The 96th award ceremony will take place this year on the night of March 10-11, Polish time. Although the event’s popularity is declining, the awards are still of great importance in the film industry. The Oscar, and even the statuette nomination itself, is a strong entry in the creators’ CV and a ticket to further dream projects. In turn, financial analyzes of the profits of individual Oscar-winning titles show that they gleam with gold the trophy actually translates into interest in productions and thus an increase in box office revenues.
Oscars 2024. I watched all the films nominated in the main category
However, does awarding prizes for works of art of such a wide range of genres and aesthetics make sense at all? This year’s list of nominations for the main category proves that their objective assessment is impossible. How can we compare the scope of “Oppenheimer”, the courage of “Stream of Interest” and the postmodern display of the theater of imagination “Poor Creatures”?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does not have an easy task this year. The nominees for the Oscars for Best Picture included several great works that will undoubtedly go down in block letters in the history of cinema. However, anyone who follows the awarding of the most prestigious awards in the industry knows that some productions have a greater chance of winning a statuette than others right from the start.
“For years, the Oscars have almost every time been won in the main category by films made on one foot: long, preferably biographical or based on “true facts” and momentous” – writes Justyna Bryczkowska from Gazeta.pl Taking this pattern into account, at this year’s Oscars has the best chance of winning a statuette in the main category. This is a film made with great panache and care, for which the creator of “Inception” is famous. Nolan presented us with the story of the American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project, whose goal was to create the first atomic weapon in history.
Oscars 2024. “Maestro” is the weakest film among the nominees in the main category
The film deserves good ratings and admiration, but not an Oscar in the main category. There is too much chaos, the dialogues between the characters help the audience understand what is happening on the screen, but they lose their authenticity due to technical detail. In turn, an unbearable contrast to one of the best-realized scenes in contemporary cinema (the atomic bomb test) are the visual metaphors used by Nolan. It came out very awkward. “Oppenheimer” fully deserves the award in the best sound and cinematography category.
Another Oscar nominee. The production chronicles the conductor’s relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre, and that definitely the weakest title in this year’s competition. The unoriginal (but interesting, unlike the film) story of an artist focused on himself was written by life, but the creators did not attempt to go beyond the usual narrative. Apart from a few interesting shots and the performance of Carey Mulligan, who carries the entire production on her shoulders, there is nothing moving in this film. In “Maestro” the egos of Bernstein and Cooper are mixed, and throughout the entire screening it is difficult to shake the thought that the director, in his pursuit of an Oscar, forgot not only about the viewer, but also about his hero.
My favorites in the fight for the award are “Poor Creatures” and “Business Zone”. NI don’t envy the Academy, which has to evaluate productions so close to perfection and so far from each other in terms of genre, aesthetics and message. “Business Zone” is the directorial return of Jonathan Glazer, who returned after 10 years with a real masterpiece and the bravest film about the Holocaustthat I have seen in my life. “History has shown us that there is cruelty that cannot be described by any metaphor. There are no epithets for it in dictionaries, no color palettes, and the screen is sometimes not fair enough. Jonathan Glazer’s work escapes the usual patterns of war narrative and is most striking for what is not shows” – . The film will most likely not win a statuette in the main category, but it seems to be a sure bet among the nominees for best international film. He also has a good chance in the race for an Oscar for directing.
“Poor Creatures” or “Business Zone”? Two masterpieces have been nominated for the 2024 Oscars
this in turn an aesthetic feast for fans of old horror films, the balance between gray and color mastered by Tim Burton, the shapes of the architectural genius of Gaudi, the surrealism of Dalà and the fairy-tale splendor of the outstanding photographer Tim Walker. The latest work of one of the most original contemporary directors – Yorgos Lanthimos – is breathtaking. It is a visual and acting masterpiece, and at the same time an extremely conscious book adaptation. The creator not only presented us with a beautiful story of a woman who, at every moment of her life, fights to break free from the patterns and control of the men around her. It is also an example of Lanthimos’ impressive awareness of the medium in which he worked. The director showed a great sense of the screen, which would not forgive some of the solutions contained in the novel, while maintaining respect for the source material. Here, the Oscar for the best film, director, adaptation, leading actress, make-up and set design will be fully deserved.
On the other side of the barricade stands “Barbie”. Greta Gerwig’s film was showered with nominations and praise, called groundbreaking and important in the discussion of contemporary feminism. It has a beautiful shell, but like any plastic toy, it is empty inside and, in my opinion, harmful, about what . However, in the race for the Oscars, the song “I’m just Ken” performed by Ryan Gosling definitely deserves a statuette. “Barbie” will also be a strong candidate for awards in the following categories: best set design and best make-up and hairstyles. Visually, it is difficult to accuse the production of any oversight.
Oscars 2024. Films you could miss
It’s a pity that, with so much competition, the warmest film of recent years – “Winter Solstice” by Alexander Payne – has no chance of winning an Oscar in the main category. This is a production about a disliked history teacher who stays at school during the Christmas break with students who, for various reasons, could not return to their homes. The director gives us a lesson in understanding and kindness here. “A bittersweet story about appearances and prejudices that most often result from our fears, traumas and growing frustrations – it is no different in the case of the characters we watch on screen” – . It is extremely easy to identify with the characters in the film, and a a production made in the style of past cinema, instead of racing with contemporary pictures, it takes a step back and, paradoxically, this is what wins. Perhaps “Winter Solstice” will leave the gala without a statuette, but has the potential to become an international Christmas classic.
Good productions such as “American Fiction” and “Anatomy of a Fall” may also be omitted from the Oscars. The first title is a work by Cord Jefferson about a withdrawn, grumpy and frustrated writer. I am an absolute fan of such characters and I loved the eternally dissatisfied Monk at first sight, as well as the title character of the beloved HBO Max series “Lucky Hank”. The film is about opposition to modern hypocrisy, using the main character’s race in book marketing as an example. Monk cannot come to terms with the fact that the world wants to give a voice to black people, but on its own, unfair terms. It’s an interesting story about reducing a person to harmful stereotypes and a criticism of the laws governing show business, which, in my opinion, has become a bit too much in cinema lately.
“Anatomy of a Fall”, on the other hand, is a film that will disappoint anyone who expected it to be a classic drama trial production. This is a story about the unexplained death of a man, for which his wife may be responsible. The question “did she do it?”, which we see on the poster of the film, is not at all crucial in Justine Triet’s drama. The outcome of the trial and the identification of the guilty party fade into the background as we slowly learn about the problems that the marriage of Sandra and Samuel had to deal with over the years. The emotions accompanying the screening are closer to those we felt while watching “Marriage Story” than a thoroughbred crime story.
Oscars 2024. Only Scorsese could afford such a film
The only production nominated for an Oscar in the main category that did not make any impression on me is “A Previous Life” by Celine Song. This is another story about lost opportunities, unfulfilled feelings and unprocessed regrets. For me, the film too often verges on cliché and relies entirely on sentiment. I believe it can move many people, it touched me.
I left Martin Scorsese’s “Blood Moon” for last. The film tells the story of the Osage tribe, which begins to be murdered when oil is discovered in their area. Here, special recognition is due to the director who used his position and budget to look at the history of minorities. Moreover, he gave up a sensational approach to the topic and did not serve viewers a classic crime story. Instead of the typical narrative based on the question “who killed?”, Scorsese tries to find out the answer “why did he do it?”. The film thus becomes a comprehensive study of the cruelty resulting from greed. It is also proper a tribute to the history of the tribe and Mollie Burkhart, to whom the creators gave a voice. Lily Gladstone will most likely receive the statuette for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Oscars.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
