The Goldie, The Newbie and the Nearbie: Oscar Edition

On Sunday night, the 98th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. They featured hundreds of celebrities and artists from the film industry, whose distinctive mark is on some of the most influential movies of modern history. One Battle After Another, describing the ruthless journey of a revolutionary who must rescue his daughter from government forces (and a MUST WATCH), took home Best Picture, a.k.a. the biggest award of the night, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. However, it could not compare to Sinners, which describes a harrowing journey by twin brothers (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, by the ‘twin effect’) to return to their hometown in Mississippi, overrun by vampires, which earned 16 nominations and won 4 Oscars in the categories for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Among the more notable wins are a Best Actress for Jessie Buckley in her outstanding performance as a grieving mother and wife to William Shakespeare in Hamnet, as well as a third Oscar for Best Supporting Actor win for Sean Penn, accepted on behalf by Kieran Culkin.

With the Academy Awards’ 100th anniversary just around the corner, paying tribute to the films that made us and shaped the creative industry we know today is imperative for inspiration. The ideas cultivated by not just award-winning directors or screenwriters, but by those whose voices have yet to be heard and creations yet to be recognised.

This is a list of a goldie, or a movie from before the 2000s, a newbie, a movie released from the 2000s to 2025, and a nearbie, or a movie which will release later in the year or next.

The Goldie: Casablanca

In my 8th-grade Ethics class a few years ago, my teacher selected several movies with ethical, moral and historical hidden meanings, such as The Pursuit of Happyness and One Life. We were meant to analyse each one in a comparative essay describing the characters, their role in the film, and the overall message of ethical and emotional reasons.

Then, we were shown Casablanca, a true ‘goldie’ film winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing in 1944, illustrating a story of love and loss, portrayed in the foreground of World War II in the Vichy-overrun North African port of Casablanca, Morocco, serving as a major shipping hub and transit point for refugees attempting to seek refuge in America. The story takes place in the most unlikely of places: a restaurant named Rick’s Café Américain, housing lost souls of the war and army generals looking for a place to chat, have a drink, and almost forget the fears of the rapidly escalating violence breaking out over Europe. Each character depicts a country and their involvement and stance in the war, as well as navigating several issues and inner conflicts going deeper than what they truly illustrate on-screen. Even now, only two years later, I still remember the imprint this film left on me, and the important empathetic message it continues to share, especially in today’s context with war-torn regions and allies.

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”

The Newbie: Train Dreams

If you’ve ever dreamt of viewing someone’s imaginative recreation of early 20th-century America and the rising industrialisation, Train Dreams awaits your undivided attention. Shadowed by the fame of multiple-accoladed films in the Best Picture, Director and Screenplay categories, it has been recognised as a hidden gem for its breathtaking cinematography of the old American West, a quiet yet powerful message of hope, grief and belonging, as well as an unforgettable performance of Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, who navigates solitude and the hidden meaning behind life. Its immersive beauty is shot digitally in ARRI Alexa 35 with a 1:33 ratio to capture the verticality and ordinary nature of the forests, in contrast to regular films shot typically in 35mm. It almost resembles “A Quiet Place” without the monsters and constant fear of death, and chooses to include more silence and reflection, often leading the audience to wonder about life and its poetic simplicity among its changing landscape and moments of exploration.

Watching this film highlights one clear message: “The difference between an ordinary life and an extraordinary life is only a matter of perspective.”

The Nearbie: The Odyssey

Slated for release on July 17th, 2026, Christopher Nolan announces a new project following his box office and Academy Award success of Oppenheimer, with a star-studded cast weaving a tale of Greek mythology and the intricate details it contains. The story follows the mythical Odysseus on a confrontational journey home from the Trojan War as an action epic, displaying encounters with mythical beings and an unfolding atmosphere depicted by Nolan. Rumoured to be his most expensive project yet, at a budget of nearly $250 million, it was shot almost entirely on 70mm cameras explicitly for IMAX screens, with its release projected to sell out 95% of available seating and predicted to be 2026’s biggest box office success and highest-grossing film of the year.

MLA Bibliography

“The 98th Academy Awards | 2026.” Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 17 Mar. 2026, www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026.

Heching, Dan. “Oscar Winners: See the Full List of Nominees Who Won at the Academy Awards.” CNN, 16 Mar. 2026, edition.cnn.com/2026/03/15/entertainment/award-winners-oscars-live-list

“Train Dreams Review — ‘Haunting, Serene, Beautiful.’” Empire, 26 Nov. 2025, www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/train-dreams

“The Odyssey (2026) | Rotten Tomatoes.” Rotten Tomatoes, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_odyssey_2026.

Cain, Sian. “First Tickets to Christopher Nolan’s the Odyssey Sell Out – a Year Before Its 2026 Release.” The Guardian, 28 July 2025, www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/18/first-tickets-to-christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-sell-out-a-year-before-its-2026-release.