The 96th Oscar nominations were announced via live stream on Jan. 23. “Oppenheimer” led with 13 nominations overall for categories including Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, and Cinematography.
Cillian Murphy, the actor of J. Robert Oppenheimer, was nominated for Actor in a Leading Role. Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt, who played Lewis Strauss and Katherine Oppenheimer, were nominated for their supporting roles.
“In terms of the acting, I think Cillian Murphy deserved the Oscar nomination,” Iain Cowieson, drama teacher, said. “His performance was spectacular. I also thought Robert Downey Jr’s performance was brilliant and I enjoyed him in the film; it was great to see him stretch himself into slightly different territory than he has done before.”
The film was also recognized for its cinematography, costume design, directing, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, music, production design, sound, and writing for an adapted screenplay.
“‘Oppenheimer’ is a very peculiar film in this era where movies are usually packed with overcorrection using CGI,” Alex Lee (11), a student interested in film-making, said. “The fact that a movie that lacks these modern movie factors can reach this level of craftsmanship and storytelling is probably why it was the most Oscar-nominated film of the year.”
Released on July 21, 2023, “Oppenheimer” earned $954 million in box office sales worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and the highest-grossing biopic ever.
“In my opinion, ‘Oppenheimer’ has a much larger voice in a world where movies are filled with inauthentic-feeling crafts,” Alex said. “I thought that Barbie, while powerful in many regards and full of energy and passion, does not hold as much weight in the realm of film as ‘Oppenheimer’ does.”
The Oscar nominations also recognized other popular films of 2023, including “Poor Things,” “Barbie,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which earned 11, eight, and 10 nominations, respectively. Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Ryan Gosling, and America Ferrera were some of the recognized actors and actresses for these nominated films.
The Oscars, also known as the 96th Academy Awards, will be held on March 11 in Los Angeles, California. The awards ceremony will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
