It is that time of year again. When a bunch of celebrities sit around a room and get praise for doing their job well – like a scaled-up version of an employee of the month. Every year we watch this prestigious ceremony with frustration as the opening comedy sketch goes on for what seems like 4 hours, and the films you wanted to win awards lose to (let’s face it) the more basic choice. However, there is an undeniable glee felt whenever something you love takes home the Oscar and that is joy is the thing fuelling everyone through whatever shenanigans the 4-hour show throws at you. With that said it has been a good year of nominations. Do I think what should win will? No, not at all, but strangely I’m happy with whatever outcome.
Best Picture
What will win: Oppenheimer
What should win: The Holdovers
What should’ve been nominated: Blackberry
Blackberry was a massive underdog going into the award season and it’s a shame to see the film I believed had some of my favourite performances of last year go largely underappreciated. Yet let’s not dwell on it for too long as this year has given us some fantastic titles. The favourite to win is Oppenheimer and though I understand its overall excellence, I don’t think it should win every award. It’s a powerful story with even stronger performances and groundbreaking visuals, yet I can’t be alone in thinking went on for about 20 minutes too long. I don’t mind if a film is 3 hours long, just keep the story consistently engaging, a problem Oppenheimer suffered with about halfway through the film. In contrast to the loudest film of the year, my personal favourite has to have been the quietest. The Holdovers is simply beautiful in every aspect, providing a simple story perfectly. Its characters are expertly crafted, and its cinematography is the best of the year. If you haven’t already, go see it now before it becomes a classic.
Best Actor:
Who will win: Cillian Murphy
Who should win: Paul Giamatti
Who should’ve been nominated: Leonardo DiCaprio
It feels like to win an Oscar all you need to do is be an important figure from history in a movie adaptation. And credit where credit is due, Cillian portrays the anguished genius of Oppenheimer brilliantly throughout the film, particularly in the final act. Is he as good as his co-star Robert Downey Jr? I wouldn’t say so. Is this performance better than Rami Malek’s Freddie Mercury? 100% so even when it does win, I won’t be disappointed. Again, The Holdovers is magical and couldn’t be anything without its lead, so I obviously think he deserves the win. It wasn’t on the 2024 bingo card that I’d be voting for Santa out of Fred Claus to win an Oscar but here we are. Shocking to not see DiCaprio here though. His performance was a real standout from his career as instead of playing a likeable hero or villain, he plays a slimy, weak loser that left audiences almost as angry as they are about his dating history.
Best Actress:
Who will win: Lily Gladstone
Who should win: Lily Gladstone
Who should’ve been nominated: Greta Lee
Sometimes the award goes to the person who deserves it, and no one deserves that more than Lily Gladstone. She is powerful in Killers of the Flower Moon and gives one of the best performances in years. She is so good that she is already cast in Scorsese’s next film, and it is brilliant to see the first native American actress nominated for best actress. The main debate is between her and Emma Stone for Poor Things, and though Stone was excellent, Gladstone’s unnerving ability to demonstrate both anguish and anger effortlessly was outstanding. I know a lot of people think Margot Robbie should be nominated, and though she was excellent, I believe Greta Lee in Past Lives was heartbreaking and, sadly, she didn’t get the well-deserved recognition.
Best Director:
Who will win: Christopher Nolan
Who should win: Martin Scorsese/Yorgos Lanthimos
Who should’ve been nominated: Wes Anderson
Let’s address the elephant in the room quickly. I didn’t put Greta Gerwig as my ‘should’ve been nominated award’ as though her film was brilliant and it’s a shame she was recognised, I preferred her direction in other films to this one. Also, Wes Anderson’s whole deal is his wacky direction and Asteroid City was one of his finest examples of that. Again, Christopher Nolan will win and it’s fair to say he deserves it. The direction of Oppenheimer is exceptional and his choice to remove CGI and use practical effects was genius. I think I just preferred the direction of Killers of the Flower Moon or Poor Things as one managed to make a 3-hour runtime a constantly engaging and shocking watch, whilst the other is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen.
Best Animated Film:
What will win: Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse
What should win: Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse / The Boy and the Heron
What should’ve been nominated: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
If anybody gets angry at me for not saying Wish should be there, please put dow
If anybody gets angry with me for not saying Wish should be there, please turn off this article and move away. This year has been one of Disney’s biggest fumbles yet, and considering how much I disliked both Wish and Elemental (which is essentially Zootopia with elements instead of animals), they are lucky one of their products got nominated. Nimona was fantastic and I’m yet to see the very cute-looking Robot Dreams. Still, the main battle will be between the newest Spiderman film, which broke my perception of how good animation can be, and the Boy and the Heron, a beautiful final film by one of the most famous animated film directors. It is a tough battle, and I will be happy with either outcome, I just hoped to see the TMNT movie get some recognition due to how surprisingly fun I found it and how ground-breaking the graphics were. But let me repeat. If Elemental wins? We riot.
Image Credit – Oscars.org / moviedb