The Oscar Nominations are as Explosive as ever

    The 2023 Oscar nominations came out and as usual, there are a regular amount of snubs, and just enough obvious wins. Movies like Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon dominate nominations, and today I am going to look at a few categories and choose the ones I want to see win, or movies that I would’ve liked to see nominated  

    Starting off with Best Actor, I believe Cillian Murphy should and will win his first Oscar for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer. He leads a phenomenal cast as he gives a breathtaking performance. Murphy is in nearly every scene of the three hour movie and that is something we should not take for granted. There is no doubt that his performance was helped by those around him, and the director, but I truly believe that no one else comes close to deserving this award. 

    Moving onto Best Actress, I think almost everyone is in agreement that Lily Gladstone should win this award. She outdid legendary actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. However, this category has our first massive snub. Margot Robbie was not nominated for her role as the title character in Barbie. Once Killers of the Flower Moon was released I think everyone agreed that Gladstone would win, but for Robbie to not even be nominated seems like highway robbery. Unfortunately, the actors and actresses who are nominated for their great performances are often overlooked because of the snubs of those categories. A lot of time the Academy gets it right by nominating the right people, but so many times they get it wrong. 

    Best Animated Feature is sure to have a lot of discussion and disagreements whenever the winner is announced, but I have to say, nothing comes close to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In a wonder of art, the second Spider-Verse movie leaves people stunned as they have to end on a cliffhanger. The animation style still blows me away anytime that I watch this movie and it has one of the best scores and soundtracks of the year. I could see the Academy leaning towards The Boy and the Heron but I don’t see it being just good enough. I may be biased with my choice here since Spider-Man is my favorite, but I have faith that the Academy will make the correct decision. 

    Best Picture is a stacked category as always with massive hits like Barbie, but also smaller, late year hits like The Holdovers. Even though it’s a stacked category with great movies all around, Oppenheimer should win this one. It was truly an epic movie going experience all around. It had performances that were unbelievable from some of the biggest actors today. Not only that, but it tells a fascinating story of one of the most brilliant people to ever walk this planet, while not leaving one detail out. After the movie ends you’re left stunned. You’re left thinking about the world and how one small press of a button will change everything you know and love. Oppenheimer delivers on all its promises and is one of the best movies of the century.

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