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Oscars Nominations 2025
Predictions
Best Picture
- Anora7/1
- The Brutalist15/2
- Conclave15/2
Best Actress
- Mikey Madison 17/5
- Karla Sofia Gascon 9/2
- Cynthia Erivo 6/1
Best Actor
- Adrien Brody 7/2
- Ralph Fiennes 39/10
- Timothee Chalamet 4/1
Best Supporting Actress
- Zoe Saldana 17/5
- Ariana Grande 4/1
- Isabella Rossellini 5/1
Best Supporting Actor
- Kieran Culkin 10/3-
- Guy Pearce 4/1
- Denzel Washington 5/1
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Conclave82/25
- Sing Sing9/2
- Nickel Boys9/2
Best Original Screenplay
- Anora17/5
- The Brutalist4/1
- A Real Pain4/1
Best Director
- Brady Corbet 18/5
- Sean Baker 4/1
- Jacques Audiard 5/1
Best Animated Feature
- The Wild Robot16/5
- Inside Out 24/1
- Flow9/2
- Robert Pius, Misty Holland, Chris Beachum
- Film
Marion Curtis/StarPix/REX/Shutterstock
Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis developed an interest in film and television at an early age and first worked in his native Chicago as an editor for TV commercials and news programs. This work led him to apply as a transfer student to the University of Southern California film school where his application material included a music video, set to a song by The Beatles. (Not surprisingly his first film would be “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” about a bunch of high school students obsessed with Beatlemania.)
He was initially rejected by USC but he begged an official to reconsider and promised to bring his low grade point average up by attending summer school. This brashness would also play a big part in his initial success as a director when he barged into Steven Spielberg’s office with a copy of his student film and asked Spielberg to employ him. The director was impressed with Zemeckis and his film and would ultimately become a producer on “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.”
Zemeckis’ early directorial efforts where acclaimed but didn’t do much at the box office. It wouldn’t be until 1984 that he found success on a major scale with the romantic adventure comedy “Romancing the Stone.” He always had a penchant for experimenting with the form of motion pictures and from his earliest film onward he liked to edit real life news footage or in the case of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” cartoon characters into his films to interact with the real actors. This intermingling of the real and the fictional would culminate in his Oscar winning Best Picture “Forrest Gump” which featured Tom Hanks as Forrest speaking and interacting with real life personalities. Zemeckis won the Best Director Oscar for that film and also received a Best Original Screenplay nomination for his box office hit of 1985, “Back to the Future.”
Take a tour of our photo gallery with his 15 greatest movies, ranked worst to best. We include the films mentioned above, plus “Cast Away,” “The Polar Express,” “Used Cars” and more.
15. THE WALK (2015)
Screenwriters: Robert Zemeckis, Christopher Browne. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Badge Dale, Ben Kingsley.
Joseph Gordon-Leavitt stars as Philippe Petit an aerial acrobat who walked across a tight rope strung between New York’s Twin Towers when they were still under construction in 1974. The film serves as a nice history lesson on the towers since Petit who illegally executed the crossing was later credited with being a positive force in bringing acceptance to the buildings that were first considered architecturally ugly. The film also now serves as a beautiful remembrance of the buildings before tragedy destroyed them taking many lives.
14. DEATH BECOMES HER (1992)
Screenwriters: Martin Donovan, David Koepp. Starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis.
“Death Becomes Her” has an odd place in film history since it is often cited along with “She-Devil” as perhaps the worst film Meryl Streep ever made in her illustrious career. The film actually may have suffered from having an actress as esteemed as Streep in it. With another comedic actress like co-star Goldie Hawn, expectations may have been lower and the film excepted for the science fiction comedy it was intended as. The movie does bring up interesting issues about society’s quest for women to remain young looking and has some fantastical special effects as Streep and Hawn literally deteriorate. Even in this film Streep managed to have her moments specifically a campy opening musical number and then with crackerjack comedic timing in her often-quoted moment where she exclaims “NOW, a warning!!!!” after swallowing an anti-aging potion. Those moments helped earn Streep a Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Golden Globe nomination.
13. WHAT LIES BENEATH (2000)
Screenwriter: Clark Gregg. Starring Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Diana Scarwid.
Like many directors Zemeckis loved the work of Hitchcock and took the opportunity to make a film that pays homage to the master director. This movie casts Michelle Pfeiffer as an empty nest housewife who begins to suspect her husband Norman (as in Bates) of suspicious behavior. The film has clear moments of tribute to “Vertigo” and “Psycho” as well as a little of the non-Hitchcock film “Gaslight” thrown in. Reaction to the film was mixed with audiences a little resistant to seeing Ford in a possibly villainous role as the husband.
12. I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND (1978)
Screenwriters: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale. Starring Nancy Allen, Theresa Saldana, Wendie Joe Sperber.
Zemeckis’ first time out as a director and screenwriter came with this highly entertaining story about a bunch of high school students going to extreme measures to try and secure tickets to The Beatles American debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Set amidst the utter chaos The Fab Four caused when they arrived in New York City Zemeckis created a perfect portrait of 1960s innocence before Vietnam and Watergate changed the mood of the nation and the depiction of the times in films. The movie featured a largely unknown cast (except for Nancy Allen who had risen to fame in Brian De Palma’s “Carrie”) who go to various lengths to sneak into The Beatles’ hotel and concert performance. The film was produced by Steven Spielberg who had been impressed with Zemeckis’ work as a student filmmaker and decided to give him a chance at this. There is an infectious joy Zemeckis brings to both the subject matter and style of filmmaking which make this a film to look out for if it is unfamiliar to you.
11. BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)
Screenwriter: Bob Gale. Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen.
The third film in the “Back to the Future” series moved the setting of the story to the old west since Zemeckis had once asked star Michael J. Fox what period of time he would like for Marty McFly to visit and Fox said he wanted to meet cowboys and go to the old west. The second and third films were shot back to back but released a year apart. The major addition to the third film comes in the form of Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen who plays a demure woman that Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown falls in love with after saving her from a train accident.
10. FLIGHT (2012)
Screenwriter: John Gatins. Starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood.
Riveting special effects and an Oscar nominated performance by Denzel Washington highlight this exciting film about a near-catastrophic airline flight. Washington plays the pilot of the plane who has been drinking alcohol during the flight. Even though he heroically is able to navigate the plane through its crash landing he is still subject to investigation as to his fitness during the flight. Zemeckis provides the film with a stunning and terrifying action sequence where the plane literally ends up flying upside down prior to its crash landing. The Oscar nomination was Washington’s sixth in his acting career. He lost the award though to Daniel Day-Lewis for “Lincoln.”
9. USED CARS (1980)
Screenwriters: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale. Starring Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Michael McKean.
This film was Zemeckis’ second outing as a director. While it received strong reviews, it didn’t really catch on with the public until years later when it found a following on cable TV. Kurt Russell stars as a hotshot used car salesman with political aspirations trying to keep the car lot he works for in business opposite competition from another lot. Jack Warden has a duel role as the owners of both lots.
8. BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (1989)
Screenwriter: Bob Gale. Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson.
The second part of the Back to the Future trilogy has Michael J. Fox time traveling once again with Doc Brown only this time they go into the future to prevent Marty McFly’s future children from having issues with the descendants of Biff Tannen who was the bully from the first film. The movie was involved in a precedent setting lawsuit with actor Crispin Glover who played Fox’s father in the first film. Glover declined to appear in this version due to a salary dispute. The producers then hired another actor and used prosthetics to make him look like Glover. The lawsuit ended in a SAG ruling that you can’t replicate an actor like that without compensating him.
7. ROMANCING THE STONE (1984)
Screenwriter: Diane Thomas. Starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito.
Zemeckis’ first major blockbuster hit was with this action adventure film about a shy and insecure romance novel writer who travels to South America to free her kidnapped sister. While there she meets and falls in love with a wild bird smuggler who helps her in her mission to find her sister. When it was first announced the film seemed to just be quick attempt to replicate the success of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” but the final product brought great acclaim to all involved and won Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy and the Best Actress Musical or Comedy for Kathleen Turner. Turner also received some notice from major critics group awards and was thought to be an Oscar contender but a nomination there didn’t materialize. The film did finally launch Zemeckis into the forefront of directors and also revitalized Douglas’ film career which had fallen into a bit of a slump in the years immediately prior.
6. CONTACT (1997)
Screenwriters: James V. Hart, Michael Goldenberg. Starring Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt.
“Contact” based on the book by famed astronomer Carl Sagan is a riveting and complex film centering on a young woman (Jodie Foster) determined to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Her quest leads up to an elaborate experiment sending her through a worm hole in space. Her search brings up political and religious debates about the ethics of her findings. The film ends with Foster having to testify in front of the government to prove her she met with alien life. Zemeckis delivers a truly suspenseful film and also got strong performances from his strong cast. Foster is impassioned and haunted as the young woman driven by her father’s legacy. James Woods and Angela Bassett also do excellent work as government officials involved in the investigation. Woods and Bassett’s final phone conversation is a marvel of well plotted dialogue and acting.
5. THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004)
Screenwriters: Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles Jr. Starring Tom Hanks, Eddie Deezen, Peter Scolari.
Based on an acclaimed and beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. The film tells the story of a young boy who takes a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. The film was shot in a unique form of motion capture which showed the human actors in a cartoon like form. The film received three Oscar nominations for Best Original Song, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing but was surprisingly omitted from the Best Animated Feature category.
4. CAST AWAY (2000)
Screenwriter: William Broyles Jr. Starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nan Martin.
Zemeckis teamed with Tom Hanks to create this film about a man who is the sole survivor of a plane crash on a remote island. He lives alone there for many years plotting how he could be possibly noticed for a rescue attempt. Hanks is alone on screen for most of the film so it is a tremendous achievement the way he manages to maintain the audience’s interest and even makes a volleyball he talks to named “Wilson” into a full-fledged supporting character in the film. Hanks won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. He also received his fifth (and surprisingly last to date) Oscar nomination as Best Actor but he lost that to Russell Crowe in “Gladiator.”
3. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988)
Screenwriters: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman. Starring Bob Hoskins, Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd.
Zemeckis scored a remarkable technical achievement with this film that has cartoon character’s interacting with live human actors. Bob Hoskins stars as an irascible detective who the title character hires to prove he didn’t commit a murder. Kathleen Turner reteamed with Zemeckis to voice the sexy Jessica Rabbit and gave an acclaimed voice over performance of a character who famously “isn’t bad, she’s just drawn that way.” Interestingly Amy Irving provided the singing voice of Jessica Rabbit. The film scored six Oscar nominations in technical categories and won Oscars for Film Editing, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects.
2. FORREST GUMP (1994)
Screenwriters: Eric Roth. Starring Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Gary Sinise.
“Forrest Gump” became a national sensation in 1994 for its heartfelt story of an intellectually disabled boy who has a knack for inserting himself into great moments in American history. The touching story deals with grief and loss as Forrest recounts his life story to people while sitting on a park bench. The script contained many witty phrases that entered the American vernacular such as “life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get.” Zemeckis once again got strong performances from his cast with Sally Field, Robin Wright, Mykelti Williamson and Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Gary Sinise standouts in the cast. Hanks won his second consecutive Oscar as Best Actor for the film. It was nominated for 13 Oscars in total and won the awards for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing and Visual Effects.
1. BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
Screenwriters: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale. Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson.
“Back to the Future” was the biggest box office hit of 1985 and spawned two equally successful sequels. That fate for the film seemed in doubt during production since the film had one of the rockiest shootings in film history. Zemeckis originally cast Eric Stoltz in the lead role of Marty McFly, a teenager who travels back in time to meet his own parents when they were in high school. After six weeks of shooting Zemeckis decided that Stoltz was giving too dark of a performance and feared the comedic tone of the film was suffering because of it. He then made the unprecedented decision to recast the film with Michael J. Fox who would bring a more comedic spin to the role. Fox had initially been unavailable for the film due to his shooting schedule with “Family Ties” but an agreement was reached where he was enabled to shoot Ties during the day and this film at night. Zemeckis’ screenplay earned him his first Oscar nomination.