The Oscars are coming down the line towards us again, like a terrible gold statuette kaiju, always on the horizon threatening to destroy us with its overbearing size and toxic breath. The problems of award season arguing are bad, but the causes – the movies – are good. And coming soon to both the Light House Cinema and its sister cinema in Galway, Pálás, you’ll be able to catch up with the Best Picture nominees of 2024.
The selection includes a re-release of last year’s hits like Oppenheimer and Barbie, as well as upcoming nominees like The Zone of Interest and American Fiction. From February on, the Smithfield cinema and Pálás likewise will be screening this year’s 10 Best Picture nominees ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony on March 10th.
Tickets for these films are available now. See more on the nominees below.
AMERICAN FICTION
Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut aims to confront culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
For the past year, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Samuel’s suspicious death is presumed murder, and Sandra becomes the main suspect. What follows is not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel’s death but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel’s conflicted relationship in Justine Triet’s intensely interesting story.
It’s Barbie’s world now – a box office sensation and unending conversation. To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.
From Alexander Payne, The Holdovers is eagerly and belatedly anticipated in Ireland. The film follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). A fun watch with A+ performances.
You’re here to see about these Oscar nominees. See who’s making ’em. Scorsese is at the top of his game here. At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, and Jillian Dion, Killers of the Flower Moon is directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Scorsese, based on David Grann’s best-selling book.
Cooper’s performance calls for the silver screen more than the confines of Netflix, and now you can see it in cinemas. Maestro is the towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro, at its core, is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.
Mature, thoughtful, romantic and reflective – Celine Song’s drama is stunning, a story of powerful parallels. Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends, are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life. An emotion suplex with a great turn by Greta Lee.
Element Pictures have surpassed their own record for nominations as they continue their status as award darlings – and for Poor Things its deservedly so. A perfectly odd and improbable crowd-pleaser. From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp. From writer/director Jonathan Glazer and starring Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, and Ralph Herforth, The Zone of Interest is sure to stun on its release to Irish cinemas.
