The 2024 Oscars present a diverse array of 50 nominated films, revealing significant talent amid Hollywood's changes and anxieties. The year is characterized as strong, with each film offering redeeming qualities, regardless of variance in quality. Notably, Tyler Perry's first nomination highlights mixed receptions of films like 'The Journey' and 'The Six Triple Eight', the latter criticized for its portrayal of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The documentary category has also shifted its focus, moving away from celebrity biographies to more substantive narratives.
While a ranking is necessarily an occasion to exalt the greatest and shame the worst, with very few exceptions there's something to like in every single one of these films.
The Six Triple Eight, however, is 128 minutes of hokey dialogue, two-dimensional characterizations, and Susan Sarandon as Eleanor Roosevelt wearing false teeth straight out of a Party City going-out-of-business sale.
The real women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion deserved a portrayal of depth, nuance, and insight. They're still waiting for one.
The Oscars have largely steered the Best Documentary Feature category away from the self-serving celebrity-autobiography docs that have sprung up everywhere on streaming platforms.
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