Early this morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their highly anticipated nominees for this year’s Oscars. As is always the case, the morning had its share of surprises and head-scratching snubs. But in their defense the Academy also got a lot of things right. Either way, I have plenty on my mind about this year’s batch. So here are a few Random Thoughts on the 2024 Academy Award nominations.

• It was a huge morning for “Oppenheimer” which led the way with a whopping 13 nominations. It’s shaping up to (finally) be the year that Christopher Nolan fully gets his due on Oscar night.
• Not only did “Oppenheimer” mop the floor in the technical categories, but it also received nominations in Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Who knows how it will turn out, but things are trending up for Nolan’s brilliant awards-worthy latest.
• Only two behind “Oppenheimer” was “Poor Things” which once again revealed the soft spot (and the mind-boggling leniency) the Academy has for Yorgos Lanthimos. The film was an overindulgent mess yet here it sits with 11 nominations.
• We have a pretty good selection of Best Picture nominees this year with only two that I would toss out in a heartbeat. But it’s hard for me to gripe. My top three movies of 2023 are all in the group and I like most of the choices.
• Could it be that the Academy isn’t as enamored with “Barbie” as other awards shows (which I would applaud them for)? The box office smash hit but incredibly flawed film still earned 8 nominations. But it missed out on a couple of pretty big categories.
• Sticking with “Barbie”, one of the more face-palm moments came with the nomination of America Ferrera in Supporting Actress. It’s essentially a nomination for a speech which stands out even more by the fact that the film’s lead, Margot Robbie didn’t get a nod. There were far more deserving supporting performances from actresses such as Rachel McAdams, Penélope Cruz, or Julianne Moore. Whatever, it’s Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s to win.
• As for that Lead Actress category, Robbie’s omission is a bit of a stunner. Again, I’m no fan of “Barbie”, but Robbie was pretty great. It’s especially perplexing considering Annette Bening was nominated for the so-so at best “Nyad”. Robbie deserved a spot.
• The far more egregious snubs in the Lead Actress category was Greta Lee for “Past Lives” and Natalie Portman for “May December”. I would put both in over any nominee not named Lily Gladstone. C’mon Academy!
• Last thing on “Barbie” – outlets are already expressing shock and crying foul on Greta Gerwig not being nominated for Best Director. I’m sorry, but but it was a good choice especially if it meant Jonathan Glazer getting in for his masterful “The Zone of Interest”. The biggest bummer in Directing was Lanthimos. Replace him with Celine Song (“Past Lives”) and the category would be nearly perfect.
• Martin Scorsese’s brilliant “Killers of the Flower Moon” racked up an amazing and well-deserved 10 nominations. Sadly there’s a big possibility it follows in the footsteps of Scorsese’s “The Irishman”. That 2019 film received 10 nominations but won nothing. Lily Gladstone should keep “Killers” from going home empty-handed, but it will have a tough time winning much else.
• Speaking of “Killers”, being left out for Adapted Screenplay is terrible especially in light of what else was nominated. The screenplay was the biggest problem with “Barbie” and with “Poor Things” it was a scattershot mess. Yet both get nominated.
• One of the great joys of the morning was seeing “The Zone of Interest” getting five nominations. I was especially excited that it was included for Best Picture and Best Director. For those who have yet to see it, make every effort to catch it. It’s easily one of 2023’s very best movies.
• “The Zone of Interest” looks like it may be the front-runner for Best International Feature. I love it. This is a wild category made interesting by its notable omissions, namely “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Society of the Snow”. Am I missing something?
• John Williams received his 54th (!!!) Oscar nomination for his score in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”. Did it deserve a nomination? Maybe not. But I’m never going to gripe when I see this living legend get recognition.
• Absolutely nothing for “The Iron Claw”. I realize it was a longshot, but I held out hope that the film might receive some kind of recognition. It certainly deserved it.
• Sterling K. Brown surprised with his Supporting Actor nomination for “American Fiction”. It’s a good performance and I’m guessing his inclusion knocked out Charles Melton (“May December”).
• Aside from Mark Ruffalo, the Supporting Actor choices are pretty strong. Brown is a nice addition, Robert De Niro is getting a lot of nominations but no wins, and Gosling has the fan love but I’m not sure how much else. That leaves Robert Downey Jr. who is (by a pretty large margin) the most deserving. Hopefully he’ll finally get his statue.
• Just a quick plug for Donnie Yen in “John Wick: Chapter 4”. I’d put him ahead of Ruffalo, Brown, and even Gosling for Supporting Actor. Alas…
• Among the most competitive categories heading into Oscar night will be Best Actor. It looks to be a one-on-one showdown between Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) and Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”). They were my two favorite Lead Actor performances of the year so it’s good to see. That said, I’m rooting for Murphy.
• Despite getting recognition from the Golden Globes and BAFTA, “Saltburn” was completely ignored by the Academy and you won’t see me shedding any tears. “Saltburn” was one of the more frustrating movies of last year and apparently the Academy saw through it.
• It wasn’t a particularly good morning for “The Color Purple”. Outside of Danielle Brooks for Supporting Actress, the musical remake didn’t make a dent. I can understand why. The first half of the film was some of the best cinema I saw in 2023. The second half was messy and rushed.
• I like the sound of Oscar-nominated “Godzilla: Minus One”.
• Among the other big names not nominated this morning was Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor and Bradley Cooper for Best Director. Both seemed to be on the bubble and now they’ve both fallen short.

Here is a Full List of This Year’s Nominees…

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

Best Director

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

Best Actress

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

Best Actor

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

Best Supporting Actress

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

Best Supporting Actor

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

Best Original Screenplay

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best International Feature

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

Best Animated Feature

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

Best Cinematography

El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Original Score

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

Best Original Song

“The Fire Inside,” Flamin’ Hot
“I’m Just Ken,” Barbie
“It Never Went Away,” American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Killers of the Flower Moon
“What Was I Made For?” Barbie

Best Editing

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

Best Production Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Costume Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow

Best Sound

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

Best Visual Effects

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

Best Animated Short

Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best Live-Action Short

The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Best Documentary Feature

Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol

Best Documentary Short

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó