The Oscars are a big deal for movie fans. No award is more highly regarded by both movie buffs and casual watchers. So it is a big deal when a film gets a nomination, and especially when it wins an award from The Academy. With the nominations being revealed earlier today, we asked for our writers to submit their general reactions to the Oscar nominations.
I wasn’t feeling all that excited about the nominations before they were announced, because I thought I knew what to expect, BUT I was surprised. Let’s start by saying I was shocked by Sterling K. Brown and Jeffrey Wright’s nominations, as I never expected them, but I’m also a big fan of theirs, so I’m definitely rooting for them on the big night. I’m was ecstatic to see Danielle Brooks, Lily Gladstone, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph being nominated, but where were Fantasia Barrino, Margot Robbie, and Greta Gerwig? Daniel Pemberton? I was disappointed when Charles Melton’s name wasn’t announced, as I believed he gave one of the best performances of the year. Sadly, some of my favorites didn’t make the list, but there’s always next time. Also, can someone explain to me what Nyad is? This film seemed to come out of nowhere for a sneak attack. And “I’m Just Ken” was cute for a while, but now it’s gotten out of hand. The award is already in Billie Eilish’s hand. They might as well start engraving her name on her second statute. I’m still going to be rooting for nominated favorites on the big night and hope they don’t go home empty-handed. (Chantal Ashford)
I never really think that Oscar nominations are worth getting upset about. But I’m ready to burn the Academy down knowing that Bradley Cooper’s worst performance got in over Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers. (Robert Bouffard)
I don’t know what it says about me that my initial reaction lately upon seeing Oscar nominations is to be slightly sad about some of my favorites that missed out, and miffed at the odd Oscar darling. As a Past Lives fan, I would have loved to have seen Celine Song get a director nod, even over Greta Gerwig for Barbie, but I’ll accept, even if I disagree with the recent practice, that Song will likely get a consolation screenplay win. However, it’s the actress categories that have me perplexed. I don’t get the Nyad love. It’s fine. Annette Bening for lead actress is fine, but there were far better options — my favorite being Greta Lee in Past Lives. Jodie Foster, also fine, but I just don’t get the love the movie’s performances are seeing this season. I guess if that’s my big complai— wait a minute, there has to be a mistake here. Where’s Daniel Pemberton?! *Eye starts twitching.* Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was at worst the second-best score of the year AND IT’S NOT EVEN NOMINATED?! *Goes full-on Lewis Black in Inside Out and spontaneously combusts.* (Jake Bourgeois)
As with every Oscar season, there are debates of snubs (for me it was the entire cast of May December, Penélope Cruz for Ferrari or “Am I Dreaming” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, alongside the entire soundtrack) and surprises (quite a lot of recognition for The Zone of Interest). Ultimately, we can debate until the ceremony who should be nominated, who should not be, and why and it does not matter, as the Academy proves they like to do it their own way. Overall, these nominations are fine, despite some of my favorites missing out, and I will be watching on the 10th of March, rooting for… well, that’s hard to say, given many categories are stacked and I could go either way (like Best Leading Actress). And that’s what I like about it when I don’t have a clear favourite, and I am split between two or three choices, as that usually means we have had a fun movie year. (Luke Burian)
The focus on international perspectives is really coming into play this year with the love for The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall. Both of these films are worthy of this across-the-board recognition, with big categories like Best Director and Best Actress featuring unexpected nominations. Barbie’s limited recognition is sad but not super surprising. What is surprising is all the Nyad love. Also, get Diane Warren out of here and give justice to Jack Black! But in the end, Oppenheimer is going to steamroll through this year’s awards. It is the year of Nolan for sure. (Shane Conto)
Though I haven’t seen nearly as many of the films up for consideration as most, I can’t help but feel there have been a few misguided omissions from this year’s nominees. Like most, I find leaving Greta Gerwig out of Best Director contention was a huge miss, while reinforcing of a message from her film. While we’re at it, Margot Robbie not making the list is also a huge miss for me, especially considering, while a perfectly well-done performance, what Annette Bening does. I actually like Nyad more than most, but still only saw Jodie Foster as the nominee-worthy performance. I was also surprised that Saltburn wasn’t shown any love for Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike, or the gorgeous cinematography. Ending on a positive note, I was thrilled to see that Nimona wasn’t left out; it’s quickly becoming a favorite in my house, and it’s nice to see it get the nomination over a second Disney entry. (Patrice Downing)
It’s easy to get worked up over the Oscars for their typically by-the-books nominations or obvious snubs, but by and large, the majority of the nominated films are incredible works of art that are all worthy of recognition. That said, what’s an Oscar Roundtable without a bit of nitpicking? By far, the most frustrating snub of the year is Daniel Pemberton’s score for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which would be winning the Oscar if we lived in a just world. Apologies to John Williams, but it was not necessary to give him his 54th (!!) nomination for what is, by his astronomically high standards, a fairly unremarkable score. American Fiction could certainly be swapped to make way for Pemberton, Joe Hisaishi, or Mica Levi. On the positive end: It is exciting to see that Wes Anderson may finally win an Oscar with his nomination for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, the Best Picture line-up is largely excellent, and actors like Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright, and Sterling K. Brown are finally Oscar nominees. Lastly, I say to the Academy: Give Lily Gladstone the Oscar! (Foster Harlfinger)
I can think of no greater example of what Greta Gerwig was talking about in Barbie than the lack of a Best Director nomination. Barbie is easily one of the most creative and thought-provoking movies of the year, and the lack of recognition for her and Margot Robbie for Best Actress in a Lead Role is a bad call. I’m pleasantly surprised America Ferrera got a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but I still think Robbie should have gotten the acting nomination over her… I can’t believe the Academy continues to throw love at Diane Warren for the seventh year in a row. Charles Melton getting snubbed for Best Actor in a Supporting Role also stings. There are some nominations that I’m actually glad didn’t happen, too, like DiCaprio for Best Lead Actor and Wish for Best Animated Feature. The Zone of Interest and Robot Dreams vault up to my list of must-see movies before the Oscars. Oppenheimer feels like a juggernaut that can’t be stopped at this point, which I’m totally fine with. (Mike Hilty)
As with any year, there are a handful of snubs and disappointments (this is a particularly rough day for women named Greta), but by and large, I think that this is a great crop of nominees. Oppenheimer is a well-deserved nomination leader, and a few films I loved, namely American Fiction, The Zone of Interest, and Anatomy of a Fall, got more appreciation than I was expecting. I’m really happy to see Nimona get a nod in the Best Animated Feature category, as well as The Creator getting some love in the technical categories. Lastly, this may be the best crop of Best Picture nominees that we’ve had in years — I’ve seen all 10 and I liked or loved every single one. (Jake Hjort)
The obvious snubs were Greta Gerwig for Best Director and Margot Robbie for Best Actress. Both categories are pretty stacked, but it is shameful that the ceremony will most likely have Barbie all over it, and the two most important members of its team won’t be recognized. It was neat to see America Ferrera, though. On the flip side, they did nominate Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall, which is well-deserved. No nominations for Saltburn is insane, even for Production Design. It’s awesome to see Nimona get an Animated Feature nomination. Another obvious snub was Charles Melton in May December. Supporting Actor, of course, is loaded, but I would have loved to see nominations for Melton or even Dominic Sessa. No nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio was surprising, but, once again, Best Actor is super stacked. As far as Best Picture goes, it seems like it came out the way it should have. I’ve seen seven of the 10 nominees, and I’ve really enjoyed and appreciated them all. But let’s not kid ourselves — this is the year for Oppenheimer to blow up; it’s going to take Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director home easily. (Jacob Kinman)
For the most part, I’m very happy with how the nominations turned out this year. Unfortunately, the few frustrations I have are actually rather big ones. Not having Greta Gerwig nominated for Best Director seems like a huge slap in the face, as if the Academy didn’t take the message of Barbie to heart at all. Additionally, more than anything, the Annette Bening nomination for Nyad will age like milk, if it’s not spoiled already. I like Bening — she’s a great talent, and this is a good performance, but it’s certainly not better than Greta Lee or Margot Robbie, and those feel like huge snubs. With that said, I’m happy that Godzilla Minus One got a nomination, I’m excited to see Ryan Gosling perform “I’m Just Ken” on the Oscar stage, I look forward to the battle between Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone, and it really seems like this is Christopher Nolan and Oppenheimer’s year. (Heath Lynch)
I always expect snubs when the Oscar nominations come out. I also often expect that there will be a few nominations that I don’t really think are deserved. However, it is rare that the snubs are so heinous that it overshadows the rest of what is typically my favorite time of the year. Greta Gerwig not being nominated for Best Director is especially egregious, given what Barbie represents, as well as its eight other nominations. I don’t understand the thought process behind it. However, as I haven’t seen every other nominee for Best Director, I’ll hold going any further. Besides this sadness on my part, I was still pleasantly surprised to see America Ferrera nominated for Best Supporting Actress, as well as Past Lives getting a Screenplay slot. Just like every other year, I will still be watching and hoping that maybe there is a bit of a surprise upset that allows Greta to take the stage and give a speech. But we will have to see if this is another year of the typical, or whether they might actually break the pattern in some other way. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
A typical instant reaction of “OMG, how did they NOT get nominated!?!?” But when I look at the list from each category with unbiased eyes, this year’s batch of nominees all deserve their accolades, regardless of my personal wants. That is a long way of saying I am not upset at what we were given, but I (like literally everyone) would have preferred something closer to what I expected. All the acting categories are stacked this year, and there were always going to be deserving performances that missed out. Despite the lead-up award winners, we could end up with some surprises here. My biggest unpopular opinion is that Barbie has a real chance of winning Best Picture when you understand how the nominations work, and who actually votes for them. I’m not saying it should or will win, just that it has a better chance than people are realizing. (Adam Ritchie)
Much like last year, there is a clear frontrunner to sweep the board for all the big awards, except for Best Actress. In terms of more minor nominations, I was happy to see Society of the Snow get nominations for Best International Feature, as well as make-up and hair. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, nominated for the Best Live Action Short, was also a pleasant surprise, since I wasn’t sure it was short enough. With the disappointing snubs for other awards, I hope Barbie wins Best Adapted Screenplay. I am a bit surprised not to see Mutant Mayhem up for Best Animated Feature, even though, let’s face it, we all know Across the Spider-Verse is winning that. (John Tillyard)