Here are the 2023 Annual Academy Awards® nominees and my predictions.
* Note: This post will be updated after the event to include the eventual winners.
Best Picture
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking
Want to Win
Top Gun: Maverick
My Prediction
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Actual Winner
Everything Everywhere All at Once
In recent years I’ve been disappointed by not only the list of nominees but, more often than not, the eventual winner. This year there are a few more films that I actually liked! The inclusion of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is refreshing; an action film that was the second biggest-grossing film of the year (the first was ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, also included) is a step in the right direction. Sadly, the inclusion of films that are downright terrible continues. I refer to ‘Tár’, ‘Triangle of Sadness’ and ‘Women Talking’ in this list. I am left baffled as to what anyone sees entertaining about these films.
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is a darkly depressing film, but when there is humour scattered within, it is laugh-out-loud funny, and the acting is outstanding from the whole cast. ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is a brilliant German re-make of the 1930 Best Picture winner. It is in the running for this award and will surely pick up others, including Best Foreign Language Film. ‘Elvis’ was entertaining but had a distracting performance from Tom Hanks, which let the film down slightly. ‘The Fabelmans’ is loosely based on the life of director Steven Spielberg. It was an enjoyable watch, but it did dip in places.
My prediction is that ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ will pick up the top award, and if it does, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
The Nominees
Austin Butler
Elvis
Colin Farrell
The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser
The Whale
Paul Mescal
Aftersun
Bill Nighy
Living
Want to Win
Brendan Fraser
The Whale
My Prediction
Brendan Fraser
The Whale
Actual Winner
Brendan Fraser
The Whale
This is the first Best Actor nominee list since 1935 to consist of nothing but newcomers. Brendan Fraser was treated badly by Hollywood early in his career, and suffered from mental health issues, largely brought on by his treatment after sexual allegations he made about the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. He was blacklisted for a period, so this comeback and performance in ‘The Whale’ is all the more impressive. Colin Farrell’s performance in ‘The Banshees of Inishiren’ is also very strong, and I could see the winner coming from one of these two.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Ana de Armas
Blonde
Cate Blanchett
Tár
Andrea Riseborough
To Leslie
Michelle Williams
The Fabelmans
Michelle Yeoh
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Want to Win
Michelle Yeoh
Everything Everywhere All at Once
My Prediction
Michelle Yeoh
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Actual Winner
Michelle Yeoh
Everything Everywhere All at Once
I’m just going to say one thing. What’s with the love for Cate Blanchett? I find her mediocre at best. In ‘Tár’, it felt like she was constantly over-acting scenes; it was almost like she was saying, “Look at me, I’m acting!”. If you witness a truly great actor, you usually forget who they are and are immersed in the character. I never get this with Blanchett.
Notable performances here are with Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Willams and Ana de Armas, in that order.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
The Nominees
Brendan Gleeson
The Banshees of Inisherin
Judd Hirsch
The Fabelmans
Ke Huy Quan
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Barry Keoghan
The Banshees of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry
Causeway
Want to Win
Brendan Gleeson
The Banshees of Inisherin
My Prediction
Ke Huy Quan
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Actual Winner
Ke Huy Quan
Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
The Nominees
Angela Bassett
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau
The Whale
Kerry Condon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Stephanie Hsu
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Jamie Lee Curtis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Want to Win
Stephanie Hsu
Everything Everywhere All at Once
My Prediction
Stephanie Hsu
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Actual Winner
Jamie Lee Curtis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
DIRECTING
The Nominees
Todd Field
Tár
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh
The Banshees of Inisherin
Ruben Östlund
Triangle of Sadness
Steven Spielberg
The Fabelmans
Want to Win
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All at Once
My Prediction
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Actual Winner
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Screenplay by Edward Berger, L. Paterson, Ian Stokell
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Screenplay by Rian Johnson
Living
Screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro
Top Gun: Maverick
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie from stories by Peter Craig and Justin Marks
Women Talking
Screenplay by Sarah Polley
Want to Win
All Quiet on the Western Front
Screenplay by Edward Berger, L. Paterson, Ian Stokell
My Prediction
All Quiet on the Western Front
Screenplay by Edward Berger, L. Paterson, Ian Stokell
Actual Winner
Women Talking
Screenplay by Sarah Polley
Women Talking winning this prize was a huge shock to me. Sarah Polley did do an admirable job of adapting a novel, but it felt much more like a stage play than a motion picture.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Nominees
The Banshees of Inisherin
Written by Martin McDonagh
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Written by Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
The Fabelmans
Written by Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
Tár
Written by Todd Field
Triangle of Sadness
Written by Ruben Östlund
Want to Win
The Banshees of Inisherin
Written by Martin McDonagh
My Prediction
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Written by Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Actual Winner
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Written by Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Animated Feature Film
The Nominees
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red
Want to Win
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
My Prediction
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Actual Winner
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Animated Short Film
The Nominees
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
The Flying Sailor
Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
Ice Merchants
João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano
My Year of Dicks
Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Lachlan Pendragon
Want to Win
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
My Prediction
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
Actual Winner
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
As much as I like the titles of some of these nominees, I REALLY wanted The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse to win this. I fell in love with the book during lockdown, and the adaptation of the book has been perfect. A more deserved winner I don’t think I’ve ever seen. Well done Charlie! An overnight sensation, twenty years in the making.
Cinematography
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
James Friend
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Darius Khondji
Elvis
Mandy Walker
Empire of Light
Roger Deakins
Tár
Florian Hoffmeister
Want to Win
All Quiet on the Western Front
James Friend
My Prediction
All Quiet on the Western Front
James Friend
Actual Winner
All Quiet on the Western Front
James Friend
Costume Design
The Nominees
Babylon
Mary Zophres
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ruth Carter
Elvis
Catherine Martin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Shirley Kurata
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Jenny Beavan
Want to Win
Elvis
Catherine Martin
My Prediction
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ruth Carter
Actual Winner
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ruth Carter
Film Editing
The Nominees
The Banshees of Inisherin
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
Elvis
Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Paul Rogers
Tár
Monika Willi
Top Gun: Maverick
Eddie Hamilton
Want to Win
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Paul Rogers
My Prediction
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Paul Rogers
Actual Winner
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Paul Rogers
Makeup and Hairstyling
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Heike Merker, Linda Eisenhamerová
The Batman
Michael Marino, Naomi Donne, Michael Fontaine
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Joel Harlow, Camille Friend
Elvis
Aldo Signoretti, Mark Coulier, Jason Baird
The Whale
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Anne Marie Bradley
Want to Win
The Whale
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Anne Marie Bradley
My Prediction
The Whale
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Anne Marie Bradley
Actual Winner
The Whale
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Anne Marie Bradley
Music (Original Score)
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Volker Bertelmann
Babylon
Justin Hurwitz
The Banshees of Inisherin
Carter Burwell
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Son Lux
The Fabelmans
John Williams
Want to Win
All Quiet on the Western Front
Volker Bertelmann
My Prediction
All Quiet on the Western Front
Volker Bertelmann
Actual Winner
All Quiet on the Western Front
Volker Bertelmann
Music (Original Song)
The Nominees
Applause
from Tell It Like A Woman; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Hold My Hand
from Top Gun: Maverick; Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga, BloodPop
Lift Me Up
from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler
Naatu Naatu
from RRR; Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose
This Is a Life
from Everything Everywhere All at Once; Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne
Want to Win
Lift Me Up
from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler
My Prediction
Naatu Naatu
from RRR; Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose
Actual Winner
Naatu Naatu
from RRR; Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose
Production Design
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Christian M. Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper
Avatar: The Way of Water
Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, Vanessa Cole
Babylon
Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino
Elvis
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Beverley Dunn
The Fabelmans
Rick Carter, Karen O’Hara
Want to Win
All Quiet on the Western Front
Christian M. Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper
My Prediction
Babylon
Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino
Actual Winner
All Quiet on the Western Front
Christian M. Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper
Sound
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
Avatar: The Way of Water
Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
The Batman
Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson
Elvis
David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller
Top Gun: Maverick
Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
Want to Win
Top Gun: Maverick
Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
My Prediction
All Quiet on the Western Front
Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
Actual Winner
Top Gun: Maverick
Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
Visual Effects
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar
Avatar: The Way of Water
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
The Batman
Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick
Top Gun: Maverick
Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher
Want to Win
Avatar: The Way of Water
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
My Prediction
Avatar: The Way of Water
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
Actual Winner
Avatar: The Way of Water
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
International Feature Film
The Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front
Germany
Argentina, 1985
Argentina
Close
Belgium
EO
Poland
The Quiet Girl
Ireland
Want to Win
All Quiet on the Western Front
Germany
My Prediction
All Quiet on the Western Front
Germany
Actual Winner
All Quiet on the Western Front
Germany
When a nominee for Best International Feature Film is also a nominee for Best Picture, everyone else might as well go home.
Documentary (Feature)
The Nominees
All That Breathes
Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
Fire of Love
Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
A House Made of Splinters
Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
Navalny
Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris
Want to Win
Navalny
Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris
My Prediction
Navalny
Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris
Actual Winner
Navalny
Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris
Documentary (Short Subject)
The Nominees
The Elephant Whisperers
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
Haulout
Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
How Do You Measure a Year?
Jay Rosenblatt
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
Stranger at the Gate
Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
Want to Win
The Elephant Whisperers
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
My Prediction
The Elephant Whisperers
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
Actual Winner
The Elephant Whisperers
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
My Results
Last year, I correctly predicted 16 out of 21 awards. This year I got 18 out of 22. Two of the four I got wrong were ones I had down as wanting to win.
Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven awards, including Best Picture; Everything Everywhere All at Once also had eleven nominations, the most of the ceremony. Other winners included All Quiet on the Western Front with four awards and The Whale with two.
Well done on the prediction front, as always! I don’t know how you do it, or how you find enough time to sit through all these movies, good, bad and atrocious!!
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