Waking up this morning felt like waking up on Christmas for movie lovers like me. Well, maybe movie obsessed fanatics is a better way of putting it. Either way, I have logged countless hours on the films of 2022 and dove into my predictions on each of the major awards for this year’s Oscars below. Though I’d like to think I am, I am no expert, just a girl with a lot of opinions about movies.

Best Original Screenplay

Who I Want to Win: Martin McDonagh for The Banshees of Inisherin

Who Should Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All At Once

Who Will Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All At Once

The theme of this year’s Oscars will undoubtedly be Everything Everywhere All At Once dominance. And deservedly so; the film is well acted, well directed, and remarkably well written. Like the title tells us, the film is really all over the place, and for something like that to work as well as it does is a testament to how well the Daniels scripted the film.

All things considered, my heart tells me that Martin McDonagh should take home the golden statuette for The Banshees of Inisherin. I found this to be the most charming film of this year and it’s writing was the backbone of this. Martin created something very special and I don’t think it will get to take home the kind number of awards that it would have in nearly any other year due to the juggernaut that is EEAAO. However, I think it would be a sin not to celebrate this accomplishment and screenplay might be the place where it has the best chance to win.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Who I Want to Win: Rian Johnson for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Who Should Win: Sarah Polley for Women Talking

Who Will Win: Sarah Polley for Women Talking

To me, this was a much stronger year for Original Screenplays than Adapted ones. That being said, Women Talking was a true stand out film this year that only worked due to it’s pitch perfect script. Similar to the way EEAAO clearly communicates the vibe of the film through the title, so too does Women Talking set the tone for what you are about to sit down and watch. In a film built on and held up by women sitting around and talking, the script needed to fire on all cylinders in order for the movie to be effective. And oh boy was it effective. The content of this film needs to be handled with care – you need to know how and when to show and to tell. Thankfully, Sarah Polley was more than capable to handle and master this.

Though I would love to see Rian Johnson take home the Adapted Screenplay for his thrillingly entertaining Knives Out sequel, I know it is a purely fun pick on my part. Though – to me – it’s undeniable that Women Talking deserves the award, I would not be mad to see Glass Onion take it home.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Who I Want to Win: Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Who Should Win: Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Who Will Win: Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Well that was easy! Ke Huy can sleep well the night before movie’s biggest night knowing that not only does he very much deserve to win, but he basically has this one in the bag. A lot of hard work and a moving performance solidified him as the best supporting performer of 2022.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Who I Want to Win: Kerry Condon as Siobhán Súilleabháin in The Banshees of Inisherin

Who Should Win: Stephanie Hsu as Joy Wang/Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Who Will Win: Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

These three women have my heart.

Kerry managed to shine in a film full of fantastic performances as a strong-willed, no bullshit, and supportive sister. Not to mention she was basically the only woman to have any screen time during the film – not forgetting about Mrs. McCormick, of course – and she didn’t waste a single moment.

Then we have my dear Stephanie who was brought in to perhaps the most difficult role in a movie full of difficult roles. She had to be believable as a struggling daughter and a burdened, all-powerful villain. Without her being convincing in this dual role, the film would not have packed the emotional punch that it pulled off in it’s final 20 or so minutes. Her emotionally charged performance has me on the edge of my seat to see what she goes on to do next.

But I predict that the woman who will be taking home a this year’s supporting actress Oscar is the one and only Angela Bassett. This is not completely a make up Oscar, though Angela has been extremely overlooked for several fantastic performances over the course of her career. That’s certainly a part of it, but to say that is the only reason she will be coming out on top would do a disservice to her performance in the year’s best Marvel film. Bassett commanded the screen, upstaging the villain and hero’s performances, and delivered an stirringly emotional performance. She deserves the credit for her career and all she has accomplished, but she also deserves to be recognized for the emotional powerhouse she delivered to the screen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

And of course, those toned arms.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Who I Want to Win: Colin Farrell as Pádraic Súilleabháin in Banshees of Inisherin

Who Should Win: Colin Farrell as Pádraic Súilleabháin in Banshees of Inisherin

Who Will Win: Brendan Fraser as Charlie in The Whale

This is a prediction based on two simple factors: 1) I was not as impressed with Austin Butler’s performance as Elvis as it seems many other’s in the industry were and 2) Brendan has been making a push and winning a lot more in some of the other awards ceremonies of late. I have not yet seen The Whale so I cannot speak to his performance, therefore I am left to pick from the nominees I have seen for my predictions. To me, I was most impressed with Colin Farrell’s turn as a lovely dim Irishman struggling with a very tumultuous friendship. Colin’s career has been taking fascinating and exciting turns in the last ten years or so. He is working on exciting, intellectual projects with innovative directors. But this return to his long-standing partnership with Martin McDonagh has been the most impressive that I have seen. Yes, a large part of what impressed me about it was his top-tier eyebrow acting.

Before I move on, I would be remiss not to acknowledge Paul Mescal’s performance in my favorite directorial debut of 2022, Aftersun. He is such an exciting young performer, who – along with Stephanie Hsu – is one to watch.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Who I Want to Win: Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Who Should Win: Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár in Tár

Who Will Win: This one is a toss up!

This is turning out to be one of the most exciting Best Actress races in quite some time. It’s true that last year, I was also unsure about the Best Actress in a Leading Role category, but this year is different. Not only are these the single best performances – lead, supporting, actor, actress all considered – of the year, but these women have storied careers that deserve as much recognition as possible.

And this is where I get even more tongue-tied. Cate Blanchett is a top five actor for me. She brings an energy and commitment to the screen that few people in the history of the film can stand up against. The performance she delivers in Tár is unbelievable. It’s intoxicating and mesmerizing – you absolutely cannot look away from it, even when it’s hard to watch. It’s one of the best performances I have seen in a long time and it certainly deserves to be celebrated, but….

…Cate already has two Oscars. Michelle Yeoh, her biggest competition for the trophy, has none. Without Michelle, EEAAO doesn’t work. It’s not the same. Though the supporting performances are lights out and the film is extremely well crafted, she holds it together. Considering her storied career and phenomenal performance as Evelyn, I want to see Michelle hoist a well-deserved Oscar for the first time at this year’s ceremony.

Best Director

Who I Want to Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All At Once

Who Should Win: Steven Spielberg for The Fabelmans

Who Will Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All At Once

I have already waxed poetic about EEAAO too many times during this blog post, you get it: the movie is incredible in nearly every aspect and deserves a ton of credit. However, I think this year’s Best Director award should go to a film that shone brightest in it’s direction. Yes, I’m talking about Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. Steven is a master of the medium and has been for nearly 50 years. This film is his most personal entry, but it’s not all mushy and gushy. He never lets you forget for one moment that he knows exactly what he is doing behind the camera with the gorgeous work he produces on screen. It’s an achievement and a career worth celebrating every year. I would hope that, due to this and the fact that the film will likely not be taking home any other hardware tonight, Steven will add to his Oscars collection.

Best Picture

Who I Want to Win: Everything Everywhere All At Once

Who Should Win: Banshees of Inisherin

Who Will Win: Everything Everywhere All At Once

To see Everything Everywhere All At Once take home the night’s biggest award would be akin to taking a nice warm bath. The film and all those involved in it are delightful, energetic souls who light up the screen both in and out of character. The directors are two hugely innovative and exciting young filmmakers who have created one of the most special films I have seen in a long time. It is packed with action, emotion, science fiction, martial arts, romance, family, nihilism, and hope amongst many other things. It’s overwhelming at times, but it pays off in the end. It is a major production anchored by the performance of a 60 year-old Asian woman – a demographic that has not historically anchored a box-office success and critically acclaimed film. It gives a voice and stage to those who haven’t always gotten a chance to show us what they’ve got. It is so many things happening all over the place at the same time and – if you ask me – it’s a best picture winner.

I think any other year, Banshees would be making more noise. It is a film that is deafening in it’s silence, it’s actions, and it’s sorrow. It is a film that is both nuzzling you with warmth and icing you out with it’s coldness. In comparison to EEAAO, it tells a small story on a small scale with a huge impact. In terms of traditional film, this movie wins in my mind.

But thankfully, we are evolving into a world where traditional film isn’t always the best film.

***

Before I go, I want to acknowledge a few nominees that I haven’t mentioned yet, but really enjoyed this year. Definitely not because they weren’t fantastic, but because they came out the same year as Everything Everywhere All At Once. But instead of just listing them here separated by a string a commas, I’ll make it fun: let’s do some superlatives.

Most Likely To Make Me Gasp: Triangle of Sadness (specifically Part 2: The Yacht)

Most Likely To Make Me Buy a Pair of Aviators: Top Gun: Maverick

Most Likely To Take Me Three Days To Watch: The Batman (both due to it’s length and my intense fear of Paul Dano as the Riddler)

Congrats to all the nominees – can’t wait to see how this all shakes out!