Article by Marcus Siu
It was just two year ago, that the Academy planned to cut eight categories (out of twenty four) from the main telecast. Instead giving out the awards for film editing, sound, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, documentary short, animated short, and live action short an hour before the show begins, and editing the winners into the live telecast.
The reasoning was a way to shorten the shows running time, boost Oscar ratings by trimming the boredom time to “unseasoned” viewers, who prefer not to see filmmakers who are usually working behind the camera, but to see their favorite actors and actresses, who are in front of the camera. To summarize, most viewers want to see the stars…not the filmmakers who made them stars.
Luckily for serious movie goers, that news received quite a backlash from the Academy branches, and the Academy reversed its decision. However, it gives the producers of the telecast a real challenge on how to format the three and a half hour Award show.
With Jimmy Kimmel at the helm, and with the producers repeating the magic of the 2009 telecast with the Fab Five, this will make everyone happy.
THE MAGIC OF THE FAB FIVE
Traditionally, the previous year’s winners for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor present the awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, while the previous year’s winners for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress present the awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
Last year, rather than opting for the traditional presentation, Oscar winners, Jessica Chastain and Halle Berry presented the awards for both Best Actress and Actor, in succession. It certainly saved time, but certainly seemed rushed when it came to sheer presentation, though the results were quite spectaular and memorable when Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser accepted their gold statutes and gave their emotional speeches.
This year, they are going to repeat the magic of what they did in 2009 for the Acting categories:
Five past Oscar winners introduced the five current nominees for each award. This resulted in massive standing ovations from the audience at the Dolby. You had a group of five of the most respected actors in the Academy and actresses Academy Award winners presenting in their respective category to each individually tributing to one of the five current nominees.
There is nothing more emotionally gratifying for the most respected actors and peers, expressing their appreciation for fellow actors at an Awards ceremony. It is priceless. It will be surely be an emotional evening and rewarding moment. Tears will be moved.
OSCAR PREDICTIONS
It’s still hard to fathom that it’s already been seven and a half months ago that both Oppenheimer and Barbie (“Barbenheimer”) had its box-office opening weekend in the United States, making it a cultural pop culture phenomenom. It changed the way making going to movies an unforgettable “event”. The “Barbenheimer” opening night weekend, the five hour double feature that exploded the summer box-office.
“Barbenheimer” combined with a total of 21 nominations. Based on my predictions, it looks like “Oppenheimer” will be racking at least eight Oscars, and “Barbie” will at least take at least one Oscar for Original Song, but possibly three when the evening is done, if there are any surprises.
BEST PICTURE:
Early on in 2023, I remember seeing a giant “Oppenheimer” cardboard standup all alone in the lobby at the AMC Theaters showing a red LED digital display, giving a countdown of when the movie was going to be released. It looked like it was hooked up to an actual bomb ready to detonate. Being several months away, I thought was how bombastic the movie studio was to publicize this movie this way, in advance of its July 2023 opening. Did it deserve all this attention to the movie going public given the dismal start of the year 2023 had?
Yes, it certainly did.
“Oppenheimer” will easily win eight Academy Awards, including the big prizes: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director…not to mention Cinematography, Sound, Score and Editing. It still has a decent chance to pick up Best Adapted Screenplay, if the Oscars decide to not give it to “American Fiction”, which won at the BAFTA’s.
Oppenheimer is the reason why people go see movies on the big screen, especially large screen formats such as IMAX 70mm, Digital IMAX or even regular 35mm. The highest grossing biopic at the box office of all-time, the film will stand the test of time of epic moviemaking that will be appreciated by all generations worldwide, not just the older generation who grew up playing with Barbie dolls. This will stand the test of time to be a classic.
Even when retailers decided to discontinue physical media like DVD’s and UHD Blu-Rays, there was an overwhelming demand who wanted to buy them. Needless to say, inventory was sold out of during the Christmas season.
BEST ACTOR:
Unless you are well versed in the Christopher Nolan universe, you may not be too familiar with the man who played “Oppenheimer”. Cillian Murphy was perfectly cast by Director, Christopher Nolan, who had previsously casted him before in six of his films. Most of his other films were UK productions.
Like many super dedicated actors, he lost weight for the role to resemble his real-life character. He was on screen for the majority of the three hour film, and it was perfectly nuanced throughout. He was entirely convincing as someone who knew everything about quantum physics. He has swept most of the major awards this season, as well as Golden Globes, BAFTA and SAG.
His main competition will be Paul Giamatti, another veteran actor who gave his career-best performance in “The Holdovers” as a grumpy school instructor at a New England boarding school. Unfortunately, for Giamatti, he will probably take back seat to Murphy. But at least he was recognized and nominated for this work, in contrast to his amazing performance as Miles in “Sideways” which oddly did not even get a nomination back in 2002. Most likely, he will see his fellow “Best Supporting” Actress Da’Vine Jay Randolph take the award and walk away with the statue, the same way Virginia Madsen did for Alexander Payne’s screenplay twenty years ago.
BEST ACTRESS:
Another difficult category to predict is Best Actress, which is really a tight race between Oscar winner, Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone. Even on a fair playing field, I may have leaned for Emma Stone for her performance as Bella Baxter, one of the most extraordinary performances that she has ever done, if not the best. Given that fact, and that she still continues to work with Yorgos Lanthimos, there will be more great performances to come.
Lily Gladstone was the heart of “Killers of the Flower Moon”. She is the fourth Indigenous actress and first Native American woman to be nominated for the Academy Award. I would be very surprised if she doesn’t take home the gold statuette, especially with her all white nominees, who all were magnificent, as well.
Hopefully, she will and represent “Killers of the Flower Moon” only trophy.
Where’s Barbie?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
The man famous for playing Anthony Edward Stark in the Iron Man movies, Robert Downey Jr. has described Oppenheimer as “the best film” in which he has appeared to date. Instead of his $20 million upfront salary, he took “only” a $4 million salary, as did his co-stars, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. For many moviegoers, not just fans of the Marvel Comic Universe, but filmgoer’s in general… they didn’t even recognize Downey, Jr at all in the film until the last hour, as he absolutely transformed into Lewis Strauss.
If there is any category that is the “sure thing”, this is it. He has swept every “Best Supporting Actor” award out there during the Awards season.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Credit: Seacia Pavao / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
Paul Giamatti’s loss will be Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s win. Randolph has swept every “Best Supporting Actress” award out there, as well as the Critics Awards. This another sure thing.
MLS Entertainment’s Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture: “Oppenheimer”
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Cord Jefferson, “American Fiction”
Best Original Screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Cinematography: “Oppenheimer”
Best Costume Design: “Barbie”
Best Film Editing: “Oppenheimer”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “Maestro”
Best Music (Original Score): “Oppenheimer”
Best Music (Original Song): “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie
Best Production Design: “Poor Things”
Best Sound: “Oppenheimer”
Best Visual Effects: “Godzilla Minus One”
Best Animated Feature Film: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Best International Feature Film: “The Zone of Interest”
Best Documentary (Feature): “20 Days in Mariupol”
Best Documentary (Short Subject): “The Last Repair Shop”
Best Short Film (Animated): “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”
Best Short Film (Live Action): “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”
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