The 96th Academy Awards are this Sunday, and we are here to help you with your Oscar ballots in the major categories.
Looking at the films nominated, one thing is abundantly clear: it was an excellent year for film. We had our annual slate of sequels, but we also had some incredible storytelling—from the crazy world of Saltburn to the outstanding vision of Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse, the International hit The Teachers Lounge, to the motorcycle cliff-jumping in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One.
Whether you prefer to watch movies in the theatre or at home, there is no shortage of impressive titles. The writers’ and actors’ strikes may have slowed production, but some great films were released.
From the inception to filming to seeking distribution and finally finding an audience, Sunday night’s awards are the culmination of a journey for all of the films. For some, the Academy Awards are about the red carpet and ‘what are they wearing?’ but for me, it will always be a celebration of film.
This is the highest honour for movies. And while we don’t have a crystal ball, here are my predictions for Oscar night.
International Feature Film
NOMINEES:
Io Capitano (Italy)
Perfect Days (Japan)
Society of the Snow (Sweden)
The Teachers’ Lounge (Germany)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)
Will win: The Zone of Interest
Who would I vote for: The Zone of Interest
Who should have been nominated: Fallen Leaves
The best movies aren’t necessarily in the English language, and these nominees are proof of that. The Zone of Interest was Ottawa Life Magazine’s Best Film of 2023. It tells the story of the commandant of Auschwitz, who lives with his family right next door to the camp. There are so many aspects of this film that are fascinating, Jonathan Glazer has crafted a masterpiece. Perfect Days’ brilliance is in its simplicity and was very good, but this award will belong, rightfully so, to The Zone of Interest.
Actor in a Supporting Role
NOMINEES:
Sterling K Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things
Will win: Robert Downey Jr.
Who would I vote for: Mark Ruffalo
Who should have been nominated: Glenn Howerton (Blackberry)
Robert Downey Jr. is having a fantastic awards season. He has already won Best Supporting Actor at The Golden Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTAS and Screen Actors Guild Awards, to name a few. Downey Jr. has also had a very impressive career. Many will remember his work in Chaplin, and I’m especially fond of his performances in The Judge and One Night Stand. His long career in Hollywood will be rewarded with an Oscar statue Sunday night.
Mark Ruffalo’s performance in Poor Things is unlike anything we have seen from him, and his time may come, but it won’t be on Sunday.
Actress in a Supporting Role
NOMINEES:
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
America Ferrera – Barbie
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Will win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Who would I vote for: Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Who should have been nominated: Penelope Cruz (Ferrari), Sandra Huller (The Zone of Interest), Taraji P. Henson (The Color Purple)
This category is a head-scratcher. Penelope Cruz delivered a phenomenal performance in Ferrari, Sandra Huller was horrifying in The Zone of Interest, and Taraji P. Henson delivered some of, if not her best work, in The Color Purple. Inexplicably, none of them were nominated.
That being said, Da’Vine Joy Randolph will complete a successful awards season with a statuette on Sunday for her outstanding performance in this beautiful film. Perhaps part of the recognition is due to the fact she was snubbed for a nomination a few years ago for her performance in Dolemite is My Name.
Actor in a Leading Role
NOMINEES:
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rusti
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Will win: Cillian Murphy
Who would I vote for: Paul Giamatti
Who should have been nominated: Koji Yakusho (Perfect Days), Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)
Paul Giamatti picked up some hardware this awards season for his fantastic performance in The Holdovers, but it will be Cillian Murphy’s name that is called for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Giamatti’s performance made The Holdovers shine, while the same can be said for Murphy’s, he benefited from the overall production of a Christopher Nolan film. Regardless, this award is Murphy’s to lose.
Actress in a Leading Role
NOMINEES:
Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Huller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Will win: Lily Gladstone
Who would I vote for: Sandra Huller
Who should have been nominated: Teyana Taylor (A Thousand and One), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Origin)
This is a very interesting category. It has been a back-and-forth battle between Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone, but Sandra Huller should win this award. Her performance in Anatomy of a Fall was a masterclass in acting. Lily Gladstone will make Academy Award history when she becomes the first Native American actor to win an Oscar in an acting category.
Directing
NOMINEES:
Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest
Will win: Christopher Nolan
Who would I vote for: Jonathan Glazer
Who should have been nominated: Celine Song (Past Lives)
Sometimes, we realize certain people haven’t won an Academy Award, and the universe must correct that. This happens quite often, like when Denzel Washington won for Training Day. Yes, he had a supporting acting trophy at the time, not the Lead Actor one, but that wasn’t his best role.
Oppenheimer isn’t Christopher Nolan’s best work, but he will finally be an Oscar winner. One can argue he could have won for Dunkirk, Inception, or even The Dark Knight, which revolutionized the superhero genre. Either way, he’s an exceptional filmmaker and deserving of an Academy Award.
Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall) and Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest) delivered stronger creations on a significantly smaller budget, but Sunday night will be about setting the universe right.
Best Picture
NOMINEES:
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Will win: Oppenheimer
Who would I vote for: The Zone of Interest
Who should have been nominated: All of Us Strangers, Origin
This is an outstanding list of nominees. Moviegoers were spoiled in 2023! Unless there is a repeat of the Moonlight/La La Land shock — not where they announce the wrong award but where the Best Picture winner comes out of nowhere — Oppenheimer will win this award.
It was an outstanding achievement. A dialogue-driven IMAX film? It worked. Was it the best film of 2023? Considering most Top 10 lists would recognize Past Lives for that distinction, it is hard to say.
Oppenheimer was a fantastic film; as mentioned, Nolan deserves his roses. But taking away what ‘Nolan deserves’ was it the best film of 2023? In this reviewer’s opinion, no.
The Zone of Interest is a work of genius where there are two movies in one: the one you see and the one you hear. Anatomy of a Fall was equally brilliant. Many commented on the run time of Killers of the Flower Moon, but when you focus on the film (and don’t get distracted by devices, etc), it’s quite a stunning movie. Past Lives was the most romantic film of the year. In his debut, Cord Jefferson hit a home run with American Fiction. Bradley Cooper’s Maestro reminded us that A Star is Born wasn’t a fluke, and he’s an exceptional filmmaker. Barbie resonated globally and wasn’t just a box-office success. Poor Things, as quirky as it was, was quite inventive and showcased that Yorgos Lanthimos is definitely an out-of-the-box thinker. Finally, The Holdovers was an extremely sweet film enhanced by three strong performances . . . This was a great year for film.
While Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas will claim the Best Picture trophy, the real winners are cinema audiences. This is an outstanding class of best-picture nominees.
The other awards
Best Original Screenplay – Anatomy of a Fall
Best Adapted Screenplay – American Fiction
Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Film Editing – Oppenheimer
Best Documentary Feature – 20 Days in Mariupol
Best Costume Design – Barbie
Best Makeup & Hairstyling – Maestro
Best Production Design – Poor Things
Best Cinematography – Oppenheimer
Best Sound – Should be The Zone of Interest, will be Oppenheimer
Best Visual Effects – Godzilla Minus One
Best Documentary Short – The ABCs of Book Banning
Best Live Action Short – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Best Animated Short – War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko
Best Original Score – Oppenheimer
Best Original Song – Barbie – What Was I Made For?
