Oscars 2024

On my list of things to do for 2024 I have “establish a blogging plan.” Well. It’s March. I think this is my second post. I’ll just keep trying. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on the Oscars, such as they are. I have seen all of the movies in the acting and directing categories, but I have a few extra blind spots this year because I was…editing!

Oh, and I am well aware of what opinions are like. Even so, here mine are. Proceed at your own risk…

Original Screenplay:

Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Maestro, May December, Past Lives

Oooh, this is tricky. If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on Anatomy of a Fall. Truly, that script is a gem because it keeps the viewer wavering between whether the wife did it or not. Should Anatomy win, I won’t be mad. For my money, however, Past Lives is a brilliant script. It practically sings.

I have questions about some of these nominees. The Holdovers was…fine. A coming of age story for a delinquent and his stinky professor—reminders that male characters are allowed to be flawed. I was told that May December is supposed to be funny. I did not find it so; I found it horrifying. As for Maestro, I’m not really sure how it made the cut. That movie is a collection of scenes that don’t really hang together all that well—at least not in my opinion. A better entrant would’ve been Origin which really required skill and craft to adapt a nonfiction book. Honestly, DuVernay accomplishes in Origin a lot of the things that were attempted in Zone of Interest.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

American Fiction, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Zone of Interest

Oppenheimer is probably going to win this. American Fiction should. It’s a Mary Poppins of a script. Perfectly paced, perfectly nuanced, just excellent storytelling. Know what’s missing? Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret. Listen, Judy Blume wasn’t willing to hand her work off to just anyone, and that movie is practically perfect. Tight story that keeps the tone and essence of a beloved novel. But it’s a girl’s story. We all know that girls have cooties so we can’t let too many of them into our special club, especially not when they dare to tell a movie that centers on *gasp* periods. That’s not what men want. They want women to exist for their entertainment and convenience.

On the whole, this is a very strong field, however. Poor Things sagged a bit in the middle, but there’s no denying its originality. Zone of Interest was appalling but I can see what Glazer was going for. I think. Barbie almost shouldn’t be in this category, but IP so whatever. It’s a very, very strong script with very few flaws. Barbie is one of those movies that reflects culture but will also influence it.

Actor in a Leading Role:

Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Coleman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

Paul Giamatti probably would’ve had this in the bag if it weren’t for Cillian Murphy, who is probably going to win. I don’t think this was Bradley Cooper’s best performance. Never fear. He’s going to keep trying until he wins that award. The standouts in this list are Coleman Domingo, whose performance as Bayard Rustin was better than the script he was given, and Jeffrey Wright who was so, so, so, so good in American Fiction. I mean, maybe I’m relating to a character who is a writer, but damn does he go through the full human experience in that movie.

Snubbed?

I would put Barry Keoghan here, but…why? No. I don’t want any more performances like that. Mind you, it’s quite a performance.

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Sterling K Brown (American Fiction), Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer), Ryan Gosling (Barbie), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

Brown is a scene-stealer in American Fiction. I didn’t recognize Downey for the first thirty minutes of Oppenheimer. Ruffalo is charming—and villainous—in Poor Things. Gosling almost steals the show from all of the Barbies. De Niro is De Niro, and I would not have nominated him for this role, one which should’ve called for an actor much younger. I said what I said. For my money, the award should go to Gosling. It will probably go to Downey.

Snubbed?

Coleman Domingo in The Color Purple. His Mister has more nuance than Glover’s did. He, like Henson, is very hard to look away from because he has that It Factor of the old Hollywood stars.

Charles Melton in May December. If the film was meant to be satire, then no, but Melton played it straight and played it well.

Actress in a Leading Role:

Annette Benning (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Pretty sure this is Stone’s to lose—and that’s probably as it should be, although Gladstone gives an excellent performance especially considering Scorsese found a way to make her story really all about De Niro and DiCaprio’s characters. Gladstone’s performance is pretty much the only thing I liked about Killers of the Flower Moon. The book, per usual, is better. Hüller has a shot because she does a good job of keeping viewers off balance. Carey Mulligan was wasted in Maestro. She is doing the best she can with the material she was given—much like Emily Blunt in Oppenheimer—but I don’t think it’s her best performance. Honestly, I think the whole movie would’ve been more interesting if it had been from her perspective. Benning was quite good—and the Academy does love an actress who isn’t afraid to be “ugly”—but I don’t think she ultimately wins.

Snubbed?

Margot Robbie in Barbie. I predicted she would be snubbed even as Gosling was nominated, and I made that prediction as we left the theater after watching Barbie for the first time. Her performance is so delicate, so subtle. But, hey, she dared to star in a movie that thumbs its nose at the patriarchy specifically while playing a toy so…

Natalie Portman in May December. The best part of that movie is watching Portman portray Moore. It’s creepy. But Hollywood doesn’t like to honor that which makes fun of it, so Portman didn’t make the cut.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor in Origin. Whew. Her performance put me through the wringer. I’m not sure what else she had to do to get a nod.

Greta Lee in Past Lives. She put in a performance at a half. Like Robbie, she is subtle.

Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple. I’m not sure she would’ve quite made the cut because it’s a crowded field of talent this year, but she did the damn thing.

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), America Ferrera (Barbie), Jodie Foster (Nyad), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

As I said above, Blunt was wasted. You have an actress of that calibre and a three hour movie, and that’s the best you can do? Not only that but viewers would never guess from the movie that Mrs. Oppenheimer worked at the Los Alamos Mojo Dojo Casa House. She was a character—in real life. Again, this is through no fault of Emily Blunt’s. She is fabulous. Ferrera very well may win this one, and her soliloquy qualifies her to do so. That said, Brooks put in one helluva performance. When she started laughing at the table? I got chills. It’s hard to out-Oprah Oprah, but she found a way. Foster was good, but I’m not sure it was her absolute best. Randolph did excellent work is probably our winner thanks to the range of emotions she plays in The Holdovers.

Snubbed?

Rachel McAdams in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. She puts in a great performance and earned a nomination for the bra scene. Honestly, that movie has solid performances all around, but I’m just not sure McAdams gets enough love in this world.

Taraji P. Henson in The Color Purple. Whew. Her Shug Avery was a delight.

Kate McKinnon in Barbie. In a different year, Weird Barbie would’ve made the cut. In general, the ladies brought it this year.

Animated Feature Film:

Wow. Somehow I only say Nimona and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Probably going to be Spider-Man unless it’s The Boy and the Heron because it’s Miyazaki’s last film. Honestly, Spider-Man, for me, ranked higher than some of the Best Picture nominees.

Directing:

Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Jonathan Glazer (Zone of Interest)

Nolan is probably going to win. I’m not even sure Oppenheimer is his best movie, but you know how the Oscars work. Sometimes we give an award for a body of work. That’s my expectation here. Glazer did some interesting things with Zone of Interest. Some worked. Some didn’t. The nomination isn’t completely out of left field. Triet does an outstanding job with Anatomy. But not a one of these are my pick for best director.

Snubbed?

Greta Gerwig. Girlfriend has directed banger after banger after banger. And apparently pissed some people off because she was snubbed for both Barbie and Little Women.

Celine Song’s direction of Past Lives is freaking incredible. That movie is a magical one where all of the elements come together for a brilliant whole.

Ava DuVernay’s Origin is a masterclass in craft. The way she puts scenes together is incredible, especially her use of magic realism.

In a year with a record number of women directors among the Best Picture nominees, we could’ve easily had more.

Best Picture:

American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, Zone of Interest

Oppenheimer is going to win; Barbie will have a longer legacy. Solid entries: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, and Past Lives. Flawed but still rather good: Poor Things, Zone of Interest. The Holdovers was…above average for me. Maestro and Killers of the Flower Moon did not even make my top ten list of the year.

Snubbed?

Origin. A better film that at least four of the actual nominees.

Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret. It’s not sexy enough for the Academy. It’s not big budget. It’s about girls and periods. It’s a beautifully made film that held my attention from start to finish. Unlike five of the actual nominees.

The Color Purple. Honestly? I wasn’t entirely sold on another version, but I was wrong. The songs add to rather than detract. I think it’s a better film that at least four of the nominees.

Cocaine Bear. I’m just kidding. Bless. I wanted so much more than I got from Cocaine Bear, and I honestly wasn’t asking for a lot. Le sigh.

Honestly, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and John Wick 4 may have been better than at least three of the actual nominees.

On the whole, 2023 was a stellar year. I didn’t have to sit through a Revenant or Manchester By the Sea. No Tàr or The Irishman. Praise Jesus. I hear tell that I should’ve seen Priscilla, Iron Claw, and Godzilla Minus One. I didn’t. I did however see Polite Society, which I highly recommend. Bottoms was delightfully raunchy. I also thoroughly enjoyed Guardians 3, Indy 5, The Marvels, Fast X, The Blackening, Mission Impossible:Whatever It Was, Haunted Mansion, Anyone But You, and Dungeons & Dragons.