'Oppenheimer' poised for glory at Oscars

Hollywood A-listers are getting ready to lavish awards on Christopher Nolan's atomic blockbuster "Oppenheimer" and party with "Barbie" on Sunday at the Oscars, the biggest night in showbiz.

Nolan's drama about the inventor of the nuclear age, half of last summer's massive "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, is the firm favorite to win the prize for best picture and much more at the star-studded gala.

With an overdue director, stellar cast, commercial and critical success, and urgent subject matter, "there is no justifiable reason to predict anything else," said Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg.

Variety awards editor Clayton Davis said "Oppenheimer" is the "biggest lock" to win best picture since the final "Lord of the Rings" film two decades ago.

It is tipped to take golden statuettes for best director, supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr., and technical prizes from cinematography and editing to sound and score.

The film has a strong chance at best actor honors for Cillian Murphy, who is locked in a tight race with Paul Giamatti of "The Holdovers," and could claim best adapted screenplay too.

"It just had everything, the scale, the scope, the importance," said one Oscars voter, who asked to remain anonymous as Academy members are instructed not to discuss their ballots.

"This is the year for 'Oppenheimer,'" the voter told AFP.

Elsewhere, the competition for best actress promises to be a nail-biter.

Emma Stone, who previously won an Academy Award for "La La Land," gives a stunning, daring performance in the surreal, Frankenstein-esque "Poor Things."

But Lily Gladstone of "Killers of the Flower Moon" has not just the clout of her director Martin Scorsese, but the weight of history...