Photo contribution by IMBd
I am sure we can all remember the global phenomenon that Barbie was. Lines would stretch out of theaters with people dressed head to toe in pink, and this love was well deserved. The movie, although silly at times, held an important message, one that people felt was being ignored after both the Oscars and the Golden Globes. During the latter the host, Jo Koy, made immature and sexist jokes about the movie, diminishing it to “a plastic doll with big boobies”. Many people including myself were outraged that a film that had shown what so many women must go through, had been shut down and laughed at, revealing a disgusting representation of our society.
In total Barbie was nominated for eight Oscars and nine Golden Globes only coming home with an Oscar for Billie Eilish and Finneas’s “What Was I Made For”, a Golden Globe for this song, and the Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement (essentially the most popular movie with the public). There was no competition for that award with Barbie looming over the competitors however the seven other awards it was up for seemed quite achievable.
Then this November Wicked premiered. Just like Barbie, it turned out to be a sensational hit, breaking incredible records, and just like Barbie, it holds messages especially crucial to our ‘modern’ day hidden behind a falsely positive world. The movie had people arriving at the theaters painted green and dressed in pink ruffles with hats and wands, ready to belt the lyrics to every song. Videos emerged everywhere of fans attempting to try Cynthia Erivo’s iconic riff in “Defying Gravity.” Similar to Barbie, Wicked’s impacts spread through the world, partnering with hundreds of companies to promote the movies, including Stanley; the tumbler manufacturer, and the iconic shoe brand, Crocs. The movie was nominated for four awards and won the same award Barbie won, the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, and as of January 23rd Wicked has been nominated for ten different Oscars, only Emilia Perez above it with thirteen, and The Brutalist with ten nominations.
The most interesting part of these nominations was revealed in a shocking article by the Guardian, in which it was reported that both movies used AI. The Brutalist used AI to improve several of the actors’ Hungarian accents when it was decided they didn’t sound as authentic as the director had hoped. Emilia Perez used the technology for Karla Sofía Gascón, a trans actor who played the title role. The filmmakers used AI to enhance Gascón’s singing voice to reach a wider vocal range. Although both movies used AI in a simple way, it decreased the appearance that they worked just as hard as some of the other movies made this year. For example, a clip of Cynthia Erivo floated around of her singing live on set, and although that was not used in the final cut, it proves just how dedicated the actress was to nailing the wicked witches’s singing voice. Additionally many other actors on the set of Wicked like Ariana Grande practiced hundreds of hours perfecting their character’s mannerisms. As a society, we tend to respect darker-themed, more serious topics as better reflections of genius work, letting the fun, lighthearted movies with just as important themes gather dust in the corner. While also ignoring the skill of the actors and actresses who performed in them. Many of the movies that have been released recently hold vital stories that are incredibly essential for us to hear, however, the importance of movies with these harder themes has overshadowed some of the most crucial lessons we must allow ourselves to learn even if they sit behind the glitter and catchy songs.