After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during last year’s Academy Awards, this year’s Oscars are generating enormous expectations. That showed that almost anything can happen on stage, and the references or comments that could be unleashed have no limits.
Debates have also begun about who could take home the golden statuettes. There is no doubt that the contest is very close in several categories, with impeccable performances such as that of Michelle Yeoh or the return of Brendan Fraser. Even the out-of-control plot of Everything Everywhere All At Once is on the list, although the Academy Awards odds show a few clear favorites.
Best Picture
- All Quiet on the Western Front – Malte Grunert, Producer
- Elvis – Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, Producers
- Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, Producers
- The Fabelmans – Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, Producers
- Tár – Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, Producers
- Avatar: The Way of Water – James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers
- Top Gun: Maverick – Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
- Triangle of Sadness – Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, Producers
- Women Talking – Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, Producers
Although the category has ten candidates, only four stand out among the critics and the Academy Awards odds. Tár, All Quiet Front, The Fabelmans and Everything Everywhere All At Once are the leaders. However, Everything Everywhere is the undisputed favorite.
Best Actress
The nominees in this category include:
- Cate Blanchett – Tár
- Ana de Armas – Blonde
- Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie
- Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans
- Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Yeoh is the undisputed favorite. However, last Wednesday, she shared parts of a Vogue article in which she laid out the reasons why she deserved to be the winner instead of Blanchett, who is seeking her third Oscar for her Tár performance.
Yeoh not only hinted at being the best candidate, but she did so only a few hours before the end of the voting. She may have violated Academy Award regulations in doing so, since they prohibit any attempt by a nominee to justify why they should win.
Controversy aside, opinions are divided between both actresses. Even though Yeoh is a top name, Blanchett still can’t be ruled out.
Best Lead Actor
- Austin Butler – Elvis
- Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Brendan Fraser – The Whale
- Paul Mescal – Aftersun
- Bill Nighy – Living
Here, the dispute is headed by two actors. Butler won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Elvis and Fraser is in the running for The Whale, which won the Critics’ Choice and the SAG.
The Oscar seems more than sung for Butler. He captured every aspect of Elvis, from his gestures and way of dancing to the tone of his voice and his gaze. In the entertainment props, Butler deserves more than a sideways glance.
Best Director
- Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans
- Todd Field – Tár
- Ruben Östlund – Triangle of Sadness
History has shown that the Best Picture winner doesn’t always take home the Best Director award. However, this year could be an exception. Kwan and Scheinert have already won Critics Choice and the Directors Guild Awards and are on track for another.
Spielberg’s career and place in movie history could weigh heavily on Academy voters. However, probably not enough to push him to the front in the Academy Awards odds.
Best Supporting Actor
- Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
- Judd Hirsch – The Fabelmans
- Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Quan, with his performance in Everything Everywhere, is out in front in the Academy Awards predictions, and is expected to have a landslide victory. Best known as “Shortround,” the child in one of the Indiana Jones installments, enjoys a high acting level that allows him to adapt to each layer of his character.
Best Supporting Actress
- Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Hong Chau – The Whale
- Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once
This is probably the category with the greatest uncertainty in entertainment betting. All the nominees have high odds, although Curtis and Bassett are out in front. Still, it wouldn’t be wise to rule out Condon or Chau.
Best Original Screenplay
- The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
- Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert)
- The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner)
- Tár (Todd Field)
- Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund)
Once again, the favorite to win is Everything Everywhere, with its wildly original script. Few screenwriters have been able to accomplish what McDonagh did with this screenplay, and it will show in the selection.
Best International Feature Film
- All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
- Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
- Close (Belgium)
- EO (Poland)
- The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
It was a surprise that All Quiet On The Western Front was considered for this category and Best Film. However, if it doesn’t win one of the two, it will win the other. Argentina 1985 was the odds-on favorite until All Quiet arrived and took over.
There are other categories that have stiff competition, as well. All Quiet on the Western Front and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever appear numerous times, and bettors can count on them taking home at least one Oscar each in the Academy Awards schedule on Sunday, March 12.
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