The Moviegoer’s 2024 Oscar Picks
This past awards season was particularly difficult to endure, partly because of the lackluster jokes from the presenters, and partly because 2023 saw some of the best movies made in recent years. We had blockbusters such as Barbie and Oppenheimer fighting against smaller, yet equally mighty films such as Past Lives and American Fiction. It was hard to definitively say which film was “best” and which actor deserved an award more than another. Despite this, the Academy Awards Ceremony, which passed on March 10, 2024, provoked the usual discourse surrounding snubs and disagreements over who should have won. With that in mind, here is the Moviegoer’s review of the 2024 Oscars.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Based on the marketing strategies for this year’s awards season, it seemed fairly obvious that The Boy and the Heron would earn the win. Ever since its release, I have heard countless glowing reviews of the film. There was the usual outrage, as some of the public thought that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse should have won it. Let’s be realistic though. Sequels almost never win Oscars. It has only happened twice in Academy history: The Godfather Part II (1974) and Lord of the Ring: Return of the King (2003). Additionally, the original film, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, won the Oscar in 2018, so it was unlikely for its sequel to win as well. As far as the Moviegoer’s opinion goes, we were all happy with the final decision.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Hands down, the best choice. Poor Things has some of the best sets I’ve ever seen.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Alongside the acting awards, this was possibly the most difficult decision of the night. All of the films this year seemed to emphasize the viewing experience, prioritizing the cinematography and photography. All of the films were visually stunning. While Oppenheimer was not a bad choice, the Moviegoer thought either Poor Things or Killers of the Flower Moon would have been better options. Though it might not have ultimately won, we were surprised that Robert Yeoman was not nominated for Asteroid City. Cinematography has always been a critical aspect of Wes Anderson films.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
We all immediately agreed that Cord Jefferson deserved this award. In addition to the incredible acting, American Fiction’s screenplay was absolutely wonderful. Jefferson also gave one of the best speeches of the night. Less $200 million movies indeed! We also felt that Priscilla warranted a nomination and in my personal opinion, The Burial deserved one as well.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Our desires were not met for this category. However, what we want as a group is not necessarily the right choice. The entire group was in love with both Past Lives and The Holdovers and was hoping for one of those to win. But alas, it didn’t happen. However, at the end of the day, Anatomy of a Fall was phenomenal. While the film as a whole might not appeal to everyone, the writing is exquisite. In spite of our hopes, we were all able to recognize that it was the right choice.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Once again, the Moviegoer was not entirely surprised by Robert Downey Jr. winning Best Supporting Actor. The front-runners seemed to be RDJ and Mark Ruffalo. As a group, we were divided on who should have won the award. Despite his great performance, some thought Downey Jr.’s character didn’t lend itself to an Oscar, leading to the decision that Ruffalo should have won. On the other hand, others observed that Ruffalo’s performance in Poor Things was too over-the-top, though this seems to be the point of his character. As a whole, the final decision wasn’t controversial enough to warrant a lengthy debate. For snubs, we all agreed that Charles Melton should have gotten a nomination for his truly heartbreaking performance in May December.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Though the category was stacked with high-quality performances, we were not surprised by Cillian Murphy clinching the win. It might have been more exciting had another actor won the award, but given the trajectory of the awards season thus far it seemed fairly obvious that Murphy would win. All nominees were equally talented, making the choice even more difficult for the Academy. However, we were surprised that Zac Efron did not snag a nomination, given his incredible performance as Kevin von Erich in Iron Claw. Another surprising snub was Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers, who delivered a deeply nuanced and honest performance.
ACTRESS IN SUPPORTING ROLE
The Moviegoer’s talk on Actress in a Supporting Role was simple and quick. We all agreed that Da’Vine Joy Randolph was the perfect choice to receive the award. We were all thrilled by the decision. Also, her speech was possibly the best of the night? What a perfect way to kick off the ceremony.
ACTRESS IN LEADING ROLE
This was probably one of the most divisive awards of the night, prompting multiple other publications to publish their own takes on the situation. The Moviegoer would like to restate that all of the nominees were equally deserving of the award. With that said, the frontrunners for this award throughout the award season were Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone. Gladstone was sweeping the previous award shows, so most assumed she would win the Oscar, making history as the first Native American woman to be nominated and win an Oscar for Best Actress. Most of us agreed that despite Stone’s incredibly self-abandoning acting in Poor Things, Gladstone delivered a more mature and grounded performance. On a certain level, we were surprised by the ultimate decision, but also not surprised given the Academy’s history. In terms of snubs, everyone agreed that Greta Lee deserved a nomination for Best Actress for Past Lives.
BEST DIRECTOR
This category provoked the most discussion among the Moviegoer members, not because of who won, but because of the sheer number of people that we thought should have received recognition. It’s a difficult decision, as everyone, from the nominees, to the winner (Christopher Nolan) and snubs should all receive recognition. Maybe the Academy should expand the section as they did with Best Picture? In our opinion, being nominated is just as good as winning. Anyway, regarding the winner and nominees, nothing was surprising by Academy standards. As the night progressed and Oppenheimer piled up more awards, it became clear that they would sweep the major categories. All of the directors created such wonderful films that it could have been any of them holding the statue. Anyway, back to our snubs: Sofia Coppola for Priscella, Todd Haynes for May December, Emerald Fennell for the very divisive Saltburn, Celine Song for Past Lives, and Ridley Scott for Napoleon. That’s not to say that any of these other films would’ve won, but they definitely deserved recognition. Despite these snubs, we all agreed that Christopher Nolan was the right choice.
BEST PICTURE
Maybe it was because of the route the night was taking, but we all knew that Oppenheimer was going to win even before Al Pacino opened that envelope. It was an expected win, and felt slightly disappointing, but not because it didn’t deserve the award. I think the disappointment comes from a lack of surprise. It felt very typical of the Academy to give the award to a film like Oppenheimer. When it’s widely anticipated by the audience, excitement tends to dissipate. Although I have not personally seen the film, other members of the Moviegoer thought that Asteroid City warranted a nomination.
OTHER THOUGHTS
As a whole Poor Things is better than Oppenheimer
The Academy should establish a new category: Best Live Performance of the Night, to be awarded at next year’s ceremony. The first winner? Ryan Gosling obviously.
Why did Wes Anderson win for Best Short? The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar doesn’t hold as much depth compared to the other nominees. It seemed like they just gave it to him because he’s never won an Oscar throughout his illustrious career. Also, he should have come to the ceremony.
General Snubs (which come from various Moviegoer members): Priscilla, Dream Scenario, Iron Claw, Society of the Snow (from other categories), All of Us Strangers, The Burial
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