by Mick the Ram

There has been widespread excitement around movie-land with the announcement of the nominations for the 2024 Oscars.

The 96th Academy Awards event will take place on Sunday 10 March at the Dolby Theatre, Ovation, Hollywood, and will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for what will be his fourth time.

As is always the case, several films have dominated the nominations. Oppenheimer as expected received the most with it being nominated 13 times, followed by Poor Things on 11, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon getting 10.

Also par for the course is the fuss made for those who miss out, with the greatest this year being voiced by fans of the movie Barbie, who feel the snub of Margot Robbie for her lead role and its director Greta Gerwig, were grossly unjust.

Tough ask to break record

Receiving 13 nominations is some going for Oppenheimer, but it will take something special for it to actually break the record for most Oscars by a single film. That accolade is currently shared between three movies spanning almost half a century: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

They all won 11 each, so to better that Christopher Nolan’s story of the man behind the creation of the atomic bomb during the 2nd World War, will have to succeed in all but one of the categories it has been nominated in.

Expected to claim high percentage

Nevertheless, such was its appeal and critical acclaim it must have a very good chance of scooping a good percentage from its nominated areas. As well as Best Picture and Best Director, its cast have also been acknowledged in Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Additionally it is recognised in: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay); Best Film Editing; Best Cinematography; Best Music (Original Score); Best Sound; Best Production Design; Best Costume Design; and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

The film falls one short of the 14 that is the record for nominations. That is also held jointly by three films: All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016).

High quality opposition

Oppenheimer’s faces some stiff opposition for Best Picture with unsurprisingly its big rival from the summer, Barbie receiving a nomination. The others in this prestigious category are: American Fiction; Anatomy of a Fall; The Holdovers; Killers of the Flower Moon; Maestro; Past Lives; Poor Things; and The Zone of Interest.

Woman director fancied to scoop award

In the Best Director category the gripping French courtroom drama – Anatomy of a Fall’s Justine Triet, has become only the eighth woman to be nominated and will be tough competition for Oppenheimer’s Christopher Nolan, who was previously nominated in the same category for Dunkirk.

The other three nominees: Yorgos Lanthimos for the bizarre Poor Things; Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest; and strongly fancied Martin Scorsese and his Killers of the Flower Moon, will also receive plenty of supporting voices.

Barbie hoping not to end empty handed

Fans of the fantasy comedy Barbie have been shouting loudly about injustice in the nominations, but the film does have several opportunities for success with Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera likely to be well in the running for Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Roles.

Additionally, Director Greta Gerwig has a chance of success in the Best Writing (adapted screenplay) category along with Noah Baumbach. Two original songs have made it into the Best Music category, and the movie also features in the list of nominees for both Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.