Adrien Brody, as Laszlo, makes “The Brutalist” a top contender at the Academy Awards. (photo courtesy of A24)

The Super Bowl of the movies is upon us. Pre-season games began with that less important excuse for a party, featuring several shocks and a few predictable moments. But a leading star’s bigoted comments and rumors of A.I. might spell the end to top contenders’ chances at Oscar gold.

As awards season began, “Emilia Perez,” beloved by Hollywood insiders and reviled by most of the viewing public, seemed poised to go all the way. Then old, incredibly racist tweets by nominee Karla Sofía Gascón resurfaced. We’re talking bigotry of all kinds that kept her away from other awards shows. This early upset likely means losses across the board, with only a couple prospects across the film’s (undeserved) 13 categories of consideration.

With that one out of the way, it looks like “Anora” and “The Brutalist” now face off for all the glory. We already know about “Anora,” a heartfelt, raw story about a sex worker and a quickie wedding.  The Academy might favor “The Brutalist” based solely on the premise. This one seems custom made for the big game.

Best actor nom Adrien Brody is Laszlo, a Jewish immigrant from Hungary trying to get by in the mid-century. In Europe, he’s a notable architect. Not so much stateside. His first big project doesn’t pan out, but he catches the eye of Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce, nominated for supporting actor), a stupid rich industrialist who wants to leave a legacy in the form of a community building. He believes Laszlo is the guy to do it.

Getting to this point is challenging enough. So much so that the film provides an intermission before it pulls a “Psycho” and switches gears. Eventually, Laszlo’s wife, Erzsebet (Felicity Jones, nominated for supporting actress) appears and the story goes in unexpected directions at several key points.

Amidst the many 180s, the film’s language keeps us sutured, particularly. Memorable production, editing and cinematography present a marvelous visual aesthetic, topped off with a moody score by Daniel Blumberg – all possible areas the film can win. But how far will “The Brutalist” go? Against, “Wicked,” “Dune: Part Two” and “Nosferatu,” product design seems less likely. Cinematography has a fair chance, though a couple contenders stand out there as well.

That score is critically beloved and could win, though “The Wild Robot’s” score is better based on a simple criterion: After the film ends, do you still remember the main tune? While viewing “The Brutalist,” that score works. Afterward, the feeling doesn’t linger the same as others do, which is a systemic problem dating back two decades.

As for editing, that might be DOA at this point considering the revelation that the film used some A.I. tools to modulate Brody and Jones’ scenes in Hungarian, along with other minor elements. In a film that’s 202 minutes long (including that intermission), the use of such controversial tools accounts for maybe 1% of the runtime, so we’ll have to see if all the fruit is deemed poisonous.

Frankly, Pearce should win supporting actor for his work here, but Kieran Culkin will almost certainly steal that honor even though his role in “A Real Pain” belongs in the leading role category. Jones also doesn’t have a chance, but she is always a delight on screen.

As for any awards for Brady Corbet – the director, co-writer and a producer – he has a chance at original writing, though that could easily go to “Anora” or “A Real Pain.” As for directing, any of the five could win.

“The Brutalist” is sure to go home with something, but “Anora” has a very good chance of spiriting away with the biggest film of the night. And good for those folks if it does. This A24 film is marvelous and confounding (especially that odd ending) in ways that feel intentional or entirely sporadic. Perhaps that is a sign of a great film: It doesn’t show you its game face. No matter. In a few days, we’ll see who lands on top. Regardless of the outcome, it’s about time to go watch something dumb.

Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce give standout performances in “The Brutalist.” (photo courtesy of A24)