The 2024 Oscars were both predictable and unexpected, with all the awards going to the favorites, during a mostly sedated and politically correct Jimmy Kimmel as a host. However, the 96th Academy Awards were also funny, moving, and surprisingly political, with speeches touching on the conflict in Gaza, the war in Ukraine.
As many critics anticipated, "Oppenheimer" was the big winner of the 96th Academy Awards, with seven Oscars, followed by "Poor Things," with four. And in a plot twist that few people expected, Ryan Gosling lost the Oscar but won the night. The best moment of the ceremony was during his musical number of "I Am Just Ken."
The ceremony started, after Kimmel's bland monologue, with a beautiful moment between America Ferrera and Rita Moreno, who talked about her amazing "Barbie" performance, during the presentation of the award for Best Supporting actress. The award went, as expected, to Da'Vine Joy Randolph, for her performance at "The Holdovers."
During the first hour of the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, the winners for Best Animated Short and Best Animated Movie were also announced, presented by Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, who star in the upcoming movie "Furiosa," part of the Mad Max Universe. The winners were 'War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko'! and "The Boy and the Heron."
While it would have been nice that the animated features "Robot Dreams," (from Spain) or "Spider-Man Across the Spiderverse" (filled with Latino talent) took the Oscar home, it was sweet to see Sean Lennon Ono give a shout out to his mom, Yoko Ono, who turned 91 this February.
While many actors wore a red pin, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, Jonathan Glazer, the director and writer for "Zone of Interest," winner of Best Adapted Screenplay, said: "Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness in a holocaust being hijacked by an occupation that has led to conflict for so many innocent people."
Irish actor Cillian Murphy, the star of "Oppenheimer" and winner of Best Actor, dedicated his Oscar to "all the peace keepers."
Cillian Murphy’s acceptance speech after winning Best Actor at the #Oscars
— Christopher Nolan Art & Updates (@NolanAnalyst) March 11, 2024
pic.twitter.com/tW2MpfpW5L
Notable moments at the 96th Academy Awards
Although the ceremony was somehow predictable, and boring at times, There were some unforgettable moments, and hilarious bits, starting with John Cena showing up naked to present the Best Costume Design category, which was won by "Poor Things."
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny De Vito, and Michael Keaton reliving their Batman beef was an iconic moment. America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon interacting with Steven Spielberg about nudes and dinosaurs was something else.
The musical numbers were outstanding. Jon Batiste was spectacular, as was the musician of the Osage tribe. Billie Eilish and FINNEAS managed to give another eerie performance of "What Was I Made For."
The siblings won the Academy Award for Best Song, and made history while at it. Billie Eilish became the first woman to win two Oscars in her category. The first one was for the James Bond song "No Time to Die" in 2022.
But the ceremony belonged to Gosling. He and Emily Blunt had the audience tearing up from laughter while fighting about which movie had the biggest success: "Barbie" or "Oppenheimer," while honoring the stunt actors. And then there was "I Am Just Ken."
Gosling started his performance with composer Mark Ronson. Then Guns 'N' Roses guitarist Slash joined them on stage, where they were met with 64 dancers and four other Kens: Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti, and Scott Evans.
Then Gosling went to the audience, and Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Ferrera, and even his co-star from "Lalaland," Emma Stone, sang with him. It was Hollywood at its best.
Latinos left empty handed at the 2024 Oscars
While there has been an increase in Latino representation both in front and behind the camera, the 96th Academy Awards weren't kind to the nominees from the Hispanic community. Both America Ferrera and Coleman Domingo lost in their respective categories. The director and cast of the Spanish film "Society of the Snow," the only Spanish language film in the competition, also left empty handed.
Acclaimed cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, the only Mexican nominated this year, also lost the Oscar for the fourth time.
Bad Bunny, one of the most expected presenters of the night, spoke in Spanish when he shared the stage with the Rock, but his appearance was very short and bland.
On the other hand, Becky G had an incredibly moving presentation, when she performed the Oscar nominated song "The Fire Inside;" together with a chorus of young girls from her birth city of Inglewood, next to Los Angeles.
See the whole list of nominations (winners are in bold.)
Best Picture
"American Fiction"
"Anatomy of a Fall"
"Barbie"
"The Holdovers"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Maestro"
"Oppenheimer" - WINNER
"Past Lives"
"Poor Things"
"The Zone of Interest"
Best Director
Christopher Nolan — "Oppenheimer" - WINNER
Jonathan Glazer — "The Zone of Interest"
Justine Triet — "Anatomy of a Fall"
Martin Scorsese — "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Yorgos Lanthimos — "Poor Things"
Lead Actress
Annette Bening — "Nyad"
Carey Mulligan — "Maestro"
Emma Stone — "Poor Things" - WINNER
Lily Gladstone — "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Sandra Hüller — "Anatomy of a Fall"
Lead Actor
Bradley Cooper — "Maestro"
Colman Domingo — "Rustin"
Paul Giamatti — "The Holdovers"
Cillian Murphy — "Oppenheimer" - WINNER
Jeffrey Wright — "American Fiction"
Original Song
"It Never Went Away" from "American Symphony"
"I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie"
"The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot"
"Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)" from "Killers of the Flower Moon"
"What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie" - WINNER
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) - WINNER
Ryan Gosling (Barbie)
Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)
Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction)
Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt — "Oppenheimer"
Danielle Brooks — "The Color Purple"
America Ferrera – "Barbie"
Jodie Foster — "Nyad"
Da'VineJoy Randolph — "The Holdovers" - WINNER
Cinematography
"El Conde" - Edward Lachman
"Killers of the Flower Moon" - Rodrigo Prieto
"Maestro" - Matthew Libatique
"Oppenheimer" - Hoyte van Hoytema - WINNER
"Poor Things" - Robbie Ryan
Best Animated Feature Film
"The Boy and the Heron" - WINNER
"Elemental"
"Nimona"
"Robot Dreams
"Spider-man Across the Spiderverse"
For Best International Feature
"Io Capitano"
"Perfect Days"
"Society Of The Snow"
"The Teacher's Lounge"
"The Zone Of Interest" - WINNER
Best Costume Design nominees
"Poor Things" - WINNER
"Barbie"
"Oppenheimer"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Napoleon"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
"Golda"
"Maestro"
"Oppenheimer"
"Poor Things" - WINNER
"Society of the Snow"
Production Design
"Poor Things" - WINNER
"Barbie""Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Napoleon"
"Oppenheimer"
Best Live Action Short
"The After"
"Invincible"
"Knight Of Fortune"
"Red, White And Blue"
"The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar" - WINNER
Animated Short
"Letter to a Pig"
"Ninety-Five Senses"
"Our Uniform"
"Pachyderme"
"War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko" - WINNER
Original Screenplay
"Anatomy of a Fall" - WINNER
"The Holdovers"
"Maestro"
"May December"
"Past Lives"
Adapted Screenplay
"American Fiction" — Cord Jefferson - WINNER
"Barbie" — Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
"Oppenheimer" — Christopher Nolan
"Poor Things" — Tony McNamara
"The Zone of Interest "— Jonathan Glazer
"The ABCs of Book Banning"
"The Barber of Little Rock"
"Island In Between"
"The Last Repair Shop"
"20 Days in Mariupol" - WINNER.
"Bobi Wine: The People's President"
"The Eternal Memory"
"Four Daughters."
"To Kill a Tiger."
Best Visual Effects
"The Creator"
"Gozilla Minus One" - WINNER
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
"Mission Imposible: Dead Reckoning P.1"
"Napoleon"
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