Tag: oscars 2022

  • Oscars 2022: ‘CODA’ Wins Best Picture

    Oscars 2022: ‘CODA’ Wins Best Picture

    It was a simultaneously crazy and unsurprising night. Will Smith punched Chris Rock live on television yet the favorite won in any every category except for Best Animated Short (where The Windshield Wiper beat out Robin Robin and Bestia). Anyway, this was the end of an exciting season that will definitely significantly affect the way I personally pick Best Picture. Also, my predictions were 15/9498 on GoldDerby’s rankings so I’m pretty proud of that as well.

    Well, when one season ends another one begins so look out for my first 2023 predictions next month!

    Here were tonight’s winners:

    BEST PICTURE

    Belfast (Focus Features) Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, Producers

    CODA (Apple Original Films) Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, Producers

    Don’t Look Up (Netflix) Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Producers

    Drive My Car (Sideshow/Janus Films)Teruhisa Yamamoto, Producer

    Dune (Warner Bros) Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, Producers

    King Richard (Warner Bros) Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, Producers

    Licorice Pizza (MGM/UAR) Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers

    Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures) Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, Producers

    The Power of the Dog (Netflix) Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, Producers

    West Side Story (20th Century Studios) Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers


    BEST DIRECTOR

    Belfast – Kenneth Branagh

    Drive My Car – Ryusuke Hamaguchi

    Licorice Pizza – Paul Thomas Anderson

    The Power of the Dog – Jane Campion – WINNER

    West Side Story – Steven Spielberg


    ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

    Javier Bardem in Being the Ricardos

    Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

    Andrew Garfield in tick, tick…BOOM!

    Will Smith in King Richard – WINNER

    Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth


    ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

    Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye – WINNER

    Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter

    Penélope Cruz in Parallel Mothers

    Nicole Kidman in Being the Ricardos

    Kristen Stewart in Spencer


    ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

    Ciarán Hinds in Belfast

    Troy Kotsur in CODA – WINNER

    Jesse Plemons in The Power of the Dog

    J.K. Simmons in Being the Ricardos

    Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog


    ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

    Jessie Buckley in The Lost Daughter

    Ariana DeBose in West Side Story – WINNER

    Judi Dench in Belfast

    Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog

    Aunjanue Ellis in King Richard


    WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

    CODA – Screenplay by Siân Heder – WINNER

    Drive My Car – Screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe

    Dune – Screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth

    The Lost Daughter – Written by Maggie Gyllenhaal

    The Power of the Dog – Written by Jane Campion


    WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

    Belfast – Written by Kenneth Branagh – WINNER

    Don’t Look Up – Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota

    King Richard – Written by Zach Baylin

    Licorice Pizza – Written by Paul Thomas Anderson

    The Worst Person in the World – Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier


    FILM EDITING

    Don’t Look Up – Hank Corwin

    Dune – Joe Walker – WINNER

    King Richard – Pamela Martin

    The Power of the Dog – Peter Sciberras

    tick, tick…BOOM! – Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum


    CINEMATOGRAPHY

    Dune – Greig Fraser – WINNER

    Nightmare Alley – Dan Laustsen

    The Power of the Dog – Ari Wegner

    The Tragedy of Macbeth – Bruno Delbonnel

    West Side Story – Janusz Kaminski


    PRODUCTION DESIGN

    Dune – Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos – WINNER

    Nightmare Alley – Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

    The Power of the Dog – Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards

    The Tragedy of Macbeth – Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

    West Side Story – Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo


    COSTUME DESIGN

    Cruella – Jenny Beavan – WINNER

    Cyrano – Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran

    Dune – Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan

    Nightmare Alley – Luis Sequeira

    West Side Story – Paul Tazewell


    MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

    Don’t Look Up – Nicholas Britell

    Dune – Hans Zimmer – WINNER

    Encanto – Germaine Franco

    Parallel Mothers – Alberto Iglesias

    The Power of the Dog – Jonny Greenwood


    MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

    “Be Alive” from King Richard
    Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

    “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto
    Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda

    “Down To Joy” from Belfast
    Music and Lyric by Van Morrison

    “No Time To Die” from No Time to Die – WINNER
    Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

    “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days
    Music and Lyric by Diane Warren


    SOUND

    Belfast – Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri

    Dune – Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett – WINNER

    No Time to Die – Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor

    The Power of the Dog – Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb

    West Side Story – Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy


    MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

    Coming 2 America – Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer

    Cruella – Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon

    Dune – Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr

    The Eyes of Tammy Faye – Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh – WINNER

    House of Gucci – Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras


    VISUAL EFFECTS

    Dune – Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer – WINNER

    Free Guy – Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick

    No Time to Die – Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver

    Spider-Man: No Way Home – Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick


    ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

    Encanto – Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer – WINNER

    Flee – Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie

    Luca – Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren

    The Mitchells vs. the Machines – Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht

    Raya and the Last Dragon – Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho


    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

    Ascension – Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell

    Attica – Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry

    Flee – Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie

    Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein – WINNER

    Writing with Fire – Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh


    INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

    Drive My Car (Japan)

    Flee (Denmark)

    The Hand of God (Italy)

    Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)

    The Worst Person in the World (Norway)


    ANIMATED SHORT

    Affairs of the Art – Joanna Quinn and Les Mills

    Bestia – Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz

    Boxballet – Anton Dyakov

    Robin Robin – Dan Ojari and Mikey Please

    The Windshield Wiper – Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez – WINNER


    DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

    Audible – Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean

    Lead Me Home – Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk

    The Queen of Basketball – Ben Proudfoot – WINNER

    Three Songs for Benazir – Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei

    When We Were Bullies – Jay Rosenblatt


    LIVE ACTION SHORT

    Ala Kachuu – Take and Run Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger

    The Dress – Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki

    The Long Goodbye – Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed – WINNER

    On My Mind – Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson

    Please Hold – K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse

     

    Source: AwardsWatch

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions

    Well, it ends here. After my first set of predictions in May 2021 (where I correctly predicted six of the eventual Best Picture nominees and all of the Best Cinematography nominees!) the Oscars have finally come.

    So, without further ado…

    Here are my FINAL predictions:

    BEST PICTURE: The Power of the Dog

    Could Steal: CODA

    BEST DIRECTOR: Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog

    Could Steal: No one

    BEST ACTOR: Will Smith – King Richard

    Could Steal: Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog

    BEST ACTRESS: Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye

    Could Steal: Penelope Cruz – Parallel Mothers, Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos, Kristen Stewart – Spencer, Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Troy Kotsur – CODA

    Could Steal: Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Ariana DeBose – West Side Story

    Could Steal: Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog

    BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Belfast

    Could Steal: Licorice Pizza or Don’t Look Up

    BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: CODA

    Could Steal: The Power of the Dog

    BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Encanto

    Could Steal: The Mitchells vs. the Machines or Flee

    BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Dune

    Could Steal: Nightmare Alley

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dune

    Could Steal: The Power of the Dog or The Tragedy of Macbeth

    BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Cruella

    Could Steal: Dune or Nightmare Alley

    BEST FILM EDITING: Dune

    Could Steal: No one

    BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: The Eyes of Tammy Faye

    Could Steal: Dune, Cruella, or Coming 2 America

    BEST SOUND: Dune

    Could Steal: No one

    BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Dune

    Could Steal: No one

    BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Dune

    Could Steal: The Power of the Dog

    BEST ORIGINAL SONG: No Time to Die

    Could Steal: Encanto

    BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE: Drive My Car

    Could Steal: No one

    BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Summer of Soul

    Could Steal: Flee

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT: Robin Robin

    Could Steal: Bestia

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT: The Long Goodbye

    Could Steal: Ala Kachuu: Take and Run or Please Hold

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: Queen of Basketball

    Could Steal: Three Songs for Benazir or Audible

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture and Best Director

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture and Best Director

    BEST PICTURE

    This is CODA vs. The Power of the Dog. The Oscar voting period is from March 17th to the 22nd and during that time, CODA undoubtedly surged, winning PGA on the 19th and WGA on the 20th. The timing of these awards are one of the central reasons most pundits have CODA winning Best Picture. However, CODA didn’t have significant backlash until it won these awards and The Power of the Dog won three awards (DGA, BAFTA, and CCA), the weekend before the voting period opened. 

    Additionally, every Best Picture winner in the preferential era has won at either PGA or WGA, which as previously-mentioned, are both awards CODA has won (though The Power of the Dog was ineligible for a nomination at the WGA). CODA’s eleventh-hour spike and the film’s broad likeability and accessibility are its advantages, though it being oft-compared to a Lifetime movie will likely hurt it in the eyes of an Academy that awarded critical favorites like Moonlight, Parasite, and Nomadland in only the last five years. 

    What does The Power of the Dog have going for it? It’s probably the most acclaimed of the nominees (other than Drive My Car) and has the stats and path of recent Best Picture winners. It has a DGA nomination, a BAFTA Best Film nod, and Film, Director, and Screenplay mentions from the Golden Globes, all accolades that every Best Picture winner in the preferential era has had and that CODA does not have (Campions film won DGA, BAFTA, and the Globe for Best Drama as well). It went to the fall festivals, unlike CODA (the film premiered at Sundance in early 2021 and was released to streaming in August), has an editing nomination (which every BP winner in the preferential era except for Birdman, which was made to look like it was shot in one take, won), unlike CODA, and is the nomination leader with 12 total, unlike CODA. The thing The Power of the Dog doesn’t have going or it is that it is perceived by some as a cold, artsy pick in contrast to the warm and accessible nature of CODA. It has a 6.9 IMDb score which would be the lowest, by far, of any winner in the preferential era (Nomadland and The Shape of Water were the previous lowests with 7.3s). CODA, in contrast, has an 8.0.

    When it comes to sociocultural relevance, which has been a significant factor in most Best Picture winners of the last six years, CODA, with its focus on a deaf family, seems to have the upper hand. However, The Power of the Dog with its examination of closeted homosexuality in the 1920s also has this “sociocultural importance” factor. Sam Elliott’s comments against The Power of the Dog likely helped the film as it emphasized that the toxic masculinity it identified is still alive and well today.

    In the end, I am going to go with The Power of the Dog as this Academy is the one that nominated Drive My Car in Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay and awarded Moonlight in 2017 and Nomadland last year. I doubt they award a film like CODA that feels even slighter than something like Green Book. But then again, this year does kind of remind me of the 2019 when the broadly entertaining Green Book beat the black-and-white Roma, but Green Book had a lot more important stats under its belt that CODA doesn’t have (Editing nod, BAFTA Best Film nod, DGA nod, Golden Globe Best Film, Director, and Screenplay nods, etc.). CODA could win, but I don’t think I’m ready to see all the stat-destruction that a CODA win would entail.

    Nominees:

    The Power of the Dog – GG (Drama), DGA, CCA, BAFTA

    CODA – SAG, PGA, WGA

    Belfast

    Dune

    West Side Story – GG (Comedy/Musical)

    King Richard

    Licorice Pizza

    Don’t Look Up

    Drive My Car

    Nightmare Alley

    Pick: The Power of the Dog

    BEST DIRECTOR

    C(h)ampion is taking this. There is really no question about it. Barring nothing extremely unexpected, she will become the third woman to win Best Director and the second consecutive after Chloe Zhao won last year for Nomadland.

    Nominees:

    Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog – GG, CCA, DGA, BAFTA

    Steven Spielberg – West Side Story

    Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza

    Kenneth Branagh – Belfast

    Ryusuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car

    Pick: Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Original And Adapted Screenplay

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Original And Adapted Screenplay

    BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

    2021 – Promising Young Woman – BAFTA, WGA, CCA

    2020 – Parasite – BAFTA, WGA

    2019 – Green Book – GG

    2018 – Get Out – CCA, WGA

    2017 – Manchester by the Sea – BAFTA, CCA

    2016 – Spotlight – BAFTA, CCA, WGA

    2015 – Birdman – GG

    2014 – Her – GG, CCA, WGA

    2013 – Django Unchained – GG, BAFTA, CCA

    2012 – Midnight in Paris – GG, CCA, WGA

    As much as I want Paul Thomas Anderson to win his first Oscar here and as much as I think there is a desire to reward him here, I think Belfast will just edge it out. The Academy often awards Picture nominees that they like yet don’t award anywhere else in the Screenplay categories. Unfortunately, that description applies to Belfast, Licorice Pizza, and Don’t Look Up. All of these films are very much driven by their screenplays so I believe the biggest Best Picture contender will prevail in the end and I think that means this award is between Belfast and Licorice Pizza. As exemplified by past winners in this category, Best Original Screenplays either have high-concept loglines (Promising Young Woman, Parasite, Get Out, Her, Django Unchained, and Midnight in Paris), are serious and melancholic realist dramas (Manchester by the Sea and Spotlight), or win Best Picture (Parasite, Green Book, Spotlight, and Birdman). Don’t Look Up fits the first category and Belfast somewhat fits the second, while Licorice Pizza doesn’t fit any. In the end, I’m going to go with Belfast since, in addition to it getting nominations in Picture, Director, and Screenplay like Licorice Pizza, it also has nominations in Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Sound, and Original Song, implying to me that it has more support than PTA’s film.

    Nominees:

    Belfast – GG, CCA

    Licorice Pizza – BAFTA

    Don’t Look Up – WGA

    The Worst Person in the World

    King Richard

    Pick: Belfast

    BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

    CODA obviously has so much love right now with the PGA, WGA, and SAG wins it has accrued. Still, it has only been nominated for 3 Oscars and while I’m not sure if it has what it needs to earn Picture, I think people will vote for it in Adapted Screenplay. If CODA wins Best Picture it will undoubtedly take this as well (CODA can’t win Picture without a win here as well) but I think that the film taking this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will win Best Picture. Anyways, it fits the kind of populist-leaning fare (Jojo Rabbit, The Imitation Game) that have won here in the past. The Power of the Dog still has the ability to win here but it’s very unlikely that the film gets Adapted Screenplay and Director, and not Picture or all three.

    Nominees: 

    CODA – BAFTA, WGA

    The Power of the Dog – CCA

    Drive My Car

    The Lost Daughter – USC

    Dune

    Pick: CODA

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Live Action Short, Animated Short, Documentary Short

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Live Action Short, Animated Short, Documentary Short

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

    How I hate to predict these categories. The most unpredictable and, frankly, confounding categories at the Oscars are undoubtedly the shorts. One thing that seems to be constant is that these shorts should have the power to linger past the moment the credits roll. I think The Long Goodbye, like Skin and Two Distant Strangers before it, has that visceral quality and it doesn’t hurt that a big name is behind it (Riz Ahmed). Please Hold, Ala Kachuu – Take and Run, and The Dress also have chances to steal as well.

    Nominees:

    The Long Goodbye

    Ala Kachuu – Take and Run

    Please Hold

    The Dress

    On My Mind

    Pick: The Long Goodbye

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT

    In the last 10 years, the longest winner in this category was 15 minutes (The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lesmore in 2011) and this year’s frontrunner, Robin Robin, is 32 minutes long. However, I think Robin Robin should be able to win this since it’s family-friendly like most of the last decade’s 10 winners here. Still, Robin Robin’s length does decrease the film’s chances somewhat and Bestia, the most visceral of the films here, has a very good chance to steal and I would pick it if it wasn’t for the big names behind Robin Robin and the fact that I think voters often namecheck people they recognize without watching the films in categories like the shorts.

    Nominees:

    Robin Robin

    Bestia

    The Windshield Wiper

    Affairs of the Art

    BoxBallet

    Pick: Robin Robin

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Three Songs for Benazir fits the mold of many previous winners in this category (specifically Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone and The White Helmets) since it’s also a short film taking place in an Asian warzone. However, I think The Queen of Basketball, with Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry behind it, will win. It’s the film with the most clout behind it and while that oftentimes doesn’t mean anything in these categories, the film also has the highest IMDb score of the three top nominees (Audible – 6.7, ‘Benazir’ – 6.2, and ‘Basketball’ – 7.1) which is more significant of an indicator.

    Nominees:

    The Queen of Basketball

    Three Songs for Benazir

    Audible

    When We Were Bullies

    Lead Me Home

    Pick: The Queen of Basketball

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Acting Categories

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Acting Categories

    BEST ACTOR

    After watching The Power of the Dog, I was sure Benedict Cumberbatch was going to win this. I even thought that Will Smith could take GG, CCA, and SAG, but if Cumberbatch at least BAFTA he would win. Well, Will Smith has swept all the precursors and while Cumberbatch still has a chance to steal, it seems to be Smith’s moment.

    Nominees:

    Will Smith – King Richard – GG, CCA, SAG, BAFTA

    Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog

    Andrew Garfield – tick, tick…BOOM!

    Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

    Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos

    Pick: Will Smith – King Richard 

    BEST ACTRESS

    Jessica Chastain, Nicole Kidman, and Kristen Stewart are all the leads of biopics and, as a result, will likely split votes. Among the three, Chastain seems to have the edge since she didn’t have the uncanny-valley makeup of Kidman or the inaccessible-to-some film that Stewart had. As a result of this vote-splitting, Penelope Cruz and/or Olivia Colman could benefit. Cruz seems to have the most passion behind her performance but I’m still unsure about whether enough people saw the film. I’m going to go with precursor leader Chastain though anyone, most likely Cruz or Stewart, can steal.

    Nominees:

    Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye – CCA, SAG

    Penelope Cruz – Parallel Mothers

    Kristen Stewart – Spencer

    Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos – GG

    Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter

    Pick: Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

    2021 – Daniel Kaluuya – GG, BAFTA, SAG, CCA

    2020 – Brad Pitt – GG, BAFTA, SAG, CCA

    2019 – Mahershala Ali – GG, BAFTA, SAG, CCA

    2018 – Sam Rockwell – GG, BAFTA, SAG, CCA

    2017 – Mahershala Ali – SAG, CCA

    2016 – Mark Rylance – BAFTA

     2015 – JK Simmons – GG, BAFTA, SAG, CCA

    Troy Kotsur has so much love right now and he has won three of the four major precursors in this category. Even if CODA doesn’t win Picture, Kotsur should take this though I don’t see CODA becoming our Picture winner without Kotsur first taking this.

    Nominees: 

    Troy Kotsur – CODA – CCA, SAG, BAFTA

    Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog – GG

    Ciaran Hinds – Belfast

    Jesse Plemons – The Power of the Dog

    J.K. Simmons – Being the Ricardos

    Pick: Troy Kotsur – CODA

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

    Ariana DeBose has swept this category so this really should be a no-brainer. However, Kirsten Dunst is beloved by so many and there does seem to be a semblance of a campaign to have the overdue Dunst win on her first nomination. However, I am personally going to stick with DeBose, who’s win in a musical reminds me of when Jennifer Hudson won for Dreamgirls.

    Nominees:

    Ariana DeBose – West Side Story – GG, CCA, SAG, BAFTA

    Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog

    Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard

    Judi Dench – Belfast

    Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter

    Pick: Ariana DeBose – West Side Story

     

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Sound, Original Song, Original Score

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Sound, Original Song, Original Score

    BEST SOUND

    There’s no way this is not going to Dune. Sci-fi/action Best Picture nominee that’s swept the precursors? Yeah, this is one of the strongest locks of the night.

    Nominees:

    Dune – MPSE, BAFTA, CAS

    West Side Story – MPSE

    No Time to Die

    Belfast

    The Power of the Dog

    Pick: Dune

    BEST ORIGINAL SONG

    Billie Eilish is an industry darling and No Time to Die is by far the most popular song of the bunch (It has oer five times as many Spotify plays as the second-most played song Dos Oruguitas). Eilish should be able to win though the previously-mentioned Dos Oruguitas and Beyonce’s Be Alive also have chances. Encanto, especially, should not be ignored as a major contender since Lin-Manuel Miranda seems to be one of the most beloved people in the industry and a win here will make him a member of the prestigious EGOT club.

    Nominees:

    No Time to Die – “No Time to Die” – GG, CCA, SCL

    Encanto – “Dos Oruguitas”

    King Richard – “Be Alive”

    Belfast – “Down to Joy”

    Four Good Days – “Somehow You Do”

    Pick: No Time to Die

    BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

    Hans Zimmer has a pretty good narrative here. Dune is a passion project of his that he’s been dreaming of since he was young and he experimented extensively with instruments and sounds for the project. Encanto’s Germaine Franco has a chance here (though I think it has a better probability of taking Original Song), as does The Power of the Dog’s Jonny Greenwood.

    Nominees:

    Dune – GG, CCA, BAFTA

    The Power of the Dog

    Encanto – SCL

    Don’t Look Up

    Parallel Mothers

    Pick: Dune

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Film Editing, Cinematography, Costume Design

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Film Editing, Cinematography, Costume Design

    BEST FILM EDITING

    Because both BAFTA and CCA went with films (No Time to Die and West Side Story respectively) that are not nominees here, this category is really interesting. One stat I want to mention is that every Editing winner since Whiplash has won a Sound award as well, and the only nominees here that are also nominated for Sound are Dune and The Power of the Dog. If you look at the films that have recently been awarded in this category, they are usually centered around music, sports, war, and/or sci-fi action. Dune fits the last two boxes while The Power of the Dog doesn’t hit any. Therefore, Dune should take this.

    Nominees:

    Dune

    King Richard – ACE (Drama)

    The Power of the Dog

    tick, tick…BOOM! – ACE (Comedy)

    Don’t Look Up

    Pick: Dune

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

    In the last 20 years, only four winners have won this category without a nomination in Best Director (funnily enough, Villeneuve’s previous film Blade Runner 2049 won Best Cinematography although Villeneuve missed Director).

    2021 – Mank – ASC

    2020 – 1917 – BAFTA, ASC, CCA

    2019 – Roma – BAFTA, CCA

    2018 – Blade Runner 2049 – BAFTA, ASC, CCA

    2017 – La La Land – BAFTA, CCA

    2016 – The Revenant – BAFTA, ASC, CCA

    2015 – Birdman – BAFTA, ASC, CCA

    2014 – Gravity – BAFTA, ASC, CCA

    2013 – Life of Pi – BAFTA, CCA

    Based on past winners, the Academy seems to like very flashy cinematography in this category. For this category, BAFTA and ASC are the most important precursors and Dune’s BAFTA-ASC combination should help it to victory. The last time a film with that combination with that combination lost the Oscar was Children of Men in 2007. The Power of the Dog and ‘Macbeth’ can steal, but this seems like Dune’s to lose.

    Nominees:

    Dune – BAFTA, ASC

    The Power of the Dog – CCA

    The Tragedy of Macbeth

    Nightmare Alley

    West Side Story

    Pick: Dune

    BEST COSTUME DESIGN

    Cruella is the overwhelming favorite but two things give me pause. Firstly, every winner in the last 25 years has been set primarily in the 1950s or earlier or was a sci-fi/fantasy film. Secondly, in the last 30 years, only five films have won this award without a Production Design nod as well. Cruella is set in the 1970s. It has the flashiest costumes of the bunch and that alone should push it to the win but don’t be surprised if something like Dune or Nightmare Alley (which both have production design nominations unlike Cruella) steal.

    Nominees: 

    Cruella – CCA, BAFTA, CDG (Period)

    Dune – CDG (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

    Nightmare Alley

    Cyrano

    West Side Story

    Pick: Cruella

  • Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Animated Feature, International Feature, Documentary Feature

    Final 2022 Oscar Predictions: Animated Feature, International Feature, Documentary Feature

    BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

    Since Inside Out in 2015, every winner in this category has won at both CCA and PGA. This year, those two awards have split with CCA going to The Mitchells vs. the Machines and PGA going to Encanto. This is not a category where the Academy makes especially unique or groundbreaking picks (How are Howl’s Moving Castle, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and Klaus not winners?). They usually go with Pixar films with Disney films like Zootopia, Big Hero 6, and Frozen recently making the cut. Disney’s Encanto is by far the biggest film of the nominees and has enough love and passion throughout the Academy for me to be confident with picking it here (even though Flee or ‘Mitchells’ would be personally preferred).

    Nominees:

    Encanto – GG, BAFTA, PGA

    The Mitchells vs. the Machines – Annie, CCA

    Flee – Annie (Indie)

    Luca

    Raya and the Last Dragon

    Pick: Encanto

    BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

    This one seems pretty obvious. The Worst Person in the World and Flee both received nominations in other categories, illustrating the support they both have, however, Drive My Car received nominations in Best Picture and Best Director and should easily win this.

    Nominees:

    Drive My Car – GG, CCA, BAFTA

    The Worst Person in the World

    Flee

    The Hand of God

    Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

    Pick: Drive My Car

    BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

    No winner in this category in the past seven years has won without a nomination at both BAFTA and DGA and the only nominee that fits that criterion is Summer of Soul. And I’m not even mentioning the fact that Questlove’s film has won at CCA, BAFTA, PGA, and ACE. It’s by far the leader in the precursors, has wide industry support, and is undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed films of the year.

    Nominees: 

    Summer of Soul – CCA, PGA, ACE, BAFTA

    Flee

    Attica – DGA

    Ascension

    Writing With Fire

    Pick: Summer of Soul

  • PGA Awards: ‘CODA’ Becomes a Very Possible Best Picture Contender

    PGA Awards: ‘CODA’ Becomes a Very Possible Best Picture Contender

    CODA now has won both PGA and SAG, a combination that no film since Birdman (2015’s Best Picture winner) has had. Couple that with a likely win at WGA later today and CODA could very possibly have the trifecta of PGA, WGA, and SAG. That would make it seem like the film is now the Best Picture frontrunner but I’m going to stay with The Power of the Dog for now.

    Encanto triumphed over The Mitchells vs. the Machines in Best Animated Feature and I don’t think it can be beat at the Oscars on Sunday. Summer of Soul’s win also cemented its place as the frontrunner in the Documentary category.

    Here is the full list of winners:

    Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

    Being the Ricardos
    Producer: Todd Black, p.g.a.

    Belfast
    Producers: Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, Tamar Thomas

    CODA – WINNER
    Producers: Philippe Rousselet, p.g.a., Fabrice Gianfermi, p.g.a., Patrick Wachsberger, p.g.a.

    Don’t Look Up
    Producers: Adam McKay, p.g.a., Kevin Messick, p.g.a.

    Dune
    Producers: Mary Parent, p.g.a., Cale Boyter, p.g.a., Denis Villeneuve, p.g.a.

    King Richard
    Producers: Tim White, p.g.a., Trevor White, p.g.a., Will Smith, p.g.a.

    Licorice Pizza
    Producers: Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner

    The Power of the Dog
    Producers: Jane Campion, p.g.a., Tanya Seghatchian, p.g.a., Emile Sherman, p.g.a. & Iain Canning, p.g.a., Roger Frappier, p.g.a.

    tick, tick…BOOM!
    Producers: Julie Oh, p.g.a., Lin-Manuel Miranda, p.g.a.

    West Side Story
    Producers: Steven Spielberg, p.g.a., Kristie Macosko Krieger, p.g.a.


    Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

    Encanto – WINNER
    Producers: Yvett Merino, p.g.a., Clark Spencer, p.g.a.

    Luca
    Producers: Andrea Warren, p.g.a.

    The Mitchells vs. The Machines
    Producers: Phil Lord, p.g.a. & Christopher Miller, p.g.a., Kurt Albrecht, p.g.a.

    Raya and the Last Dragon
    Producers: Osnat Shurer, p.g.a., Peter Del Vecho, p.g.a.

    Sing 2
    Producers: Chris Meledandri, p.g.a., Janet Healy, p.g.a.


    Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures

    Ascension
    Producers: Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy, Nathan Truesdell

    The First Wave
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Flee
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    In The Same Breath
    Producers: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman & Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn

    The Rescue
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Simple As Water
    Producers: Robin Hessman, Megan Mylan

    Summer Of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – WINNER
    Producers: Joseph Patel, p.g.a., David Dinerstein, p.g.a., Robert Fyvolent, p.g.a.

    Writing With Fire
    Producers: Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh


    Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama

    The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 4)
    The Morning Show (Season 2)
    Squid Game (Season 1)
    Succession (Season 3) – WINNER
    Yellowstone (Season 4)


    Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy

    Cobra Kai (Seasons 3 & 4)
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 11)
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Hacks (Season 1)
    Producers: Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Joanna Calo, Andrew Law, David Hyman, Joe Mande, Jessica Chaffin

    Only Murders in the Building (Season 1)
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Ted Lasso (Season 2) – WINNER
    Producers: Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Jeff Ingold, Bill Wrubel, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, Liza Katzer, Kip Kroeger, Declan Lowney, Leann Bowen, Ashley Nicole Black


    David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television

    Dopesick
    Mare of Easttown – WINNER
    The Underground Railroad
    WandaVision
    The White Lotus


    Award for Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures

    8-Bit Christmas
    Producers: Tim White, p.g.a. & Trevor White, p.g.a., Allan Mandelbaum, p.g.a.

    Come From Away
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Oslo
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*

    Single All The Way
    Producer: Joel S. Rice, p.g.a.

    Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers – WINNER
    *Eligibility Determination Pending*


    Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television

    60 Minutes (Season 54)
    Allen v. Farrow (Season 1)
    The Beatles: Get Back (Season 1) – WINNER
    Queer Eye (Season 6)
    Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (Season 1)


    Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television

    The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Season 27)
    Dave Chappelle: The Closer
    Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 8) – WINNER
    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Season 7)
    Saturday Night Live (Season 47)


    Award for Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television

    America’s Got Talent (Season 16)
    Nailed It! (Seasons 5 & 6)
    RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 13) – WINNER
    Top Chef (Season 18)
    The Voice (Season 20)