Dubs versus snubs: Recapping 2024 Oscars nominations
Now that a week has passed and the dust has settled on this year's Academy Award nominations, we can finally examine the nominated films without our spur-of-the-moment emotions getting in the way. So, as much as we all loved "Bottoms," we can all admit it never really stood a chance.
Here is where some of the contenders stand after all the snubs and surprises.
"Barbie" misses out on key nominations
Last year was undoubtedly the year of "Barbie." Every element of the film, from Billie Eilish's heartbreaking pop ballad to its dazzling pink sets, resonated with audiences worldwide.
Despite its stranglehold on popular culture, the movie underperformed at the Oscars, with director Greta Gerwig missing out on a Best Director nomination and "Barbie" herself, Margot Robbie, getting snubbed from a Best Actress nomination. This was a shock to everyone — even former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who felt the matter was pressing enough that she needed to chime in.
With this being said, the movie still managed to do pretty well in other categories, earning nominations for Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera for their supporting performances. Gerwig and Robbie still received nominations for their roles in writing and producing the movie, respectively. But it's still a little unusual not to hear their names in the other categories.
"Oppenheimer" dominates
Leading with 13 nominations, Barbie's "Barbenheimer" counterpart is clearly the early frontrunner for all the major awards.
Cillian Murphy, who gave an unforgettable performance as the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer, is a top contender for Best Actor, while his co-star Robert Downey Jr., liberated from his Marvel movie roles, is a favorite for Best Supporting Actor. Christopher Nolan himself is all but guaranteed the Best Director award.
When factoring all the other awards the movie is in contention for, like Best Original Screenplay, Best Score and Best Editing, it's hard to see Best Picture not being the ultimate cherry on top.
The real question shouldn't be which awards can it win, but how many awards can it win? There's a real chance that "Oppenheimer" can match or even break the 11-Oscar record set by "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," "Titanic" and "Ben-Hur."
Leonardo DiCaprio misses out on Best Actor
One of the most buzzed-about films of 2023, "Killers of the Flower Moon" was destined to garner a boatload of nominations. For the most part, it did.
Director Martin Scorsese nabbed a nomination for Best Director, making him the oldest nominee ever in the category. Breakout star Lily Gladstone and industry-favorite Robert De Niro also earned nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.
One prominent figure was missing from the film's impressive haul of 10 nominations — Leonardo DiCaprio. In the film, DiCaprio portrays Ernest Burkhart, a real-life morally reprehensible figure.
It's understandable why the Academy Awards might hesitate to reward such a character, but DiCaprio nonetheless delivers some of his most nuanced work.
International Movies at the Oscars
Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho once remarked that the ceremony is "very local," addressing its historical oversight of foreign language films. This has certainly been the case in the past, but this year's Oscars have clearly taken this criticism to heart.
This year, two foreign language movies, "Anatomy of a Fall," which is in French, and "The Zone of Interest," which is in German, both earned five nominations. Another film nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture, "Past Lives," is partially in Korean.
The Oscars should be a celebration of movies from around the world, instead of just Hollywood films manufactured for awards. These recent nominations suggest the ceremony is moving closer to the former.
To see who ends up taking home the gold, check out the 96th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, which will air live on March 10 on ABC.
