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We’ve had our bold predictions, and now, the hour of reckoning has come. The 96th Academy Awards, famously known as the Oscars, took place on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
The comedian Jimmy Kimmel was the host of the event for the fourth time, after 2017, 2018, and 2023, to the delight of his vivacious and glamorous audience. For some of the fans that reside outside of the US, the viewing of the ceremony might have taken place the day after, or, if we are talking about ultra-zealous viewers, it happened Sunday night, causing, perhaps, a difficult Monday morning and complaints from the boss. If you recognize yourself among those, hopefully, you were, at least, not disappointed with the results.
The nominees were announced back in January, enabling speculations. Braver fans possibly placed some wagers on their favourites, and if your name is among the winners, we congratulate you.
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Overview of the Ceremony
The long ceremony was quirky as always, providing entertainment, fashion delights and some fun banter. The actors Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling addressed the popular Barbenheimer rivalry during their stage time. For those uninitiated, it is a mocking phrase to highlight that the two highly anticipated movies, Oppenheimer and Barbie, came out the same summer, monopolizing the cinema season and overshadowing any other releases.
Gosling also entertained the audience with a musical performance of Ken’s song, accompanied by ex-Guns’n’Roses Slash. To make everything spicier, host Jimmy Kimmel addressed the elephant in the room: the criticism many expressed about Greta Gerwig not being nominated for best director, unlike Gosling, who played a supporting role in her movie. The director and the audience accepted the comments in jest. However, we must admit we do not know if some ill will is hiding under the surface.
It seems Hollywood has decided to accept its critics and address the issues with humour, but will they ever act in accordance? Who knows! Before we get down to the nitty-gritty of the season, perhaps you’d like a reminder. This article will give away our Winter predictions for the Oscars. Ready to find out how clairvoyant we are? Go on and see for yourself!
Major Awards Recap
As many predicted, Nolan’s Oppenheimer won the Best Picture award. The movie is a novel adaptation based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the infamous inventor of the atomic bomb. It is told in a non-linear fashion, with excellent performances and visual effects.
Biopics used to rule the Oscars in the past decades but have had a setback recently with movies many considered boring and uninspired. Oppenheimer was a comeback for the historical drama genre, and, dare we say, in the contemporary context and the rising nuclear fear, it is hardly surprising the film so resonated with the audience and the critics.
Christopher Nolan also won Best Producer. We have no intention of claiming he didn’t deserve it for making such an epic vision come true, but we must admit many original directors were among the nominees, like Yorgos Lanthimos and Justine Triet so that some movie buffs might be disappointed with a relatively conventional choice.
The Best Actor category was also a triumph for Oppenheimer, highlighting Cillian Murphy’s chilling performance of the main character. Emma Stone won Best Actress for her quirky and emotional performance of Bella Baxter in the provocative and imaginative Poor Things. This year’s nominees included Lily Gladstone, who won the Golden Globe, which was a historical moment for a Native American actress. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait longer to land a Native Best Actor/Actress reward.
As for the supporting cast, Robert Downey Jr. won the prize for playing Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph triumphed as the school cook dealing with grief in the heartfelt Holdovers. Her big personality complemented the reserved, eccentric main character, whose actor, Paul Giamatti, was also a Best Actor nominee.
Technical and Artistic Achievements
The story and characters represent the core of a movie. Still, other categories matter and help bring an imaginary world to life. Cinematography, music, costumes, and visual effects—all of these segments are united to make the magic we all love. Let’s see who won the Oscars for technical and artistic achievements.
- Best Cinematography — Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer.
- Best Original Score — Ludwig Goransson, Oppenheimer.
- Best Costume Design — Holly Waddington, Poor Things.
- Best Visual Effects — Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima for Godzilla Minus One.
As we can see, a diverse set of international artists was celebrated at this year’s ceremony, emphasizing the elements of movie-making, which are crucial but sometimes overlooked and, we must admit, are often positions occupied by non-Americans.
Surprises and Highlights
Even though the nominees were fantastic and somewhat unexpected, the winners in most categories were conventional. Still, a Native actress was nominated for Best Actress. Non-blockbuster flicks like Holdovers and American Fiction proved Hollywood can still invest in quieter movies and get enough attention from the audience. We also cannot deny we were treated with some interesting and unusual movies this year, like Anatomy of a Fall, which won Best Original Screenplay.
International and Animated Features
The winner of the Best International Film category was The Zone of Interest, a bleak, creepy insight into parallel worlds inhabited by a Nazi family living their ideal life and their neighbouring concentration camp. The sound and the visuals play a pivotal role in communicating the different extremes to the audience, painting a Heaven and Hell dichotomy.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best-animated feature film was The Boy and the Heron by the iconic and retiring Hayao Miyazaki. He announced the film as his final. We’ll have to see if he keeps his word this time. “The story dives deep into Japanese heritage and the heavily personal Second World War experience, creating a delightful blend between intimate authorial background and more ancient cultural history,” shares CasinoOnlineCA cinephile and betting enthusiast James Segrest.
So, how did you like the Oscars? Did your candidates win? We surely hope so, especially if you put some money on them. If you haven’t but have successfully predicted the results, you might consider being bolder in the future. You have a whole year ahead of you to prepare.
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Conclusion
It is difficult to discuss the future and relevance of the ceremony since, despite the event’s popularity, many argue the Oscars have lost poignance and no longer play a role in the overall movie industry. Our opinion on the issue is moderate. That is true. Many interesting flicks come from outside the Hollywood bubble, which is great.
But this year’s nominees show that the mainstream still has a place for diverse movies, even if they don’t turn up to be the actual winners. As evident, the Oscars remain a conventional event with easy-to-predict winners.
Nevertheless, one can detect the growing impact of international cinema and the possible comeback of the good, old drama without special effects and bombastic scenes. We do not claim that trend will completely cease, but we might expect more balance in the future, which is good.