The 96th Oscars Were More Than Kenough to Celebrate a Banner Year in Moviemaking: TV Review
variety.comAlison Herman TV Critic In some ways, the 96th Academy Awards had the hardest part of the job done for them. 2023 saw an abundance of films that were both creatively and commercially successful — the Holy Grail of a ceremony that aims to celebrate an embattled art form to the largest possible audience.
Before anyone stepped foot in the Dolby Theater for Sunday’s celebration, producers had already been handed the gift of phenomena like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” plus surprising crossover hits (“Godzilla Minus One”) and stone-cold masterpieces (“The Zone of Interest,” in this critic’s opinion).
All the telecast producers had to do, one could argue, was uplift the honorees’ accomplishments without getting in their own way.
There wasn’t much suspense around the ultimate winners of major awards, including best picture. (Presenter Al Pacino dispensed with the formalities and simply announced “Oppenheimer” without listing its fellow nominees.) Yet the show delivered entertainment and emotion in spades, if not surprise.
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