Burning Questions From The 2024 Oscars

 

 

Are we tired of Oscar hosts inserting themselves into clips of the Best Picture nominees?

Were you at least relieved it was just one?

Wasn't Jimmy Kimmel right that the show started already running behind?

Were you counting down the minutes until we got a joke about the length of this year's Best Picture nominees?

Or a De Niro age gap joke?

Or how about Robert Downey Jr.'s drug addiction?

Didn't RDJ less than thrilled?

Can you really blame him?

Was Messi the dog the best part of Kimmel's monologue? 

Or was it his shot at Katie Britt's State of the Union response?

Isn't it a great idea to finally have a Casting Oscar? 

When you saw the previous Supporting Actress winners come out on the stage were you thinking, "Oh no not this again?"

Were each of those introductions as long as an entire acceptance speech?

Did that just ruin any plans of the show not going over time?

Wouldn't it be more beneficial to show a clip from each nominee?

Would that have felt like an even bigger waste of time if Da'Vine Joy Randolph somehow didn't win?

 

Was that David Allan Grier? 

 

Didn't you just know Myazaki wouldn't show up?

 

Do voters even care?

 

Wasn't it great that the orchestra played that instrumental version of P.I.M.P. when Anatomy of a Fall won Original Screenplay?

 

Can you imagine if The Holdovers actually won that in light of the recent plagiarism allegations?

 

Wasn't that a solid speech from Cord Jefferson?

 

Did Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" performance make you more certain it would win Best Song?

 

Is Michael Keaton back to collect his stolen Oscar for Birdman?

 

Or stolen nomination for The Founder?

 

After wins for Makeup, Costume and Production Design, wasn't it clear Poor Things would be cleaning up?

 

Was Lily Gladstone starting to get worried? 

 

Is there anything John Cena won't do?

 

Between him, The Rock and Bad Bunny, has WWE fully taken over this show? 

 

Wasn't Blunt and Gosling's "Barbenheimer" bit pretty funny?

 

Shouldn't there be a Stunt Oscar already?

 

Did you remember that Tim Robbins won Best Supporting Actor for Mystic River?

 

Did he jump the gun a bit in calling De Niro's Flower Moon performance Oscar-winning?

 

Didn't it take longer than you expected for Oppenheimer's first two wins?

Is there any audience member better at playing along with these bits than Spielberg? 

 

Weren't you relieved they didn't start playing off 20 Days in Mariupol director Mstyslav Chernov during his acceptance speech?

 

Are we finally getting that Twins sequel? 

 

Wasn't that an awesome Batman bit with Schwarzenegger, DeVito and Keaton? 

 

Were the Godzilla Minus One winners holding more Oscars or Godzilla figures?

 

Wes Anderson wins his first Oscar but isn't there?

 

Were the Best Song performances getting shorter and shorter?

 

Is that really something to complain about? 

 

How about John Mulaney's Field of Dreams dissection?

 

Did that make you want to see the movie again right now?

 

Should he host this show next year?

 

For his sake, do you hope he turns it down?    

 

How wild was Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" performance?

Didn't we all just know it would be? 

 

For just a second there, did you consider John Williams could win his sixth Oscar at age 92?

Is Billie Eilish the only one who didn't see that win coming? 

 

Didn't the earlier start time really, really help this show?  

 

Did you almost forget they still have to get to the In Memorium segment?

 

Were you curious how they'd screw it up this year?

 

Didn't we lose a lot of big names? 

 

How surreal was it to see Paul Reubens and Matthew Perry were two of them? 

What was with that huge, unreadable block of names they just threw up there? 

And the nonsensical camera angles?

Are they ever going to get this thing right?

Lance Reddick?

Treat Williams?

 

Wasn't that a great group of former Best Actor winners they picked as presenters? 

 

Can we please get Nicolas Cage nominated for something again soon? 

 

Wasn't it a pretty safe bet Spielberg would present Best Director?

 

Was it an even safer one that Christopher Nolan would win?

 

Isn't it weird that Jessica Lange won her Best Actress Oscar for the otherwise completely forgettable Blue Sky?

 

How about the look of utter shock and disbelief on Stone's face when her name was read?  

Did everyone's prediction scores take a nosedive after that?

Was all the love for Poor Things in other categories a good indication this could happen for her?

 

Did you think that Trump tweet was just a joke at first?

 

Can anyone really be surprised it was real? 

 

Could Al Pacino have read the Best Picture winner any more casually?  

Shouldn't we just be grateful the correct winner was announced? 

Well, that whole show was relatively painless, wasn't it?

 

For all the criticism Kimmel gets, is there really anyone else that audience would be able to tolerate? 

Wasn't it nice to have this telecast end on the same date it began for a change? 

2024 Oscar Predictions

Most years, Academy voters can either be relied on to spread the wealth among a variety of different films in many categories or put their energy behind one title that runs the table, sweeping nearly everything. Think Ben-Hur, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Whether Oppenheimer joins that exclusive club remains to be seen, but it's sure shaping up that way, as it lays claim to a whopping thirteen nominations. 

Converting even half of those nods into wins would still make Sunday's 96th Oscars telecast a fairly predictable one, leaving little room for the surprises we hope for. Or if you're a more casual follower, plummeting ratings indicate you may not be watching anyway. But despite constant rumblings the ceremony could follow the SAG Awards to a streamer, it'll be staying on ABC for now with Jimmy Kimmel back hosting at a mercifully earlier start time.

In an effort to attract more eyeballs, Barbie will be all over the screen for promotional purposes, at least if commercials and ads are any indication. Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's snubs notwithstanding, eight noms is still an impressive haul that can be credited to what they brought to material no one thought could work. Voters will ensure it picks up something, but the night really revolves around Oppenheimer's foreseeable wins and how the show's producers can overcome any potential monotony accompanying that. On paper, Best Actor and Actress appear the least locked, but even the tightness of those races has widened in recent weeks, which could be good news for fans finalizing their picks. My predictions are below, along with an in depth analysis of the major categories.           

*Predicted Winners 

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

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

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 & Wài Pó

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Io Capitano (Italy)
Perfect Days (Japan)
Society of the Snow (Spain)
The Teachers' Lounge (Germany)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom) 

BEST FILM EDITING
Anatomy of a Fall (Laurent Sénéchal)
The Holdovers (Kevin Tent)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Thelma Schoonmaker)
Oppenheimer (Jennifer Lame)
Poor Things (Yorgos Mavropsaridis)

BEST SOUND
The Creator (Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich & Dean Zupancic)
Maestro (Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich & Dean Zupancic)
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon & Mark Taylor)
Oppenheimer (Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo & Kevin O’Connell)
The Zone of Interest (Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Barbie (Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Jack Fisk and Adam Willis)
Napoleon (Arthur Max & Elli Griff)
Oppenheimer (Ruth De Jong & Claire Kaufman)
Poor Things (Shona Heath, James Price & Szusza Mihalek)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Barbie (Jacqueline Durran)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Jacqueline West)
Napoleon (David Crossman & Janty Yates)
Oppenheimer (Ellen Mirojnick)
Poor Things (Holly Waddington)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
American Fiction (Laura Karpman)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (John Williams)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Robbie Robertson)
Oppenheimer (Ludwig Göransson)
Poor Things (Jerskin Fendrix)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"It Never Went Away," American Symphony (Jon Baptiste & Dan Wilson)
"I'm Just Ken," Barbie (Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt)
"What Was I Made For?" Barbie (Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell)
"The Fire Inside Me," Flamin' Hot (Diane Warren)
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Killers of the Flower Moon (Scott George)

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Golda (Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby & Ashra Kelly-Blue)
Maestro (Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou & Lori McCoy-Bell)
Oppenheimer (Luisa Abel)
Poor Things (Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier & Josh Weston)
Society of the Snow (Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí & Montse Ribé)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Creator (Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts & Neil Corbould)
Godzilla: Minus One (Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi & Tatsuji Nojima)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams & Theo Bialek)
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland & Neil Corbould)
Napoleon (Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco & Neil Corbould)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
El Conde (Edward Lachman)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Rodrigo Prieto)
Maestro (Matthew Libatique)
Oppenheimer (Hoyte van Hoytema)
Poor Things (Robbie Ryan)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)
Barbie (Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig)
Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
Poor Things (Tony McNamara)
The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)

This is a somewhat challenging race to predict since it's one the few Oppenheimer might not win. Already poised to take home at least a few technical awards, Poor Things is riding high right now, making it easy to imagine voters rewarding Tony McNamara for working wonders with Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel. In an open field like this, The Zone of Interest can't be discounted, either for its subject matter or how Jonathan Glazer handled a tricky adaptation. 

Three-time screenplay nominee Gerwig (along with co-writer Noah Baumbach) being recognized after all isn't outside the realm of possibility since this seems like an ideal place to honor Barbie. But confusion over its category placement landed it in a far more competitive race that's likely to be won by Cord Jefferson. His timely, of the moment take on Percival Everett's 2001 novel culturally resonates in a way its closest competitors don't. It also holds a BAFTA win over Oppenheimer, which isn't nothing.      

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet, Arthur Harari)
The Holdovers (David Hemingson)
Maestro (Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer)
May December (Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik)
Past Lives (Celine Song)

Barbie's exclusion opened this race up a little more while May December makes its only Oscar appearance alongside Cooper's more Academy-friendly Maestro. But in the case of both, writing wouldn't be singled out as their key strength, or at least enough of one to pull off a win. Past Lives risks getting lost in the shuffle while David Hemingson's classically constructed screenplay for The Holdovers was a sure bet until Anatomy of a Fall won this award at BAFTA and the Globes, emerging as the new favorite. 

Fall's other nominations also indicate broader support, with Triet and Harari's script appealing to voters' sense of storytelling efficiency. The Holdovers can still pull this off, but it may have stood a slightly better chance if director Alexander Payne was credited as a co-writer alongside Hemingson since everything's a popularity contest. And that it feels like a literary adaptation could work for or against its chances of voters recognizing its originality.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)
Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)
America Ferrara (Barbie)
Jodie Foster (Nyad)
Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Blunt's first ever nod for Oppenheimer seems perplexing until you realize overall appreciation for the film carried her through. Danielle Brooks and Jodie Foster are in better positions, even as their respective films were overlooked in enough key categories that they've sort of become afterthoughts. 

While America Ferrera's reward will have to be impressively making the cut for Barbie, Da'Vine Randolph is the lockiest of locks for her performance as grieving Barton Academy cafeteria manager Mary Lamb in The Holdovers. It's hard to think of a more universally praised turn from anyone all year. In a category known for surprises, we won't be getting any here.           

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)

Voters liked Barbie's Gosling more than enough to find a spot for him but it's unlikely he has enough support to go further for his wildly subversive and entertaining take on Ken. It was always a coin flip between Poor Things co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe, but it's Stone's movie, leaving the chosen Ruffalo as the odd man out in a crowded category. 

With KOTFM having lost momentum, the likelihood of De Niro upsetting for his turn as villainous politico William "King" Hale follows suit. Most agree it's great to see him in a role like this again, while also acknowledging there isn't anything particularly special about the performance. 

There's been nothing but unanimous praise for Sterling K. Brown's work in American Fiction but he's unfortunately pitted against an unstoppable Robert Downey Jr. who's been collecting trophies all season as two-faced Oppenheimer nemesis Lewis Strauss. Besides him greatly contributing the year's most honored film, it's being viewed as a post-Marvel reminder of what he's always done best. One of the biggest locks of the night.

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)

Acting legend Annette Bening has never won an Oscar, but as beloved as the five-time nominee is by voters, it won't be happening this year for her physically taxing performance as a 60-year-old distance swimmer in Nyad. And it's a shame Netflix didn't push harder since it's exactly the kind of part that could have done it for her. Mulligan (who should have won for 2020's Promising Young Woman) is sensational in Maestro, but with many still feeling it's Cooper's film, this is an uphill battle. She'll be back. 

If there's a spoiler, it'll be Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall given the Academy's large European contingent and overall respect shown to that film with its other nods. If the top two split votes, she's still a long shot, but no more of an impossibility than Olivia Colman was in 2018 when she upset Glenn Close.

With Critics Choice, BAFTA and Golden Globe wins, Stone's still sitting pretty right now, but Gladstone's arguably better situated, having also locked up a Golden Globe in addition to her PGA and SAG victories. But Stone already having Supporting Oscar shouldn't really harm her chances and the fact she's playing a resurrected nymphomaniac isn't viewed as much of an obstacle either, with most  focused on how brilliantly she did it. 

Despite divisive reactions to KOTFM, voters won't be able to resist the temptation of crowning Gladstone the first Native American Best Actress winner and hearing what's sure to be a moving acceptance speech. Even if we focus entirely on the performances and say those things shouldn't matter, they do. On top of this, the work itself is deserving. Even Stone's probably pulling for her at this point, knowing the backlash she'd inevitably get for winning. The Best Actor race may be close, but this is tighter, with Gladstone poised to make history. And we all know how much the Academy loves that.                

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper (Maestro)
Colman Domingo (Rustin)
Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)
Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

Many may have loved the performance, but Colman Domingo is the outlier here with the smallest chance in this field of five. Cooper's been unfairly mocked for silly reasons, but in another year the multi-time nominee would have finally sealed the deal with his memorable portrayal of late composer Leonard Bernstein. Wright's gained a lot of steam for American Fiction, but he peaked a little late, making it hard to picture him pulling this off.

If we're keeping track, Murphy won the Golden Globe, BAFTA and most recently the SAG. Giamatti holds PGA, Critics Choice and Golden Globe victories heading into the show. On paper, the edge is Murphy's since it's highly uncommon to win the SAG and not walk away with Oscar gold. Plus, a tidal wave of Oppenheimer support can only help bolster the chances for the type of biographical performance voters usually embrace. 

In his favor, Giamatti's career high work as a curmudgeonly educator in The Holdovers is probably more accessible than Murphy's icier turn and some may feel he's owed a trophy for the Sideways travesty. But that was decades ago so it'll probably come down to the movies, one of which its studio hung out to dry and is viewed as being more "lightweight" than the juggernaut that is Oppenheimer. Murphy takes it in one of the night's closer races.           

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

Even if voters weren't exactly feeling adventurous when narrowing this down, but it's hard to argue against the inclusion of any of these filmmakers on merit. Perhaps more noticeable is who they displaced, as many still wish either Gerwig, Payne, Song or Jefferson could have snuck in. To that end, Glazer and Triet's nominations will be seen as reward enough given who they nudged out to claim their spots. 

There's a lot of respect for what Lanthimos did with Poor Things, but not necessarily enough from the older skewing director's branch to take him over the finish line. Once an early favorite, Scorsese's chances basically evaporated when KOTFM didn't get the rapturous reception most expected. Even those lukewarm on Oppenheimer can't deny Nolan's directorial achievement, or the fact he's probably overdue. This is his to lose, but he won't. 

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

In a year with this obvious a frontrunner the futility of having ten nominees really stands out. Poor Things and American Fiction have done respectably while KOTFM's recent decline is steep enough to actually affect Gladstone's chances. Anatomy of a Fall, Past Lives and The Zone of Interest each have their fans, but only Fall seems noteworthy for having that Triet nomination. Barbie's snubs in other categories damaged its viability in the big races, the underrated Maestro got a bad rap all season, and The Holdovers' best shot at gold remains with Randolph and possibly Giamatti.  

Every nominee has either lost momentum or held steady, with one notable exception. Oppenheimer has been running through the competition with shows no signs of slowing down, picking up every precursor while still being discussed and analyzed as if it came out yesterday. Audiences and critics love it and as a historical biography with timely resonance, its win is a foregone conclusion, giving Nolan matching Best Picture and Director statues.    

2024 Oscar Nominations (Reaction and Analysis)

Earlier this morning, the 96th Academy Award nominations were announced live from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angles by actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid, definitively ending months of speculation and guessing games. Now we're entering the home stretch, with all roads leading to the big show on March 10th, once again hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. But the key difference this year isn't just an unusually high number of quality films, but a couple of huge critical and commercial hits the mainstream moviegoing public actually turned out for. 

Since the general consensus was always that Barbie and Oppenheimer would do really well, the question became how well, and where the rest of the cards would fall. With ten nominees for Best Picture and an avalanche of precursor awards, it's hard to have many shocks in that category, but those looking for other snubs and surprises definitely found them. Who was robbed? Who miraculously snuck in? As usual, there's plenty to talk about. Let's see how the voters did. Click here for the complete list.

-Oppenheimer leads the pack with 13 nominations, with a decent portion potentially resulting in wins. That's the major story coming out of this, as many titles already earmarked for victories further solidified their frontrunner status. Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon followed with 10 nods, with the former even doing a little better than expected, dominating technical categories like Costume, Production Design, Cinematography and Editing. 

-Despite an 8 nomination haul, it's still hard not to look at Barbie's showing as somewhat of a disappointment. Sure, it got in for Picture, Adapted Screenplay (despite that controversial classification), both supporting categories and had two Original Song nominees, but Greta Gerwig (Director) and Margot Robbie's (Actress) snubs had to sting. They're in super competitive fields but Gerwig's absence really highlights the side effect of having ten Best Picture nominees: half those directors get left out.  

-You may as well give Christopher Nolan his Oscar now. Scorsese is probably his closest competition (and the oldest ever nominee in this category at 81) but his momentum stalled. Neither Anatomy of a Fall's Justine Triet, Poor Things' Yorgos Lanthimos or The Zone of Interest's Jonathan Glazer pose much of a threat, but can be proud their movies overperformed. Alexander Payne (The Holdovers) joins Gerwig on the sidelines, which is a shame since I'd switch out almost anyone not named Nolan or Scorsese for them and Maestro's Bradley Cooper. 

-All signs pointed toward DiCaprio being passed over for, if we're being honest, not one of his strongest performances in an unlikable role. Barry Keoghan for Saltburn, The Iron Claw's Zac Efron and Air's Matt Damon were sadly never realistic possibilities, leaving us with the predictably strong five of Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction). This race will come down to Giamatti vs. Murphy and it could get tight. 

-How about that ovation for Lily Gladstone? If that's any indication, Emma Stone's in for a battle and should probably be worried. The Academy rarely resists nominating Annette Bening (Nyad) so it's fair to say Anatomy of a Fall's Sandra Hüller took Robbie's spot. That Carey Mulligan got in for Maestro is good news for a film many wanted to see crash and burn, picking up up 7 nods instead. That indignity was reserved for May December which missed just about everything except Original Screenplay. This leaves Natalie Portman out in the cold despite delivering some of her most compelling work in years. But after the film's lackluster showing at the BAFTA and SAG, the writing was on the wall.      

-Sterling K. Brown's Supporting nod for American Fiction wasn't a total surprise, but it's nice he got in since the category is pretty stacked with Robert De Niro (KOTFM), Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer), Ryan Gosling (Barbie) and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) all sliding in. Remember when people were talking about Charles Melton winning this whole thing for May December? Completely snubbed. The Poor Things slot went to Ruffalo instead of Willem Dafoe, but it sure would have been great to see The Holdovers' Dominic Sessa here, as it was starting to feel like a real possibility. Saltburn is burned again as Jacob Elordi is left out. Downey's victory has never seemed more certain.

-In the crowded Supporting Actress category, Emily Blunt scores her first ever nod for Oppenheimer. The Color Purple had a poor showing overall, but the one actress everyone thought could go the distance was Danielle Brooks. America Ferrera is an Oscar nominee for Barbie after months of back and forth speculation about her chances. Like Bening, voters couldn't pass up the opportunity to include her co-star Jodie Foster, who was arguably even more impressive in Nyad. If there's any lingering doubt just how little voters think of May December, even Julianne Moore was ignored. Ferrari's Penelope Cruz, Saltburn's Rosamund Pike, Air's Viola Davis and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret's Rachel McAdams failed to crack the top five, with the latter being the longest of long shots. The Holdovers' Da’Vine Joy Randolph just cemented her deservedly inevitable win.

-Best Picture is Oppenheimer's to lose at this point, with prestige picks like Anatomy of a Fall, Past Lives and The Zone of Interest establishing their status alongside wider known selections like American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, KOTFM and Maestro. As much as the AMPAS likes to tout all its changes, this was business as usual. The only real exclusions here would be the cursed May December, The Color Purple, Saltburn, Society of the Snow, All of Us Strangers and The Iron Claw. But good luck finding any takers to bet on those.

Other Random Observations:

-That Napoleon scored 3 nominations (Production Design, Costume Design, Visual Effects) has to be considered a success given the film's lukewarm reception.

-How about that audience response for Godzilla: Minus One? Almost Gladstone-level.

-91 year-old John Williams picks up his 49th (!) Oscar nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.            

-Am I the only one surprised that Asteroid City didn't get either a cinematography or production design nod? Like all of Wes Anderson's work, it's divisive, but even those who despised it seemed to at least acknowledge the visual achievement. Apparently this just got lost in the shuffle with its earlier release, much like Air.

-The most overlooked snub has to be the exclusion of Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, the award-winning feature on the actor many thought had not only secured its ticket to the ceremony, but should win. The Academy never tires of screwing up this category, but they really hit a new low with this one.    

           

The Best (and Worst) Movie Posters of 2023

If it was a better than usual year for movies, the same can't exactly be said for their posters, as the quantity of truly eye catching one-sheets fell off a bit in 2023. But there were still plenty of inspired designs if you looked, be it new twists on classic visual motifs or entirely novel approaches that stopped you in your tracks. And with an avalanche of releases now simultaneously hitting theaters and streaming, the movie poster is suddenly straddling the line between art and commerce like never before. 

Despite offering a little something for everyone, no single list will be an ideal representation of the year's best posters, but it can highlight the standouts and jump start some interesting conversations. With no noticeable frontrunner, this is probably the toughest time I've had selecting the top pick, going back and forth between a few designs before arriving on a worthy selection, along with a few surprising inclusions. 

The Top Ten are listed below, followed alphabetically by the Runners-up and Worst lists. Only official posters released during the 2023 calendar year were deemed eligible.  

The Best...

 

10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 

It's been a while since we've seen this illustrated style employed for a blockbuster franchise entry like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Reminiscent of Richard Amsel and Drew Struzan's classic posters from the original trilogy, Tony Stella does a superb job capturing the tone and spirit of the series, not to mention making a great case against studios' reliance on photoshopped floating heads to sell their movie. There's definitely a lot going on, but its layout is well composed with the illustration fading into that tan border. The only thing missing is the iconic Indy title treatment, but I'm willing to bet Disney made that call rather than the artist. Still, it's easy to be grateful for what we got, which was far better than anyone expected.

 

9. Dream Scenario             

Continuing his streak of bizarre films with equally unusual posters, Nicolas Cage makes his annual appearance with one of his more thematically effective one-sheets. In A24's Dream Scenario he plays a biology professor who becomes an overnight celebrity after appearing in everyone's dreams. It's a great premise cleverly conveyed in River Cousin's daringly original quadrant style design. The dark brown background and pink title combo are far outside the norm of what we're used to, with the four illustrations almost literally jumping out at you. The girl flying over the title and nearly off the poster succeed in creating that desired three dimensional effect, as does the escaped crocodile. Featuring different versions of Cage's character stumbling in and out of dreams, it all converges to create an oddly original and offbeat portrait.  

8. Crumb Catcher

Most probably have no idea what Crumb Catcher is, when or where it was released, or even who stars in it. Luckily it has this poster to cover for that. A home invasion thriller where a newlywed couple are held captive by maniacs, it's kind of amazing we haven't seen a design similar to this before. Going by the synopsis, it fits especially well, with the newlyweds traditionally posed on top as their unhinged kidnappers approach from below, all them depicted as plastic cake toppers. The cream colored border and bright stylized title treatment draw even more attention to an already unsettling image, while a running car and piles of gifts at the base are smart touches. And thanks to that spotlighted red backdrop, the whole scene eerily resembles a creepy storefront bakery display. 

7. They Cloned Tyrone

Possibly taking a cue from one of my favorite poster designs, GrandSon's one-sheet for Netflix's They Cloned Tyrone features an illustration from Marvel artist Mike Thompson that's very much a visual companion to the film. It focuses on an unlikely trio (played by John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx) who uncover a government cloning experiment and the design for this is more aesthetically pleasing than most of the streamer's generic advertising of late. As even the worthiest content sometimes struggles to stand out, uniqueness like this helps, piquing the curiosity of anyone who notices a few more heads than usual trailing off the page. The mustard colored background is a bold choice, its title and credits are well placed and even that ubiquitous Netflix logo is fairly unobtrusive. The film boasted a series of successful posters (see below), but this is undoubtedly its strongest.

 

6. Rebel

After topping 2021's list with his astounding work for George A. Romero's The Amusement Park, Polish designer Aleksander Walijewski gives us this limited U.S. release poster for Rebel, with which it shares certain similarities. Strikingly symbolic in depicting how Belgian rapper Kamal (Aboubakr Bensaihi) is peeled and torn to reveal a blazing inferno behind his eyes as he's forced to join Islamic state in Syria. With an orange and black color scheme and intimidatingly large title treatment, it's hardly subtle but feels like the ideal choice given the film's plot and themes. Interestingly enough, this is the first project from writing/directing duo Adil and Bilall following the infamous burial of their Batgirl movie by Warner Bros.

 

 5. The Zone of Interest

Expertly utilizing negative space, this Kellerhouse creation for Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest accomplishes the near impossible by visually delivering a concept worthy of a film many count as the year's most quietly disturbing. Focusing on Auschwitz commandant Rudolph Höss (Christian Friedel) and his family trying to build a life next door to the concentration camp, this image captures that horrifying juxtaposition, as their backyard gathering unfolds against a pitch black sky. While not exactly the kind of poster you'll be rushing to hang on your wall, the picture it paints is chilling, especially when your eyes wander below the darkness to see that barbed wire fence separating the two worlds. The use of stark white for the title and bottom border create a horizon effect that further accentuates the contrast of privileged partygoers reveling as atrocities unfold on the other side. 

  

4. Poor Things    

It's too hard singling out only one of these eccentrically abstract Vasilis Marmatakisis prints for Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things since they're all so oddly inseparable from each other and the film itself. At their center is Emma Stone's Bella Baxter, a woman resurrected with an infant's mind, rapidly maturing as her personality develops in unexpected ways. The first two posters play into this, tinkering with perception and reality to create trippy imagery that highlights the heroine's twisted fairy tale journey. But that last one is a departure, as you need to look closely to notice those smudges on Bella's face are actually images of the film's male characters. It also masters the lost art of a unifying, distinctively odd title treatment. Like it or not, this squiggly Dr. Strangelove-like font will probably be associated with this film for some time to come. 

3. The Killer

Contemporary British artist James Paterson's noirish, water color style painting for David Fincher's The Killer is as clean and tidy as the obsessive, unnamed title character (played by Michael Fassbender) believes himself to be. In this Kellerhouse design, the unnamed hitman is masterfully drawn with his cold, blank stare as we face down the barrel of his gun. Hypnotically dark and murky, the white credits stand out against a bleak, blueish green hue, but the real takeaway is that bullet hole title treatment, with a fallen "I" and blood spattering over the adjacent "l." Elaborate and attention grabbing, it captures the protagonist's methodical precision with a single unforgettable image. Paterson's other two posters in this series accomplish much of the same, but it's this one that most stands out, effectively placing us in the crosshairs of its cold-blooded assassin.  

 

2. Paint

GrandSon's brilliant teaser for Paint serves as a reminder that there was a pretty good idea for a comedy here with Owen Wilson doing his best Bob Ross as Vermont public television painter Carl Nargle. Regardless of how that eventually turned out, it at least had the potential to be a subversive parody in the vein of Walk Hard. It's evident in this one-sheet, which is gutsy enough to conceal the face of its star while capturing the warm, fuzzy feelings associated with Ross and his show. Between the painting, hair and Wilson's name, we immediately know who he's playing. The "go to a special place" tagline hammers that home, as does the retro typeface. While it's unclear how Ross would feel about his soothing paint lessons being parodied in a feature comedy, you can bet he'd probably appreciate the poster much more. 

 

1. The Holdovers

The biggest surprise about AV Print's design for Alexander Payne's 70's dramatic comedy The Holdovers is how it takes a different approach from its LP soundtrack cover art. There's that throwback quality, but it's bolder and more unexpected, while still retaining the nostalgic holiday vibe. And few images better encapsulate the plight of these three characters stuck with each other over winter break than giant fragments of shattered Christmas ornaments at their feet, just as shattered as they are. 

The disappointment and anguish exasperated New England prep school teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), rebellious student Angus (Dominic Sessa) and grieving head cook Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) experience is fully captured with a perfect rendering of their characters. The bright red pops against the cream background and its sensible formatting is enhanced by a retro title treatment and inspired tagline. And as someone who thinks every poster is hampered by excessive credits, one look at a bland, textless alternative proves empty space isn't always preferable, especially when everything's laid out this well. The design not only fits this movie like a glove, but belongs front and center in a multiplex lobby, attaching one of the year's best pictures to an equally impressive poster.    

Runners-Up

 

 

 

And The Worst...    

 

Unlike the inventive South Korean poster for Beau is Afraid seen above, these standard, run-of-the-mill studio teasers for the film are exactly why many bemoan the absence of creativity in mainstream American movie posters. Only Ari Aster's film couldn't be less "mainstream" and the usually adventurous A24 still took this generic route. You can at least get what they were going for with the first one, but even that's undone by the year's worst photoshopping. No matter how you feel about the divisive film, it deserved better than this.   

Try not to doze off looking at this basic, unimaginative effort for George Clooney's The Boys in the Boat, a historically based sports drama that probably needed all the help it could get in the promotional department. What it gets instead is drab coloring, forgettable titling that fades into the background and bad photoshop. The poster's such a non-entity it might actually evaporate before our eyes. 

 

The series of character posters for Book Club: The Next Chapter revolve around a visual gag that most outgrew by early childhood. So go figure. They'll just use that to market a movie aimed for and starring septuagenarians. 

 

Hulu's Boston Strangler supposedly wasn't too bad, which only makes this poster all the worse. At least choices are made with even the worst designs. Here, they just pasted a still of Keira Knightley from the film and threw some white lettering over it. And while there are few recent developments as annoying as streamers planting their logos over every poster, this is a really egregious example.

 

For those tired of social media-themed movies, meet your worst nightmare. The poster's border is literally a phone, the characters are taking selfies, and just to top it all off, the title's a hashtag. According to its imdb description, this is about four influencers who live stream their trip to Devil's Manor, which once housed a satanic cult. Based on the image, that info unfortunately checks out. And how about this guy in the green hoodie?

LO O K AT ALL THAT TEXT ISN'T IT TOO MUCH WHERE'S THE TITLE HELP ME I'M HAVING  PROBLEMS  READING IT MOVIE POSTERS  AREN'T SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THIS

 

Again impossible to locate the film's title, unless you somehow assumed it was that giant "Find Your Purpose," tagline plastered over a denim clad Hilary Swank. Yes, they really buried the actual title way down at the bottom. "From the studio that brought you..." isn't the most encouraging sign so it's probably a relief that text is too small to read.

 

 

 

Here we go again with the phone, as the more cartoonish iMordecai channels #ChadGetsTheAxe with its visually uninspiring approach. The photoshop job is so distracting that the four characters could have dropped in from another planet, superimposed into this fake setting. Sean Astin, what are you thinking?

 

 

 

You'd assume a director of Martin Scorsese's caliber would at least have some input into how his films are marketed. Or maybe more frighteningly, he did. It's unclear how these designs for Killers of the Flower Moon saw the light of day, each seemingly worse than the next. Strangely positioning this Best Picture favorite as a B-level action thriller you'd find in Walmart's $5 DVD bin, its IMAX poster feels worthier, as does artist Addie Roanhorse's minimalist illustration.

Everything said about Flower Moon goes double for this series of Napoleon posters that look like the ultimate cut and paste job. There's nothing to this other than seeing Joaquin Phoenix against a variety of fake backgrounds. While the first is definitely ugliest in terms of style and execution, that Dolby close-up version is more perplexing the longer you look. By attempting to inject some kind of artistic flair, it ends up resembling a school project gone bad.

 

Time for another round. Or not. What's so compelling about this monstrosity is how on the surface it's just a poorly designed and laid out poster for a bad Hangover rip-off. At least until you notice a title that not only covers a quarter of the image, but is enclosed in a loud, bright purple label you'd expect see in a supermarket aisle. Luckily for all involved, there doesn't appear to be a credited director or cast, giving John Cena some degree of plausible deniability.