On January 23rd, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences formally released the nominations for the upcoming 96th Academy Awards, set to be held on March 10th. Among these nominations included popular 2023 releases “Oppenheimer”and “Barbie”, as well as performances from the likes of Emma Stone and Bradley Cooper. Unsurprisingly, the announcement caused a swarm of opinions to circulate online and even at Woodgrove, with people sharing their winner predictions and emotions over the Academy’s decisions.

As one of the oldest American entertainment awards, the Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, was first held as a private reception in 1929. Over the last century, the ceremony has amassed much attention through TV viewership and is now heralded as a major event in the world of cinema. Each year, dedicated viewers tune in to see the winners of the coveted Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress categories. The Oscars also appeal to those with a fascination for pop culture and fashion, with the red carpet and pre-show drawing interest from new audiences in recent years. 

Numerous outstanding films from 2023 made it into the running. One of the most talked about, and most expected, nominees is “Oppenheimer”, Christopher Nolan’s three hour biopic centering on the notorious Manhattan Project, which sweeped up a whopping 13 nominations. Following the box-office showdown between the two over the summer, one cannot mention “Oppenheimer” without speaking of Greta Gerwig’s hit “Barbie”. The film received a Best Picture nomination among seven others. A few lesser-known nominees include the recent UK film “The Zone of Interest”, based on the novel by Martin Amis, as well as “Past Lives”, the debut film of Canadian director Celine Song.

In a poll collecting Woodgrove’s opinions on the upcoming Academy Awards, 41.2% of respondents chose “Oppenheimer” as their top choice to win in the Best Picture category, with “Barbie” falling in close second. The votes for Best Actor in a Leading Role were similar leaning, with 70.6% of voters rooting for Cillian Murphy for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The Best Actress section appears more varied. Students were torn between Emma Stone for her role in “Poor Things” and Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon”. Gladstone, who is the first Native American woman to ever be nominated in the category, played Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese’s depiction of the infamous Osage murders during the early 20th century. 

The success of the current nominees cannot be celebrated without the acknowledgement of the many potential nominees that did not make the final cut. Perhaps the most controversial “snub” of the nomination announcement was the exclusion of Margot Robbie from the Best Actress category for her performance in “Barbie”, despite her male co-star’s nomination for Best Actor in the same film. Many have expressed their distaste for the Academy’s decision, despite the many other nominations “Barbie” received this year. Junior Rory Fricano said of the snub, “Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig deserve much better.” 

Students were most disappointed to see that “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” only managed to score one nomination in the Best Animated Feature Film category. “It was a brilliant and underrated work of animation, but even more than that, as a work of fiction,” Fricano noted. Historically, the Academy tends to shy away from nominating animated films in categories dominated by live-action ones, no matter how deserving the film is. 

Even with the exclusion of several outstanding performances and movies this year, the upcoming Oscars appears promising. Viewers will be able to watch the show live at 7pm eastern time on March 10. Until then, hope and predictions will keep the excitement alive.