan joined Joan Baez on tours and met all the greats of that era, several of whom are characters portrayed in the film: Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash, just to name the principals. The film gives insight into the metamorphosis Bob Dylan brought to folk music in the 1960s, shaking its very foundation. Timothee Chalamet is surprisingly convincing as Bob Dylan, and he was nominated for Best Actor for the role.
SALA will offer “A Complete Unknown” again at 1-7 p.m., this Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m., Sunday.