2024 Oscar Nominations: Picks and Predictions

Monday is about movies. And sometimes TV. Today, the Oscar nominations were recently released and here, WAY AFTER ANYONE ELSE OF COURSE, are my reckons...

Last week the Oscar nominations were announced. And then the internet seemed upset that Margot Robbie didn’t get the nod. Margot Robbie has been fantastic in so many films. Barbie was not the film she needed a nomination for - and wasn’t the better story that the film’s America Ferrera was nominated? That was a win, surely. I mean, even if she doesn’t actually win…But no, apparently it was “LITERALLY” the plot of the movie that Ken got an Oscar nomination (Ryan Gosling) and Barbie (Robbie) didn’t?! And all because someone on Twitter said so.

The internet is a funny place. Thank god, there are day passes and tea breaks. (Though sometimes, it can feel like you’re never truly going to make it home again…)

Gosling (and I don’t think he deserved a nom for this, by the way) is not up for Best Actor - rather best supporting, so he’s in the same category as Ferrera - which, if anything, seems about right.

The biggest tragedy in the Best Actress category isn’t that Barbie is not nominated. It’s that Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone and Carey Mulligan can’t all win. If we can have two Deputy Prime Ministers job-sharing, can’t we not have THREE best actresses? Also, a bigger outrage isn’t that Margot Robbie wasn’t nominated, it’s that Emily Blunt was.

But, hang on, don’t we not care about the Oscars anyway? It never seems to come up when you’re at a Film Society or Film Festival screening. It’s not the reason you still go and dig on the shelves of the last surviving video rental store. It’s not what keeps you scrolling for almost the duration of a film’s length just to find the one special film you have to see that night…

Awards are meaningless. Unless of course you win won. Or the horse you back takes out the race.

Or, you know, if Floppenheimer wins, I riot.

If Killers of The Flower Moon takes it out, all is okay and there’s somehow peace in this world.

If I was going to react to any Oscar snub, it might be Leo not getting a nod for Killers. Worse than that though, the film’s screenplay didn’t get a look in for Best Adapted. And I think that’s a great shame.

Anyway, everyone does this, so let’s run through the categories. I’ll give you my pick for who I’d like to win, and my prediction for what will actually happen…and then you can do the same in the comments if you like:

Best picture

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

My Pick: Killers of the Flower Moon
Actual Winner Prediction: Oppenheimer

Best actor in a leading role

Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

My Pick: Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Actual Winner Prediction: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer

Best actor in a supporting role

Sterling K Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

My Pick: Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Actual Winner Prediction: Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer

Best actress in a leading role

Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things

My Pick: Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Actual Winner Prediction: Emma Stone – Poor Things

Best actress in a supporting role

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

My Pick: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Actual Winner Prediction: Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer

Best directing

Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

My Pick: Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese
Actual Winner Prediction: Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan

Best animated feature film

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

My Pick: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Actual Winner Prediction: The Boy and the Heron

Best adapted screenplay

American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

My Pick: Poor Things
Actual Winner Prediction: Oppenheimer

Best original screenplay

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives

My Pick: The Holdovers
Actual Winner Prediction: May December

Best cinematography

El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

My Pick: Killers of the Flower Moon
Actual Winner Prediction: Oppenheimer

Best costume design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

My Pick: Poor Things
Actual Winner Prediction: Barbie

Best film editing

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

My Pick: Killers of the Flower Moon
Actual Winner Prediction: Oppenheimer

Best international feature film

Io Capitano
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Teachers’ Lounge
The Zone of Interest

My Pick: Perfect Days
Actual Winner Prediction: The Zone of Interest

Best makeup and hairstyling

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow

My Pick: Poor Things
Actual Winner Prediction: Maestro

Best original score

American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

My Pick: Killers of the Flower Moon
Actual Winner Prediction: Oppenheimer

Best production design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

My Pick: Poor Things
Actual Winner Prediction: Barbie

Best sound

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

My Pick: Oppenheimer
Actual Winner Prediction: Oppenheimer

Best visual effects

The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

My Pick: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Actual Winner Prediction: The Creator

So, as you can see, it’s pretty much I WANT KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON TO WIN vs. OPPENHEIMER IS GOING TO WIN. But there’s a few other picks in there from me. And I even pick old Floppenheimer to win in one category as well as expecting it to be chosen.

But what about you? Are you an Oscar-awards watcher? Do you care about the nominations? And what are your picks?