My Oscar Picks
Per usual, we didn’t get through all of the movies. Life happens. As of writing this, I also haven’t watched Passing, which I wanted to do because I have a feeling Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson deserved a nod. Life is an imperfect adventure, though, so here are my picks based on those categories I did manage to complete:
Animated Feature Film
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
I gotta go with Encanto. It’s visually beautiful, well acted, a compelling story, incredible music. In a field of strong candidates, it still stands out as best to me. It’s one of my favorite animated movies of all time, to be honest.
Cinematography
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Machbeth
West Side Story
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, cinematography is “the art and technology of motion-picture photography. It involves such techniques as the general compositionof a scene; the lighting of the set or location; the choice of cameras, lenses, filters, and film stock; the camera angle and movements; and the integration of any special effects.”
As such, I think I would say Dune? All of the components of that definition combine to create both a world and a mood. I just didn’t like that mood and didn’t want to go to that world.
Production Design
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
According to wikipedia, “the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings.”
You know, I think I would go with Nightmare Alley here. I felt fully immersed in that place and time with this movie. I will say that The Tragedy of Macbeth made some bold choices here, but I still feel as thought I was in the middle of a Shakespearean Calvin Klein commercial.
Costume Design
Cruella
Cyrano*
Dune
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story
The caveat here is that I did not get a chance to see Cyrano, so this is an incomplete vote, but I gotta go with Cruella, a movie that was underestimated in a lot of ways. It’s also challenging to do a movie about fashion and yet I never doubted.
Documentary (Feature)
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul
Writing with Fire
I felt that this was a strong bunch. I still do not for the life of me understand how My Octopus Teacher won last year. This year I connected with all of the nominees except Ascension, but I could still understand why it was nominated. It’s really hard to pick one, but I think I have to go with Summer of Soul narrowly edging out Writing with Fire. Both Attica and Flee are excellent, but both also have a sort of disjointed approach to the story that didn’t work as well for me.
Film Editing
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
TICK TICK…BOOM!
According to Wikipedia, “on its most fundamental level, film editing is the art, technique and practice of assembling shots into a coherent sequence.”
This one goes to TICK TICK…BOOM! which created a cohesive narrative out of a lot of cutting and pasting.
Sound
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Uh…I’m going with No Time to Die because there were a lot of things going on, but I was never jarred from the movie. At times Belfast sounded a bit wonky to me. Dune was just…ugh. One of the “nails on chalkboard” movies for me. The music in The Power of the Dog probably detracted from other sounds—and not in a good way. West Side Story sounded better than the original, which one would hope. Belfast was fine but sometimes the Van Morrison was a little louder than the rest? I don’t know. I probably need a hearing aid anyway.
Visual Effects
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Ooooh, this one is close for me. I gotta go with Spider-Man: No Way Home although Free Guy was really something. Maybe it’s a tie. Yeah, in my world, it’s a tie.
Music (Original Score)
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog
I’d have to listen again, but I’d go with Encanto or Parallel Mothers. I don’t understand how folks could even begin to enjoy Dune or The Power of the Dog, both of which I noted at the time made me wince. I won’t be adding either one of those to my writing music playlist, I’ll tell you that.
Music (Original Song)
“Be Alive” from King Richard
“Dos Oruguitos” from Encanto
“Down to Joy” from Belfast
“No Time to Die” from No Time to Die
“Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days
I think we all know the best original song of the year is “We Don’t Talk about Bruno,” which will live on after this generation gets done playing the stew out of it. For me this one comes down to “Dos Oruguitos” or “No Time to Die.” Since the latter is a good example of a Bond song, I’m going with the former for its originality. Also, Lin-Manuel needs that EGOT, dammit.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World
I’d pick Encanto of all of these. What? Did I say that? Hmmm. I would be pleased with any winner other than Licorice Pizza or Don’t Look Up. Both of those movies strike me as trying to hard. One is trying too hard to be Dr Strangelove, and the other is trying too hard to be artsy. The Worst Person in the World is rather compelling but left me with the question…why? King Richard is a quiet contender for telling a tight, compelling story. Belfast is excellent but voters may see it as too nostalgic.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
CODA hands down. That’s one helluva script.
Directing
Belfast
Drive My Car
Licorice Pizza
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Hmmm. Branagh does interesting things in Belfast as does Hamaguchi with Drive My Car. I can see why folks like Anderson, but Licorice Pizza was just not my jam—especially not compared to the tale he wove with The Phantom Thread back in 2017. While Spielberg made significant improvements on West Side Story, he did still have a template to work with. That leaves The Power of the Dog, which felt as though it took itself oh-so very seriously. Hard to give Best Picture to a movie that was so overt with its masturbatory imagery. Like, we get it, Campion. Honestly my pic for this is Sian Heder, whose CODA is phenomenally tight and powerful and unique. Also, Lin-Manuel Miranda deserved a nod here for TICK TICK…BOOM! because the way he stitched that movie together was masterful.
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
Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth
Gotta go with Andrew Garfield here. He really made this film come alive. Dude. He was great in Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, too. Great performances all around here.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Ciarán Hinds in Belfast
Troy Kotsur in CODA
Jesse Plemmons in The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons in Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog
I gotta go with Troy Kotsur who ran the gamut of husband, father, fisherman in a most irreverent and lovable way. It’s a pretty strong field, though, and I wouldn’t be mad at J.K. Simmons. But where is Bradley Cooper as Jon Peters in Licorice Pizza? That was the best part of the movie.
Actress in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz in Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman in Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart in Spencer
The Best Actress in a Leading Role was actually Emilia Jones from CODA. Girlfriend learned American Sign Language, how to operate a fishing trawler, sang, spoke with a perfect American accent, AND acted her ass off as a teenager coming of age. Don’t play with me, Academy. When are you going to recognize women’s coming of age stories the way you lust after men’s?
But also this is a strong field. I love Olivia Colman to bits, but absent my pick’s lack of nomination, I think it’s either Chastain or Cruz. That said, I have not seen Passing, and, as I said above, I have a feeling Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are missing in one or both of these categories.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Jessie Buckley in The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose in West Side Story
Judi Dench in Belfast
Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis in King Richard
Whew. This is a tough category. I think it has to go to Ariana DeBose who drew my eyes and touched my heart and made watching West Side Story something I could endure.
Best Picture
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
I’m going with CODA. Best all around film of all of these. I looked at my watch constantly during five of these—and Drive My Car wasn’t one of them. I would’ve replaced some of these with TICK TICK…BOOM!, Parallel Mothers, and Encanto. I also made arguments for No Time to Die and Spider-Man: No Way Home. I said what I said.