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After the release of the Oscar nomination list, it’s more accurate to say #Oppenheimer rather than #Barbenheimer, the popular hashtag from last summer that highlighted a mix of serious and light-hearted content. This year’s contenders such as #Poorthingsheimer and #Killersoftheflowermoonheimer all seem to revolve around #Oppenheimer.
Christopher Nolan’s sweeping exploration of J Robert Oppenheimer, the creator of the A-bomb portrayed by Cillian Murphy, leads the pack with 13 nominations, followed by Yorgos Lanthimos’s darkly humorous steampunk nightmare Poor Things with 11, Martin Scorsese’s poignant Killers of the Flower Moon with 10…and even Barbie has earned eight nods. The Academy has shifted its focus from the bright and flashy toy fantasy to more serious and historically significant films. Unfortunately, Barbie’s director Greta Gerwig did not receive a nomination in the director category, and to the disappointment of fans, Margot Robbie was also not recognized in the best actress category. The general consensus among award experts is that Oppenheimer is the top contender for prestigious awards, and it is highly likely that Christopher Nolan will finally win his first Oscar for best director.
However, the top film may not be as predictable as many assume. The various fan bases for Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Barbie, The Holdovers, and others could potentially split the votes, allowing for a foreign language film to unexpectedly come out on top, similar to Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. It is possible that Celine Song’s Past Lives, a remarkable tale of a childhood love revisited in adulthood, could cause a major upset. This could also be achieved by Justine Triet’s courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall or Jonathan Glazer’s intense Holocaust story, The Zone of Interest, which is loosely based on the Martin Amis novel. In addition to its best picture nomination, this film holds the distinction of being the first UK movie in almost 25 years to receive a best international film nomination.
Emma Stone’s performance in Poor Things, though impressive, may not guarantee her the Best Actress award. Lily Gladstone’s role as a Native American woman in Killers of the Flower Moon has captivated many Academy voters with her subtle and serene on-camera presence. She could potentially make history as the first Native American to win in this category, having already made history as the first Native American nominee. Additionally, Annette Bening’s recent nomination for her beloved performance as Diane Nyad in Nyad has generated excitement, as she portrays the inspiring endurance swimmer who faced ageism and sexism in her journey to swim from Cuba to Florida in her 60s.
Paul Giamatti is currently the top contender for best actor, even surpassing Cillian Murphy. Audiences have been captivated by his warm, nuanced, and vulnerable performance in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. In the film, he plays a melancholic boarding-school teacher who is tasked with looking after the “holdovers” – the students who must remain at school during the Christmas holidays. Leonardo DiCaprio (from Killers of the Flower Moon) was not included in this category, for better or for worse. Instead, we have the talented Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction, portraying a somber and intellectual academic who publishes a provocative “ghetto” novel under a pseudonym to critique the way white gatekeepers have marginalized black culture – and suffers a fate similar to Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom in The Producers. Bradley Cooper is also nominated for his masterful and emotional portrayal of Leonard Bernstein, which may still take home the award. Colman Domingo also receives recognition for his role as Bayard Rustin, a 1960s gay black activist. Finally, it is worth mentioning Joaquin Phoenix’s exceptional performance as Napoleon – boisterous, arrogant, humorous, and captivating.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s portrayal of Miss Lamb in The Holdovers was exceptional and deserving of recognition. However, Robert Downey Jr’s performance as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer’s nemesis is expected to win, even though it was only average. Personally, I believe this overrated performance is the least interesting among the nominees, which also include Ryan Gosling’s hilarious Ken, Robert De Niro’s sinister farm owner in Killers of the Flower Moon, Sterling K Brown’s heartbreaking brother figure in American Fiction, and Mark Ruffalo’s entertainingly mustached character in Poor Things – the most comical movie scoundrel since Terry-Thomas.
Source: theguardian.com
