Oscars 2023: Best Picture and Best Director

Jeremy BeckOscars
Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer

In ideal circumstances, the Oscar would crescendo to its biggest awards, concluding an eventful and surprising night with a final announcement that’s legitimately suspenseful. That ain’t happening this year. The Best Actress race is a corker, and both screenplay categories are coming down to the wire. But when it comes to the big prize, there isn’t a whole lot of mystery remaining.

To quote one of the best movies of 2023 (albeit not one nominated for Best Picture): such is life. Besides, just because the Academy has already made up its mind doesn’t prevent me from announcing my own preferences. I’m sure you’re excited.

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 Read More

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Oscars 2023: Best Actor and Best Actress

Jeremy BeckOscars
Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon; Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers

If you’ll permit me a small confession: These are my two favorite Oscar categories, and also my least favorite. There are just so many good actors these days, the annual task of whittling down the best performances of the year to five names is always a colossal challenge—both tantalizing and torturous. Even more so than the supporting fields, finalizing your selections in the lead categories requires making impossible choices that you’re destined to regret years later. I mean, did I really not include Marion Cotillard on my Best Actress ballot in 2014 for The Immigrant??

The good news is that the Academy makes plenty of its own mistakes, making the pick of a preferred winner from the given slate of nominees much easier. Small mercies, and all that.

BEST ACTOR

NOMINEES
Bradley Cooper—Maestro
Colman Domingo—Rustin
Paul Giamatti—The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy—Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright—American Fiction Read More

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Oscars 2023: The Screenplays

Jeremy BeckOscars
Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction; Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall

Look out, we’ve got some races! Most of the high-profile categories at this year’s Oscars are open and shut, draining any suspense from the announcement of the winners. But the screenplay fields are (har har) a different story. Both races are legitimately competitive, requiring a delicate combination of mathematical analysis and historical intuition. Or you can just guess.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

NOMINEES
American Fiction—Cord Jefferson
Barbie—Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
Oppenheimer—Christopher Nolan
Poor Things—Tony McNamara
The Zone of Interest—Jonathan Glazer Read More

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Oscars 2023: The Supporting Actors

Jeremy BeckOscars
Da'Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers; Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer

And now, we get to the good stuff. Having previously analyzed the odds and ends and the big techies, we move on to the categories that are more likely to provoke excitement, debate, and name-calling. “He’s overacting!” “She disappears into the role!” “How could the Academy have nominated that guy over THAT guy??”

In my view, discussion of the acting categories isn’t especially interesting in terms of who will win (especially not in these two races, which are both veritable locks), or even who should. It’s most valuable as an excuse to publicize my own ballots, which are meant to fend off post-hoc grumblings about “snubs,” and which can be cited (and ridiculed) in perpetuity. Sure, it’s fine years after the fact to kvetch that Lily Gladstone should have been nominated in 2016 for her devastating performance in Certain Women, but how many of you monsters were on record saying that at the time?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

NOMINEES
Emily Blunt—Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks—The Color Purple
America Ferrera—Barbie
Jodie Foster—Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph—The Holdovers Read More

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Oscars 2023: The Big Techies

Jeremy BeckOscars
A scene from El Conde

With the Oscars fast approaching, we’re digging into the various feature categories. Yesterday, we looked at some odds and ends; today, we’re moving on to “the big techies.” What makes these below-the-line categories more significant than yesterday’s grouping? My random and arbitrary opinion, that’s what. In fact, I’d like to congratulate Best Costume Design on graduating from the minor leagues and making its first ever appearance in this batch; the promotion was long overdue, given that roughly 80% of my Twitter account these days is just screenshots of actresses in beautiful dresses.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

NOMINEES
El Conde—Edward Lachman
Killers of the Flower Moon—Rodrigo Prieto
Maestro—Matthew Libatique
Oppenheimer—Hoyte van Hoytema
Poor Things—Robbie Ryan Read More

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