Our screentime columnist predicts an ‘Oppenheimer’ heavy 96th Academy Awards

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Each year, awards season rewards the fantastic cinema from the previous year. And seemingly, the same heartbreak and disappointment engulfs movie lovers everywhere, upset that their favorite new release is not getting the recognition it deserves. With this in mind, I did my best to predict which films will takehome their respective awards.

Best Picture:

The pool of this year’s Best Picture nominees included Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

All nominations are phenomenal, in their own right, and would be a runaway winner in any other year. But unfortunately, 2024 seems to be the year of Nolan’s biopic about the “father of the atomic bomb.” Not only has “Oppenheimer” seemingly swept this awards season, but Nolan is also due for his first win after failing to win in five previous nominations.

Other films worthy of consideration are Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” and Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Payne’s coming-of-age film features extraordinary performances from its stellar yet small cast, with dialogue that will stay with us for years. Moreover, Scorsese’s adapted story features the level of filmmaking we’ve grown to associate with the director.

Unfortunately, these great movies do not seem to have the same momentum or overall critical acclaim as “Oppenheimer,” making this the obvious winner.

Best Director:

This year was a masterclass in filmmaking. The nominees include Jonathan Glazer, Yorgos Lanthimos, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Justine Triet.

The fact that Nolan has never won an Academy Award is baffling, but I believe this is finally his chance to walk away with it. He not only created an exceptional film, but he also managed to add his personal science fiction-esque flair to the biopic genre, which is usually saturated with boring Oscar bait. Scorsese and Lanthimos also deserve their flowers (no pun intended), but I think this is Nolan’s award to lose.

Best Actor:

This is the first category where I must throw away all bias and be objective in regard to who I believe the Academy will choose. All performances this year were special, whether it be Bradley Cooper’s uncanny portrayal of composer Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro,” or Paul Giamatti’s devastating yet beautiful performance in “The Holdovers.”

However, I believe Cillian Murphy’s gripping and nuanced take on the brilliantly troubled scientist will have him crowned as this year’s best actor.

Once again, momentum plays a key role, but I would be foolish to negate Murphy’s sensational role. Jeffrey Wright’s acting in “American Fiction” and Colman Domingo’s in “Rustin” were also superb, but there is no question Murphy is the one who will leave holding the Oscar.

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Best Actress:

One of the few categories that managed to evade the grasp of “Oppenheimer” features the most contested race yet.

While all of these women were equally fantastic, I can’t reasonably picture the night ending without Lily Gladstone winning the award for her incredible performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” A relative newcomer in comparison to her peers in this category, Gladstone still managed to deliver a performance of a seasoned veteran. Their portrayal of an Indigenous woman surrounded by the Osage murders in 1920s Oklahoma was beyond memorable and shows Gladstone’s potential.

While Emma Stone and Carey Mulligan have received a lot of love and acclaim for their performances in “Poor Things” and “Maestro” respectively, neither of these women can compete with the meteoric rise of Gladstone.

Best Supporting Actor:

Whether it be the legendary Robert De Niro for his inhuman performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” or Ryan Gosling for his refreshing turn as Ken in “Barbie,” all actors each brought something different to the table. Mark Ruffalo and Sterling K. Brown were equally brilliant in “Poor Things” and “American Fiction.”

But “Oppenheimer” has the upperhand again with Robert Downey Jr.’s otherworldly performance.

Downey is no stranger to the Academy Awards, having previously been nominated twice for “Chaplin” and “Tropic Thunder,” but neither of these films or performances holds a candle to what he did in “Oppenheimer.” Playing one of the key forces opposing Murphy in the film, he perfectly showed the moral ambiguity of Lewis Strauss while also making the audience sympathize with him in one way or another.

Best Supporting Actress:

Unlike the other categories, best supporting actress seems like a no-brainer. Not to take away from the amazing performances of the other women nominated, but Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s acting in “The Holdovers” was above and beyond anyone else. Randolph steals the screen every time she’s on, despite being alongside Giamatti in one of the three main roles.

Emily Blunt in “Oppenheimer,” America Ferrera in “Barbie,” Danielle Brooks in “The Color Purple” and Jodie Foster in “Nyad” were all well-deserving of a nomination, but none carried their respective films like Randolph did.

Snubs:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the films that I feel were neglected by the academy this year, including Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw” and Todd Haynes’ “May December.”

The lack of nominations for Zac Efron’s lead in “The Iron Claw” as well as the dual performances of Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in “May December” were certainly up there with the best of the year. I thought Efron was given a career resurgence with his portrayal as the lead, and Moore and Portman’s dynamic was in the same regard as their contemporaries.

Additionally, the neglect of Margot Robbie in the Best Actress race is laughable. If her counterpart Gosling is afforded a nomination, she is more than deserving considering how she spearheaded the film. Not to mention, the way she effortlessly made a character like Barbie dynamic should be acknowledged.

However, Robbie is not the only snub from the box office hit “Barbie.” Visionary writer/director Greta Gerwig deserves a nomination for her unique approach to making a film about beloved children’s toys. In an ideal world, Gerwig would be up for best director instead of Johnathan Glazer.

Other than these discrepancies, the Academy did a great job with this year’s nominations. Audiences will have to eagerly wait until March 10 for the final winners and losers.