Will Oppenheimer explode? Read our critic’s unmissable award predictions OSCARS GOLD
It’s “Oppenheimer” night! Er, sorry, Oscars night!
Christopher Nolan’s prestige epic that remarkably grossed nearly $1 billion will be the big winner. But the award show will have its share of hot races, too. Post critic Johnny Oleksinski picks who will win and who should win at the 2024 Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel Sunday at 7 p.m. on ABC.
BEST PICTURE
Will Win, Should Win: “Oppenheimer”
If Christopher Nolan’s brilliant story of the father of the atomic bomb loses, it’ll be the biggest upset since the surprise victory of “Shakespeare In Love” over “Saving Private Ryan” in 1999. It’s won just about every other major award it’s been nominated for, and rightly so.
BEST ACTRESS
Will Win: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon” The Battle of the Stones (Gladstone vs. Emma Stone) has raged all season long.
But Gladstone’s triumph at the SAG Awards, for her role as a wronged Native American woman, should get her across the ultimate finish line.
Should Win: Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”
The German actress turned in a stunning duo of performances in “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Zone of Interest” that made her a talker for months. I can almost see her pulling an Olivia Colman — split the love and slide in for the win.
BEST ACTOR
Will Win, Should Win: Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
After Paul Giamatti’s Golden Globe and Critics Choice victories, he looked like the guy to beat. But momentum has swung back to the fantastic Murphy, whose tortured face was just as invigorating on the IMAX screen as Nolan’s epic filmmaking.
BEST DIRECTOR
Will Win, Should Win: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
How bizarre to read names such as Martin Scorsese, Yorgos Lanthimos and Jonathan Glazer and conclude they don’t have a shot. But they don’t. Not even
remotely. Nolan’s already won.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Will Win, Should Win: Robert Downey Jr. (below), “Oppenheimer”
Tony Stark is dead, long live Robert Downey Jr.’s acting career! The former MCU star proved he’s still got dramatic chops outside of that flying metal suit. He’s been an unstoppable force all award season.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Will Win, Should Win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
It’s hard to remember an actor winning the Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG, Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Award for a single role — but Randolph remarkably has for playing a school cook who’s suffered a tragedy.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Will Win, Should Win: “The Zone of Interest”
This striking Holocaust film took a novel approach to the genre — it chillingly focused on the Nazis willfully ignoring the horrors occurring right outside their doorsteps.
BEST SONG
Will Win, Should Win: “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie,” music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
In what’s not the greatest year for best song nominees, “What Was I Made For?” is the only (serious) one to make a cultural dent. So, it’s a second Oscar for Billie.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will Win: “Anatomy of a Fall” Should Win: “Past Lives” “Past Lives” has stuck powerfully in my mind since its Sundance premiere and, while writer-director Celine Song’s movie is on a more intimate scale than many of the Oscar films, the story of a decades-long, international crush/friendship is far better than most of them.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Will Win, Should Win:
“American Fiction”
Maybe “Barbie” edges it out, but voters have lately admired Cord Jefferson’s satirical script, while souring on Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s Mattel movie.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Will Win, Should Win: “Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse”
While it would feel good to see Hayao Miyazaki win for his likely final film (“Boy and the Heron”), “Across the Spider-Verse” is simply the better movie.