So the nominees were announced this past week for the 96th Academy Awards.
These awards remain the most prestigious in film. And while many of you, dear readers, are of the opinion that all awards shows are terrible and should simply be shunned, it is my perpetual hope that Hollywood will reform itself and once again nominate movies that matter.
While there were a few happy nominations, there are a few hopeful signs, but none that make me think that the redemption of Hollywood is just around the corner. Once again, the elite in the industry will gather together, kick out the homeless from the streets, and congratulate themselves.
The movies nominated for Best Picture are:
The top 10 highest grossers for 2023 are:
Barbie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Oppenheimer
The Little Mermaid
Avatar: The Way of Water
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
John Wick: Chapter 4
The Sound of Freedom
I think that it was smart of the Academy to nominate the two top grossing films of the year. And while this is a year where I hated the highest grossing film of the year, at least the Academy nominated a movie that lots of people saw.
Once again, a lot of these movies have not been seen by the general public. After Barbie and Oppenheimer, the next highest grossing nominee is Killers of the Flower Moon. But even Disney's The Haunted Mansion made more money than this.
So as you can see, there are very few films for viewers at home to root for.
My own top ten of the year include:
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning - Part 1
Godzilla Minus 1
John Wick: Chapter 4
Oppenheimer
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
The Bank of Dave
Tetris
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Sound of Freedom
The Flash
So below are my thoughts on some (not all) of this year's nominees.
BEST PICTURE
I've only seen Barbie and Oppenheimer, so I can't speak much outside of those two. I think that this is Christopher Nolan's year, although he has made better movies.
BEST DIRECTOR
As I said, I think this is Nolan's year. He is one of the few directors that can draw an audience by his name because his movies are different than most.
BEST ACTRESS
I haven't seen any of the movies.
BEST ACTOR
I've only seen Murphy, who was great. I think his biggest competition will be Giamatti.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Of the two performances I've seen, I think Blunt did a much better job than Ferrera.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
I thought both Downey Jr. and Gosling were great in their own unique ways. The needs of each performance were so different, but the executed them so well. Of the two, I think I would give Downey Jr. the edge.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Although I didn't like the movie, I think the costume design for Barbie was excellent. The movie used the costuming very effectively and were able to translate toy clothes into human dimensions.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
I've only seen Spider-Man, but I've heard good things about The Boy and the Heron
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
I wish "Peaches" from The Super Mario Bros. Movie was nominated. But of the nominees, I think "I'm Just Ken" is the most fun, though "What I was Made For?" will probably win.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
While I love the effort that goes in to period films like Napoleon and Oppenheimer, I once again have to say that Barbie's production design, especially in Barbieland was to notch.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
This is a tough one, since most of these movies had excellent effects and used them very well to tell their stories. But I have to give it Godzilla on this one. The way the visuals were used was something really special.
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