By Rebecca Roberts
Elm Staff Writer
The 98th Academy Awards were held on March 15 to celebrate the greatest achievements in the movie industry.
The movie “Sinners” received a record-breaking 16 nominations but only won four of these. The categories that “Sinners” won were Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson, and Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler.
Arkapaw is also the first woman to win the award for Best Cinematography, a big milestone in the industry.
This outcome for “Sinners” is not surprising since the film had done so well at the box office, making over $360 million worldwide. The movie also scored well with critics and audience members alike on Rotten Tomatoes earning a 97% on the Tomatometer. Some believe the film should have won more than four of the 16 nominations, as audience members and critics alike claim that “Sinners” is one of the best horror movies made in recent years, exceeding all expectations.
This year’s awards also brought with them a new category; Best Casting. The winner for this category was Cassandra Kulukundis for the film “One Battle After Another.” The other nominees for this category were Nina Gold for “Hamnet,” Jennifer Venditti for “Marty Supreme,” Gabriel Domingues for the “Secret Agent,” and Francine Maisler for “Sinners.”
According to ABC News, “[Best Casting] is the first competitive category added by the Academy since best animated feature was introduced in 2001.”
“One Battle After Another” won six Oscars out of the 13 it was nominated for. The film won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, Best Editing for Andy Jurgensen, and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.
There was a tie in one category at this year’s awards, something that has only happened six times prior to this ceremony. Both “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” won the award for Best Live-Action Short. The other nominees for this category were “Butcher’s Stain,” “A Friend of Dorothy,” and “Jane Austen’s Period Drama.”
Despite receiving numerous nominations, “Frankenstein” received mixed reviews on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes. Some viewers really enjoyed the cinematography, while others were upset about how it deviated so far from the original book. “Frankenstein” was nominated for nine awards and won three: Best Production Design for Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau; Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey; and Best Costume Design for Kate Hawley.
This past ceremony saw a 9% viewer decrease, reaching its lowest since the 2020 pandemic. Other award shows have also faced similar declines, such as the Golden Globes and the Grammys both decreasing by 6%.
“Viewership totals indicate how relevant Hollywood remains amid changing politics, media habits and social values,” according to USA Today, “Viewership tends to increase when popular films are nominated.”
While the Oscars have taken a downward turn in viewership this year, they still provided a night of big wins and surprising records. The Oscars are available to rewatch on Hulu.
Photo Caption: “Sinners” won four of the 16 nominations it received, including Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons