‘Tis the season of red carpets, glamorous looks, and recognizing artists from TV, movies, and music– that’s right– it’s awards season. There is no doubt that with all of the masterfully made projects this year, there was bound to be some people who would fall short from recognition of the Academy.
2023 was a great year for films. For starters, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” both broke box office history (A total of $1 billion worldwide tickets were sold in a span of only seven days). Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” starring his favorite castings Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio about the Osage tribe murders was a cinematic treat interweaving history and true crime lore while unveiling the conspiracy in the 1920s. “American Fiction” and “Poor Things” both gave stand-out performances with incredible screenplays. Other films to stand out from the year were, “May December”, “The Iron Claw”, “Past Lives”, “Anatomy of a Fall”, and “The Zone of Interest”.
When the nominations came out January 23, everyone was talking about the shocking snubs and surprising nods. As most people know, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig were both left out of the nominations list for “Barbie” which was the loss heard around the world. Because of all of the achievements the film had earned and being the most successful movie of the year, it was a no-brainer that the two would score nominations. While many fans were pleased to see Ryan Gosling nominated for best supporting actor, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth knowing that his female leads were not recognized. However, America Ferrera’s nod for best supporting actress for her scene-stealing, heartfelt performance was definitely the best surprise of the nomination list.
Another lead actor who was snubbed was Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich in “The Iron Claw.” Efron was completely unrecognizable as he transformed himself to be Von Erich. His performance was heartbreaking, real, and so much more than just an insane physical transformation. DiCaprio was also snubbed from receiving a nob for his work for the best actor category. He would be the only one from the talented ensemble to not receive recognition with lead actress Lily Gladstone (being the first Native American actress up for this award!), Scorsese, and De Niro all scoring nominations. “Killers of the Flower Moon” missed out on best adapted screenplay despite its writing perfection.
“May December” is a film-favorite for many movie junkies, which is why it is a shock that it received little to no recognition from the Academy. A film by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charles Melton, all should have received nominations for their roles and Haynes for directing. Although, the movie does not paint the acting profession in a good light, so it is no surprise that the Academy stayed clear from those waters. Haynes’s film is an icky subject, but the message was so wickedly while sensitively played out. The only nomination it scored was best original screenplay .
Other notable Oscar nominations, Emma Stone managed to get some well-deserved love for her role as the lead Bella Bazter in “Poor Things” with the film all-around earning 11 nominations. To many fans’ delight, Sterling K. Brown was nominated for his supporting role in “American Fiction” as well as Jeffrey Wright for lead actor. While many were wondering if this was the film that was going to get snubbed, it was also nominated for best picture, best adapted screenplay, and original score. “Oppenheimer” dominated the nominations list with 13 nods of the 24 categories.
The Oscars are March 10, 2024 live on ABC at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. They will also be available to stream on Hulu, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.
