So, Oscar season is finally here, and this year’s show should be pretty interesting. Like I’ve already said a couple times, 2023 was a genuinely incredible year for film; one of the best in recent memory. There was always something worthwhile to see, so much so that I still haven’t seen some of the highest rated films of last year. The lists of nominees were released last week, so I figured I’d go through all of them and give my take, just like I did last year, as well as some insight on some films that maybe should’ve been nominated for a specific category but were ultimately snubbed. Strangely, there were a lot of very notable snubs this year; movies like May December, The Killer, Ferrari, and Beau is Afraid ended up with shockingly few nominations. Still, there are a lot of very deserving nominees here, and I’ll be satisfied with several winners from a lot of categories. Also, I’ll be skipping a few categories, including Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Animated Short Film, and Best Documentary Short Film, because I have little to no interest in covering them, and did not watch anything from their respective categories. Also, I’m disappointed to do so, but I have to skip International Feature Film, because I haven’t seen any of the nominees. Don’t get mad at me; I’m going to blame A24, because they don’t want to properly distribute The Zone of Interest.

Movies that received a lot of nominations that I haven’t gotten to yet: Poor Things, The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall, Maestro, American Fiction, Society of the Snow

Best Sound

Nominees: The Zone of Interest, Oppenheimer, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One, The Creator, Maestro

Snubs: The Killer, Napoleon, Ferrari

While Mission: Impossible had some very impressive sound design, it’s going to Oppenheimer. Hearing that bomb go off in the theater was a moment I’ll never forget; I wasn’t even in an IMAX and I felt like it was exploding right next to me. I’ll also never forget when I went to see Barbie for the second time and heard the bomb from the next theater. The Creator did have some good sound design, but I wouldn’t nominate it over the snubs I listed; I saw the three snubs I listed and Creator in the theater, and out of the four, Creator was definitely the least impressive. The one exclusion I’m really surprised by is The Killer; I remember watching that and thinking to myself that it should win an Oscar for sound design. The film has a very particular and precise style to it, and the sound design matches that- even watching at home and not in the theater, you could almost feel a bullet being shot, or The Killer using a nail gun to torture somebody. However, I won’t be upset with Oppie taking this one home; it displays talented sound design throughout, and deserves it for the one scene alone.

Best Film Editing

Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Snubs: Asteroid City, May December

Killers provides some solid competition here; I remember there being a lot of very impressive transitions and editing tricks. However, I have to give it to Oppenheimer. The film is edited at such a fast and unrelenting pace that it makes the three hour runtime feel like a mere hour and forty minutes; it does not slow down for one second, and this is very beneficial to the overall film. The frequent changes between color and black and white are difficult to pull off, but Nolan does it with ease, and it all fits together very nicely. There are definitely still a couple of weird cuts here, which seem to be present in every Nolan film, but it’s not nearly as noticeable as some of the ones found in something like The Dark Knight trilogy. As far as snubs go, I think that the biggest one is easily May December; it’s put together in a very distinct way meant to really drive home the themes of the film, and I would’ve loved to see the movie get some more appreciation.

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Nominees: Golda, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Society of the Snow

Snubs: Priscilla, Beau is Afraid, The Iron Claw, Napoleon

Now, I know that I haven’t seen this yet (which will be fixed over the weekend), but it seems like an obvious lock (as Avatar 2 did for visual effects last year when I hadn’t seen that). I’ve seen clips and screencaps of many different characters and moments, and there is some very notable makeup work here; Willem Dafoe’s character in particular is quite impressive. This is a pretty limited category this year; I’m very surprised that Priscilla and The Iron Claw didn’t get some recognition. I’m not surprised that Beau is Afraid didn’t since The Academy hates horror, but all three of these did deserve a nomination. I think that Priscilla in particular should’ve been nominated; it didn’t receive anything else otherwise, and a lot of the hairstyling was very accurate and complex.

Best Costume Design

Nominees: Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Snubs: Asteroid City, Priscilla, Beau is Afraid

I’d be fine with any of these winning, but I’ll go with Napoleon for my pick. One thing I remember thinking about while watching this was how impressive the sets and costumes were; everything looks very decadent and complex, and I’d expect nothing less from Ridley. I have a feeling Barbie is going to take this one, which I’d be fine with, but I highly doubt Napoleon is going to win anything else, so I’d like it to get this. You’ve probably noticed that I’m listing a lot of the same films for snubs, but The Academy seemed to ignore a handful of films entirely this year, and they’re all very deserving of nominations for a lot of categories. Asteroid City and Priscilla‘s costume design is somewhat similar, with a lot of old-fashioned dresses and bright colors, while Beau is Afraid showcases a wide variety of different strange and unique characters and costumes. The films that were nominated all deserved it, but there were a couple that deserved it more than something like Oppenheimer.

Best Production Design

Nominees: Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Snubs: Asteroid City, Beau is Afraid 

Just like the last category, I think that pretty much anything here could win, and it would make sense. I’m only picking Barbie because of how far they took it; the film literally caused a shortage of pink paint. It showcases a lot of very fun and creative sets, and is definitely the most colorful of the nominees. Napoleon would be my second choice for reasons discussed already, but I’m genuinely shocked that Asteroid City didn’t get this one. If Barbie was nominated, it definitely should’ve been; both show a lot of similar talent, and I honestly would’ve picked it over Barbie had it been selected. Of course, Beau is Afraid is very deserving as well, but once again, The Academy doesn’t want to nominate horror.

Best Original Song

Nominees: “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony, “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie, “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”, “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot,  “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon

Snubs: “Annihilate” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, “Dear Alien” from Asteroid City

By far the most fun and memorable song here, “I’m Just Ken” should win just so we can see Ryan Gosling perform this live. There’s no point in denying that this scene was easily one of the funniest of the entire film, and it would simply be fun to watch it win, kind of like “Everything is Awesome” for The Lego Movie. If I could pick one other song to be nominated, though, it would without a doubt be “Annihilate”. Across the Spider-Verse had a pretty decent rap album release alongside it, and in my opinion, “Annihilate” was easily the standout of the whole album. The beat is incredible, the background vocals are impressive, and the Lil Wayne verse is just so good. If the song from the movie about Cheetos can get nominated, the Spider-Man song can. The Academy seems to go with the fun option for this category every now and then; once again The Lego Movie comes to mind, but “Naatu Naatu” from RRR also won last year, which was exactly what I wanted but didn’t expect to happen. So, while the Billie Eilish song will probably get it, I wouldn’t completely disregard “I’m Just Ken”.

Best Original Score

Nominees: American Fiction, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Snubs: The Killer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

While I would’ve preferred to give it to either of the snubs I listed, Oppenheimer‘s score is still a great pick. Ludwig Göransson is an artist I have a lot of respect for, and somebody who’s created a lot of great scores, even if they’re not for great shows or films, and he’s produced some non-score music that I enjoy. It’s definitely the best one here, but I was hoping for Spider-Verse and especially The Killer to be mentioned. The music in the opening title cards for The Killer perfectly captured the tone of the film, and immediately stuck out to me as one of the best scores I had heard throughout the year. Whatever happens, I just hope Dial of Destiny doesn’t win; as much as I love the franchise and the theme song, the score for its latest movie is basically the same thing as the last four.

Best Visual Effects

Nominees: The Creator, Godzilla Minus One, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning, Napoleon

Snubs: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

The Creator disappointed me a little bit overall, but the technical achievements of the film cannot be ignored. The visual effects were definitely among the most impressive of the year; while the whole movie looks great, I really want to touch on how good the androids look. The effects on the androids disguised as humans are mind-blowing, and remind me a lot of the brilliant effects of something like Ex Machina. While I think The Creator lacks a lot of substance overall, it’s visually incredible, from a cinematography and effects standpoint. However, I really wish that Dungeons & Dragons was nominated. I was really surprised with how good that movie looked; maybe I’m too easy to please, but the effects were miles above any Marvel or DC film in the past few years. I remember thinking that the CGI was really impressive, but also that it was very fun. It really brings the weird world of D&D to life, and does genuinely give The Creator a run for its money. Guardians of the Galaxy and Godzilla Minus One should also be mentioned- Guardians is definitely the best a Marvel project has looked in recent years, and Godzilla‘s visuals are definitely an achievement for the budget the film was made on. However, I’m still going with The Creator.

Best Cinematography

Nominees: El Conde, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Snubs: May December, Beau is Afraid, Napoleon, The Creator

This was one of the hardest categories to choose; while Oppenheimer is brilliantly shot, Killers of the Flower Moon‘s cinematography reflects the large and epic scale of the film. There are sweeping landscape shots that show the beauty of Osage County, and more confined, claustrophobic shots in dark areas to show the evil looming within businesses inside local towns. This is probably the best looking film of the year, and I feels that it deserves it slightly more than Oppenheimer. I would say the biggest snub is probably Napoleon; it deserves it for similar reasons, but I’d like to mention the May December snub. It’s not on the same grand scale as any of the other films here, but relies more on subtle shots that reveal a different side of a character or scene; it’s comparable to the cinematography of Tár. Ultimately, I’d still give it to Killers, but I would have liked some others to be nominated over something like Maestro.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: American Fiction, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest

Snubs: Killers of the Flower Moon, The Iron Claw, Priscilla

I am genuinely shocked at Killers of the Flower Moon‘s absence; this seems like an obvious shoe-in for this category. With that being said, I’d still give it to Oppenheimer. While Killers has a very emotional and moving script, Oppenheimer‘s is just a bit better. A lot of the compliments I could give it would be similar to those I gave the editing- it’s fast-paced and tense, but also very smart and thought-out. Besides Oppenheimer, I think that The Iron Claw and Priscilla deserve a nomination in this category more than any others. Both were stories I had heard of, but didn’t really know the full extent, and the films did a great job of showing the audience how tragic they were. But, just like Killers, I’d still have to give it to Oppenheimer.

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Maestro, May December, Past Lives

Snubs: Beau is Afraid, Asteroid City, A Good Person

While I might prefer The Holdovers as a film, May December‘s script cannot go unignored. I had no clue what to expect going into this besides the IMDb plot summary, and even that could not prepare me for what I was about to witness. This is probably the best film Netflix put out last year, and it’s mainly because of how well written it is. I never would have expected the story to go in the directions it did, and a few specific lines will stick with me for a long time. May December is an excellent example of the power that clever writing can hold- there are a lot of scenes and lines with depth that exceeds your initial understanding. While it never would have happened, I found Beau is Afraid‘s script to be funny, clever, and smart, and believe it to be one of the most nuanced scripts of the year. Also, a bit of a random pick, but A Good Person has some very powerful writing, even if it can come of as a little cheesy every now and then. It was definitely a new direction for Zach Braff, but I really appreciated what it tried to do, and displays so much of the trademark Braff sincerity.

Best Animated Feature Film

Nominees: The Boy and the Heron, Elemental, Nimona, Robot Dreams, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Snubs: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

I know that a lot of people really loved Miyazaki’s newest film, The Boy and the Heron, but I didn’t see it, and Elemental certainly isn’t outclassing Spider-Verse. This was my second favorite of the year, and hasn’t gotten old across the four different times I’ve seen it; really, what else can be said about it? Everything here is essentially perfect. Animation, story, characters, voice action, art style, music; all top-of-the-line quality. This film has started to receive the treatment that every popular and good film gets (everyone likes it for a month and then people start hating on it), but I will wholeheartedly resist that until the day I die. I expected Across the Spider-Verse to end on a cliffhanger because it is literally meant to be a two-parter. The ending is the main criticism I see about it, and I just can’t help but think about how dumb it is. So many blockbuster franchises do something like this, and it just makes me more excited for the third part. The only other nominee I can see approaching the level of this is The Boy and the Heron, but I honestly doubt it would come anywhere close for me personally.

Best Director

Nominees: Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Martin Scorsese, (Killers of the Flower Moon), Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall)

Snubs: Sean Durkin (The Iron Claw), Todd Haynes (May December), David Fincher (The Killer), Wes Anderson (Asteroid City)

Minor spoilers for Killers of the Flower Moon.

I think that any of these would be a great pick, but I’m going with Scorsese just because of how clear his connection to the material is. Marty makes it very clear that despite how much he’s obviously put into the film, he realizes that it’s still not really his story to tell. He decreases the focus on white characters seen in the book, and makes a cameo in the ending. This final scene shows him taking the role of a radio host telling the audience what happens to the characters in the film; not only is this a very emotional scene, but shows how white people have stolen this story from the Osage, just like white people stole much of their oil and wealth. The film is obviously directed and shot incredibly well, but I think that the awareness he shows is what pushes it above the others for me. Some very big snubs include Anderson, Fincher, and Haynes; Anderson and Fincher’s films both have a similar level of commentary on their career, and all three are very impressively directed films overall.

Best Supporting Actor

Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction), Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer), Ryan Gosling (Barbie), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

Snubs: Charles Melton (May December), Jacob Elordi (Priscilla), Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers)

I’ve been on the Downey Jr. train since the very moment I walked out of Oppenheimer; in a film packed with actors performing to their absolute limit, he stands among the best. Robert De Niro played a very menacing villain in Killers, and Gosling is of course a lot of fun as Ken, but they really don’t touch Downey. I love how spiteful and egotistical he makes his character; It’s the driving force behind a large chunk of the film’s plot, and he brings a rage and spite-filled performance to match it. As far as snubs go, Charles Melton is one of the most upsetting of the year. For an actor that I had never heard of before May December, he was incredible, and had a couple of scenes that genuinely disturbed me. If he had been nominated, he really would have rivaled Downey, but that’s unfortunately not the case.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), America Ferrera (Barbie), Jodie Foster (Nyad), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Snubs: Rachel McAdams (Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.), Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), Penelope Cruz (Ferrari), Julianne Moore (May December)

I wish I could give more categories to The Holdovers; it was in my top 5 of the year, but just doesn’t offer the technical achievements other films this year did. Of course, a movie like this doesn’t need to, but it would make me happy to see this film get more nominations. However, from the nominated actresses in this category, I simply have to go with Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Her character was much more complex than I anticipated, and I always love to see actors in that are in so few films get recognition like this- it just makes me wish Charles Melton was nominated even more. The Holdovers is a Christmas movie that’s also a genuinely good film, and Randolph’s performance embodies so much of what makes the film special. As far as snubs go, my biggest gripes come in the form of Rachel McAdams and Penelope Cruz; they were both probably the best parts of those films, and definitely deserved it more than America Ferrera, even if I liked her in Barbie.

Best Actor

Nominees: Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

Snubs: Zac Efron (The Iron Claw), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Joaquin Phoenix (Beau is Afraid & Napoleon)

Between these, the only one that really speaks to me aside from Cillian is Paul Giamatti. While The Holdovers is in my top five of the year and features some very emotional and complex performances, Oppenheimer just offers a little bit more, at least as far as the male lead goes. We’ve been hearing nonstop praise for Cillian Murphy all year, and it’s deserved. He’s never been nominated or won any Oscars before, and I think that he’s finally showed the full extent of his talent. I’ve always like Murphy, but he’s never given us anything close to this level before. I’m not surprised that Efron and Phoenix didn’t get anything despite deserving it, but I am surprised at DiCaprio’s absence; he did a great job playing a different type of character than he usually would, and it seemed that The Academy would eat it up. However, I have no doubt that Cillian will win, even if DiCaprio had been nominated.

Best Actress

Nominees: Annette Bening (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Snubs: Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Natalie Portman (May December), Florence Pugh (A Good Person)

In any other year, Emma Stone would probably be a lock, but I am really hoping Lily Gladstone wins this. It might be the best performance I saw the entire year, and I saw a lot of good performances in 2023. I’ve heard a lot of people say that she didn’t do anything in the film recently, and I’d like to reject that notion as hard as I possibly can. Gladstone gives the most nuanced and complex performance of the entire year, and this is the same year that we got Oppenheimer, The Holdovers, May December, and The Iron Claw. I’m still pretty surprised that Cailee Spaeny didn’t get some attention, even more so than Portman or Pugh. I thought she was fantastic, especially for a newer actress. However, even if I wish those three had been nominated, they’ve got nothing on Gladstone.

Best Picture

Nominees: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest

Snubs: The Iron Claw, May December, Asteroid City

While I’d listen to the argument that Killers, Poor Things, Zone of Interest, and Anatomy of a Fall deserve it, it just makes sense that Oppenheimer wins. It’s my favorite here, and it was the drama of the year. The accomplishment of Oppenheimer must be acknowledged; while Barbie obviously outgrossed it, the fact that a three-hour long drama that is literally 95% dialogue made $950 million is still shocking to me. As much as I can enjoy superhero films, Oppenheimer‘s success gives me and other film enjoyers hope that audiences still have interest in non-superhero films. And, on top of all of this, it’s genuinely a masterpiece. Like I said, I understand if someone enjoys others from this category more, but as far as best picture of 2023 goes, I will accept nothing less than Oppenheimer.

Strangely, I’ve found that while most of the nominations here are very deserved, some odd ones stick out here and there and could easily be replaced by much better choices. The Academy gave recognition to most of the very best of the year, but completely or almost completely ignored The Iron Claw, May December, Beau is Afraid, Asteroid City, Priscilla, and The Killer. I find a lot of the snubs to be pretty odd, as a good few of these movies double as films that The Academy would enjoy, and genuinely great movies. Despite this, I’m still excited to see what comes of it. You’ve probably noticed an Oppenheimer sweep in this article, and I’m calling it right now: prepare yourself for a similar outcome on March 10th.