Hollywood’s night of nights is finally over, but before we get into all the winners, I want to touch on the show itself. Overall, this may be one of my favourite Oscars ceremonies in the last few years. Jimmy Kimmel returns to the hosting chair and does an incredible job at steering the ship with well-timed comedy, charisma and charm. The various skits spread throughout the show were all big hits, including the John Cena bit, the Barbenheimer banter, the Jurassic Park jokes and the Schwarzenegger x DeVito Twins reunion. The musical acts were all great, including both Barbie numbers – What I Was Made for was a chilling performance and I’m Just Ken lifted the roof off with a moment that will be many people’s highlight. I also loved the new format for announcing the acting categories – having 5 past winners come out and speak to each nominee individually was great. It’s a very long way to present, but it’s wholesome.

I have one gripe – it’s great that they acknowledged the work of stunt performers in film, but that’s a blatant cop out. Just give them their own damn category already to really recognise the exceptional work they do in making films as good as they are.

Now on to the winners, where there were a few big surprises throughout the night, making it all a little more interesting. To no-one’s surprise, Oppenheimer was the big winner, walking away with 7 of its 13 nominations. That seems like a lot, but I predicted it to get 8. Following close behind is Poor Things, a film that outperformed my expectations and left the night with 4 wins, winning big in the technical categories. American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers and Anatomy of a Fall each got their singular wins in expected categories. Additionally, The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One walked away with surprise wins. Lastly, The Zone of Interest managed to snag 2 wins to come in 3rd place for the night.

Thanks to some surprise results, Killers of the Flower Moon, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Maestro all went home empty-handed. These all seemed like locked-in wins, but the Academy voters threw some spanners in the mix to make it interesting.

As for my ballot – I improved slightly on last year, but was blindsided by those shock wins. Out of the 23 categories I picked 18 correct, a valiant effort in a year where Oppenheimer dominated.

The winner will be highlighted in RED

My prediction will be highlighted in GREEN.

If you don’t see an option highlighted in GREEN, that’s because my prediction is the same as the winner.

---

Best Picture

American Fiction

Anatomy of a Fall

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

As if this was any real surprise given how the night has gone the way of Oppenheimer in most other categories. This is not only the best film of the year, it’s one of the greatest films of the decade, so it’s only fitting that it would take home the big award. It’s a masterpiece that has the ability to define this generation of film. Congratulations to all the people who put everything into creating this awe-inspiring cinematic achievement.

---

Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper, Maestro

Colman Domingo, Rustin

Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

As much as the other performances in this list are great in their own right, this was always Cillian Murphy’s Oscar to take home. His performance at the centre of Oppenheimer is a remarkable character study of the father of the atomic bomb. He disappears into the role and is wildly captivating in every single second, carrying the film on his shoulders. He gives it his all, and this win is very well deserved.

---

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening, Nyad

Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall

Carey Mulligan, Maestro

Emma Stone, Poor Things

Okay. It was clear that this was a two-horse race between Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone, but I thought Gladstone had it in the bag. Her performance in Killer of the Flower Moon eclipsed everyone else in the film. However, Emma Stone is still great in Poor Things, transforming herself into Bella Baxter in a way only she could. She gave the role everything and is deserving of her second Oscar win.

---

Actor in a Supporting Role

Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction

Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling, Barbie

Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

In Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. put in a spectacular supporting performance and bought so much gripping tension to his every scene. He’s a class act who you can’t help but love – his ability to disappear into his roles, including in this film, is a sign of a world-class actor. As Lewis Strauss, he’s captivating and memorable, especially late in the film. Congratulations on the first Oscar win.

---

Actress in a Supporting Role

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks, Rustin

America Ferrera, Barbie

Jodie Foster, Nyad

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

With her first nomination, Da’Vine Joy Randolph has bought home her first award for a heartwarming performance in The Holdovers. She’s such a beautiful soul and you see that in her heartfelt emotion-driven speech that had tears flowing through the entire auditorium. Absolutely deserving of the win and a great way to open the night.

---

Directing

Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things

Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

With that, Christopher Nolan has just secured his first ever Oscar win. He is and will go down as one of the greatest director’s of all time – he’s a genius when it comes to crafting juggernaut films and executing them with near-perfection. Oppenheimer is his best project to date and he’s not even done yet, with more to come. The way he brings every element together is an example of a master filmmaker at work.

---

Cinematography

El Conde

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Congratulations to Oppenheimer and Hoyte Van Hoytema for a breathtaking achievement in cinematography. The cinematic visuals in Oppenheimer are some of the best that have ever been put to screen. The scope, scale and beauty is at a level unlike anything we’ve seen, with IMAX visuals that will blow you away. It’s a win that was in the bag from the get-go, but it’s still great to see it get recognised.

---

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

American Fiction

Barbie

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

This is one of those categories that could have gone any way. With Oppenheimer in contention and a number of other strong candidates, it was difficult to predict. That being said, I stuck with my gut that the Academy would take the opportunity to recognise American Fiction, and that’s what happened.

---

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Maestro

May December

Past Lives

Justice has been served. Anatomy of a Fall was always the clear winner here – the most deserving nominee thanks to its flawless script. It’s emotional, powerful and moving, and Justine Triet has done a phenomenal job. This is one of the best films of the year, so to see it be recognised here fills my heart with pure joy. It’s a riveting thrill ride from beginning to end – a wonderful example of high-quality writing.

---

Animated Feature Film

The Boy and the Heron

Elemental

Nimona

Robot Dreams

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Wow! The first surprise of the night came in the third category. All of the buzz was circling Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but it’s Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron that has grabbed the win. This is a huge upset – I saw lots of people loving The Boy and the Heron, but heard almost no talk when it came to Oscars hype in the last few months. This was Across the Spider-Verse’s award to lose, and I guess it did.

---

Film Editing

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

With that, the Oppenheimer streak continues in its infancy. The editing across the entire film is brilliant, especially during the iconic test sequence. Jumping back and forth across multiple time periods, it’s pieced together in a way that’s epic and gripping – very well deserved. I’d have loved to see Anatomy of a Fall win another, but alas, it was not meant to be.

---

Music (Original Score)

American Fiction

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Well, surprise surprise, it’s Oppenheimer. This is one category that wasn’t going in any other direction. I mean, I said that about the sound category and was instantly humbled, so a part of me was sweating. But it’s awesome to see Ludwig Göransson bring this home for a truly memorable score that enhances every moment. I mean, every time the score has been played tonight, it’s sent chills down my spine, so that says a lot.

---

Music (Original Song)

“The Fire Inside”, Flamin’ Hot

“I’m Just Ken”, Barbie

“It Never Went Away”, American Fiction

“Wahzhazhe (A Song for my People)”, Killers of the Flower Moon

“What Was I Made For”, Barbie

There it is. Barbie’s first win of the night and the second win for sibling duo Billie Eilish and Finneas. Their performance earlier in the night was heartwarming, beautiful and and adorable, so there was absolutely no question about it winning.

---

Sound

The Creator

Maestro

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Oppenheimer

The Zone of Interest

Holy shit. Hole. E. Shit. There is not a single cell in my body that thought anything other than Oppenheimer would win this award. Maybe the Oppenheimer sweep won’t quite be as wide as we thought. I’ve not seen The Zone of Interest nor have I heard much about its sound, so I can’t comment on its win, I can only comment on how blasphemous it is that Oppenheimer didn’t. This is one of many twists from the night I most certainly didn’t see coming.

---

Visual Effects

The Creator

Godzilla Minus One

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Napoleon

All I can say is, I love this so much. To see an international feature of this scale be recognised for visual effects is awesome. Seeing the team of Godzilla Minus One accepting the award while holding figures of the Kaiju himself is one of the most wholesome moments of the night.

---

Production Design

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Napoleon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

When Poor Things won for makeup and hairstyling, I knew this one had to be a lock. That being said, it will most likely also win for costume design. The production design in Poor Things is undeniably stunning and unique – the strange landscapes and surreal locations are wonderfully fun and transport you to this weird fantasy-adjacent world.

---

Costume Design

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Napoleon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Well there we have it, Poor Things just cleaned up in the technical categories. Turns out that just like Maestro in makeup and hairstyling, Barbie also didn’t stand a chance. The costumes of Poor Things are exceptionally unique and very memorable, so it makes sense that it would take home this win. Any time Emma Stone appeared on screen, she was in some wildly lavish outfit that was alsways the first things you noticed.

---

Makeup and Hairstyling

Golda

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Society of the Snow

Talk about an upset. I thought this was as good as decided before the ceremony even began. The best makeup and hairstyling work of the year was absolutely Maestro, but I guess the hype surrounding Poor Things in the lead-up to the Oscars was too strong. Don’t get me wrong, the makeup and hairstyling in Poor Things is fantastic too, but I didn’t think it was quite as polished as what’s done to Bradley Cooper’s look.

---

Predictions in Additional Categories

---

Documentary (Feature)

Bobi Wine: The People’s President

The Eternal Memory

Four Daughters

To Kill a Tiger

20 Days in Mariupol

---

Documentary (Short Subject)

The ABCs of Book Banning

The Barber of Little Rock

Island In Between

The Last Repair Shop

Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó

---

International Feature Film

Io Capitano (Italy)

Perfect Days (Japan)

Society of the Snow (Spain)

The Teachers’ Lounge (Germany)

The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)

---

Short Film (Animated)

Letter to a Pig

Ninety-Five Senses

Our Uniform

Pachyderme

War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

---

Short Film (Live Action)

The After

Invincinble

Knight of Fortune

Red, White and Blue

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar