By Riley Dauber
Lifestyle Editor
With the 96th Academy Awards approaching, cinephiles and casual viewers alike are scrambling to watch all of the films up for major awards.
Since many of the films vying for golden statues release somewhere between October and December — a time of the year referred to as “Oscars season” — it can be tricky to keep track of which films to watch and which to skip.
Fortunately, the following list includes highly-nominated and talked-about films from the past year that are likely to win an award or two on March 10. Regardless of whether or not they win, they are also worth a watch.
“Barbie”
The highest-grossing film of 2023 is guaranteed to garner a few nominations at this year’s Academy Awards. Not only was it successful at the box office, but the film is full of dazzling performances, stellar production design, and a smart yet funny screenplay.
Based on the popular Mattel doll, “Barbie” follows the titular blonde (Margot Robbie) as she happily exists alongside the other Barbies and Kens in Barbieland — until one day when she starts having “irrepressible thoughts of death,” and she realizes not everything is perfect in the real world.
Both Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken, received acting nominations at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7. According to the Golden Globe Awards website, the film walked away with two statues that evening: one for Billie Eilish, who wrote and sang the film’s song “What Was I Made For?,” and a new award given for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
For those who have yet to watch the blockbuster film, “Barbie” is currently available to stream on Max.
“Oppenheimer”
Alongside “Barbie”’s July 21 release was “Oppenheimer,” the Christopher Nolan-directed biopic about the man who invented the nuclear bomb.
While less successful at the box office than “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” still grossed over 900 million dollars, according to Forbes.
The film is also receiving more award attention, with it winning Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Director — Motion Picture for Christopher Nolan, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Cillian Murphy, and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for Robert Downey Jr., according to the Golden Globe Awards website.
According to Variety, Murphy is likely the frontrunner for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, and the film may even take home the statue for Best Picture.
“Oppenheimer” will be available to stream on Peacock starting Feb. 16.
“The Holdovers”
This film follows a crotchety history teacher at a Massachusetts prep school named Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), who is tasked with watching the students who have to stay at the school over winter break. Due to an ill-timed skiing trip, Angus (Dominic Sessa) is the only student left under Paul’s watch. The two are joined by cook Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), whose son recently passed away in Vietnam.
As the three open up and get to know each other, viewers are rewarded with fantastic performances from the leads. They each manage to balance the script’s comedic moments with its more emotional beats.
According to the Golden Globe Awards website, Giamatti won Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy and Randolph won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture.
While Giamatti faces stiff competition in the Best Actor category, Randolph is arguably the frontrunner in the Supporting Actress category, according to Variety.
“The Holdovers” is currently available to stream on Peacock.
“Poor Things”
Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ recent film, “Poor Things,” sees him collaborate with Emma Stone once again to subvert the classic “Frankenstein” tale in a whimsical, feminist story.
“Driven by a courageous and physically committed performance from Stone, the film follows her journey as Bella Baxter, at the start of the picture a barely verbal blank slate, who embarks on an autodidact voyage of discovery to become the ultimate self-made woman,” Wendy Ide wrote for The Guardian.
At the Golden Globes, the film won Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, and Stone won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, according to the Golden Globe Awards website.
According to Variety, it is highly likely that Stone will win her second Oscar this year.
While the aforementioned films will most likely receive a few statues at the Academy Awards, committed viewers should try and watch “May December,” “The Color Purple,” and “Past Lives” to truly enjoy some of the fantastic films from 2023. Although they may not receive much attention, these three films arguably deserve their flowers this awards season.
The Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 10 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Viewers can also steam it on Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV.
Photo by Riley Dauber.
Photo Caption: “The Holdovers” is predicted to win a few acting awards at the 96th Academy Awards.