Latest Movie News: The acclaimed film “Oppenheimer” shone brightly at the 96th Academy Awards, sweeping major awards with a total of seven wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing. The victory of this film was without suspense and met industry expectations.
The film’s outstanding performance was not only reflected in the number of awards won. Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. both received accolades for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, for their superb performances. Moreover, the work “Poor Thing” also achieved significant success at the Oscars, bagging three awards, including Best Art Direction.
Noteworthy performances also included Emma Stone, who, for her excellent acting in the film, won the Best Actress award, marking another victory following “La La Land.” The film “The Interest Area,” set against the backdrop of the Auschwitz concentration camp, did not hold back and successfully secured Best International Feature Film and Best Sound. Da’mine Joy Randolph received acclaim for her performance in “The Stay-in-School Union,” taking home the Best Supporting Actress award.
In the animated film arena, Hayao Miyazaki’s new work “What Sort of Life Do You Want” defeated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” to win the Best Animated Feature Film award. Miyazaki had previously won this honor in 2003 with “Spirited Away” and has once again proven his animation production prowess.
Speaking of the highly acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan, his works have always managed to balance commercial success with artistic integrity. Throughout his career, films such as “Memento,” “Inception,” and “Dunkirk” have attracted widespread attention and received Oscar nominations, yet had never won an award.
This time, “Oppenheimer” became Nolan’s crowning achievement, bringing him his first Oscar for Best Director, a win that was undoubtedly deserved by popular demand. Cillian Murphy, as Nolan’s longtime collaborator, took on the lead role in a Nolan film for the first time, earning acclamation for Best Actor for this feat.
Robert Downey Jr. shed his movie star aura in “Oppenheimer,” fully immersing himself in the portrayal of this historical figure, with a performance that was commendable. Typically less seen in supporting roles, his precise grasp of the character not only elevated the film’s artistry but also won him his first Oscar statuette.
During last year’s North American summer season, “Oppenheimer,” released on the same day as the film “Barbie,” stirred up a “Barbieheimer” craze and achieved remarkable success globally. “Barbie” became last year’s highest-grossing film worldwide with a box office gross of 1.445 billion dollars, with “Oppenheimer” closely following at 957 million dollars. However, in the Oscars’ judgment, “Barbie” did not seem to be favored by the jury, winning only Best Original Song for “What Was I Made For.”
On the highly anticipated day of the nomination announcement, the director of “Barbie,” Greta Gerwig, and the film’s lead actress, Margot Robbie, were notably absent from the nominations for Best Director and Best Actress, a situation that certainly caused a stir. Despite “Barbie” not winning these prestigious honors during the awards ceremony that night, the film successfully left its distinctive mark within the auditorium.
In his speech, Ryan Gosling, who portrayed Ken in the movie, humorously mentioned how “Oppenheimer” had dominated the media spotlight throughout the summer, almost as if it were basking in the halo of “Barbie.” Gosling then lived up to expectations by performing the film’s hit song “I’m Just Ken” live, turning the entire awards ceremony into a Barbie-esque pink dream.
When it comes to disappointment, perhaps no film can be compared with “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Directed by Martin Scorsese and led by Leonardo DiCaprio, the film received as many as 10 nominations but failed to clinch any awards. The actress Lily Gladstone, who played the Native American woman Molly in the film, despite receiving widespread attention and high expectations to win, did not manage to overcome Emma Stone. Nevertheless, Gladstone’s nomination made history as she became the first Native American to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress.
At this Oscar ceremony, “Poor Things,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, captured three significant technical awards for its excellent technical performance. The film had won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival the year before and received numerous nominations during the subsequent North American awards season, which led to rising discussion. However, the film has also been controversial due to its profound themes and unique style of presentation.
The film delves into topics of female self-awareness and intellectual liberation in a surreal fairytale manner, exposing the various oppressions faced by late Victorian era women, while at the same time, through a fantastical narrative method, endowing the female protagonist with great strength and courage. It offers viewers a fresh perspective to examine the social status of women. However, some critics believe that “Poor Things,” despite appearing bold and radical on the surface, actually conceals its ideological superficiality and conservatism, and is merely a commercial pandering to the trendy topic of women.
Despite the controversy over the film’s expression methods, Emma Stone’s portrayal has won even wider acclaim. Her character Bella was initially a tragic figure who, having escaped her husband’s abuse and tragically perished, was granted a new life with the help of a scientist but retained a child’s innocence and boundless curiosity and desire for the unknown world. Through her performance, Emma Stone depicted a female image striving to break free from the prejudices of the era, seeking equality, and sexual liberation, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
Besides Emma Stone, another highly esteemed work is Hayao Miyazaki’s “What Kind of Life Do You Want to Live?” The film tells a growth story set against the backdrop of World War II, depicting the experiences of the young male protagonist Makoto as he forms a new family with his father and stepmother following his mother’s death. An unexpected event leads Makoto into an abandoned tower with a talking heron, sparking a breathtaking adventure. Inspired by Genzaburō Yoshino’s 1937 publication with the same name, Hayao Miyazaki contributed a uniquely original story to the film.
“What Kind of Life Do You Want to Lead?” is a soul-stirring work that shows the confusion of a young boy about friendship, discrimination, and other issues during his growth. Through discussions with his uncle, the film delves into the truly important character traits and values, and deeply reflects on the prevailing concepts in the Japanese society at that time. Hayao Miyazaki mentioned in his memoir the strong emotions and nostalgia he felt when he first read the book. The success of this work not only affirms Miyazaki’s artistic achievements but also proves his unmatched narrative power once again.
This film contains a strong stream of consciousness and its plot is somewhat esoteric, in addition, it pays great attention to the deep expression of art. Some viewers pointed out that Miyazaki usually seeks a balance between the market and personal preferences in his works, but in this one, he seems to fully display his personal style and freedom. The global box office revenue of this movie has exceeded 167 million US dollars. With the awards given, the official has also released the Chinese poster of the film and announced that it will enter mainland China’s cinemas.
Moreover, a movie that won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year and the Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Oscars, “The Judgement of the Fallen,” is also set to be released in the mainland’s theaters on March 29. This film wraps a crime mystery genre and delicately depicts the story of the plight faced by women in marriage.
The award winners at the 96th Oscars ceremony are as follows:
- Best Picture: “Oppenheimer”
- Best Director: Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”)
- Best Actress: Emma Stone (“Poor Things”)
- Best Actor: Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”)
- Best Supporting Actress: Davina Joy Randolph (“Stay in School Union”)
- Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: “An American Novel”
- Best Original Screenplay: “The Judgement of the Fallen”
- Best International Feature Film: “The Interest Zone” (United Kingdom)
- Best Documentary Feature: “Mariupol’s 20 Days”
- Best Animated Feature: “What Kind of Life Do You Want to Lead?”
- Best Film Editing: “Oppenheimer”
- Best Original Song: “What Was I Made For?” (“Barbie”)
- Best Original Score: “Oppenheimer”
- Best Cinematography: “Oppenheimer”
- Best Costume Design: “Poor Things”
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “Poor Things”
- Best Production Design: “Poor Things”
- Best Sound: “The Interest Zone”
- Best Visual Effects: “Godzilla-1.0”
- Best Live Action Short Film: “The Marvelous Story of Henry Huge”
- Best Animated Short Film: “The War is Over! Inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Music”
- Best Documentary Short Subject: “The Last Repair Shop”
