(I know guys, I’m late to the party, I’m sorry.)
Ok, I just put in my bets on ESPN for the Oscars 2024. It’s probably the only time I’ll ever open ESPN because that’s alpha-behavior, but it felt gratifying, I’m a sports bro now. Now we wait and see what films will be taking home the shiny little dudes (trophies) this year. I’ll admit, I was early to the game last year, as I tried predicting the film awards circuit back in November and… I was pretty close with these nominations. Cillian Murphy is the king and will probably be seeing that Oscar gold soon, Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone are fighting over the win (though I think Stone may very well have that edge). Although I severely underestimated the clout of some of the films coming into the race, I also very much overestimated others such as Bradley Cooper and that quirky little movie that was Maestro.
Hollywood is doing much better now than it was just a few months ago, as the strikes are now over and the industry is back at work. However, studios now more than ever are focusing on IP-driven films, the safe bet of the industry. The box office numbers and the stocks that hold each conglomerate together is the (disappointing) focus now as everyone recovers from the WGA and SAG strikes of last year. That’s why the films nominated this year at the Oscars matter now more than ever, as the climate of filmmaking once again shifts away from what is known as the “smaller” film. But here we go, let’s dish out these nomination choices one more time before the big show.
First off, OPPENHEIMER IS COMING FOR IT ALL! I’m sorry for yelling, but this seems like the Academy’s way of thanking Christopher Nolan for his collective amazing work over the years (except for Tenet). Christopher Nolan is looking at the Best Director Oscar, Oppenheimer is frontrunner to win best picture, along with a plethora of other awards in the other areas such as Score, Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actor. Wait, did I strike a nerve to all the Charles Melton fans out there? I know, he should’ve been nominated too, but Sterling K. Brown is admittedly great in American Fiction nonetheless. Y’all would know that if you actually watched American Fiction. Also, congrats to Anatomy of a Fall along with The Zone of Interest for making it to the Best Picture category, they are both very deserving of that spotlight. That brings me to the big pink playhouse in the room: Barbie.
Everybody was angry about the big snubs that were Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, and I’ll admit it did very much strike me as surprising considering how great Margot Robbie was in Barbie. I know I’m probably not the GUY you want to see talking about this, but here’s my five cents. Barbie is very much a quality film that is really important to succeed in the industry today, and it did so with a billion dollars and critical acclaim. But with that in mind, there are also films out there that aren’t able to have that same broad appeal of a billion dollar blockbuster to back up their incredible work, so this awards recognition is incredibly important to them. Killers of the Flower Moon deals with the tragic story of the killing of Osage people, The Zone of Interest deals with the Holocaust. And they were masterfully directed and deserved to be noticed, as I honestly can’t see a director that didn’t deserve to be nominated over Gerwig, even with her masterful work. But Margot Robbie was snubbed and that makes me pretty mad, Greta Lee too. Like please explain to me where the hell NYAD came from. Really, both Gerwig and Robbie were still nominated for Oscars in other categories, so it isn’t a complete loss for the greatness that is Barbie. But as Don Draper said so vigorously in Mad Men, “THAT’S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR!”
Art by Victor Coleman
Emma Stone is also getting a lot of awards buzz for her work in Poor Things, and deservedly so, she was at her career-best in the role of Bella Baxter. But I just really hope for Lily Gladstone to win the best actress award. Not only for what may be one of my favorite performances of last year in Killers of the Flower Moon, but to the Native American community as she makes strides being the first Native American woman nominated for best actress. Hey, at least we can trust in Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph to do their thing and add to their already huge collection of awards from this year. Otherwise, Oppenheimer will be the force to be reckoned with at the ceremony, taking home most of the awards just like it has at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs.
Ok, the editors are telling me to get off the stage now, so for my last remarks I’ll say that the nominations this year didn’t really annoy me all that much. I’m sorry Bradley Cooper, Maestro just wasn’t it. Maybe next time buddy, but don’t take so long this time. Maybe I’m wrong about all the assumptions I’ve been making with what is a meaningless accolade to a medium that shouldn’t have a precedent of judgment. But hey, I’m still gonna watch the 96th Academy Awards on March 10th, 2024. But dear god, how does Jimmy Kimmel keep ending up right back in the ceremony?
Noah Darling is a Freshman Cinema Photo major who has already fully scripted their acceptance speech for when they correctly predict the Oscar winners. They can be reached at [email protected] .