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Oscar Nominations for 2023 Films

What films were the Academy's favorites?

Yesterday morning, the nominations for the 2024 Academy Awards, honoring the best in film from 2023, were announced. There was, of course, much discourse across the internet over whether who and what films nominated in the 23 categories were deserving of such recognition. 

Here's a brief recap of both the nominees and snubs, and a few HubPages articles will help you gauge the significance of the nominees. 

• The nominees for Best Picture include: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest. 
• Barbie director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie both failed to garner nominations for Best Director and Best Actress, two of the biggest upsets, though they received nominations for their writing and producing work, respectively. Ryan Gosling received a nomination for his role as Ken, which many pointed out was ironic considering the film's major themes and messages. 
• Oppenheimer, a biopic about the mastermind behind the atomic bomb, received the most nominations (13). If you want to learn more about the subject of the film and his work, check out J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Making of the Atomic Bombon Owlcation. 
• Martin Scorsese's epic, 3.5-hour-long Killers of the Flower Moon received 10 nominations, including one for Lily Gladstone for Best Actress. She is the first Native American actor from the United States ever to receive an acting nomination, a historic feat. 
• Other films that were among the most nominated include the avant-garde comedy Poor Things starring Emma Stone with 11; Bradley Cooper's Maestro with 8; and the French courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall with 5, including a nod for director Justine Triet and actress Sandra Hüller.

If you're interested in learning more about the awards ceremony, here's a piece covering 25 Fun Facts About the Oscars. 

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Avoiding Purple Prose in Your Writing

Have you ever heard of the phrase purple prose? Well, if you haven't, it is a literary term that refers to text that is difficult to read, not because the subject matter itself is difficult but because the writing is so flowery and very the top it becomes almost impenetrable.  

Here's an example of purple prose:

I watched the immaculate and refined sunset dance across the side of my home like a battlefield filled with intense fighting and wondered how Mother Nature was able to create such a plethora of hues, shades, and colors for me to enjoy!

And here's another way of writing the sentence using strong language in a way that isn't so over the top:

I watched the stunning sunset—its array of reds and oranges—and wondered how Mother Nature was capable of creating such beauty. 

Using diverse and descriptive language is always a good idea, as it adds personality to your writing, but too much can come off as both irritating and confusing. When checking over your writing, try reading sentences out loud for fluidity and make sure you don't have multiple adjectives for the same thing. In the first example, you don't need "hues," "shades," and "colors" to describe that the sunset is a colorful sight. 

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Featured Articles of the Week

From making ice suncatchers in the winter months to how nudity is perceived in Scandinavia, these are our featured articles of the week. Thank you to all of our writers!

• Soapboxie: Why Scandinavia is More Accepting of Nudity by  Vivian Fisher
• The CrimeWire: Matthew Margolies: Savage Murder of a Young Boy by  Kym L. Pasqualini
• FeltMagnet: Make Your Own Ice Suncatcher by  Kristina BH
• ToughNickel: Student Life: 8 Ways to Earn Extra Money and Still Have Time to Study by  Lorelei Cohen