Every once in a while, junior film studies major Jeffrey Marcopulos has Oscar-related dreams. Channeling his inner Nostradomus, he even predicts the future in these dreams from time to time. 

For instance, two wildcard Oscar nominations came to Marcopulos in a dream: Penelope Cruz would receive a best actress nomination for her role in “Parallel Mothers” and Jessie Buckley would receive a best supporting actress nomination for her role in “The Lost Daughter” — impressive, considering even Buckley was in complete shock after receiving her nomination. 

Marcopulos even has proof on Twitter, where he was documenting his expectations for this year’s Academy Award turnout.

A devout fan of the Oscars, Marcopulos tuned in at 5:18 a.m. Feb. 8 to hear Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan announce the nominations for the 94th annual Academy Awards Ceremony. Following announcements came the annual flood of praise for the big winners, cheers for the underdogs and tweets of rage for the snubs. 

“I always find the Oscar nominations more fun than the actual ceremony,” Marcopulos said. “Sometimes the ceremony is kind of sad because it's like the end of the season. What I love about the predictions is that it’s all about overthinking. It's a fun part of my year that I look forward to.”

Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” emerged as the big winner of the morning, receiving 12 nominations. Other successful films of the morning were “Dune” with 10 nominations, “West Side Story” with seven nominations, “Belfast” with seven nominations and “King Richard” with six nominations. While “Dune” may have nabbed 10 nominations, Marcopulos said director Denis Villeneuve was snubbed for a best director nomination. 

“I’m shocked by that,” Marcopulos said. “Say what you want about 'Dune,' but that was an impeccably crafted movie. It got 10 other nominations, so even by Academy logic it doesn’t make sense."

Villeneuve’s snub has sparked conversations on how nominations are decided. It raises the question if the best films, best actors and best contributors are truly being recognized at the Academy Awards. 

“It's not always the most objective gauge of quality,” said Pavel Jech, associate dean of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “Sometimes really talented people and great films do get recognized, but you have to understand that it’s not always the best films that win.” 

Marcopulos told The Panther that “Passing” and “The Rescue” are his biggest snubs of the year. Sophomore screenwriting major Brooke Burns said she was disappointed to find out “The Worst Person in the World,” “Spencer” and “Mass” would be left out of the best picture race.

“Honestly, I am a bit underwhelmed,” Burns said. “I think sometimes it's films that are nominated and people that are nominated because they're Oscar royalty.”

“Drive My Car” was a surprise of the morning, being a four-time nominee, including a nomination in the best picture category — despite being a Japanese film. According to Burns, this reflects the Oscars' efforts to include a broader range of diverse cinema. 

“I think now more films can be recognized that weren’t before which I find really fascinating,” Burns said. “It’s really cool and surprising when films like 'Drive My Car' can be nominated and ’Parasite' can win outside of best international film.”

In recent years, the Oscars have faced harsh criticism online for their lack of diversity with #OscarsSoWhite and the multiple sexual assault allegations by many Hollywood figures during the #MeToo movement. Their viewership has suffered a drastic decline in the past five years, which Burns said might be a direct result of this criticism influencing people’s perception of the award show.

“I feel like there are so many things that have been happening outside of the Oscars that have made it lose its charm,” Burns said. “It’s not what it used to be. Now it feels like a thing that famous people and rich people can just go to and flash their status.”

According to Jech, who has attended Oscar-like events in Iceland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Oscars are lost in what they’re trying to accomplish. 

“With COVID-19 tearing society apart and people having very firm views, the Oscars can’t overcome that,” Jech said. “They can’t say ‘O.K., you’re against each other here but you’ll come together for this.’ It’s still finding its way.”

In an effort to produce a more cohesive show, the Oscars are bringing back a host for the first time since 2018. While the host remains to be named, Marcopulos said he suggests bringing in either The Muppets, Amy Poehler and Tiny Fey, Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph or Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. 

Jech said the host should simply be someone that people can agree on. 

“(The host) can’t be out of touch, but they can’t be too avant-garde, because you don’t get that broader audience,” Jech said. “It’s got to be a shared value between everyone.”

The 94th annual Academy Awards will take place March 27. For a full list of nominations, please visit here.