The nominations for the 96th Annual Academy Awards were released on 23 January, and people certainly have things to say about them. While many categories have strong contenders, there have been some obvious snubs for major awards. So, here are the biggest snubs and surprises, along with my predictions for the main awards.
While having eight nominations in total, and therefore being the fourth most nominated film, there has been a lack of recognition for Greta Gerwig or Margot Robbie for Barbie. This has infuriated many as it seems to contradict the message of the film completely and proves why it was needed in today’s society, because while Robbie isn’t nominated for Best Actress in a Lead Role and Gerwig has missed out on Best Director, Ryan Gosling has bagged a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Don’t get me wrong, Gosling’s performance was great, but even he has released a statement to express his disappointment in the nominations: “... there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.”
On other snubs, Greta Lee was not nominated for Best Actress in a Lead Role for her role in Past Lives; in fact, the film only got two nominations which was surprising (although they are for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay). Leonardo Dicaprio was also missed off the list for Best Actor in a Lead Role in Killers of the Flower Moon. Similarly, Charles Melton was not nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for May December and his fellow castmates Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman also missed out. Saltburn and Asteroid City went completely unrecognised, whereas The Color Purple only came out with one nomination: Danielle Brooks for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
In more positive news, Lily Gladstone has made Oscars history with her nomination as she is the first ever Native American to be nominated for the Best Actress in a Lead Role category. Speaking of firsts, many nominees such as Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Jeffrey Wright have gained their first ever Oscar nomination this year. Moreover, the women of Barbie did not go completely unnoticed, with America Ferrera being a contender for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Oppenheimer leads the way going into the ceremony with 13 nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for Christopher Nolan. It would not be surprising if the film swept the awards after having such positive reception, but I would still like to believe that Poor Things has a chance against it.
While there are many people disappointed with this year’s nominations, the ceremony is still bound to be intriguing as many categories hold strong contenders. The Oscars are set to take place on 10 March 2024, and Jimmy Kimmel will return for the fourth time to host, hopefully meaning that the night will be smooth sailing unlike other awards ceremonies so far this year (cough the Golden Globes cough).
Below are the nominations for the major categories at the 96th Annual Academy Awards, along with my predictions for the winners which are underlined:
Best
Picture:
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best Actor
in a Leading Role:
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy –Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone –Poor Things
Best 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
Best 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
Best Directing:
Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer –Christopher Nolan
Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer
Best Animated Feature Film:
The Boy and
the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot
Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Music (Original Score):
‘The Fire Inside’ from Flamin’ Hot (Dianne Warren)
‘I’m Just Ken’ from Barbie (Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt)
‘It Never Went Away’ from American Symphony (Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson)
‘Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)’ from Killers of the Flower Moon (Scott George)
‘What Was I Made For?’ from Barbie (Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell)
