Joey Magidson
If you weren’t already convinced, this past weekend’s Guild awards pretty much sealed the deal. Oppenheimer is going to dominate the Academy Awards in a couple of weeks. Once the Oscar ceremony is completed, Christopher Nolan‘s film could have as many as eight or nine wins under its belt. After last year saw Everything Everywhere All At Once cruise to seven Oscars, we could very well be entering a new era for the Academy.
Simply put, we could be ushering in a time where, when Academy members go all-in on a movie, they pick one that audiences and fans of cinema are actually excited about. The expanded lineup in Best Picture and preferential balloting has made it that more winners in the biggest category are doing so with smaller and smaller hauls. The wealth is somewhat being spread, even if it’s usually only one or two flicks dominating below the line. Still, this could be new territory we/the Academy is going to be trafficking in, going forward.
Think back to last year and Everything Everywhere All At Once almost sweeping. If you had looked at the film a few years back, it would seem like an inconceivable winner. The Daniels taking Best Director and Best Original Screenplay? Maybe the latter, but the former? That just would not have happened. So, voters are potentially getting cooler, not just in embracing something offbeat like this, but to the degree that they did.
Oppenheimer, on the other hand, is definitely more traditional seeming, on the surface at least, but the execution is almost too good for Oscar. What almost makes it so interesting and surprising is that it’s Nolan. He’s more associated with cool cinema than prestige cinema, even though he’s really been able to bridge the two, obviously with Oppenheimer being ground zero. That’s what makes the potential juggernaut nature of the biopic so pleasing, as opposed to exhausting, even if you might have personally cast your vote elsewhere. If we’re going to have more hauls like this, let them be like Oppenheimer, I say.
Will it sustain? I honestly don’t know, but if it can, I’m certainly here for it. Now, I’m full in favor of Oscar spreading the wealth, but if we’re getting dominance, I’ll always take these kinds of works over what has more traditionally done it. In a few weeks, Oppenheimer is likely to crush the Academy Awards. Where things go from there? We shall see…
Stay tuned to see just how well Oppenheimer does at the Academy Awards and how Oscar carries this trend forward in the years to come!
Too soon to say. I think every year is different. We have moved into an era that has chosen the less typical best picture winner.
Oppenheimer might have more competition if there was any one film to focus on. The same thing happened last year there was no one obvious alternative. This year in particular they all have people who have the passion factor although Maestro may be the exception ( personally liked it) .
This year like last year I am sure everyone has other favorites along with the front runner. Maybe there’s just less front runner fatigue the last two years.
I do think it’s interesting so many films are going home empty handed. That of make an argument against having ten nominees. I actually like when it was up to ten but it usually eight or nine.
Very apt comment. The typical winner is no longer our typical winner.
Oppenheimer would be the most typical example in recent years but I don’t expect that to happen every year.
No, definitely not. The telling example will be with future years and if things resembling Everything Everywhere All At Once can do it.