'24 Oscar Nominations & Discussion
Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 9:37 pm
Oscar Nominations 2024: ‘Oppenheimer’ Dominates With 13 Nods, ‘Poor Things’ Follows With 11
By Brent Lang, Jordan Moreau
“Oppenheimer,” a sprawling examination of the dawn of the Atomic Age, kicked off the race for the 96th Academy Awards on Tuesday, earning 13 nominations. It was followed closely behind by “Poor Things,” a feminist fantasy set in a steampunk world of mutants and male chauvinist pigs, which earned 11 nominations.
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” a historical crime drama about a vast conspiracy to rob the Osage Nation of its oil wealth, received 10 nominations. Both “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” drawn from painful chapters of American history, were recognized at a moment of political unrest and division in the country, which seemed to give their dark subject matter an added resonance.
“Barbie,” last year’s biggest box office hit, earned eight nominations — even as Greta Gerwig, the film’s director, and Margot Robbie, its star and producer, were both shut out. Released on the same weekend as “Oppenheimer,” the twin blockbusters became a viral phenomenon, inspiring people to book double features and leading to the creation of the “Barbenheimer” meme. Together, the movies earned more than $2 billion globally, a massive number at a time when movie theaters are still struggling to rebound from the pandemic.
“Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” all scored best picture nominations. They were joined by “Poor Things,” “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Holdovers,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives,” and “The Zone of Interest.” For the first time, three best picture contenders — “Barbie,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Past Lives” — were directed by women. However, only one of those filmmakers, Justine Triet, earned a best director nomination.
At 81, Martin Scorsese made history by becoming the oldest directing nominee. Triet and Scorsese will face off against Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”), Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”) and Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”).
Best actor will be a race between Paul Giamatti, playing a prickly boarding school teacher in “The Holdovers”; Cillian Murphy, who portrays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the leader of the Manhattan Project in “Oppenheimer”; Bradley Cooper, who directed himself as composer Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro”; Colman Domingo, who embodies Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin in “Rustin”; and Jeffrey Wright, recognized for his performance as an underappreciated novelist engaged in an elaborate ruse in “American Fiction.”
Best actress is a contest between “Killers of the Flower Moon’s” Lily Gladstone, who is the first Native American performer to be nominated for the prize; Emma Stone, who plays the child-like protagonist in “Poor Things”; Annette Bening for her performance as a competitive swimmer, defying the odds (and time) in “Nyad”; Sandra Hüller, playing a woman on trial for murder in “Anatomy of a Fall”; and Carey Mulligan for her turn as Felicia Montealegre, the loyal wife of Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro.”
As with any Oscar season, some performers and artists who had been mainstays at the Golden Globes and other critics associations awards shows failed to land a nomination. “May December’s” Charles Melton, acclaimed for his work as a man whose life becomes tabloid fodder, and Leonardo DiCaprio, whose work as a dim-witted criminal in “Killers of the Flower Moon” scored him critical raves, were overlooked. But other stars will be fielding congratulatory calls that they may not have anticipated receiving. “Barbie’s” America Ferrera, whose monologue about the unfair expectations society places on women drew cheers in screenings, scored a surprise best supporting actress nod; and “American Fiction’s” Sterling K. Brown nabbed an unexpected best supporting actor nomination.
The Oscars come at a challenging time for the movie business, which has struggled to adjust to changes in the way audiences view films. Wall Street, which once gave digital disruptors like Netflix sky-high valuations, has soured on the economics of streaming, believing they are not profitable enough. That’s been devastating for media companies like Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and Paramount Global, which have spent lavishly to build their own streaming services. At the same time, actors and writers, arguing that the streaming boom has robbed them of the royalties they once earned when their movies were rebroadcast on cable or other platforms, went on months-long strikes. The labor unrest, which wrapped up in November, led to sustained production shutdowns that could mean that next year’s Oscars will have a lot fewer contenders vying for top honors.
The Walt Disney Company earned 20 nominations across its various brands, which include its main studio arm, as well as other divisions such as Marvel and Searchlight Pictures. Netflix, which has upended Hollywood over the last decade, scrambling old paradigms for making and releasing movies, and Comcast, a cable giant whose 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal sparked a fresh wave of consolidation, both picked up 18 nominations. The haul comes a day after Netflix’s film chief Scott Stuber, the man who oversaw the production of many of the streamer’s Oscar contenders, announced he was stepping down to launch his own media venture.
Late-night star Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars for the fourth time. The broadcast, like most awards shows, has struggled in the ratings. Last year’s show was watched by 18.7 million viewers, up 13% from the 2022 telecast, but significantly down from the audience of 33 million that the 2017 Oscars attracted.
Actors Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta,” “Joker: Folie à Deux”) and Jack Quaid (“The Boys,” “Oppenheimer”) were on hand to announce the nominees live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The 2024 Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. PT at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
https://variety.com/2024/film/awards/os ... 235877798/
By Brent Lang, Jordan Moreau
“Oppenheimer,” a sprawling examination of the dawn of the Atomic Age, kicked off the race for the 96th Academy Awards on Tuesday, earning 13 nominations. It was followed closely behind by “Poor Things,” a feminist fantasy set in a steampunk world of mutants and male chauvinist pigs, which earned 11 nominations.
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” a historical crime drama about a vast conspiracy to rob the Osage Nation of its oil wealth, received 10 nominations. Both “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” drawn from painful chapters of American history, were recognized at a moment of political unrest and division in the country, which seemed to give their dark subject matter an added resonance.
“Barbie,” last year’s biggest box office hit, earned eight nominations — even as Greta Gerwig, the film’s director, and Margot Robbie, its star and producer, were both shut out. Released on the same weekend as “Oppenheimer,” the twin blockbusters became a viral phenomenon, inspiring people to book double features and leading to the creation of the “Barbenheimer” meme. Together, the movies earned more than $2 billion globally, a massive number at a time when movie theaters are still struggling to rebound from the pandemic.
“Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” all scored best picture nominations. They were joined by “Poor Things,” “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Holdovers,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives,” and “The Zone of Interest.” For the first time, three best picture contenders — “Barbie,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Past Lives” — were directed by women. However, only one of those filmmakers, Justine Triet, earned a best director nomination.
At 81, Martin Scorsese made history by becoming the oldest directing nominee. Triet and Scorsese will face off against Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”), Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”) and Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”).
Best actor will be a race between Paul Giamatti, playing a prickly boarding school teacher in “The Holdovers”; Cillian Murphy, who portrays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the leader of the Manhattan Project in “Oppenheimer”; Bradley Cooper, who directed himself as composer Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro”; Colman Domingo, who embodies Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin in “Rustin”; and Jeffrey Wright, recognized for his performance as an underappreciated novelist engaged in an elaborate ruse in “American Fiction.”
Best actress is a contest between “Killers of the Flower Moon’s” Lily Gladstone, who is the first Native American performer to be nominated for the prize; Emma Stone, who plays the child-like protagonist in “Poor Things”; Annette Bening for her performance as a competitive swimmer, defying the odds (and time) in “Nyad”; Sandra Hüller, playing a woman on trial for murder in “Anatomy of a Fall”; and Carey Mulligan for her turn as Felicia Montealegre, the loyal wife of Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro.”
As with any Oscar season, some performers and artists who had been mainstays at the Golden Globes and other critics associations awards shows failed to land a nomination. “May December’s” Charles Melton, acclaimed for his work as a man whose life becomes tabloid fodder, and Leonardo DiCaprio, whose work as a dim-witted criminal in “Killers of the Flower Moon” scored him critical raves, were overlooked. But other stars will be fielding congratulatory calls that they may not have anticipated receiving. “Barbie’s” America Ferrera, whose monologue about the unfair expectations society places on women drew cheers in screenings, scored a surprise best supporting actress nod; and “American Fiction’s” Sterling K. Brown nabbed an unexpected best supporting actor nomination.
The Oscars come at a challenging time for the movie business, which has struggled to adjust to changes in the way audiences view films. Wall Street, which once gave digital disruptors like Netflix sky-high valuations, has soured on the economics of streaming, believing they are not profitable enough. That’s been devastating for media companies like Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and Paramount Global, which have spent lavishly to build their own streaming services. At the same time, actors and writers, arguing that the streaming boom has robbed them of the royalties they once earned when their movies were rebroadcast on cable or other platforms, went on months-long strikes. The labor unrest, which wrapped up in November, led to sustained production shutdowns that could mean that next year’s Oscars will have a lot fewer contenders vying for top honors.
The Walt Disney Company earned 20 nominations across its various brands, which include its main studio arm, as well as other divisions such as Marvel and Searchlight Pictures. Netflix, which has upended Hollywood over the last decade, scrambling old paradigms for making and releasing movies, and Comcast, a cable giant whose 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal sparked a fresh wave of consolidation, both picked up 18 nominations. The haul comes a day after Netflix’s film chief Scott Stuber, the man who oversaw the production of many of the streamer’s Oscar contenders, announced he was stepping down to launch his own media venture.
Late-night star Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars for the fourth time. The broadcast, like most awards shows, has struggled in the ratings. Last year’s show was watched by 18.7 million viewers, up 13% from the 2022 telecast, but significantly down from the audience of 33 million that the 2017 Oscars attracted.
Actors Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta,” “Joker: Folie à Deux”) and Jack Quaid (“The Boys,” “Oppenheimer”) were on hand to announce the nominees live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The 2024 Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. PT at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
https://variety.com/2024/film/awards/os ... 235877798/