2024 Academy Award Nominations

We made it to the Oscars! As always, the Academy is up to some truly clown shit in some categories. Here are my thoughts on Today's nominations. Nomination list via Next Best Picture. 

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

I personally would throw out Maestro and put The Iron Claw here, but clearly no one cares what I think. I think these were solidly everyone's predictions. The Zone of Interest was the only "maybe."

Best Director

Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest

Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things

Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer

Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall

The Academy decided to fill their one female director quota and not look beyond that. The fact that Greta Gerwig isn't here is pretty egregious considering how well Barbie did. In my unpopular opinion, I'd put her here over Scorsese. I'm happy for Triet at least. I just hope I live to see the day where all 5 of these nominations are women. 

Best Actress

Annette Bening – Nyad

Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall

Carey Mulligan – Maestro

Emma Stone – Poor Things

EMBARASSING for the Academy to snub Margot Robbie when the supporting players are nominated. Who are these people that went so hard for Nyad? Sure, the film was fine, but over Margot? Nope. Hüller getting in was a nice surprise, at least. I wish Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor could've gotten more traction for Origin as well.

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper – Maestro

Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers

Colman Domingo – Rustin

Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Bradley Cooper has Zac Efron's nomination and you can't tell me otherwise. His performance in Maestro is pathetically thirsty and I will never be on board with it. 

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple

America Ferrera – Barbie

Jodie Foster – Nyad

Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

You know, I like America Ferrera and I'm happy for her, but she's nominated for a single scene. She gets in for a single scene, and her costar gets snubbed for her whole performance. I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around that. I'm happiest for Da'Vine. I still haven't seen The Color Purple, but Danielle Brooks was so good in Orange is the New Black I have no trouble believing she's Oscar worthy in this.  

Best Supporting Actor

Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction

Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling – Barbie

Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

I weep for Charles Melton and my long shot nom - Milo Machado Graner. I would've put both of them in before De Niro. I can't be mad at Sterling K. Brown because he was hilarious in American Fiction, I just wish Melton or Graner would've joined him. 

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction

Barbie

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Apparently basing your film on a plastic doll is enough to qualify for adapted. I still think it's a dumb move, but aside from Zone of Interest, which I haven't seen, I love all of these screenplays. 

Best Original Screenplay

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Maestro

May December

Past Lives

Again we have Maestro occupying a place The Iron Claw (or Priscilla, or Flora & Son, or Polite Society) could've gone. *sigh*

Best Animated Feature

The Boy and the Heron

Elemental

Nimona

Robot Dreams

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

There was a second where I forgot "Spider-man" came before "Across The Spider-verse" because I only refer to it as the latter and I screamed at my computer while they were reading off the nominees, before quickly correcting myself because I thought it got snubbed. Today was wild. I haven't seen Nimona or Robot Dreams, but I'm sad for TMNT and Super Mario Bros. I loved both of those.

Best Documentary Feature

Bobi Wine: The People’s President

The Eternal Memory

Four Daughters

To Kill A Tiger

20 Days in Mariupol

I'm so happy for Four Daughters! I haven't seen the other nominees. I saw some great docs this year and only Four Daughters seemed to have caught on with voters. I'll have to check out the rest. 

Best International Feature Film

Io Capitano

Perfect Days

Society of the Snow

The Teachers’ Lounge

The Zone of Interest

I haven't seen any of these. I've been dragging my feet on Society of the Snow. I know it's on Netflix, but I'm just not interested, despite everyone raving about it. I'll get over it. 

Best Cinematography

El Conde

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Again, Maestro being here is silly. There were beautiful films like Barbie, Asteroid City or Priscilla that would've been better suited here. 

Best Costume Design

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Napoleon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

I wish Polite Society would've somehow made it in here. I'm torn between Barbie and Poor Things. I loved the costumes both so much. I don't know who I'd pick to win. 

Best Film Editing

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

No notes for these picks!

Best Make-Up & Hairstyling

Golda

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Society of the Snow

What the fuck is Golda and where the fuck is Barbie? 

Best Production Design

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Napoleon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Did voters forget Asteroid City came out this year? How do you know put a Wes Anderson film in Production Design? It's literally always beautiful. 

Best Original Score

American Fiction

Killers of the Flower Moon

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Indiana Jones is a surprise. I thought Spider-verse would get another nomination here. Or at least The Boy and the Heron. 

Best Original Song

American Symphony — “It Never Went Away”

Barbie — “I’m Just Ken”

Barbie — “What Was I Made For?”

Flamin’ Hot — “The Fire Inside”

Killers of the Flower Moon — “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)”

Diane Warren must be stopped. I was really hoping Can't Catch Me Now from The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes would make it in. That song is written so perfectly for Lucy Gray and what she means to Snow moving forward. I don't think voters take Olivia Rodrigo as seriously as they take Billie Eilish, which is a shame. I did call "Dance" not making it in for Barbie.

Best Sound

The Creator

Maestro

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

Oppenheimer

The Zone of Interest

I'm shocked Ferrari isn't here. Sound is what stood out the most to me with that film.

Best Visual Effects

The Creator

Godzilla Minus One

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

Napoleon

I still need to see Godzilla Minus One. My theater is replacing it with the black and white version this weekend, which I'm not sure I want to see. Guardians is my favorite of these films. Marvel movies always have great VFX, and they never win. 

Best Animated Short Film

Letter to a Pig

Ninety-Five Senses

Our Uniform

Pachyderm

War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Ready to start my annual Oscars shorts watch!

Best Documentary Short Film

The ABCs of Book Banning

The Barber of Little Rock

Island In Between

The Last Repair Shop

Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó

Live Action Short Film

The After

Invincible

Knight Of Fortune

Red, White And Blue

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Henry Sugar was very good, at least Wes gets some consolation after all the Asteroid City snubs.