Every year the Oscar race gives us a few free spaces, categories where one could in theory contort logic but which require no more than a few words in comment. Think Drive My Car cruising toward its win in last year’s international feature film race. Leonardo DiCaprio grotesquely cauterizing his wounds and securing his best actor triumph in The Revenant. A Star Is Born’s “Shallow” sucking up all the air in this very category four years ago.
Lady Gaga is up again this year for cosplaying three-time Oscar winner Giorgio Moroder, and nominated alongside Rihanna, another pop diva to enter the storied ranks of Super Bowl halftime headliners. And while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s “Lift Me Up” certainly carries itself like the sort of vaguely inspirational dirge that’s won more than a couple times in the recent past, not even a suspiciously timed controversy surrounding RRR director S.S. Rajamouli’s alleged nationalist sympathies can stop the phenomenon that is “Naatu Naatu” from crashing Oscar’s stage like a 6,290 horsepower locomotive.
Will Win: “Naatu Naatu,” RRR
Could Win: “Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Should Win: “Naatu Naatu,” RRR
Since 2001, we've brought you uncompromising, candid takes on the world of film, music, television, video games, theater, and more. Independently owned and operated publications like Slant have been hit hard in recent years, but we’re committed to keeping our content free and accessible—meaning no paywalls or fees.
If you like what we do, please consider subscribing to our Patreon or making a donation.
