Here are the 2022 Annual Academy Awards® nominees and my predictions.
* Note: This post was updated after the event to include the eventual winners.
Best Picture
The Nominees
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Want to Win
CODA
My Prediction
The Power of the Dog
Actual Winner
CODA
In recent years I’ve been disappointed by not only the list of nominees but more often than not the eventual winner. This year I felt it was going to be a similar story. Having watched all 10 nominated films I was left largely unmoved by most of them until I watched CODA, a film about a Child Of Deaf Adults. It was one of those moments when I knew that without a question it was my favourite of the year (from the list). It was not tipped to win the big award, this being touted as going to ‘The Power of the Dog’, which had left me feeling fairly nonplussed. I was delighted to be proven wrong when the Academy gave the top prize to CODA. If you haven’t seen it yet, I can highly recommend it.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
The Nominees
Javier Bardem
Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch
The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield
tick, tick…BOOM!
Will Smith
King Richard
Denzel Washington
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Want to Win
Benedict Cumberbatch
The Power of the Dog
My Prediction
Will Smith
King Richard
Actual Winner
Will Smith
King Richard
A lot has been written and said about the most controversial moment in this year’s (or possibly any) Oscars® ceremony, but here’s my take on it.
Chris Rock, presenting the award for Documentary (Feature), told a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith and her appearance with a buzz-cut hairstyle, remarking that he can’t wait for ‘G.I. Jane 2’. Will Smith’s reaction to the joke about his wife was to walk onto the stage and give a large open-palmed slap to comedian Chris Rock, then calmly walk back to his seat, before shouting and cursing at Rock.
Pinkett-Smith suffers from alopecia and chooses to cut her hair short rather than have it fall out. It is reported that Chris Rock was unaware of this condition. Will Smith’s response was, to say the least, a huge over-reaction. Less than 30 minutes later he was awarded the statue for Actor in a Leading Role, to which he received a standing ovation. The award was well deserved (despite my preference for Benedict Cumberbatch), but the ovation seemed out of place having witnessed what took place earlier. He then proceeded to apologise to the Academy for his action but omitted to apologise to Chris Rock.
For his part, Chris Rock has stated that he was unaware of Jada’s condition, and the joke was more a dig at the film ‘G.I. Jane’ (1997) starring Demi Moore who had a similar hairstyle in the movie. It was a terrible film, with a forgettable performance by Moore, and a remake with Pinkett-Smith in the title role would surely be a good thing!
However, if a comedian has to explain their joke, they have failed big time.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
The Nominees
Jessica Chastain
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman
The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz
Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman
Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart
Spencer
Want to Win
Jessica Chastain
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
My Prediction
Jessica Chastain
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Actual Winner
Jessica Chastain
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
A lot of people hailed Kristen Stewart’s performance of Princess Diana in ‘Spencer’, but I felt like I was watching Bella from ‘Twilight’ moan her way through Palace life. Jessica Chastain’s performance in the ‘Eyes of Tammy Faye’ was outstanding. I barely recognised the actress, partly down to the amazing makeup transforming her into Tammy Faye, but a lot of credit has to go to her acting, and she fully deserved to win.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
The Nominees
Ciarán Hinds
Belfast
Troy Kotsur
CODA
Jesse Plemons
The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons
Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee
The Power of the Dog
Want to Win
Troy Kotsur
CODA
My Prediction
Troy Kotsur
CODA
Actual Winner
Troy Kotsur
CODA
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
The Nominees
Jessie Buckley
The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose
West Side Story
Judi Dench
Belfast
Kirsten Dunst
The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis
King Richard
Want to Win
Ariana DeBose
West Side Story
My Prediction
Ariana DeBose
West Side Story
Actual Winner
Ariana DeBose
West Side Story
Judi Dench earning a nomination for her role in ‘Belfast’ was a huge shock to me. Don’t get me wrong, Judi is a living legend, a national treasure and I LOVE her, but this was not a strong performance and the Northern Irish accent she employed was cringe-worthy. Ariana DeBose was always destined to win this though, as her performance in ‘West Side Story’ was tremendous.
DIRECTING
The Nominees
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion
Belfast
Kenneth Branagh
Drive My Car
Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson
West Side Story
Steven Spielberg
Want to Win
Belfast
Kenneth Branagh
My Prediction
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion
Actual Winner
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Nominees
CODA
Screenplay by Siân Heder
Drive My Car
Screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
Dune
Screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
The Lost Daughter
Written by Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Power of the Dog
Written by Jane Campion
Want to Win
CODA
Screenplay by Siân Heder
My Prediction
The Power of the Dog
Written by Jane Campion
Actual Winner
CODA
Screenplay by Siân Heder
Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Nominees
Belfast
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Don’t Look Up
Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota
King Richard
Written by Zach Baylin
Licorice Pizza
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
The Worst Person in the World
Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Want to Win
Belfast
Written by Kenneth Branagh
My Prediction
Belfast
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Actual Winner
Belfast
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Animated Feature Film
The Nominees
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Want to Win
Luca
My Prediction
Encanto
Actual Winner
Encanto
Cinematography
The Nominees
Dune
Greig Fraser
Nightmare Alley
Dan Laustsen
The Power of the Dog
Ari Wegner
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Bruno Delbonnel
West Side Story
Janusz Kaminski
Want to Win
Dune
Greig Fraser
My Prediction
Dune
Greig Fraser
Actual Winner
Dune
Greig Fraser
Costume Design
The Nominees
Cruella
Jenny Beavan
Cyrano
Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran
Dune
Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
Nightmare Alley
Luis Sequeira
West Side Story
Paul Tazewell
Want to Win
Cruella
Jenny Beavan
My Prediction
Cruella
Jenny Beavan
Actual Winner
Cruella
Jenny Beavan
Film Editing
The Nominees
Don’t Look Up
Hank Corwin
Dune
Joe Walker
King Richard
Pamela Martin
The Power of the Dog
Peter Sciberras
tick, tick…BOOM!
Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum
Want to Win
The Power of the Dog
Peter Sciberras
My Prediction
The Power of the Dog
Peter Sciberras
Actual Winner
Dune
Joe Walker
Makeup and Hairstyling
The Nominees
Coming 2 America
Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer
Cruella
Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon
Dune
Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
House of Gucci
Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras
Want to Win
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
My Prediction
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
Actual Winner
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
Music (Original Score)
The Nominees
Don’t Look Up
Nicholas Britell
Dune
Hans Zimmer
Encanto
Germaine Franco
Parallel Mothers
Alberto Iglesias
The Power of the Dog
Jonny Greenwood
Want to Win
Dune
Hans Zimmer
My Prediction
Dune
Hans Zimmer
Actual Winner
Dune
Hans Zimmer
Music (Original Song)
The Nominees
Be Alive
from King Richard; Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
Dos Oruguitas
from Encanto; Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Down To Joy
from Belfast; Music and Lyric by Van Morrison
Somehow You Do
from Four Good Days; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
No Time To Die
from No Time to Die; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Want to Win
No Time To Die
from No Time to Die; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
My Prediction
No Time To Die
from No Time to Die; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Actual Winner
No Time To Die
from No Time to Die; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Three Bond themes have now won the Academy Award® for best song: ‘Skyfall’ by Adele, ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ by Sam Smith and ‘No Time to Die’ by Billie Eilish. Sadly the best Bond theme (IMO), ‘Live and Let Die’ by Paul McCartney and Wings, failed to win in 1973.
Production Design
The Nominees
Dune
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
Nightmare Alley
Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
The Power of the Dog
Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
West Side Story
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo
Want to Win
Dune
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
My Prediction
Dune
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
Actual Winner
Dune
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
Sound
The Nominees
Belfast
Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri
Dune
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
No Time to Die
Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor
The Power of the Dog
Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
West Side Story
Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy
Want to Win
Dune
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
My Prediction
Dune
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
Actual Winner
Dune
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
Visual Effects
The Nominees
Dune
Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
Free Guy
Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
No Time to Die
Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
Want to Win
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
My Prediction
Dune
Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
Actual Winner
Dune
Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
International Feature Film
The Nominees
Drive My Car
Japan
Flee
Denmark
The Hand of God
Italy
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Bhutan
The Worst Person in the World
Norway
Want to Win
Flee
Denmark
My Prediction
Drive My Car
Japan
Actual Winner
Drive My Car
Japan
Documentary (Feature)
The Nominees
Ascension
Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell
Attica
Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry
Flee
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
Writing with Fire
Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
Want to Win
Flee
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
My Prediction
Flee
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
Actual Winner
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
Documentary (Short Subject)
The Nominees
Audible
Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean
Lead Me Home
Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk
The Queen of Basketball
Ben Proudfoot
Three Songs for Benazir
Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
When We Were Bullies
Jay Rosenblatt
Want to Win
Three Songs for Benazir
Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
My Prediction
Three Songs for Benazir
Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
Actual Winner
The Queen of Basketball
Ben Proudfoot
My Results
This year I correctly predicted 16 out of 21 awards.
‘Dune’ was the nights biggest winner, picking up six statues, with ‘CODA’ getting three, including the most important Best Picture, and ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ getting two. The night’s biggest loser was ‘The Power of the Dog’, only being successful in one (Director) of its 12 nominations.
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