Sone on Cinema: My Predictions for The Biggest Night In Hollywood

The big question on every movie fan’s mind is which film will be crowned the next Best Picture winner in this year’s Oscars.

The front-runners for Best Picture include two successful box office movies: “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”  Indie projects such as “Tàr,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin,” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” are also in the running for Best Picture. 

Brendan Fraser and Paul Mescal received their first Oscar nominations for Best Actor. Fraser got his from his role in “The Whale” and Mescal for his role in the A24 film “Aftersun.” Ke Huy Quan, who struggled to find work in Hollywood for the past 30-plus years, found success with “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and his nomination for Best Supporting Actor, his first-ever Oscar nod.

Nominees for best actress include Cate Blanchett for “Tar,” Michelle Williams for “The Fabelmans,” Andrea Riseborough for “To Leslie,” Ana de Armas for “Blonde,” and Michelle Yeoh for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” 

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will be excited that Angela Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Basset starred in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which was released in November. If you didn’t get a chance to see it in theaters, it is now streaming on Disney+. Fans of DC Comics will be ecstatic to see that “The Batman” scored several nominations, which include Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Styling, and Best Sound. The Academy seems to favor DC over Marvel. 

Steven Spielberg strikes again, receiving nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Spielberg’s latest film “The Fabelmans” is a  semi-autobiographical piece. Best Actress nominee Williams portrayed Spielberg’s mom.

The films that collected the most nominations were “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “All Quiet On The Western Front,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin.” 

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” is a sci-fi film, “All Quiet On The Western Front” is an epic WW1 film, and “The Banshees of Inisherin” is an Irish dark comedy. 

Jimmy Kimmel will be returning to host this year’s ceremony. Kimmel hosted in 2017 and 2018. The ceremony will take place in The Dolby Theater in Ovation, Hollywood.  The 2023 Oscars will be airing on ABC at 8. p.m. on Sunday, March 12. 

My Oscar Predictions

Best Picture: I’m rooting for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” As a sci-fi fan, i consider it be an outstanding accomplishment that this movie was able to make it in the Best Picture category. In the past, sci-fi films typically get nominated in the technical area, and it’s hard to find one that encompasses all the aspects of a Best Picture nominee. The film was well-written, the performances were amazing, the visual effects were impressive, and the themes were powerful. 

Best Actor: Brendan Fraser is my pick for Best Actor. I’ve known him for starring in “The Mummy” Trilogy and I love it when actors show audiences that they can play a range of characters. “The Whale” moved me when I saw it and Fraser’s incredible performance as an obese, conflicted English professor contributed to what I felt when I saw the movie. Fraser hasn’t been in the spotlight for awhile and I believe winning Best Actor will be a great comeback story for him. 

Best Actress: This is a tough one and I think it’ll come down to Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett. If I had to choose between the two, I’m gonna go with Cate Blanchett’s thrilling performance in “Tar.” I mainly know her from “Lord Of The Rings,”  “Indiana Jones,” and Del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley.” Blanchett proved she has what it takes to portray a compelling anti-hero and she deserves to win Best Actress. 

Best Supporting Actor: If Key Huy Quan isn’t on your list, then you have some serious problems. I will be outraged if he doesn’t get his win because he killed it in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and there is no other actor who could top his performance.  He was witty, engaging, and he pulled off some badass moves in all of the fight scenes he was in. 

Best Supporting Actress: I’m a DC  fan, but I’ll have to side with MCU because Angela Bassett’s performance in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was the best part of the movie. Bassett is an excellent actress and she displayed her talent as the Wakandian mother, grieving the loss of her son. 

Best Visual Effects: It’s a shame “Everything Everywhere All At Once” got snubbed for this category. James Cameron did it again with “Avatar: The Way of Water.” I know he’ll take home the award, but he doesn’t deserve it. 

Best Makeup and Styling: Whoever transformed Brendan Fraser into a 600-pound man is an extremely talented stylist. Fraser’s entire face changed and it was both disturbing and intriguing to look at on the big screen. “The Whale” is my pick for this one and I hope it wins. 

Best Sound: I’m choosing “The Batman” as a way to redeem myself for praising the MCU when I should’ve been bashing the franchise. I remember seeing this in theaters in Dolby and the way the seats shook, especially during the car chase scene, was a moment that I’ll never forget. 

Best Director: The Daniels made “Everything Everywhere All At Once” feel magical with their unique style. The shots were bizarre, but it was fun to glue my eyes to the screen and watch the crazy shots, which haven’t been done in other films. 

Best Original Screenplay: This is the final one, but in my opinion, it’s the most important one. A great film starts with a great script. I prefer substance over style, even though studios seem to favor style these days. I’m torn between “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “Tar.” These were some of the best screenplays of 2022, but since I have to go with one, I’m gonna pick “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” This movie exemplifies how absurdist art can still be entertaining and thought-provoking. The writers took a philosophical idea and managed to subtly weave it into the narrative. They didn’t dumb it down for the audience. The Daniels wrote the story they wanted to tell and let the audience draw their interpretations.