I have, just now, seen all the nominees for best picture.
I got the last two Saturday night and Sunday morning but even so, I’m surely qualified to select the winners in each catergory.
Best Picture
I made up my mind early on that The Banshees of Insherin was the best film of the year and at this point it may be stubbornness but I’m sticking with it.
However, I think the category is the strongest it’s been in years and whichever movie actually wins (Everything Everywhere All At Once seems likely) I will probably be satisfied.
Unless it’s Elvis or Top Gun.
Anyway, here’s how I got them ranked.
Banshees
Everything
Tar
Triangle of Sadness
The Fabelmans
Avatar
Women Talking
Elvis
All Quiet on the Western Front
Top Gun
Picking the rest of the Oscar races is ultimately unfair because I haven’t seen all the movies in each category. But let’s do it anyway.
Best Actor
I haven’t seen The Whale and probably won’t see the The Whale but let’s just all agree to give this to Brendon Fraser without ever watching The Whale.
Best Actress
Part of me says let’s give this to Andrea Riseborough for managing to run an Oscar campaign that was somehow so controversial that the selection committee had to respond. That’s the kind of chutzpah that means you’re gonna make it in this town.
Anyway, I keep coming back to Michelle Williams who was asked to play Steven Spielberg’s mother as a warm and caring crazy person. I think that may have been the best performance of the year despite impressive work from Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh.
Blanchett as Lydia Tar gets to be a internet meme forever and doesn’t that mean more than a little gold statue?
Anyway, if the ballot was in front of me I’d probably vote for Yeoh because I think she should be recognized and I think she is that good in a weird and beautiful movie. And she deserves an Oscar for her body of work.
Best Director
Not to well actually anybody, but well actually, I think Nope or The Northman would have won this category for me.
Since neither are nominated I would have to think about how to rank this thing.
Of the movies that are actually in the category I think Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert had the toughest job. They had to take confusing material and turn it into something that made sense, keep the audience interested and kept things moving along to a satisfying conclusion. It was a high bar but they leapt over it like pros.
I want to give Spielberg all the flowers here because he showed enormous restraint and his movie works twice as well because of it. I said before that when the movie ended I wanted a montage of little Stevie directing his heart out and winning awards and whatnot.
That Spielberg knew better and understood that he shouldn’t gild the lily gets extra points from me.
Martin McDonagh, Todd Field and Ruben Ostlund all delivered great movies too.
Again it comes down to how you rank the thing. If I’m picking the director of the flick I liked best then it’s McDonagh. If it’s based on degree of difficulty then its Daniel and Daniel.
My real answer is Jordan Peele for Nope. Second place and winner is Daniel and Daniel.
Best Supporting Actress
Stephanie Hsu is my first place choice by a mile here. Kerry Condon is great in a great movie. Angela Bassett and Jamie Lee Curtis both deserve it as a lifetime achievement awards.
But Hsu all the way for me.
Best Supporting Actor
Barry Keoghan made me cry in the movie. Ke Huy Quan made me cry in real life.
Brendan Gleeson is excellent as always. I haven’t seen Causeway but Brian Tyree Henry is always a delight.
Anyway, let’s give this to Quan and reward him financially with a Short Round Disney+ show.
Quick Hits
Score: Babylon (nothing else is close)
Screenplay: Banshees
Adapted Screenplay: Women Talking
Cinematography: All Quiet
Visual Effects: Avatar
Costume Design: Elvis
Editing: Everything
Production Design: I dunno, you pick it.
Makeup and hair: Elvis
Sound: All Quiet
Dark Highways 