Let’s make this an annual tradition: the Nominations Eve wishlist post. The past couple of years, I have used this space to highlight some Academy and industry trends that I would like to see eliminated or reversed, but this year, I find myself with much the same complaints and the same hopes. So, rather than bang on about them again – although, we are going to recap how things went last year – I thought it would be fun simply to share my nominees wishlist for the top categories.
Before we get to that, though, what did I want to see from last year’s nominations, and how did that pan out?
The first request last year was: Don’t Forget the Films Directed by Women. Largely, these films were forgotten or ignored. The only Best Picture nominee directed by a woman was Women Talking by Sarah Polley, who was not nominated for Director, though she did win the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay. Meanwhile, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, Chinonye Chukwu’s Till, and Maria Schrader’s She Said combined for no nominations. The lone nomination for Charlotte Welles’ Aftersun came for Paul Mescal in the Best Actor category. Not a great result.
This trend hopefully should reverse this year with films like Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, Past Lives, directed by Celine Song, and Anatomy of a Fall, directed by Justine Triet, all among the favorites for Best Picture nominations. Gerwig is hotly tipped for a Director nomination, which would make her just the second woman with multiple directing nods after Jane Campion, and Triet has an outside shot at that lineup, as well.
That said, there are great films from Sofia Coppola (Priscilla), Ava DuVernay (Origin), and Emerald Fennell (Saltburn) out this year, and it would be nice if the Academy could think even a little further outside its traditional box with respect to women filmmakers.
Next, I asked for more recognition for Genre Performances. The four acting nominations and three wins for the sci-fi mashup Everything Everywhere All at Once were certainly a breakthrough in this category, regardless of my oft-stated misgivings about the film itself. Perhaps more interesting than that, Angela Bassett broke whatever ceiling hung over the Marvel Cinematic Universe, earning a Supporting Actress nomination for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the first acting nomination to come from the MCU.
GIven the current direction of the MCU, both creatively and financially, the Bassett nomination may be the last for that particular franchise, as well, but never say never. And anyway, plenty of other fun genre movies fell by the wayside without a whiff of a nomination. Tomorrow morning, Barbie is likely to garner at least one acting nomination, which is a too-rare feat for comedies. Poor Things is absolutely a genre picture (take your pick: sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, etc.) and could be in line for multiple nominations. All in all, I would still say we’re in status quo mode there. It’s not like Mia Goth is about to be recognized for Infinity Pool or anything.
Finally, I asked simply to Spread the Wealth. That didn’t really happen. Just 39 feature films were recognized by the Academy with nominations last year, which is right around the four-year average. It did not help that eight of the 20 acting nominations came from just two films (Everything Everywhere and The Banshees of Inisherin), but the real lack of creativity came in the below-the-line categories, where Best Picture nominees dominated as they often do.
Whither the days when The Addams Family could score a random Costume Design nomination or a weirdo movie like What Dreams May Come? would show up in Production Design? Don’t get me wrong. I know random one-off nominations still happen (looking at you, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris), but the Oscars are more fun when more movies are included.
As for this year, it appears up to four movies could possibly be in line for double-digit nomination hauls. Oppenheimer and Poor Things will almost certainly get there. Barbie, assuming it gets multiple Original Song nods as expected, will likely get to 10. And, if it maintains across-the-board strength, Killers of the Flower Moon has a real shot at 10+ nominations.
The last time four movies all got 10 or more nominations in the same year was 2019, when Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Irishman, and 1917 all accomplished the feat. Prior to that, it had never happened in Academy Awards history. Just twice had even three movies gotten to 10+ (1964 and 1977). So, to think we could be in for the second such occurrence in five years, to me, suggests there’s a lot of box-checking going on in the nominations process.
It would be nice if the Academy could address all of these things, but I’m not holding my breath, at least not this year. So, rather than dwell, let’s talk about the nominations I would make if they gave me the keys to the kingdom. Then, check back here tomorrow morning to see what the Academy really did, and we’ll kick off this whole Countdown to the Oscars thing yet again.
Last Cinema Standing’s 2023 Academy Award Nominations Wishlist
Best Picture
All of Us Strangers, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, Fallen Leaves, Killers of the Flower Moon, May December, Oppenheimer, Saltburn, The Zone of Interest
This will come as no surprise to anyone. There are 10 slots for Best Picture, and conveniently enough, I recently published my list of the top 10 films of the year. I fully expect at least four or five of these to make the final list and possibly up to six or seven if we get some surprises.
Best Director
Emerald Fennell for Saltburn, Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest, Radu Jude for Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall
All of these films made my top 10, of course, and each one is wonderfully distinct. I know she’s divisive, but I’m a big fan of Fennell’s highly stylized approach. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Glazer’s brutally austere take on The Zone of Interest is a perfect match of form and function.
Best Actress
Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon, Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall, Julianne Moore for May December, Natalie Portman for May December, Emma Stone for Poor Things
The one-two punch for May December is not going to happen since Moore is being campaigned in Supporting Actress, which is asinine. Even Portman appears to be on the outside looking in right now, which is a bummer for a truly remarkable turn from the former Best Actress winner. Stone and Gladstone seem like locks, while Hüller stands a good chance if the love for her film is strong enough.
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio for Killers of the Flower Moon, Colman Domingo for Rustin, Zac Efron for The Iron Claw, Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer, Andrew Scott for All of Us Strangers
I am particularly excited that Murphy and Domingo seem on the path to their first respective Oscar nominations. Both are great actors who have been in the game a long time and are quite deserving. My No. 1 wish for the nominations is that Scott break through for what I consider the best performance of the year. I have him around No. 6 or 7 on my predictions sheet. A word, too, on Efron, who is not likely to be nominated, but The Iron Claw appears to be a wonderful first step into the next phase of his career. I can’t wait to see where he goes next.
Best Supporting Actress
Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple, Claire Foy for All of Us Strangers, Cara Jade Myers for Killers of the Flower Moon, Alison Oliver for Saltburn, Da’Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers
Myers’ performance in Killers of the Flower Moon has been unfairly overlooked this year. She doesn’t even get to participate in the film’s SAG ensemble nomination because of some arcane rules around who qualifies and who doesn’t (hint: like everything else in Hollywood, it’s mostly about clout). At the same time, while Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, and Rosamund Pike have been rightly lauded for their work in Saltburn, I think Oliver is the sneaky MVP of that particular film.
Best Supporting Actor
Jamie Bell for All of Us Strangers, Noah Galvin for Theater Camp, Milo Machado-Graner for Anatomy of a Fall, Charles Melton for May December, Paul Mescal for All of Us Strangers
This is where I am least likely to have any overlap with the Academy in that there is a strong possibility none of these five performers will be nominated. Melton has the strongest chance, but the industry seems increasingly cool on May December, and it was frankly shocking the film did not show up at all at the SAG Awards.
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So, there you have it. As mentioned, check back tomorrow for the early reactions to how it all shakes out. I’ll be up bright and early, donut in hand, watching the announcements live and will post my thoughts straight away.
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