The 96th Oscars: a night of surprise and groundbreaking records 

Courtesy of Variety

Emma Stone as Bella Baxter in “Poor Things”

On March 10 and six minutes past the expected time, the 96th edition of the Oscars began with Jimmy Kimmel taking the stage for his fourth turn as Oscars host. Highlights of the night included John Cena announcing Holly Waddington’s award for best costume design while naked other than a strategically placed piece of paper, and Ryan Gosling delivering a memorable performance of “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie.” For my money, this year’s show was much more interesting than most previous years. 

“Oppenheimer” emerged as the big winner, capturing seven Oscars, including some major categories like Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Picture. “Barbie” scored a total of eight nominations, but only got one win for best original song: Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s “What Was I Made For?”. Cillian Murphy won Best Actor for his performance in “Oppenheimer,” Emma Stone won Best Actress for her performance in “Poor Things,” and Robert Downy Jr, expectedly, won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Oppenheimer.” “Barbie” was most notably nominated for Best Picture, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.  Stand-out nominations for “Poor Things” include Best Cinematography and it won in the category of Best Costume Design. “Killers of the Flower Moon” was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Music (original score), Best Picture, and Best Production Design but didn’t take home any Oscar wins. Notably,  Lily Gladstone made history by becoming the first Native American to be nominated for Best Lead Actress for her role in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

With its interesting and suspenseful plot structure, first-rate casting, complex characters and original music by Ludwig Goransson, “Oppenheimer” deserved its seven Oscars and its nominations in 13 categories. It was riveting from the start, and I argue that it was one of Christopher Nolan’s best works. Somehow, Nolan was able to create a 3-hour biopic and make it enthralling to the end. 

Despite the few victories “Barbie” recorded, the movie’s impact on the industry and culture generally was oversize. 

Even though “Barbie” won nine Golden Globe nominations, Ryan Gosling being nominated for Best Supporting Actor — but not the director Greta Gerwig or Barbie herself Margot Robbie — was proof that the Academy had “missed the point” of the film. While Nolan deserves the Best Director award for “Oppenheimer,” Gerwig deserved a nomination. 

As for the “Barbie” soundtrack, Eilish is the youngest person in history to win two Academy Awards, making history at this year’s Oscars. This award was well deserved; Gerwig ​​showed Eilish and O’Connell the song’s scene, and O’Connell created a piece that perfectly resonated with Barbie and the movie as a whole. While the other nominees, “I’m Just Ken” (Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt,) “It Never Went Away” (Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson), “Wahzhazhe” (Scott George), and “The Fire Ins-ide” (Diane Warren) were all outstanding pieces, Eilish and O’Connell’s “What Was I Made For?” stood out through its poignant lyrics and Ellish’s astonishing vocals. 

Wearing a gem-embroidered pink suit and sunglasses, Gosling took the stage performing “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie.” Though Gosling did not receive the award, his performance was the most memorable of the evening. 

Emma Stone won her second Best Actress Oscar following her first for her performance as Mia in “La La Land.” If I had to describe “Poor Things” in two words, it would be a crazy rollercoaster. The extremely uncomfortable premise and deluded characters created a one-of-a-kind film that surpassed my expectations. Stone embodies her character Bella Baxter, a young woman in Victorian London who has a brain transplant to resurrect her life, perfectly. Over the course of the 2.5 hours of the movie, Stone creates a character that is simultaneously curious, eccentric, hilarious, childish, touching and completely freakish — a beautiful depiction of human development. 

When Michelle Yeoh handed Stone her Oscar, she looked completely flabbergasted — as there were many people convinced that Lily Gladstone would take the award for her performance as Mollie Burkhart in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Yet, I would argue that Gladstone should have won Best Supporting Actress, instead of lead — when you think of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Gladstone isn’t the first person to come to mind; but Stone perfectly embodies her character in “Poor Things.” 

Ultimately, this year a lot went right with the nominees and, for most categories, there were many rightfully deserved awards.