The 2024 Oscar nominations have come out and I thought I would talk about the good and the bad from them. From nominating Elvis for best picture last year to giving Crash best picture in 2005 (both genuinely awful movies), the Oscars usually make terrible decisions to the point that I do not at all value their opinion, but it is still always fun to see what they nominate, because even if it doesn’t happen often, it is always special to see a piece of art that is genuinely incredible get it’s deserved flowers.

I’ll start with the technical categories. Well, the ones that I care about. I’m not really passionate about visual effects (but Poor Things should have been nominated) or makeup and hairstyling (but Oppenheimer was a cool nomination for it), so I won’t talk about them in detail. For the costume design category, Barbie and Poor Things were obvious yet great nominations and I don’t really mind which of the two wins. I think Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Saltburn would have been cool nominations, even though I didn’t think either movie was anything that special, and I have no idea why Oppenheimer was nominated for costumes. It was all just bland suits. 

There was a lot of outrage directed towards the score category on the internet, and I definitely understand why. Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon were amazing nominations. Oppenheimer’s score is very beloved, but I found it mediocre. I have not seen the recent Indiana Jones movie yet, but a lot of people found that an undeserving nomination and American Fiction’s score was good, but it became repetitive as the movie went on due to a lack of variety. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse has such an exciting and powerful score that would have made for an awesome Oscar nomination. I’m rooting for Poor Things, as it is my favorite film score of all time. For cinematography, Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon’s nominations were deserved. I thought Oppenheimer’s cinematography was mediocre and unmemorable, but it will probably win. Saltburn had my favorite cinematography of the year and I would have loved to have seen it be nominated. It was such a visually beautiful movie with such unique shot composition. The Zone of Interest also had wonderful cinematography that would have been cool to see get nominated. I hope Poor Things wins.

For best animated feature, I hope Spiderverse wins. It was an incredibly written and directed film that is one of my favorite movies from 2023. I think it is between Spiderverse and The Boy and the Heron to win. I am a fan of Miyazaki’s past works (Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favorite movies of all time) and I thought The Boy and the Heron was just alright. It was really cool visually at points and I really liked a lot of the character designs, but the story felt hollow and generic. Nimona was a fun movie with some great sequences that I just did not like as much as everyone else seemed to. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Mutant Mayhem should definitely have been nominated here. It had incredible stylized animation, great comedic moments, and amazing writing that made the turtles feel like real teenagers, topped off with voice acting done by real teenagers.

For best adapted screenplay, Killers of the Flower Moon not being nominated was a big surprise, but I don’t think it’s that terrible of a decision. I think Killers of the Flower Moon had a good screenplay, but not an exceptional one that didn’t manage its time wisely. Poor Things, American Fiction, The Zone of Interest, and Barbie were obviously great nominations for screenplay, even though I would say Barbie should have been nominated for original, not adapted. Oppenheimer is an acceptable nomination, as I do like the screenplay quite a bit, but I do think the dialogue felt very unrealistic and cheesy at times, so I’m not sure if I would have nominated it in this category. If I was voting for this category, I would have easily voted for Beau is Afraid and Spider-Man:Across the Spiderverse as well, as they were both such unique, enjoyable, and emotionally effective screenplays. I want Barbie to win, but I would still be very content if Poor Things or The Zone of Interest beat it.

For original screenplay, The Holdovers, Anatomy of a Fall, and Past Lives were cool, expected nominations. May December though was an incredible, unexpected nomination. May December was one of my favorite movies of the year and its screenplay was so flawless, inventive, and moving and I loved seeing it get recognized like this, as so many other recent award shows ignored it. I have a bone to pick with Maestro being nominated for screenplay, as even people that like the movie don’t even seem to be that enthralled with its screenplay. It feels so shallow and underdeveloped and I honestly would have preferred to see a nomination for Air, a movie that I think just has a “pretty good” screenplay. May December doesn’t have any chance of winning, but it’s what I would vote for.

For the acting categories, Da’Vine Joy Randolph is almost definitely gonna win Best Supporting Actress as she has been sweeping every prior award show, and I do think she gave a very genuine performance, but I don’t think it feels Oscar worthy and I’m not sure I would have even nominated her. Emily Blunt was incredible in Oppenheimer, so I’m happy to see her get the recognition she deserves for it, as she was one of the less talked about main performances from that movie. I have seen a lot of people say that Jodie Foster and America Ferrera shouldn’t have been nominated and I disagree strongly. They both gave such genuine feeling performances that were also just super entertaining to watch. Juliane Moore for May December is my favorite supporting actress performance of the year, but she was sadly snubbed. I thought she felt so childish yet terrifying and really just played that role perfectly. I also think Patti LuPone for Beau is Afraid and Scarlett Johansson for Asteroid City would have been cool nominations. Of the nominees, I hope Emily Blunt wins.

For supporting actor, Robert De Niro gave a great villainous and menacing performance. Happy to see him be nominated. Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo were both incredible in their comedic roles. Sterling K. Brown was good in American Fiction, but I don’t think he did enough to warrant a nomination. I also found Robert Downey Jr.’s performance in Oppenheimer to be underwhelming and not very memorable, even though he will most likely win. My favorite supporting actor performance of the year was easily Charles Melton in May December, who gave such a heartbreaking portrayal of lost innocence. John Magaro for Past Lives would have also made for a fantastic nomination. I want Mark Ruffalo to win this category.

For lead actor, I think all five nominees were very worthy nominations. I would have probably found a way to work in Leonardo DiCaprio for Killers of the Flower Moon, but he has gotten his flowers in the past, so it’s not a big deal. I hope Cillian Murphy wins, as his performance was so brilliant and his facial expressions were so horrifying and so authentic. However, I would not be upset if Jeffrey Wright somehow won instead. For lead actress, Emma Stone gave a hilarious yet touching performance in Poor Things, that perfectly reflected the mental state of her character at any given moment. Lily Gladstone was fantastic as well in Killers of the Flower Moon and showed very genuine-feeling emotions. Sandra Huller gave a great layered, authentic performance in Anatomy of a Fall. I thought Carey Mulligan was just good enough in Maestro and didn’t deserve a nomination. Annette Benning is really good in Nyad, but her getting nominated over Margot Robbie for Barbie and Natalie Portman (who played such a disingenuous character so genuinely and terrifyingly) for May December is ridiculous. Seriously, just watch May December. It’s on Netflix and has some of the best acting you will ever see in your life. Anyway, my pick is easily Emma Stone.

For best director, Christopher Nolan did truly amazing work on Oppenheimer and will almost definitely win. Yorgos Lanthimos, Johnathan Glazer, and Martin Scorsese did really great jobs and are well deserved nominations. Justine Triet revolutionized courtroom dramas with the way she directed Anatomy of a Fall, and while it was a surprise when she got nominated, I am so happy for her. I can say that I do agree with the general public that Greta Gerwig would have been a more than deserving nomination, as so much of the personality and energy of Barbie comes from the directing style. My favorite directed movie of the year, and maybe of all time, was Spiderverse, as you could just feel the passion oozing through the screen during every single scene. Unfortunately, the Oscars are allergic to nominated animated movies in other categories than best animated feature. From the nominees, my pick is Justine Triet.

Now for the big one, best picture. So, Anatomy of a Fall is a great smartly written court drama that is very engaging, but I found the usage of the protagonist’s son to be very underwhelming. American Fiction is a great nomination. It’s a very funny and intelligently written movie that I really love. Barbie is my favorite movie of the year, so it’s what I would vote for here. It’s hilarious and touching and insanely clever. Nothing made me feel more emotion in 2023 than Barbie. The Holdovers is a very emotionally effective movie that I found myself just completely engaged in. Killers of the Flower Moon is a good movie, but its length of three and a half hours just did not feel justified, and I wish it showed more of the Native American perspective. Maestro is a mediocre and soulless movie that is so Oscarbait that it’s eye rolling. Oppenheimer is a really great movie with several absolutely brilliant scenes, but I really wish it did a better job explaining who a lot of the characters were and the situations they were in. I’m fine with it being nominated, but I don’t think it deserves to win, even though I am very confident that it will. Past Lives is a really good heartfelt movie with amazing acting and cinematography. It’s very impressive as a directorial debut. Poor Things is a 10/10 masterpiece that is unbelievable in every aspect, and I would not at all be upset if it won best picture. Finally, The Zone of Interest is a sickening portrayal of Nazis during the Holocaust that shows the subject matter like nothing you have seen before has, while also having the most unique usage of sound design I have ever seen, and a fantastic lead performance from Christian Friedel, that I wouldn’t have minded seeing nominated. Like I said, I’d vote for Barbie, but I’d be completely okay if Poor Things or The Zone of Interest won instead. 

The 2024 Oscar nominations are definitely better than past years, as most of last year’s best picture nominees didn’t feel like they deserved to be nominated. While there were irritating snubs this year, so many great screenplays and performances and directors got nominated that it’s hard to complain.