The Morning: The road to the Oscars

Awards season begins tonight with the Golden Globes, and the competition is fierce.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 7, 2024 By Ian Prasad Philbrick Good morning. A good year for movies means a competitive awards season, starting with tonight's Golden Globes. From top, Cillian Murphy in "Oppenheimer," Margot Robbie in "Barbie" and Paul Giamatti in "The Holdovers." From top: Universal Picture; Warner Bros.; Seacia Pavao/Focus Features, via Associated Press Time to catch up A great year for movies, as 2023 was, means a lot to look forward to as awards season begins. Things get started tonight with the Golden Globes ceremony, and later this week it's on to nominations for the Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild of America Awards. The big one — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — will announce its nominations for the 96th Oscars on Jan. 23. To get you ready, we've put together a guide to the movies, directors and performances that The Times's critics think the Academy should recognize this year. And although the Globes have a mixed record of predicting which movies will win Oscars, tonight's ceremony is a good excuse to look back on some of the year's best films. The contenders The competition for the best picture Oscar is so fierce this year that Kyle Buchanan, The Times's awards season columnist, decided to discuss 13 possible nominees rather than his usual 10. "Oppenheimer," a three-hour biopic about the father of the atomic bomb directed by Christopher Nolan, tops Kyle's list. Pitted against it, and favored by the Times critics Manohla Dargis and Alissa Wilkinson, is another historical epic: "Killers of the Flower Moon," Martin Scorsese's study of a murderous campaign targeting members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma. Manohla and Alissa are also rooting for Todd Haynes's "May December," a tale of two eerily synced women and the anguished man they manipulate. All three films are up for Golden Globes. But, as Kyle notes, "recent best-picture winners tend to tug more at the heart than at the head." That could augur an upset win for "Past Lives," a romantic indie film; "American Fiction," a dramedy; or "Barbie," which leads the Golden Globes pack with nine nominations. Alissa would also like to see Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron," which is about coming of age in World War II Japan, in the running — though no animated feature has ever won best picture. Nolan, for "Oppenheimer," made all three of our critics' lists of potential best directors. Manohla also likes Wes Anderson for the wry "Asteroid City," while Alissa is championing Scorsese and Greta Gerwig, for "Barbie." Kyle has profiled a top contender for best actress: Lily Gladstone, who portrays an Osage woman whose relatives are systematically murdered in "Killers of the Flower Moon." If nominated, Gladstone would become the first Native American up for the award. And if our critics have their way, she could face Sandra Hüller for "Anatomy of a Fall," a courtroom drama about an aspiring writer's mysterious death. One potential nominee for best actor is Paul Giamatti. His performance as an irritable New England schoolteacher in "The Holdovers" drew on "a deep well of melancholy and thinly disguised tenderness," my colleague Reggie Ugwu writes. Alissa also shouts out Cillian Murphy, whose craggy, haunted visage captured J. Robert Oppenheimer's angst. But Colman Domingo — who powers "Rustin," a biopic about a gay civil rights activist — is Alissa's and Manohla's leading candidate. We'll find out which of our critics' darlings ended up in contention when Oscar nominations are released later this month. And if all of this sounds like a lot to watch, the good news is that you'll have until March, when the Academy Awards ceremony will take place, to catch up. For more: Read the rest of the lists from Kyle and Manohla and Alissa. In 2019, Alissa wrote about the expensive Hollywood campaigns that play a surprisingly large role in deciding which movies win Oscars. Stars often use speeches to address political issues. As Hollywood heads into awards season, they must decide what, if anything, to say about the war in Gaza. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS Politics Donald Trump Doug Mills/The New York Times Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis fanned out across Iowa this weekend ahead of the caucuses. The activity belies a stubbornly static Republican race, Shane Goldmacher writes. In a speech in Iowa, Trump referred to those serving sentences in connection with the Capitol attack as "hostages" and called on President Biden to free them. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he took "full responsibility" for the delay in informing the White House of his admission to an intensive care unit. Some Michigan Republican officials moved to oust their party chairwoman, Kristina Karamo, in a vote that she and other state Republicans say was illegitimate. Israel-Hamas War Israel said that it had dismantled Hamas's military abilities in northern Gaza. The Lebanese militia Hezbollah fired rockets toward a small Israeli military base in northern Israel in what it said was a response to the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Beirut. Under airstrikes, Gazans have been forced to forgo funeral traditions, instead interring their dead hurriedly and without ceremony. For decades, prominent American unions were largely supportive of Israel. Amid a generation shift, some activists are urging their unions to call for an immediate cease-fire. International In Kenya. Luis Tato/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Vatican's declaration allowing the blessing of same-sex couples has caused a stir among Catholics in Africa, where the church is growing. Rescuers in western Japan pulled a woman in her 90s out from under a collapsed house five days after an earthquake struck the region. Ukraine said a barrage of Russian missiles had killed at least 11 people near the eastern front line. Other Big Stories A sudden hole appeared on the side of a Boeing 737 Max plane midflight on Friday. It comes after years of problems with Boeing's aircraft. A major snowstorm hit the Northeast, where forecasters expect parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey to get as much as two inches of snow per hour. Inside a crisis: How Harvard's board went from standing behind Claudine Gay as the university's president to pushing her out within weeks. Many colleges are critical of rankings, but they collectively pour millions of dollars into the industry. FROM OPINION Disqualifying Trump from the ballot may bar him from office, but the ideology he represents will continue to consolidate power, Ross Douthat writes. Trump portrays himself as Christlike, even as he bedevils America, Maureen Dowd writes. The Sunday question: Should Claudine Gay have resigned as Harvard's president? Gay's failure to immediately condemn antisemitic language "made her a symbol of the progressive groupthink infecting higher education and American institutions more broadly," The Wall Street Journal's editorial board writes. But the forces behind her resignation — external political pressure — "could set a dangerous precedent" for higher education, The Washington Post's editorial board writes. All of The Times. All in one subscription. Enjoy unlimited access to everything we offer — with this introductory offer. You'll benefit from more of the insights that you find in The Morning, every morning. MORNING READS At Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York. Sarah Blesener for The New York Times A mystery: A New York pet cemetery was accustomed to unusual requests. Then came a call from a lawyer in possession of the cremated remains of a mysterious woman. "I Miss the Library": In September, a small-town public library was forced to close after protests over a drag queen story hour for children. It hasn't reopened. Vows: Gerry Turner of "The Golden Bachelor" married Theresa Nist in front of 150 guests (and even more TV viewers), before enjoying an intimate off-air reception. Lives Lived: Joseph M. Hendrie was a physicist who led the Nuclear Regulatory Commission during the United States' worst nuclear power accident at Three Mile Island. He died at 98. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT TALK | FROM THE TIMES MAGAZINE Eddie Izzard Photo Illustration by Braulio Amado By David Marchese I recently spoke with the comedian Eddie Izzard about his move into politics, coming out as trans, and how losing his mother as a child made him suspicious of love as an adult. In your memoir, you write that "trying to bring my mother back is at the base of everything that I'm doing, and everything that I've ever done." Does that feel liberating? Constrictive? It is an underlying motivation: If I can do stuff that is good enough, maybe Mum will see it on the other side. I don't believe in the other side, but that is probably a subconscious thing. The conscious thing is more that I'm trying to do things so that I go, "Who did that?" I was trying to impress myself. I say we have to be brave and curious and not fearful and suspicious. How do bravery and curiosity jibe with another thing that you say in your book, which is that you've been very suspicious about being in love? Well, there's loving someone, and then there's being in love. Being in love seems to be chemical. I think there's a chemical release, and I don't trust it for that reason. Can you explain what you mean? I just don't trust it. It is kind of like crying: You can't switch off crying. I'm linking together certain things that happen in our bodies that once they switch on, they're difficult to switch off. You don't like them because it's a loss of control? Yes. Do you like loss of control? People like the feeling of letting go. You've got to line these people up for me, David: "I love being out of control." But I would say generally that I'm not into not being in control. But once you've lost your mother, you never trust anyone or anything again. Read more of the interview here. More from the magazine Treatment wasn't helping a patient's anorexia, so doctors allowed her to stop it, no matter the consequences. But is a "palliative" approach to mental illness really ethical? Read the full issue. BOOKS A collection of original Ron G mixtape covers. Sonny Figueroa/The New York Times Mixtapes and T-shirts: New books take up the task of cataloging hip-hop's early relics before they slip away. Our editors' picks: "What's Cooking in the Kremlin," which explores the last century of Russian history through food, and eight other books. Times best sellers: "Ruthless Vows," Rebecca Ross's sequel to "Divine Rivals" is No. 1 on the young adult hardcover best-seller list. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Add nuts and dates to charred broccoli. Reduce stiffness with a foam roller. Clean your water bottle. It's time. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For Bangladesh is holding elections today. Large strikes by transportation workers are expected to cripple the London Underground for several days this week. Congress returns to Capitol Hill tomorrow to resume negotiations on aid for Ukraine and stricter immigration policy. Trump's lawyers are expected to argue in an appeals court Tuesday that he is immune from prosecution for seeking to overturn the 2020 election. Hunter Biden is scheduled to appear in a California court Thursday over tax charges. Taiwan will hold presidential elections on Saturday. What to Cook This Week Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. After weeks feasting on cookies, Emily Weinstein sought out recipes with a bit less butter for this week's Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter. They include stir-fried shrimp with snow peas and ginger, best made in a wok; baked chicken breasts, soaked quickly in a saltwater brine; and black bean chili with mushrooms. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was probiotic. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. 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