Award season is upon us and I couldn’t be happier. For myself, when the Oscars roll around, I get the same feeling that I do for the NFL draft: manic excitement. I want to read, write, and know about everything that’s occurring. I can’t get enough. While the 96th Academy Awards are still over a month away, I feel confident in my ballot and have solidified my votes (which mean next to nothing, but it’s fun to do).
This ballot blog isn’t my prediction on what or who will win, but my personal picks. As we get closer to the actual ceremony, I’ll release my gambling guide to the Oscars with the favorites and titillating underdogs. For now though, you get my picks.
Best Picture: Oppenheimer
Despite Oppenheimer not being my favorite film of 2023 (it was second), it’s truly a formative film for generations to come the same way that Amadeus, JFK, and The Insider have been. Oppenheimer is a three hour biopic about the man who made the atomic bomb and it was beloved by just about everyone, including myself. It feels like a no-brainer for Oppenheimer to win Best Picture. Anything else would be highway robbery.
Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
FINALLY. Finally, Christopher Nolan will get his Oscar. After years of creating films like Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight, along with many other films that’ll be remembered as classics, he should be rewarded for his work on Oppenheimer. To construct a three hour, R-Rated biopic about the man who created the atomic bomb and to turn it into a cultural phenomenon is nothing short of immaculate. No director this year can hold a candle to what Nolan did this year.
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
I’ve toggled back-and-forth between Murphy and Paul Giamatti, and at first, I wrote Murphy. Then I changed it to Giamatti. Now, I’m back to voting for Cillian Murphy for Best Actor. His understated acting works wonders in Oppenheimer, and a scene that exemplifies that is when everyone is celebrating at Los Alamos following the successful test of the atomic bomb. His eyes are glassy and he’s sporting a proud smile. He’s not weeping uncontrollably or withholding emotion. He’s showing that he’s simply proud of what he was able to do. That’s the moment that solidified Murphy as my pick for Best Actor.
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)
The Best Actress category is very strong this year, but my personal favorite is Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon. Despite my minor issues with her character essentially being tortured for the main chunk of the third act, I think he’s unbelievable. I did like Stone in Poor Things and Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall, but Gladstone brought a raw energy to the screen that I was attracted to.
Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon)
I’m going with back-to-back Killers of the Flower Moon actors. I found that De Niro’s character in Killers of the Flower Moon was his most sinister character over his whole career. More evil than Travis Bickle, Max Cady, and Neil McCauley combined. His demonic puppeteering of all the characters involved was wild to watch, and his ability to play up his elderly charm to mask this devilish behavior blew me away. He’s got my vote.
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)
The biggest breakout performance of 2023 might’ve come from Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers. She morphs into an emotional character that’s tremendously layered with her family dynamic and loneliness becoming more than an ancillary figure. Emily Blunt and Jodie Foster are good, but nowhere near what Randolph brings to The Holdovers.
Best Original Screenplay: Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a Fall)
It’s a strong year for Best Screenplay, and even though I loved the scripts for The Holdovers and Past Lives, Anatomy of a Fall stands out as a one-of-one screenplay. The transition from an emotional crime mystery to a courtroom drama was thrilling. The dialogue’s tight, but the scene that sticks out was when Sandra and her husband have a blow-up argument. It’s remnant of the fight from Marriage Story, but dare I say it’s better? I think it’s better. Memorable moments like that make the Anatomy of a Fall script rise above the rest.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Christoper Nolan (Oppenheimer)
Like I mentioned with my vote being cast for Nolan for Best Director, to have the ability to do an R-Rated biopic about the man who made the atomic bomb become a phenomenon, let alone palatable, is amazing. And it started with his script. I own the screenplay book and I’ve read certain portions from it following my multiple viewings and the script still leaves me slack-jawed. Nolan’s writing is second to none. This might be his best script.
Best Animated Feature: Robot Dreams
I saw Robot Dreams at the Montclair Film Festival last year and fell in love with it. There’s no dialogue, but Pablo Berger crafts a heartwarming relationship through animated emotions and the usage of actions. While the juggernaut Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse probably has everyone’s attention, I implore you to watch Robot Dreams. It parallels Up in the way that bonds are formed makes for a refreshing twist on friendships in film.
Best International Feature Film: The Zone of Interest
Last year, Edward Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front was nominated for both Best Picture and Best International Feature. It was the only film that year to be nominated for both. I’m applying that same logic towards Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. Alfonso Cuarón recently called it the “most important film of the century” and while I don’t whole heartedly agree, I understand his sentiment. It should be no real competition for The Zone of Interest to win Best International Feature.
Best Live Action Short Film: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
2023 was a busy year for Wes Anderson. While I wasn’t thrilled with what Asteroid City was, I adored his Roald Dahl short film adaptations he made for Netflix. Of those, my favorite was The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and it gets my vote for Best Live Action Short Film. It’s quirky in Anderson’s typical fashion, but contains concise storytelling that he’s made us accustom to. It feels weird to say that he might win his first Oscar for a short film and not for The Royal Tenenbaums or Fantastic Mr. Fox or The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer)
Personally, I’d love to cast my vote for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score in The Killer, but that didn’t get nominated. It’s a shame. Nevertheless, I’m casting my vote for Ludwig Göransson’s score in Oppenheimer. His score plays a pivotal role in the emotions you feel towards Oppenheimer and what Nolan wants you to feel. When Nolan started working with Göransson and not Zimmer starting with Tenet, I was a bit nervous because of how great Zimmer is, but Göransson is a machine. He deserves this Oscar.
Best Original Song: I’m Just Ken (Barbie)
It’s a power ballad belted out by the dreamy Ryan Gosling. What’s not to love about I’m Just Ken? Frankly, it’s one of the few bearable moments of the Barbie film and should be rewarded. It’s a shame that he won’t be performing it if he wins, but that shouldn’t halt the voters from picking I’m Just Ken as the Best Original Song of 2023.
Best Sound: Oppenheimer
One scene should stand out as the reason for Oppenheimer being the best film in the Best Sound category. The delay of the atomic bomb being tested and silencing every theater it played in was a cinematic landmark. Nothing else can compete. Nothing else should compete. The entire sound crew for Oppenheimer helped make it the generation defining film that it is.
Best Production Design: Oppenheimer
Another vote for Oppenheimer. While a lot of the production design isn’t flashy like Barbie or Napoleon, it’s accurate. The recreation of Los Alamos was the most impressive part of the design in my eyes. Looking at old pictures of the real Los Alamos, you see that Nolan and company made it as accurate as humanly possible. To make a biopic to this level with as much importance as it has needs to be meticulous. That’s what we got with Oppenheimer.
Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer
Highlighting the cinematography of Oppenheimer isn’t easy because there’s so much to discuss. Whether it’s the flipping from black and white to color or the visual of the bomb being tested at Los Alamos, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema worked wonders. The only other real competitor has to be Killers of the Flower Moon, but I’m voting for Oppenheimer.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Poor Things
When you look at the characters in Poor Things, nothing is normal about them. Willem Dafoe has a scarred face, Emma Stone sports bright makeup, and Mark Ruffalo sports an understated haircut and mustache combo. All of that, which made the film what it was, and what is was was a quirky dystopian Frankenstein rendition, can be attributed to the makeup and hairstyling department.
Best Costume Design: Poor Things
Like I mentioned with Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Poor Things is far from normal. That’s what Lanthimos wanted and he delivered with the makeup, hairstyling, and costume designs. The elegant gowns that Stone flaunted paired nicely with the extravagant suits donned by Ruffalo, Dafoe, and Youssef. I see the other nominees and think that no other film did a better job with costume design than Poor Things.
Best Film Editing: Killers of the Flower Moon
No editor does it better on a consistent basis than Thelma Schoonmaker. Scorsese’s longtime collaborator has edited great films like Silence, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Goodfellas, but Killers of the Flower Moon might be her most impressive feat. This film needed a macabre tone and slow pacing to build suspense. Schoonmaker did just that and helped make this film a modern masterpiece.
Best Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One
Look up literally any clip from Godzilla Minus One and you’ll comprehend why I’m voting for it. It was one of the surprise films of 2023 and its visuals stunned audiences worldwide, including myself. Looking at its competition, I can’t fathom a thought of anything else winning. The bright colors and creation of Godzilla on screen was something to ogle at.