Oscars Sunday is my favorite holiday.

I went all out for last year’s Oscars, printing out prediction cards and making movie-themed snacks (including bagels for Everything Everywhere All At Once, of course). I invited friends over for a watch party with the condition that you had to show up dressed as a character from a nominated movie. 

This year, confined to a dorm room, I watched the 96th Academy Awards in my twin bed without a costume, but still made my yearly predictions. 

The Acting Categories

I correctly guessed both male winners – Robert Downey Jr. for Best Supporting Actor and Cillian Murphy for Best Actor – affirming my assumption that “Oppenheimer” would sweep in both nominations and wins.  

I expected and partially hoped that America Ferrera would take home the Best Supporting Actress award, making up for the lack of recognition for “Barbie” in categories like Best Director and Best Actress. When Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s name was called, I was shocked, despite her win for the same category in the Golden Globes. 

I wasn’t the biggest fan of “The Holdovers” – a sweet movie, yet not as worthy of Academy Awards as some of my other favorites of the past year – but Randolph’s character, Mary Lamb, a grieving mother and cook, was the most redeeming and rewarding part of the film. 

Being her first nomination and win, I expected a snub for Randolph, but after her acceptance speech, I realized that there was nobody who deserved the win more than her.

“For so long, I’ve always wanted to be different, and now I realize I just need to be myself,” Randolph said as she accepted her award.

My second shock was Emma Stone for Best Actress. I predicted that it would go to Lily Gladstone for her performance in “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” and couldn’t imagine anyone winning  but Gladstone. Gladstone’s portrayal of Mollie Burkhart was sickening and real. Her character is very reserved, but she manages to bring her to life with very little dialogue. Her movements and acting choices are subtle, skillful and internal. The way she gradually descends into illness, even to the brink of death is both intense and precise.

Not only did I see Gladstone’s portrayal of Burkhart as the best performance of the year, but one of the best of the decade and without a doubt the best of her career so far.

While I adored “Poor Things” and thought it was undoubtedly the best film of the year, nothing can compete with Gladstone. Stone’s character development as the vibrant Bella Baxter was beautiful and radical in its themes of womanhood, control and sexual liberation. I predicted that if the award didn’t go to Gladstone, Stone would take it home. 

I think Stone also believed it would go to the “Killers” star. When addressing her fellow nominees, she said that they all share the award, gesturing to Gladstone.

Not to mention that had Gladstone won, she would have been the first Native American actress to win the award. Her snub left me heartbroken.

The Technical Categories

Of the tech awards, I correctly guessed two: Costume Design and Original Screenplay.

“Poor Things” took home the award for costuming, which it wholly deserved. Especially Bella Baxter’s wardrobe fit with frills, layers, pastels, sheer fabric and dramatic puffy sleeves. The costume design added to the already surrealist world Baxter inhabits. Her consciousness itself is already uncanny, but her Victorian style that unapologetically takes up space accentuates this.

The French film “Anatomy of a Fall” won for its original screenplay. “Anatomy” was one of my favorite films of the year and introduced me to one of the most talented actresses of the awards season, Sandra Hüller, who also starred in the nominated film “The Zone Of Interest.”

The script was one of the biggest strengths of “Anatomy of a Fall,” as some parts of it are very slow. The film acts as both a murder mystery and a courtroom drama, showing writer and director Justine Triet’s ability to write effective dialogue for both genres. 

Especially in courtroom scenes, Triet’s monologues take control. She writes in French, German and English with an equal amount of skill. Another monologue, spoken by Hüller’s character, went viral on TikTok for both its writing and her performance.

“You’re not a victim! Not at all!” Hüller shouts at her husband. “ Your generosity conceals something dirtier and meaner. You’re incapable of facing your ambitions, and you resent me for it,” 

Other notable feats in the technical categories include “The Zone Of Interest” winning for sound design. Facing the monster that is “Oppenheimer,” where the infamous scene of testing the atomic bomb could have been heard in nearby theaters by fans watching “Barbie,” it felt like yet another win for “Oppenheimer” was inevitable. 

“Zone’s” sound was new and groundbreaking. Sound designers Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn were able to use their talents to convey proximity with muffled gunshots, screaming, fear and anticipation by opening the film with rapid whispering and uncanny string instruments.

“Poor Things” beat the expected winner, “Barbie,” for production design. Director Greta Gerwig created a realistic Barbieland with her design choices, causing a worldwide pink paint shortage. However, “Poor Things” was more advanced in this world-building, creating a Dali-esque version of London, Lisbon, Alexandria, Paris and the ocean. These real cities are dreamlike in the film, like a limbo between our world and Baxter’s.

Best Picture: A Plea For Recognition Beyond Blockbusters 

“Oppenheimer” was a polarizing, yet undeniably masterful achievement in filmmaking and practical effects. Christopher Nolan knows how to make a great movie, I can admit that. Regardless, I am so over blockbuster films.

“Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies, or 50 $4 million movies,”  Cord Jefferson, writer and director of “American Fiction,” said in his acceptance speech.

I would much rather see the 2025 Oscars full of appreciating breakout actors and low-budget films than awarding multi-million dollar productions over and over again.

Wes Anderson received his first-ever Oscar for his live-action short film, “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar” despite having made high quality, stylistic and charming films consistently since his debut film “Bottle Rocket” in 1996.

“Barbie” was a great achievement, but I much prefer Gerwig’s earlier work like “Little Women” and “Lady Bird” before she was given an expansive cast of A-list actors, a bottomless budget and a major corporate sponsor in Mattel.

I knew “Oppenheimer” would win Best Picture, it was one of the most expensive films nominated this year and the Academy’s beloved Nolan had not yet received this award. I wasn’t utterly disappointed that the award didn’t go to my less-acknowledged favorites, but I can only hope that smaller films can get the recognition they deserve in future awards seasons.

Edited by Alex Goldstein | agoldstein@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com