Many people regard the Academy Awards as the most important award ceremony in film.
Actors, directors and others in the industry dream their whole lives of getting their hands on one of those highly-coveted golden statues.
The nominees for the 96th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23 ahead of the ceremony in March. These nominations were met with both pushback and praise.
The term “snub” is thrown around in exuberant amounts every awards season, and this year is no exception. The most talked about snub this year was Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” Neither Greta Gerwig nor Margot Robbie were nominated in their respective categories of best director and best lead actress, despite “Barbie” being the highest grossing film of 2023 and the most successful film to be helmed by a female director.
Meanwhile, America Ferrera snuck her way into the supporting actress category to the surprise of many for her role as Gloria in the blockbuster film. While she offered a good performance that certainly suited the story, Ferrera’s lack of other nominations prior to these announcements made many think her inclusion in the category was unfit.
Of the five nominees chosen to compete for the supporting actress award, a grand total of zero of them are actually the best choice to win said award. The award should belong to Julianne Moore for her work in “May December” – a film that was denied any and all acting nominations despite Charles Melton’s performance being considered one of the most impactful of the year.
Still, “May December” was celebrated for its screenplay, unlike Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which was denied a spot in the adapted screenplay category.
Leonardo DiCaprio was excluded from the best actor lineup, despite giving one of the best performances of his career in Scorsese’s latest.
None of these omissions are too surprising, considering how successful of a year it was for film. There were, however, a few inclusions that left me scratching my head.
The animated feature category omitted “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” in favor of the less-than-mediocre Disney Pixar film “Elemental.”
Similarly, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” widely regarded as one of the worst films of the year and one of the most disappointing blockbusters in recent memory, was nominated for best original score, despite being no more than a rehashing of John Williams’ previous work within the franchise.
This marks the 54th nomination for Williams, as the Academy insists on nominating him solely based on his legacy rather than what he is actually contributing to film. Williams is a masterful composer and arguably the best to ever do it, but years from now, no one will remember his mediocre composition for this film — assuming anyone does now.
Aside from these missteps, there was a fair amount of pleasant surprises. Fan favorites “Godzilla: Minus One” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” received nominations for best visual effects, while the latter was also recognized for its sound design, making the long-running “Mission: Impossible” franchise now an Oscar-nominated one.
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” swept with a whopping 13 nominations, including one for best picture, making it Nolan’s most celebrated film yet. Not to mention, “Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone received her very first Oscar nomination for lead actress, also marking the first time an indigenous woman has been nominated in that category.
While riddled with hits and misses, this year’s controversial nominations are indicative of how truly great 2023 was for cinema.
