Final 2022 Oscar Predictions

Another spring, another year of cinema set to be celebrated by Hollywood. The 94th Academy Awards are upon us, which means every single trade and cinephile is throwing out their two cents for who their think is going to win what prizes Sunday night. Due to the pandemic, several highly anticipated films that were meant to be released in 2020 finally made a splash this past year, albeit with varying degrees of success. As with the previous years, I managed to watch a majority of the nominees this year and as such, have decided to put down my final predictions for each category. I’ll also be including films and artists that I felt were unjustly left out of the race this year, despite qualifying for their respective categories.

And remember, no matter what any of us think of the nominees themselves or the films that got snubbed, we’ll all find out the results when the hybrid ceremony airs on ABC on Sunday, March 27th.

Best Picture

Will Win: The Power of the Dog

Could Win: CODA

Should Win: Dune

Should Have Been Nominated: The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Director

Will Win: Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog

Could Win: Kenneth Branagh for Belfast

Should Win: Steven Spielberg for West Side Story

Should Have Been Nominated: Denis Villeneuve for Dune

Best Actor

Will Win: Will Smith in King Richard

Could Win: Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog

Should Win: Andrew Garfield in Tick, Tick, BOOM!

Should Have Been Nominated: Nicolas Cage in Pig

Best Actress

Will Win: Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter

Could Win: Nicole Kidman in Being the Ricardos

Should Win: Kristen Stewart in Spencer

Should Have Been Nominated: Jodie Comer in The Last Duel

Best Supporting Actor

Will Win: Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

Could Win: Troy Kotsur in CODA

Should Win: Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

Should Have Been Nominated: Colman Domingo in Zola

Best Supporting Actress

Will Win: Ariana DeBose in West Side Story

Could Win: Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog

Should Win: Ariana DeBose in West Side Story

Should Have Been Nominated: Olga Merediz in In The Heights

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Win: The Power of the Dog

Could Win: Dune

Should Win: The Power of the Dog

Should Have Been Nominated: Zola

Best Original Screenplay

Will Win: Belfast

Could Win: Don’t Look Up

Should Win: Licorice Pizza

Should Have Been Nominated: Shiva Baby

Best Animated Feature

Will Win: Encanto

Could Win: Flee

Should Win: The Mitchells vs The Machines

Should Have Been Nominated: Belle

Best International Feature

Will Win: Drive My Car (Japan)

Could Win: The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

Should Win: Drive My Car (Japan)

Should Have Been Nominated: A Hero (Iran)

Best Documentary Feature

Will Win: Flee

Could Win: Summer of Soul

Should Win: Summer of Soul

Should Have Been Nominated: The Rescue

Best Documentary – Short Subject

Will Win: Lead Me Home

Could Win: The Queen of Basketball

Should Win: Audible

Should Have Been Nominated: Snowy

Best Live-Action Short

Will Win: The Long Goodbye

Could Win: On My Mind

Should Win: Ala Kachuu – Take and Run

Should Have Been Nominated: All Too Well

Best Animated Short

Will Win: Robin Robin

Could Win: The Windshield Wiper

Should Win: Robin Robin

Should Have Been Nominated: Us Again

Best Original Score

Will Win: Dune by Hans Zimmer

Could Win: The Power of the Dog by Johnny Greenwood

Should Win: Dune by Hans Zimmer

Should Have Been Nominated: Nightmare Alley by Nathan Johnson

Best Original Song

Will Win: “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die

Could Win: “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto

Should Win: “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die

Should Have Been Nominated: “So May We Start” from Annette

Best Visual Effects

Will Win: Dune

Could Win: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Should Win: Dune

Should Have Been Nominated: The Matrix Resurrections

Best Cinematography

Will Win: Dune

Could Win: The Power of the Dog

Should Win: West Side Story

Should Have Been Nominated: The Green Knight

Best Costume Design

Will Win: Cruella

Could Win: West Side Story

Should Win: Dune

Should Have Been Nominated: The Harder They Fall

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Will Win: House of Gucci

Could Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Should Win: Dune

Should Have Been Nominated: The Green Knight

Best Production Design

Will Win: Dune

Could Win: West Side Story

Should Win: Dune

Should Have Been Nominated: The Last Duel

Best Film Editing

Will Win: Dune

Could Win: Don’t Look Up

Should Win: Dune

Should Have Been Nominated: Nightmare Alley

Best Sound

Will Win: Dune

Could Win: West Side Story

Should Win: Dune

Should Have Been Nominated: A Quiet Place Part II

How say you? Do you have any hard or soft predictions of your own for Sunday night? What films do you believe could, should, and absolutely will win the top prize? Which ones do you think were snubbed this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts about in a Comment down below, and if you like what you see here, be sure to Like this post and Follow my blog for more awesome movie content like this.

“The Batman” Movie Review

In my lifetime, there have been no less than 4 theatrically released versions of Batman. I was just old enough to see The Dark Knight Rises when it first came out, followed a few years later by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. That’s even including the dozens of video games, cartoons, and straight-to-video animated films starring or featuring the Caped Crusader. I’ve been to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Los Angeles where they have every generation of Batman on display, so it’s not surprising that he’s such an iconic and important character to the studio.

When the initial announcement was made that Ben Affleck was walking away from the role and director Matt Reeves would instead cast a younger actor for the part, two primary thoughts rolled through my brain. First, I was bummed out that we only got two movies of Batfleck; I really liked his more aggressive, scarred up take on the Dark Knight and was hoping to see him develop into the hero we all know. Second, I rolled my eyes because that meant that WB would be rebooting the franchise yet again instead of putting faith into more obscure, less-used characters in its DC arm. Don’t get me wrong: I love Batman. But surely, they must realize there are other characters in that universe than Bruce Wayne, right?

As a huge fan of Matt Reeves’ previous films, I was, at the very least, curious to see his sensibilities in a comic book superhero movie. Each addition to the cast and crew over time made me more and more optimistic to what the possibilities could be. $100 million+ superhero epics are absolutely nothing new (If anything, they’re oversaturated in our market), but there’s still room for some innovation, especially if more auteur-driven directors are given the freedom to do what they want. And that’s exactly what The Batman ends up being. It feels completely distinct from its predecessors in the franchise and the genre as a whole.

Set during Batman’s second year fighting crime, Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne, a reclusive billionaire and masked vigilante. On Halloween Night, the controversial mayor of Gotham City is murdered by a mysterious serial killer calling himself The Riddler, played by Paul Dano. Arriving at the crime scene, Batman and GCPD Lieutenant James Gordon, played by Jeffrey Wright, discover some clues and a cipher hinting at what’s to come. As his journey takes him through Gotham’s underworld and allies him with cat burglar Selina Kyle, played by Zoë Kravitz, Batman discovers a vast conspiracy implicating the city’s wealthy elite and sets out to expose The Riddler’s plans before it’s too late.

Out of the 10+ “Batman” movies released in theaters; this feels like the first one that really leans into the “World’s Greatest Detective” aspect of the character. Comparisons to films like Zodiac, Seven, and Chinatown are not unearned here. The opening scene legitimately feels like it’s pulled straight from a horror film, as it establishes the bleak tone right out of the gate. I was surprised at how complex and genuinely intriguing the riddles were and how they fit into a larger puzzle. Throughout the movie, you’re guessing as to where these clues are going, much like the main characters are. And when everything comes together in the final act, all of the different threads make perfect sense in the grand scheme of things.

Since 1966, there have been 9 actors who have portrayed the Caped Crusader on the big screen, two of whom were in animated form (Those being Mask of the Phantasm and The Lego Batman Movie). Each actor has managed to put their own personal stamp on the iconic character. I was one of the lucky ones, because I got to see Robert Pattinson in his other roles long before I watched the “Twilight” movies. Seeing him work with directors like The Safdie Brothers, Christopher Nolan, Claire Denis, Robert Eggers, David Cronenberg, and Antonio Campos made me easily see how great of an actor he is. So choosing him for arguably the most recognizable comic book character in America is an unexpected but wildly exciting decision.

And that’s paid off, because he’s nothing short of stunning in this movie. He’s not the Bruce Wayne we’re used to seeing. He’s not a playboy socialite buying hotels and feigning social ignorance. In fact, trying to tell where Batman ends and where Bruce Wayne begins is an extremely difficult task. He’s so reclusive that the mere act of going out in public as a civilian becomes a huge news story. This is also the first movie in the franchise that forces Bruce to question just his own legacy, but the legacy of his family. Thomas and Martha Wayne are not the perfect, benevolent angels he thought they were, and it was a refreshing spin on a well-known backstory.

He’s flanked by a great cast of actors in supporting roles. There’s Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis as allies James Gordon and the ever-wise Alfred Pennyworth, Zoë Kravitz as the unpredictably sly Catwoman, Colin Farrell as the Penguin mobster who chews the scenery as if it were a delicious meal, Jayme Lawson as a mayoral candidate who might actually bring hope and guidance to the city, and finally Paul Dano as the elusive killer The Riddler. Dano, even though he’s not on-screen very often, is a menacing presence throughout. His introduction is a genuinely creepy scene and every scene with him afterwards is riveting. The Riddler has always been one of my favorite villains of the comics, and this movie finally did the character justice.

And from a technical standpoint, The Batman is, of course, a visually and audibly stunning picture. Greig Fraser’s cinematography is sleek and slick, mixing dark hues of various different colors such as orange and green. This specific palette highlights the griminess of the city and feels accurate to the stylized artwork from the best comics, particularly Jeph Loeb’s “The Long Halloween.” While the movie primarily takes place during the nighttime, the action on-screen is still clearly visible and beautifully framed. Most fight scenes are depicted in anamorphic wide shots that capture both the complex blocking of scenes and the scope of it all.

This is not to say that the editing job by William Hoy and Tyler Nelson isn’t worthy of praise. Quite the opposite, actually. The cuts flow between scenes beautifully as the characters move from location to location around Gotham. The transitions between shots during action sequences, particularly one set during a funeral, are exquisite. It’s also a testament to the editors that the pacing feels just right. The movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 56 minutes, the longest for a Batman movie. How they managed to make a nearly 3 hour-long film feel like just 2 and still keep the slow-burn of the mystery intact is incredible.

The ever versatile and prolific Michael Giacchino provides the instrumental film score. Continuing the long tradition of Batman not having a bad theme song, the main motif here is a repetitive riff of two notes that gradually crescendos and explodes into an orchestral flurry. But he doesn’t just stop there. Utilizing an arsenal of diverse instruments, from saxophones to strings to the glockenspiel, he creates several leitmotifs for many of the characters, each of which perfectly fits the horror-noir tone the film is going for. Sans the film’s title, you’d be forgiven for thinking that these tracks belong in other films of completely different genres.

The song “Something in the Way” by Nirvana is featured to bookend the film. It’s a perfect mood-setter for the story, a musical glimpse into Bruce Wayne’s headspace as he heads out into the night. It also serves a deeper indication of the themes, as this iteration of Batman is much more akin to Kurt Cobain than to someone like Elon Musk. It may as well serve as the theme song for most of the characters. However Reeves came up with the idea of using it in the film, it worked like gangbusters.

The delays this movie suffered due to the pandemic were upsetting to say the least. The first teaser trailer released all the way back in 2020 was a phenomenal piece of marketing, even more impressive when you consider it was cobbled together when only a quarter of the movie was shot at the time. And now that it’s out in the world, it feels even more like a gift.

With just as much dedication to its cast as to its craft, The Batman is a rivetingly modern yet faithful update on an overdone character. Matt Reeves has crafted not just one of the better depictions of the Caped Crusader but also outdone most other superhero movies of the last few years. Featuring an amazing lead performance from Robert Pattinson along with his co-stars, a fantastic musical score, and one of the scariest villains the genre has seen in quite some time, this is truly a thrilling ride, one best experienced in a theater. There is so much meticulous care and passion that has gone into the making of this film, and the best part is that it all looks so easy.