Oscars Nominations Reaction

Nominations for the biggest night in Hollywood dropped bright and early on Tuesday morning, streamed live on social media and hosted by actors Jack Quaid and Zazie Beetz.

2023 was a historic year for film, with “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” dominating the summer box office, and directors like Martin Scorsese and Yorgos Lanthimos creating buzz in the film community.

Some of the nominations seemed like shoo-ins, while other notable performances were left out completely.

Here’s a roundup of the major takeaways from the 96th Academy Awards nominations.

“Oppenheimer” Leads the Charge with 13 Nominations

It’s no surprise Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” scored big with Oscar nominations this year.

After all the love the film received at the Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice Awards, “Oppenheimer” seems to be a lock for certain categories.

Ludwig Göransson’s stellar musical composition is nominated for Best Original Score, and “Can You Hear The Music” alone should get him the win.

Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. are also front-runners for their categories, and it’s highly possible Nolan takes home Best Director.

For the First Time, Three Female-Directed Films are Nominated for Best Picture

Before the 2024 nomination ceremony, female-directed films have only been nominated in the Best Picture category eight times.

Only eight female-directed films across 95 years, and this year, there are three nominated for Best Picture.

Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” and Celine Song’s “Past Lives” are three of the most notable films of the year, and all deserve the recognition.

Lily Gladstone Makes History (Again)

With her role in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Lily Gladstone is the first Native American actor to be nominated in an acting category at the Oscars (non-honorary).

Gladstone has some competition in the category with big names like Emma Stone and Carey Mulligan also nominated.

It will likely be a tight race between Gladstone and Stone, depending on which performance resonated with voters more.

Best Visual Effects Leaves Out…The Best Visual Effects

The Best Visual Effects category is arguably one of the weakest this year, with “The Creator,” “Godzilla Minus One,” “Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Mission Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Napoleon” nominated.

While films like “Mission Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” bring some classic cookie cutter action scenes to life, “Oppenheimer’s” practical effects with the Trinity Test scene should have been acknowledged in this category.

The effects in the “Can You Hear The Music” scene also should’ve been taken into account, but it’s understandable that the Academy gave nods to more computer generated effects in this category.

Best Costume Design Might Be A Tight Race

It seems hard to believe that Best Costume Design might be one of the most competitive categories this year, but the nominees are impressive across the board.

On one hand, there’s the bubblegum pink costumes in “Barbie” that immersed the audience in Barbie Land, and on the other there’s the 19th century battle costumes in “Napoleon.”

“Poor Things” could also be a front runner for this category, with “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer” not far behind.

The Snubs

Every year there are going to be films and performances that go unrecognized at the Oscars, it’s inevitable.

This year, the major two were Margot Robbie for Best Actress and Greta Gerwig for Best Director.

In a world where Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera are both nominated, it seems absurd that Barbie herself and the creator of the film receive nothing.

Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” nor was Greta Lee for “Past Lives.”

Other notable snubs are Charles Melton for his performance in “May December” and Zac Efron in “The Iron Claw” that got absolutely no campaign energy.

Recent fan-favorite “Saltburn” received no love from the Academy, same with “All of Us Strangers.”

When are the Actual Oscars?

Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 96th Academy Awards live on ABC on March 10 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

Kaitlyn Murphy is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.