By Maia Venuti
Staff Writer
The nominees for the 96th Oscars awards were released at the end of January, with a myriad of incredible and deserving films being put up for nomination. Every film and person nominated for an award this year is extremely deserving of such an achievement, and their hard work is worthy of praise. Here are my predictions for five of my favorite categories:
Best Actor in a Lead Role – Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Almost all of the actors nominated for Outstanding Actor did a phenomenal job in their performances, but the impact of Cillian Murphy’s performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” cannot be topped. Cillian Murphy has a long history of working with Nolan, with this being their seventh film working together. This role felt so perfectly tailored to exemplify Murphy’s strengths as an actor, allowing him to disappear into the role and authentically embody the genius nuclear physicist. Murphy was an excellent guide on the three hour journey of this film, and did an incredible job at bringing this story to life.
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
When it comes to the actresses nominated this year for Outstanding Actress, it feels much harder to predict who will win, considering Emma Stone and Sandra Huller’s incredible performances in “Poor Things” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” respectively. However, Lily Gladstone knocks all of the nominees out of the park with her performance as Molly Burkhart in the historical crime film “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
The film tells the true story of the murders of members of the Osage Nation throughout the 1920s, with Molly and her family being real victims of the murders. Gladstone perfectly encapsulated the pain and devastation of this story and her performance illuminated the fact that this really happened in American history. Her performance was so raw and real, and brought me to tears multiple times throughout the film’s nearly three and a half hour runtime.
Best Cinematography – Rodrigo Prieto, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Cinematography is often one of the most important aspects of a movie. A film can have good writing, acting and directing, but can fall completely flat if the visual storytelling element is not up to par. This past year has been nothing short of a triumph in cinematography, with the greatest example of that being the work of Rodrigo Prieto on “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Prieto, who was also the cinematographer for “Barbie,” did some of the best work I have ever seen in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” There are shots in that film that were nothing short of mind-blowing — even thinking about it now gives me chills. For a story as heavy and as long as this one, the film would be nothing without stellar cinematography meant to enhance and immerse the viewer.
Best Director – Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
It was extremely disappointing to see only one woman nominated for Best Director this year despite the many deserving female directors out there, but those nominated this year for the award all created masterpieces that are wonderful contributions to the film world. With that being said, no one is more deserving of this award than Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Of all the films that Scorsese has been nominated and won awards for, “Killers of the Flower Moon” can be argued as being his magnum opus. The amount of care, time and effort that Scorsese put into this film — the years of researching and the close work he did with members of the Osage Nation — all shows the passion he had for telling this story the right way. Scorsese’s commitment to accuracy in telling a generally unknown and very dark chapter in American history through his unique and brilliant storytelling style is commendable.
Best Picture – “Barbie”
Best Picture is arguably the most coveted award for a film to win at the Oscars — it defines the year. No other film can define the year 2023 the way that “Barbie” can. Beyond the utter masterpiece that “Barbie” is in all cinematic aspects, the impact it had on pop culture in the past year was a feat in itself. “Barbie” had millions of men and women of all ages from across the globe flocking to the theaters in droves donned in Barbie pink. The unity that this film has brought about for women is unprecedented, and no other film encapsulates 2023 the way that “Barbie” has.
