Oscar Nominations 2023: 8 Ups & 9 Downs

8. Snubs: Top Gun, Avatar & The Batman (Best Cinematography)

Avatar The Way of Water
20th Century Studios

The Best Cinematography field is an absolute mess this year, for while All Quiet on the Western Front and Tár were always firmly locked and decently deserving nominees, the nominations for Bardo, Empire of Light, and especially Elvis feel flagrantly unambitious.

When Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Batman, and Nope were so widely praised for their visual design, it's shocking that not one of them made it into a category which seemingly had enough wide-open slots to accommodate several of them.

If the cinematography is certainly Bardo's highlight, Empire of Light basically got a goodwill nomination for the great Roger Deakins, and Mandy Walker's work on Elvis isn't among the 50 best-shot movies of the year, let alone five.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.