“Barbenheimer” could not be denied.
Meanwhile, “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig will have to wait until next year. Or the following year.
The summer movie sensations known as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” respectively were nominated for a total of 21 Oscars on Tuesday. “Oppenheimer” looks like it will be the big winner when it opens on March 10th. Director Christopher Nolan's take on the creation of the atomic bomb could dominate.
“Barbie” won two awards, Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor, but Gerwig's disdain will be the loudest in an industry obsessed with identity checks.
The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite might also work.
“The Color Purple,'' a musical update of Steven Spielberg's 1985 classic, was shut out in most major categories.
Completely shut out? “Origin,'' directed by Black filmmaker and activist Ava DuVernay. The film divided critics for its preachy look at race in America, which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson.
Key players in the film have been vocal about it being ignored during larger awards season competitions. DuVernay complained that the studio's small budget prevented it from competing with better-funded competitors.
“Origin” star Aunjanue Ellis Taylor told Variety earlier this week that the movie would be empty. “That ship has sailed, and that's okay.””
she used to played the race card This would explain the film's poor awards season showing.
“I think it's creatively brave, I think it's message-wise, it's brave and it's confronting things in an innovative way,” Ellis-Taylor continued. “And I just think, we [in Hollywood] Give awards to white people who do such work. ”
But “American Fiction,” stories of black intellectuals thwarted by the literary world's woke virtue signals, fared much better. This biting satire was warmly received by both liberal Hollywood and progressive critics, despite its skewering of virtue-advocating tropes.
Additionally, multiple black actors were nominated in acting categories, from Da'Vine Joy Randolph for “The Holdovers” to Coleman Domingo for “Rustin'.”
The nominations recognized several films that are unfamiliar to most movie fans. “Zone of Interest,” a sophisticated take on the monsters behind a Nazi-era concentration camp, has so far grossed just $1.5 million in U.S. theaters.
The imported version, “Anatomy of a Fall,” similarly underwhelmed in the U.S. with $3.9 million.
“Past Lives,'' a touching story of childhood sweethearts reuniting as adults, earned $10.9 million.
At least “The Holdovers,” another modest box office success ($18 million), is currently available on Peacock's streaming service.
The most surprising nominee may be America Ferrera. The “Ugly Betty'' actress was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for “Barbie.'' She plays a woman whose daughter rejects everything Barbie represents.
Ferrera's ranting lectures about why it's “impossible” to be a woman stop the feminist film from being cold. Her performance has been good overall, but perhaps a small number of voters were attracted to her cause at that moment.
The actress leaned into the film's feminist DNA during awards season, giving a speech at the Critics' Choice Awards that said: Awakened Manifesto.
“To me, this is the highest and best use of storytelling: affirming the full humanity of each other, black, brown, indigenous, Asian, trans, disabled, all body types, no gender. .We all deserve a rich and true reflection of our lives.”
Ferrera also called this film: We need explicit feminism.
“There are a lot of people who need Feminism 101.”
Message received. So, will viewers accept this year's nominated films?
Far-left comedian Jimmy Kimmel will once again host the Oscars on March 10th on ABC. There's no denying that the former “Man Show” host has transitioned from comedian to promoter thanks to his showcase on ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Still, Kimmel toned down his political jokes last year and watched the show's ratings rise starting in 2022. 3rd worst rating performance That's been the case for galas in the past, but it's a rare uptick given the disappointing state of today's awards show.
(The recent Emmy Awards telecast was sluggish.) lowest number ever. )
Barring a dramatic change in the polls, President Donald Trump is now the presumptive Republican nominee to unseat President Joe Biden this fall. The U.S.-Mexico border is a concern for both Democrats and liberals. And every week, a new disturbing video clip of President Biden appearing lost on stage is released.
Can Kimmel resist all of the above and do his best imitation of Billy Crystal to give us a united show that celebrates Hollywood rather than industry politics?
We'll find out on March 10th.
