Oscars 2024: Why are the films so long?

I just had a thought. A couple of years ago, the Academy producers decided they could make the ceremony shorter by having a few categories presented during the ads. The categories they chose were editing and cinematography, two crafts that are essential to making movies. There was an outcry, so they were returned to the main ceremony.

But now that so many films are clocking in at 3 hours plus, maybe Editors aren’t doing their jobs so well…and while I’m at it, maybe they could cancel the Sound awards UNTIL THEY FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE DIALOGUE AUDIBLE AGAIN!!

Steps down from soapbox.

Anyway, after a couple of messy years, the 96^th Academy Awards are proceeding in such an orderly manner that the winners are almost foregone conclusions. Maybe it will be so boring, we’ll be hoping someone smacks a presenter.

Anyway, the categories are mostly dominated by films nominated for Best Picture (didn’t anyone go to the movies this year?). The few that aren’t in Best Picture include Annette Bening for Best Actress and Jodie Foster for Best Supporting Actress in Nyad, about marathon swimmer Diane Nyad. Annette Bening is just behind Glenn Close in the category of “most overdue for an Oscar” and that won’t change this year. Diane Nyad is self-absorbed, driven, and plays trumpet in her neighbourhood at the crack of dawn. She seems like a pain in the arse. Not a sympathetic character but you understand her. And that’s down to a fine performance. Jodie Foster kind of stole the film from her though in one of her most likeable performances as Bonnie, Diane Nyad’s bestie and coach.

Colman Domingo is nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Rustin (an okay film that seems like a filmed Wikipedia entry) but he was great as activist Bayard Rustin, who organised the March on Washington in 1963. I’ve seen some interviews with Colman and I’d like him to be my life coach. Then there’s a nomination for Danielle Brooks in The Color Purple. I’m sure she’s great but I’m still trying to figure out why they turned it into a musical.  

American Fiction: Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers

This has nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright), Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K Brown), and Best Adapted Screenplay. It is a satire about the publishing industry pushing a particular version of African American stories. But I haven’t seen it. I would like to see it, but it is paywalled on Amazon Prime and I don’t feel like giving Jeff Bezos any more money. I am not the first person to mention this emerging problem of great films getting stuck behind paywalls for all eternity. For example, who has seen CODA, the Best Picture winner from 2022? It would have to be the least-seen Best Picture winner ever because it’s still only available on Apple TV. We can add American Fiction to this list. I’m sure it’s great. But remember when you could stumble upon a great film on TV? Not anymore. Films (and TV shows) are in danger of disappearing without a trace.

Anatomy of a Fall: Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers

Out of all the films nominated, Anatomy of a Fall is the one that got me thinking. It’s a courtroom drama but the courtroom in question is in France so we get to see (a movie version of) the French legal system in action (they have an inquisitorial system, rather than the adversarial system that exists in Australia).

It is a cleverly done film because it gives some resolution to the story but also leaves the audience wondering. German actress Sandra Huller, who acts in English and French, is up for Best Actress as Sandra, a successful writer whose husband dies in mysterious circumstances. There is one scene in particular where she is so believable it feels like you’re overhearing a real married couple’s argument. If it was up to me, she would get Best Actress this year.

It is directed by Justine Triet, who is also nominated for Best Original Screenplay (she’ll probably win that). Great film. Even the Border Collie gives a good performance.

Barbie: David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers

I thought Barbie was delightful. The production design of Barbieland, the route they take to the real world, the patriarchy jokes, and making Mattel the bad guys (even though they gave the movie the go-ahead) were inspired. I am less delighted at the predominance of pink in women’s fashion, but that will pass.

However, the joke about Godfather II was probably a bridge too far for the (still) male-dominated voters of the Academy, and they have a long history of overlooking comedies, so it won’t win Best Picture. It will win Best Song for “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish.

But where’s Margot in the Best Actress category? Has the US Ambassador been summoned for an explanation? It may look like she was just playing a doll, but that sort of performance is much harder than it looks. 

Also, where’s Greta Gerwig in the Best Director category? I mean it is only the biggest movie of the last year and it could have been awful and predictable. If it had been written and directed by men, I’m guessing the storyline would have been Barbie falling in love with a human bloke. Instead, Gerwig created a clever comedy (nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay although no one is sure what it was adapted from) with a surprising philosophical riff about self-actualisation.

If all the predictions are wrong, Ryan Gosling is a (small) chance for his hilarious turn as Ken (but RDJ seems to have a lock on it). At the very least, he’s performing “I’m Just Ken” at the show, which means we all win.

America Ferrara plays Gloria and got the nod for the “…it is impossible to be a woman” monologue. But she didn’t do anything that any decent actress could do. Especially as Margot wasn’t nominated. Sorry to keep bringing that up.   

The Holdovers: Mark Johnson, Producer

The Holdovers kind of came out of nowhere. It is reminiscent of those drama/comedies that were made a lot in the 70s and 80s. I mean there are lots of films about teachers, but it is how you tell it that counts, and this story is told well, with a witty, intelligent screenplay. Paul Giamatti is up for Best Actor as curmudgeonly teacher, Paul Hunham, and is the only real challenger to Cillian Murphy.  If Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s name isn’t called out when they announce Best Supporting Actress, it would be a big surprise. Her performance as school cafeteria manager and bereaved mum, Mary Lamb is so moving.  

Killers of the Flower Moon: Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers

My opinion is that it will take a few years for Killers of the Flower Moon to be appreciated fully. It tells the story of the Osage, who became very wealthy after discovering oil on the reserve they were sent to after having their own land taken. The wealth attracted greedy white people who felt entitled to control wealth by any means necessary, including murder. It also works as an allegory for colonialism. The gormless and easily manipulated Ernest Burkhart is probably more representative of your average person in the street than is comfortable. Not sure how Leo missed out on a nomination.

Lily Gladstone is the first Native American to be nominated for Best Actress so she’s making history just being here. As Molly Burkhart, she is the film’s conscience and more than held her own against Di Caprio and De Niro. She is the frontrunner, and the Oscars love to make a bit of history. Fingers crossed for Lily.  

Robert De Niro’s performance as William Hale is one of those performances a great actor can give after late in their career. Not showy, no twirling the villain’s moustache. Hale is someone we have all met, whose sense of entitlement and ruthlessness is hidden behind a pillar of the community facade.

Martin Scorcese scores his tenth nomination for Best Director. Weirdly he has won just once (for The Departed, one of his lesser films). He’s also gets his fourth as a producer (he also has writing nominations for Good Fellas and The Age of Innocence). He’s not afraid of making a statement either.

Maestro: Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

I enjoyed Maestro and think it has been unfairly maligned. It is a well-made film, based on the career of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. It is also about his wife Felicia, who is portrayed as being an intrinsic part of Bernstein’s success, even if it was an unconventional marriage (Bernstein was gay). The film uses Bernstein’s music, so the soundtrack is fabulous. For some reason, people are a bit agin Bradley Cooper far, he’s made two very good films about creative types. He also gets his fifth acting nomination, fourth producing nomination and second screenwriting nomination. He won’t be getting anything this year, so he must be wondering what he has to do to get an Oscar. One day, Bradley, one day. Probably for a movie you least expect.

As a director, apparently, he doesn’t like people sitting down between takes and didn’t let Carey Mulligan interact with the crew. Okay, he’s a bit intense. Maybe that’s why people don’t like him. Anyway, Carey Mulligan is nominated for Best Actress as Felicia Montealegre Bernstein. Her performance kind of steals the movie from Cooper.

Oppenheimer: Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers

Oppenheimer is going to sweep the awards. It is epic, has an all-star cast, and is about a historic figure with a terrible legacy. It’s impressive, certainly but the angst around the invention of the atomic bomb, giving “humanity the power to destroy itself” doesn’t seem quite as ominous as it used to when you consider it looks like we’ll do that with old-fashioned greed and fossil fuels. Bit of politics, fair enough.

But Irish actor Cillian Murphy is almost certainly winning this year (I predicted this when I first heard about the movie). Oppenheimer is an ambiguous character so there’s a degree of difficulty in the performance that Cillian masters. As if having those mesmerising blue eyes, and the best cheekbones in Hollywood isn’t enough, he’s a genuinely gifted actor. Red carpet photos do show he’s got a Harry High pants situation going on, so he isn’t perfect.

The other award it will get is Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr for his performance as Lewis Strauss. Every time he appeared on screen in Oppenheimer, it was like a lightning bolt. It was great to see him doing some “proper” acting again.

Christopher Nolan’s films have been criticised for not having substantial roles for women. With Kitty Oppenheimer, he justifies that criticism. Emily Blunt does well with what she is given but Kitty Oppenheimer was a scientist herself who worked on the project, and Nolan makes her a frustrated housewife (side-eyes Christopher Nolan who will also be taking home Best Director).

And it (possibly along with America Ferrera's nomination) pushed out Rosamund Pike for her scene-stealing performance in Saltburn, as the vapid and acerbic Elspeth. It is one thing to be given memorable dialogue, it is another to speak the dialogue so brilliantly.

Past Lives: David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers

Past Lives is the first feature film directed by playwright Celine Song. She also wrote the screenplay (and got a Best Screenplay nod which is something the Academy likes to do for directors when they aren’t nominated for Best Director). Past Lives is an old-fashioned weepy, with lots to say about how lives unfold and what might have been but is perhaps a bit too “small” to win Best Picture.  

Poor Things: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers

Every year there’s a film that I get really annoyed about, and this year it is Poor Things.  

All the performances are good. Mark Ruffalo plays against type as the cad Duncan Wedderburn and does provide some laughs. His accent came and went but then maybe that was a creative choice...

Emma Stone’s performance as Bella Baxter is what people describe as “brave” (i.e. she’s naked a lot). It is a very good performance and she is the main competition to Lily Gladstone (unless there’s a late surge to Sandra Huller) but I’m hoping voters think her Oscar for La La Land was pre-emptive (she said as much in her acceptance speech).    

It is also nominated for Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos and Best Adapted Screenplay (I’ve heard the novel is way more nuanced) for Australian writer Tony McNamara. The story is kind of similar to Barbie – a naïve and sheltered woman discovers the world and her place in it – but Barbie did it better and without the happy hooker trope. But she reads books, goes to meetings of the socialist society and wants to be a surgeon so it’s feminist, yeah? No, it isn’t. It is men’s preferred version of feminism. Yuk.

In fairness, wins for production design, cinematography and costume design would be justified. People have enjoyed the opportunity to use “steampunk” in a sentence when describing the look of the film. Some shots look like paintings. But someone should hide the fish-eye lenses from Yorgos Lanthimos.

The Zone of Interest: James Wilson, Producer

This will almost certainly win Best International Film. The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer’s fourth feature film in 23 years. This is his first Best Director nomination. Mainly he directs commercials for high-end brands and music videos. But every film he does gets rave reviews so it’s definitely a case of quality over quantity.    

I haven’t seen The Zone of Interest because the world is a bin fire right now and I don't need a movie to remind me that people are the worst. The worst in this film is Rudolph Hess and his family living their comfortable, almost idyllic lives, just next door to the atrocities going on in Auschwitz. The banality of evil.  

That’s a cheerful note to end on…