OPE! Mixtape #53: The 2025 Oscars (and its music)

Or: Does The Brutalist score have any competition?

Welcome to OPE!, the newsletter by writer and music journalist Brady Gerber. This is where I share the top music industry news of the week, my favorite (and new-to-me) songs and links, and various musings on life. All typos are intentional.

Well, hello there. How are you?

First off, an apology. Last week, I called DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ “DJ Sabrina The Teenage D7.” A funny goof. It’s still an excellent song.

Like I say: All typos are intentional.

Second off, Uproxx’s annual Music Critics Poll for 2024 is now live. The overall rankings are here, and my own voting page is here, where you can see what I voted for this year and in past years.

Anywho.

This already feels like ancient news, but the Oscar nominees have been announced.

Not bad!

Focusing on the list of Best Picture nominees, I’ve seen all these films but two. I haven’t seen Nickel Boys, which seems just a little too arty and too proud of itself for my taste, and I haven’t seen The Substance, because I’m not a body horror guy.

In terms of music, most of these nominees, at least compared to recent years, have some interesting use of music and sound … enough so that I thought it could be fun to remember what about the sounds of these movies stood out to me the most, for better or worse.

Listed in alphabetical order.

Anora

The movie’s opening includes an incredible use of Robin Schulz’s remix of Take That’s “The Greatest Day.” It returns throughout the film to great, and ironic, effect. Anora is one of two movies on this list that I’m most likely to rewatch and like more. What an ending. What a big year for the Robie Williams extended universe.

The Brutalist

This is the other film I will probably enjoy more when I see it a second time. This is the boring but safe choice for Oscar Score of the Year. Depending on my mood, I like Daniel Blumberg’s score more than the film, which is kind of a shame. On paper, The Brutalist should be my favorite movie ever. Only seeing it once, I walked away thinking it has an Everything Everywhere All At Once problem: a phenomenal theater experience that probably can’t translate well to home viewing. I still think about the film’s first five minutes often, so there’s genuine greatness here. I’m excited to watch it again. For now, yes, enjoy Blumberg’s score.

A Complete Unknown

I’m biased because I covered it for New York Magazine.

Conclave

I liked how whenever Ralph Fiennes snuck into someone’s room, all the sound would disappear as if nothing could enter or leave these private rooms full of secrets safe from the outside world. A fun movie I’d watch again hungover.

Dune: Part Two

Worm farts have never sounded so majestic. 7/10 movie.

Emilia Pérez

The worst music I’ve ever heard in my life.

I’m Still Here

Generic score for generic movie. It’s nice that it’s nominated, but I found the film too long and boring, despite its fascinating story based on real events. I’d rather watch City of God.

Nickel Boys / The Substance

Haven’t seen either, apologies.

Wicked

I saw Wicked on Broadway a few years ago with my mom and we enjoyed it. I liked the songs. I found the movie way too long and not improving upon its music. It drove me crazy that several times, the actors would interrupt their own songs just to throw out a bit. Saying that Ariana Grande was good in the film is like saying a cheese grater is good at its job. It’s grating.

May the “best” film win.

But enough about all that. Here are the top music news, and my favorite links and songs of the week …

OPE! takes a lot of time to research and curate—putting the rest of the newsletter behind a paywall allows me to keep it feasible and worth your time. Become a paying subscriber for all the music, links, and industry news you need in one place each week, for the price of one cup of coffee per month. If you’re here for the free essays and still wish to support the work, you can make a one-time donation to my coffee fund. No matter what, sharing is caring, and sharing is free.

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