‘And the winner is…’
It’s that time again. The time for me to force my wife into watching all the Best Picture nominees despite the fact that she will no doubt declare that most of them are ‘boring’. This year, disappointingly, she has been correct much of the time. Whilst 2021 saw such great cinematic triumphs as Promising Young Woman, The Father and The Trial of the Chicago 7, the year of our lord 2022 is a much weaker field…
A small side note before we begin. I haven’t got round to West Side Story because, let’s face it, I wouldn’t like it anyway. In terms of the acting categories, I’ve missed Denzel Washington’s Macbeth as I can’t bring myself to watch a text that I teach in my role as an English teacher for fun, and I’ve somehow contrived to miss three of the five nominations for Best Actress (Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers and Kristen Stewart for Spencer).
Best Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
We know Cumberbatch is good, but did anyone seriously think he had a performance with this much sneering darkness at the heart of it? This amount of barely concealed menace? Not me, dear reader, not me. And that’s despite the fact that I saw how good he was in Patrick Melrose.
Best of the rest: Will Smith is outstanding in King Richard and surely nobody would begrudge him his first Oscar after a tough decade in front of the camera.
Others: Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Andrew Garfield (tick… tick… BOOM!) Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)
Best Actress: Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Hmm… tough this one. Whilst Nicole Kidman delivers a stunning turn as Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos, Colman really is something special here. Bringing her now trademark sadness and alienation to what is a multifaceted and complex role.
Best of the rest: In any other year, Kidman would be a deserving winner. Her turn in Aaron Sorkin’s biopic is a joy to behold.
Others: Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers), Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
Best Director: Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
In what is the weakest Best Director field for some time, screen legend Kenneth Branagh is surely the only possible winner here. Drive My Car is too ponderous, Licorice Pizza too weird and The Power of the Dog relies too much on its star. Branagh’s steady hand turns Belfast from a good film into a great one. Should be nailed on.
Best of the rest: Drive My Car is undoubtedly an incredibly ambitious film, but Paul Thomas Anderson just squeezes out Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s flick due to the fact that it’s just so damn odd. It’s incredibly surprising that Anderson managed to get this film made at all.
Others: Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza), Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
Best Original Screenplay: Zach Baylin – King Richard
Because King Richard deserves to win something, but also because Zach Baylin’s script is funny without being over-the-top and warm without being overly sentimental. A triumph.
Best of the rest: Branagh again for Belfast. A screenplay that holds the viewers hand through a transformative time – not just for the director himself, but also for Northern Ireland generally.
Others: Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up), Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier (The Worst Person in the World), Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
Best Picture: Nightmare Alley
As previously stated, I’ve got a lot of time for Belfast and King Richard, but Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley is the only film on this list that really had an emotional impact on me. That ending… wowsers. Truly horrifying.
Best of the rest: I really really loved Coda to the point where I would be utterly delighted if it did actually win. A beautiful surprise of a film that left me smiling (and occasionally softly weeping) from start to finish.
Others: Belfast, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story
Leftovers…
Best Supporting Actor: Ciaran Hinds – Belfast
Best Supporting Actress: Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Best Adapted Screenplay: Sian Heder (Coda)
Cinematography: Dan Laustsen (Nightmare Alley)