FINAL 2022 Oscar Winner Predictions

At last!

On the heels of an awards season that felt destined to never end, we are finally here. And, with an exception here and there, most categories remain brimming with suspense.

Among the races not so unpredictable at the 11 o'clock hour are Best Picture and Best Director, where PGA winner Everything Everywhere All at Once and DGA honorees Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert appear destined for victories.

That isn’t to say they’re unbeatable but it’s challenging at this point to even determine what/who is closest behind them. This is a contender peaking at precisely the right moment in momentum. Its lone lackluster showing was at BAFTA, where All Quiet on the Western Front was more embraced, but good luck predicting that one for Best Picture without directing or acting bids here. I’m inclined to think The Banshees of Inisherin, which has a Best Director nom and could still cobble together acting/writing wins, is the most formidable threat to Everything Everywhere.

Much more chaotic are the acting showdowns, which remain exceedingly tough to forecast.

If there’s a reasonably easy race to call, it’s Best Supporting Actor, where Ke Huy Quan has maintained a healthy front-runner status. He did fall short to Barry Keoghan at BAFTA, so don’t call Quan a shoo-in, but it would nonetheless be flabbergasting to see him fall short on the big night. Were that to happen, which it almost surely won’t, Everything Everywhere will not be winning Best Picture.

If there’s a dark horse in the field, albeit still a long shot at that, it might be Judd Hirsch, who hasn’t been much a presence this awards season but is still a beloved veteran who’s worked with countless AMPAS members.

As for Best Supporting Actress…hmm lol. I thought for sure Angela Bassett would triumph at SAG, leading to a Bassett vs. Kerry Condon barnburner that probably results in a Condon Oscar win. I did not think voters could decide between the Everything Everywhere contenders and yet, that’s exactly what happened at SAG with the Jamie Lee Curtis upset.

Now, I’m increasingly cool on Bassett’s odds - her big wins were with the Golden Globes and Critics Choice, neither of which vote on the Oscars - and I’m even a little warier on Condon’s chances. Curtis really could ride an Everything Everywhere wave to victory, should it prove powerful enough. Nonetheless, I do slightly lean toward BAFTA winner Condon, as it’s the sort of role that historically is much more up the AMPAS alley (at least when it comes to wins) than the comic work Curtis turns in.

Frankly, in a field this unsettled, the likes of Hsu and Chau cannot be entirely counted out either though, without precursor wins behind them, it’s a little tough articulating cases for them.

No easier to project are the two Lead races, with Austin Butler & Brendan Fraser and Cate Blanchett & Michelle Yeoh deadlocked in their respective fields.

The Whale’s overall underperformance in nominations, coupled with the robust showing of support for Elvis, leans me in Butler’s direction. I struggle a tad more with Best Actress, given both Everything Everywhere and TÁR have such healthy support across the board. It’s been hard to shake the feeling that, despite Everything Everywhere’s incredible awards season run and the focus on Yeoh, Blanchett continues to ring as an undeniable winner. So I’ll stick with her, especially considering AMPAS’ penchant for repeat winners in Best Actress.

Keep a close eye on Best Original Screenplay, a race that will hint at what’s to come over the rest of the night. Should Everything Everywhere triumph there, it’s almost surely going all the way. For the other contenders, namely Banshees and The Fabelmans, it is imperative they score there to have any prayer in Best Picture.

The other writing race, in Best Adapted Screenplay, feels like a pure toss-up between All Quiet on the Western Front and Women Talking. The former needs that and a virtual sweep of its crafts bids to have a shot for the top prize.

Speaking of the crafts categories, what once felt like fertile ground for Top Gun: Maverick now rings as prime opportunities for All Quiet to score wins - in fact, I don’t have Top Gun taking anything in my final predictions, though it’s awfully close in Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Watch Elvis, which could score more trophies than anticipated down the ballot. And yes, Diane Warren will again lose in Best Original Song.

So…that’s that! This is going to be an exceedingly exciting evening and anyone who can somehow correctly predict all of these categories is to be commended. See yas on the other side! :)

Best Picture

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

2. The Banshees of Inisherin

3. All Quiet on the Western Front

4. The Fabelmans

5. Elvis

6. Top Gun: Maverick

7. TÁR

8. Triangle of Sadness

9. Women Talking

10. Avatar: The Way of Water

Best Director

1. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once

2. Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans

3. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin

4. Todd Field, TÁR

5. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

Best Actress

1. Cate Blanchett, TÁR

2. Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

3. Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie

4. Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans

5. Ana de Armas, Blonde

Best Actor

1. Austin Butler, Elvis

2. Brendan Fraser, The Whale

3. Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin

4. Paul Mescal, Aftersun

5. Bill Nighy, Living

Best Supporting Actress

1. Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin

2. Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once

3. Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

4. Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once

5. Hong Chau, The Whale

Best Supporting Actor

1. Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once

2. Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin

3. Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans

4. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin

5. Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway

Best Original Screenplay

1. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin

2. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once

3. Todd Field, TÁR

4. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans

5. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Ian Stokell, Lesley Paterson and Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front

2. Sarah Polley, Women Talking

3. Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Top Gun: Maverick

4. Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

5. Kazuo Ishiguro, Living

Best Animated Feature

1. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

4. The Sea Beast

5. Turning Red

Best Animated Short Film

1. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

2. My Year of Dicks

3. Ice Merchants

4. The Flying Sailor

5. An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It

Best Documentary Feature

1. Navalny

2. Fire of Love

3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

4. All That Breathes

5. A House Made of Splinters

Best Documentary Short Film

1. The Elephant Whisperers

2. Stranger at the Gate

3. Haulout

4. How Do You Measure a Year?

5. The Martha Mitchell Effect

Best International Feature

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)

2. Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)

3. The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

4. EO (Poland)

5. Close (Belgium)

Best Live Action Short Film

1. An Irish Goodbye

2. Le pupille

3. Night Ride

4. The Red Suitcase

5. Ivalu

Best Cinematography

1. Mandy Walker, Elvis

2. James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front

3. Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR

4. Darius Khondji, Bardo

5. Roger Deakins, Empire of Light

Best Costume Design

1. Ruth E. Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

2. Shirley Kurata, Everything Everywhere All At Once

3. Catherine Martin, Elvis

4. Mary Zophres, Babylon

5. Jenny Beavan, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Best Film Editing

1. Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once

2. Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick

3. Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond‎, Elvis

4. Monika Willi, TÁR

5. Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Shane Thomas, Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Louise Coulston, Elvis

2. Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley, The Whale

3. Heike Merker, All Quiet on the Western Front

4. Joel Harlow, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

5. Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Zoe Tahir, The Batman

Best Original Score

1. Volker Bertelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front

2. Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once

3. Justin Hurwitz, Babylon

4. John Williams, The Fabelmans

5. Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Original Song

1. “Naatu Naatu,” RRR

2. “This Is a Life,” Everything Everywhere All at Once

3. “Hold My Hand,” Top Gun: Maverick

4. “Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

5. “Applause,” Tell It Like a Woman

Best Production Design

1. Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy and Bev Dunn, Elvis

2. Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino, Babylon

3. Christian M. Goldbeck, All Quiet on the Western Front

4. Dylan Cole, Ben Procter and Vanessa Cole, Avatar: The Way of Water

5. Rick Carter and Karen O’Hara, The Fabelmans

Best Sound

1. Lars Ginzel, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler and Viktor Prášil, All Quiet on the Western Front

2. Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, Top Gun: Maverick

3. David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller, Elvis

4. Gwen Whittle, Gary Summers, Mike Hedges, Chris Boyes, Tony Johnson and Julian Howarth, Avatar: The Way of Water

5. Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, Andy Nelson and William Files, The Batman

Best Visual Effects

1. Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, Avatar: The Way of Water

2. Markus Frank, Viktor Muller, Frank Petzold and Kamil Jafar, All Quiet on the Western Front

3. Ryan Tudhope, Scott R. Fisher, Seth Hill and Bryan Litson, Top Gun: Maverick

4. Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, Hanzhi Tang and Dan Sudick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

5. Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langland and Dominic Tuoh, The Batman

FINAL 2022 Oscar Nomination Predictions

We’re so close!

Usually, I’d have heaps to say in terms of the rhymes and reasons behind my final Oscar nom hunches. Alas, I just started a new job and haven’t quite had the time to delve into a detailed analysis. I have, however, had just enough time to compile one final set of nomination predictions for the season.

Below you’ll find ‘em, including, per usual, how many spots a contender has moved up or down since my last predictions. In a handful of cases, some wannabe nominees have fallen out of the rankings altogether, though most categories, especially among the crafts, haven’t seen significant movement over the past month.

Enjoy - and don’t you dare underestimate the power of Diane Warren and J. Ralph in Best Original Song!

Best Picture

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once (+2)

2. The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

3. The Fabelmans (-2)

4. Elvis (+1)

5. Top Gun: Maverick (-1)

6. TÁR (+1)

7. The Whale (+5)

8. Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

9. All Quiet on the Western Front (+1)

10. Babylon (-)
    —

11. Aftersun (NEW)

12. Women Talking (-6)

13. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

14. RRR (-)

15. Triangle of Sadness (-)

DROPPED
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-5)

Best Director

1. Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+4)

3. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (-1)

4. Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front (+1)

5. Todd Field, TÁR (-2)
   —

6. Baz Luhrmann, Elvis (+1)

7. Joseph Kosinski, Top Gun: Maverick (NEW)

8. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (-4)

9. S. S. Rajamouli, RRR (-)

10. James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water (-2)

DROPPED
Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (-1)

Best Actress

1. Cate Blanchett, TÁR (-)

2. Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

3. Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans (-)

4. Danielle Deadwyler, Till (+1)

5. Margot Robbie, Babylon (-1)
   —

6. Viola Davis, The Woman King (-)

7. Ana de Armas, Blonde (NEW)

8. Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (+1)

9. Olivia Colman, Empire of Light (-2)

10. Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie (NEW)

DROPPED
Rooney Mara, Women Talking (-3)
Jennifer Lawrence, Causeway (-1)

Best Actor

1. Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

2. Brendan Fraser, The Whale (-)

3. Austin Butler, Elvis (+1)

4. Bill Nighy, Living (-1)

5. Paul Mescal, Aftersun (-)
   —

6. Jeremy Pope, The Inspection (+2)

7. Adam Sandler, Hustle (+3)

8. Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick (-1)

9. Tom Hanks, A Man Called Otto (NEW)

10. Adam Driver, White Noise (-4)

DROPPED
Diego Calva, Babylon (-2)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

2. Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+2)

3. Hong Chau, The Whale (+4)

4. Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+2)

5. Jessie Buckley, Women Talking (-3)
   —

6. Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)

7. Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness (-4)

8. Carey Mulligan, She Said (-)

9. Janelle Monáe, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-)

10. Nina Hoss, TÁR (-)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

2. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

3. Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin (+1)

4. Paul Dano, The Fabelmans (+1)

5. Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans (-1)
   —

6. Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse (+1)

7. Brad Pitt, Babylon (-1)

8. Ben Whishaw, Women Talking (-)

9. Tom Hanks, Elvis (NEW)

10. Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway (-1)

DROPPED
Mark Rylance, Bones & All (-1)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

2. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans (-)

3. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)

4. Todd Field, TÁR (-1)

5. Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (+1)
   —

6. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (-1)

7. Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Done, Elvis (+1)

8. Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, The Menu (NEW)

9. Jeong Seo-kyeong and Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (-2)

10. Damien Chazelle, Babylon (-1)

DROPPED
Chinonye Chukwu, Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp, Till (-4)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (-)

2. Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale (+1)

3. Ian Stokell, Lesley Paterson and Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front (+4)

4. Kazuo Ishiguro, Living (-)

5. Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-3)
   —

6. Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said (-)

7. Noah Baumbach, White Noise (-2)

8. Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

9. Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+1)

10. David Kajganich, Bones & All (-1)

Best Animated Feature

1. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (-)

2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes on (-)

3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (-)

4. Wendell & Wild (-)

5. Turning Red (-)
   —

6. My Father’s Dragon (-)

7. Inu-Oh (-)

8. The Bad Guys (-)

9. Minions: The Rise of Gru (-)

10. Strange World (-)

Best Animated Short Film

1. More Than I Want to Remember (-)

2. The Flying Sailor (-)

3. Save Ralph (-)

4. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (-)

5. It’s Nice in Here (-)
   —

6. The Garbage Man (-)

7. New Moon (-)

8. My Year of Dicks (-)

9. Ice Merchants (-)

10. Black Slide (-)

Best Documentary Feature

1. Descendant (-)

2. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (-)

3. Fire of Love (-)

4. The Territory (-)

5. All That Breathes (-)
   —

6. Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (-)

7. Moonage Daydream (-)

8. The Janes (-)

9. Navalny (-)

10. Retrograde (-)

Best Documentary Short Film

1. The Elephant Whisperers (-)

2. Haulout (-)

3. Nuisance Bear (-)

4. The Flagmakers (-)

5. As Far as They Can Run (-)
   —

6. American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton (-)

7. Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison (-)

8. Shut Up and Paint (-)

9. Holding Moses (-)

10. Stranger at the Gate (-)

Best International Feature

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) (-)

2. Decision to Leave (South Korea) (-)

3. Bardo (Mexico) (-)

4. Argentina, 1985 (+1)

5. Saint Omer (France) (+1)
   —

6. Corsage (Austria) (+1)

7. Close (Belgium) (-3)

8. Holy Spider (Denmark) (-)

9. The Quiet Girl (Ireland) (-)

10. Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden) (-)

Best Live Action Short Film

1. An Irish Goodbye (-)

2. Night Ride (-)

3. Nakam (-)

4. The Red Suitcase (-)

5. Tula (-)
   —

6. Ivalu (-)

7. Warsha (-)

8. All in Favor (-)

9. Le Pupille (-)

10. The Treatment (-)

Best Cinematography

1. Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick (+2)

2. Russell Carpenter, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

3. James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front (+1)

4. Janusz Kaminski, The Fabelmans (-3)

5. Roger Deakins, Empire of Light (-)
   —

6. Mandy Walker, Elvis (-)

7. Ben Davis, The Banshees of Inisherin (+2)

8. Greig Fraser, The Batman (NEW)

9. Darius Khondji, Bardo (NEW)

10. Linus Sandgren, Babylon (-3)

DROPPED
Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR (-3)
Robert Richardson, Emancipation (-1)

Best Costume Design

1. Ruth E. Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

2. Mary Zophres, Babylon (-)

3. Catherine Martin, Elvis (-)

4. Shirley Kurata, Everything Everywhere All At Once (+3)

5. Monika Buttinger, Corsage (-)
   —

6. Jenny Beavan, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (-)

7. Sandy Powell, Living (-1)

8. Gersha Phillips, The Woman King (-4)

9. Mark Bridges, The Fabelmans (-1)

10. Jenny Eagan, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-)

Best Film Editing

1. Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond‎, Elvis (-)

3. David Brenner, James Cameron, John Refouaa and Stephen E. Rivkin, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

4. Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

5. Sven Budelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front (+1)
   —

6. Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn, The Fabelmans (-1)

7. Monika Willi, TÁR (-)

8. Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

9. Bob Ducsay, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-)

10. Tom Cross, Babylon (-)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Shane Thomas, Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Louise Coulston, Elvis (-)

2. Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley, The Whale (+1)

3. Joel Harlow, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+1)

4. Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Zoe Tahir, The Batman (-2)

5. Heba Thorisdottir and Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Babylon (-)
   —

6. Tina Roesler Kerwin and Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Blonde (+2)

7. Nana Fischer, Miho Suzuki, Jason Collins, Adruitha Lee, Lori McCoy-Bell, Cassandra L. Russek and Yvette Shelton, Amsterdam (-1)

8. Heike Merker, All Quiet on the Western Front (+1)

9. The team from Crimes of the Future (-2)

10. Ken Diaz and Andrea Bowman, Emancipation (-)

Best Original Score

1. John Williams, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

3. Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (-)

4. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Women Talking (+1)

5. Justin Hurwitz, Babylon (+1)
   —

6. Terence Blanchard, The Woman King (-2)

7. Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

8. Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)

9. Simon Franglen, Avatar: The Way of Water (-1)

10. Nicholas Britell, She Said (-)

Best Original Song

1. “Naatu Naatu,” RRR (+3)

2. “Hold My Hand,” Top Gun: Maverick (-1)

3. “Applause,” Tell It Like a Woman (-1)

4. “Ciao Papa,” Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (+2)

5. “Dust and Ash,” The Voice of Dust and Ash (-2)
   —

6. “Stand Up,” Till (-1)

7. “Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+1)

8. “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” Avatar: The Way of Water (-1)

9. “This Is a Life,” Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

10. “Good Afternoon,” Spirited (-)

Best Production Design

1. Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy and Bev Dunn, Elvis (-)

2. Dylan Cole, Ben Procter and Vanessa Cole, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

3. Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino, Babylon (+1)

4. Curt Enderle and Guy Davis, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (-1)

5. Jason Kisvarday and Kelsi Ephraim, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)
   —

6. Christian M. Goldbeck, All Quiet on the Western Front (+2)

7. Rick Carter and Karen O’Hara, The Fabelmans (-1)

8. Hannah Beachler and Lisa K. Sessions, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+1)

9. Akin McKenzie, The Woman King (-2)

10. Rick Heinrichs and Elli Griff, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-)

Best Sound

1. Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller, Elvis (-)

3. Gwen Whittle, Gary Summers, Mike Hedges, Chris Boyes, Tony Johnson and Julian Howarth, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

4. Brent Kiser, Andrew Twite, Stephen Nelson, Alexandra Fehrman and Ian Chase, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)

5. Lars Ginzel, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler and Viktor Prášil, All Quiet on the Western Front (-1)
   —

6. Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker, Steve Boeddeker and Brandon Proctor, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

7. Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jens Rosenlund Petersen, Moonage Daydream (+1)

8. Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, Andy Nelson and William Files, The Batman (-1)

9. Jon Taylor, Frank Montaño, Peter Cobbin and Tavish Grade, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (-)

10. Steven Morrow, Mildred Iatrou Morgan, Andy Nelson and Ai-Ling Lee, Babylon (-)

Best Visual Effects

1. Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

2. Ryan Tudhope, Scott R. Fisher, Seth Hill and Bryan Litson, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

3. Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, Hanzhi Tang and Dan Sudick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

4. Markus Frank, Viktor Muller, Frank Petzold and Kamil Jafar, All Quiet on the Western Front (-)

5. Jason Billington, Brian Cox and Bruce Bright, Thirteen Lives (-)
   —

6. Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langland and Dominic Tuoh, The Batman (+1)

7. David Vickery, Alex Wuttke, Paul Corbould and Neal Scanlan, Jurassic World: Dominion (+3)

8. Guillaume Rocheron, Jeremy Robert, Sreejith Venugopalan and Scott R. Fisher, Nope (-2)

9. Christian Manz, Benjamin Loch, Stephane Naze and Alistair Williams, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (-)

10. Janek Sirrs, Theo Bialek, Erik Winquist and Chris Corbould, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (-2)

2022 Oscar Nomination Predictions (December)

Time for an update! :)

Since my last set of Oscar nom predictions in November, we’ve seen a plethora of precursor action, including Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations, plus an array of critics’ awards. It’s been a month of especially robust momentum for Everything Everywhere All at Once which, thus far at least, has had a field day with the precursors.

More meaningful than those prizes, however, was the release of the Oscar shortlists among 10 categories, including Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Documentary Feature, Best International Feature, Best Animated Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, and Best Live Action Short Film.

And while Everything Everywhere All at Once did surface among three shortlists (Score, Song and Sound), it was All Quiet on the Western Front and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that really steamrolled, surfacing in all five eligible categories. While neither of these films, unlike Everything Everywhere All at Once, is to be mistaken as a threat for say, the Best Picture win, both are very much in the running for nominations in the top category, plus an assortment of crafts recognition.

Alongside Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin and The Fabelmans remain the most daunting awards season forces overall, destined to feast on nominations morning, with Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick also still on track for heaps of recognition. Perhaps dwindling a bit are the likes of Babylon, which has emerged one of the season’s most polarizing contenders, and The Whale, also divisive and increasingly looking like a long shot beyond Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

There’s no shortage of suspense across the bulk of categories. Only Martin McDonagh and Steven Spielberg, for instance, strike me as close to safe for Best Director noms. And while the acting fields have their commanding contenders, like Cate Blanchett and Colin Farrell, there are few true shoo-ins. The supporting fields are especially tough to nail down beyond Kerry Condon, Ke Huy Quan, and Brendan Gleeson. (Even with their precursors love so far, I wonder if AMPAS will really go for Angela Bassett and/or Jamie Lee Curtis.)

Down the ballot, the crafts, no doubt, shall be dominated by the likes of Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis, and Top Gun: Maverick, with Babylon perhaps booming or busting - it’s as easy to fathom it surfacing in eight categories overall as it is three. And if you’re not predicting Diane Warren and J. Ralph for their latest Best Original Song appearances, you haven’t been paying attention to that category’s history.

All that said, below are my updated Oscar nom predictions for the month of December, including how many spots a contender has moved up or down since my November hunches. For the first time, I’m including all of the shorts. I’ll do one final revision on these next month, once the Guilds and BAFTA have had their say.

Happy holidays! :)

Best Picture

1. The Fabelmans (-)

2. The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

3. Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

4. Top Gun: Maverick (+1)

5. Elvis (+2)

6. Women Talking (-2)

7. TÁR (+4)

8. Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

9. Babylon (-3)

10. All Quiet on the Western Front (NEW)
    —

11. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (NEW)

12. The Whale (-3)

13. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

14. RRR (NEW)

15. Triangle of Sadness (-1)

DROPPED
Till (-6)
She Said (-4)
Decision to Leave (-1)

Best Director

1. Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

3. Todd Field, TÁR (+4)

4. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (-1)

5. Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front (NEW)
   —

6. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+4)

7. Baz Luhrmann, Elvis (NEW)

8. James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water (NEW)

9. S. S. Rajamouli, RRR (NEW)

10. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (-5)

DROPPED
Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (-7)
Darren Aronofsky, The Whale (-5)
Damien Chazelle, Babylon (-3)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Bardo (-2)

Best Actress

1. Cate Blanchett, TÁR (-)

2. Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

3. Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans (+1)

4. Margot Robbie, Babylon (+2)

5. Danielle Deadwyler, Till (-2)
   —

6. Viola Davis, The Woman King (+1)

7. Olivia Colman, Empire of Light (-2)

8. Rooney Mara, Women Talking (-)

9. Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (NEW)

10. Jennifer Lawrence, Causeway (-)

DROPPED
Naomi Ackie, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (-2)

Best Actor

1. Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin (+1)

2. Brendan Fraser, The Whale (-1)

3. Bill Nighy, Living (-)

4. Austin Butler, Elvis (-)

5. Paul Mescal, Aftersun (+4)
   —

6. Adam Driver, White Noise (-1)

7. Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick (-1)

8. Jeremy Pope, The Inspection (-1)

9. Diego Calva, Babylon (+1)

10. Adam Sandler, Hustle (-2)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin (+2)

2. Jessie Buckley, Women Talking (-1)

3. Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness (+3)

4. Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+5)

5. Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+3)
   —

6. Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+4)

7. Hong Chau, The Whale (-5)

8. Carey Mulligan, She Said (-1)

9. Janelle Monáe, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (NEW)

10. Nina Hoss, TÁR (-6)

DROPPED
Claire Foy, Women Talking (-6)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)

2. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin (-1)

3. Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin (+2)

4. Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans (-1)

5. Paul Dano, The Fabelmans (+1)
   —

6. Brad Pitt, Babylon (+1)

7. Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse (-)

8. Ben Whishaw, Women Talking (-4)

9. Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway (NEW)

10. Mark Rylance, Bones & All (NEW)

DROPPED
Woody Harrelson, Triangle of Sadness (-6)
Anthony Hopkins, Armageddon Time (-5)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (+1)

2. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans (-1)

3. Todd Field, TÁR (+4)

4. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)

5. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (-1)
   —

6. Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (+2)

7. Jeong Seo-kyeong and Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (-2)

8. Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Done, Elvis (NEW)

9. Damien Chazelle, Babylon (-)

10. Chinonye Chukwu, Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp, Till (-4)

DROPPED
Sam Mendes, Empire of Light (-1)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (-)

2. Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (+3)

3. Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale (-)

4. Kazuo Ishiguro, Living (-)

5. Noah Baumbach, White Noise (-3)
   —

6. Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said (-)

7. Ian Stokell, Lesley Paterson and Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front (+2)

8. Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Top Gun: Maverick (-1)

9. David Kajganich, Bones & All (+1)

10. Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

Best Animated Feature

1. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (-)

2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes on (+2)

3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (+4)

4. Wendell & Wild (+1)

5. Turning Red (-3)
   —

6. My Father’s Dragon (+3)

7. Inu-Oh (NEW)

8. The Bad Guys (-2)

9. Minions: The Rise of Gru (-1)

10. Strange World (-7)

DROPPED
The Sea Beast (-3)

Best Animated Short Film

1. More Than I Want to Remember

2. The Flying Sailor

3. Save Ralph

4. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

5. It’s Nice in Here
   —

6. The Garbage Man

7. New Moon

8. My Year of Dicks

9. Ice Merchants

10. Black Slide

Best Documentary Feature

1. Descendant (-)

2. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (-)

3. Fire of Love (+1)

4. The Territory (+2)

5. All That Breathes (NEW)
   —

6. Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (NEW)

7. Moonage Daydream (NEW)

8. The Janes (NEW)

9. Navalny (-1)

10. Retrograde (NEW)

DROPPED
Good Night Oppy (-8)
Turn Every Page (-6)
Black Ice (-4)
Sr. (-2)
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (-1)

Best Documentary Short Film

1. The Elephant Whisperers

2. Haulout

3. Nuisance Bear

4. The Flagmakers

5. As Far as They Can Run
   —

6. American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton

7. Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison

8. Shut Up and Paint

9. Holding Moses

10. Stranger at the Gate

Best International Feature

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) (-)

2. Decision to Leave (South Korea) (-)

3. Bardo (Mexico) (-)

4. Close (Belgium) (+1)

5. Argentina, 1985 (NEW)
   —

6. Saint Omer (France) (-2)

7. Corsage (Austria) (-)

8. Holy Spider (Denmark) (-)

9. The Quiet Girl (Ireland) (NEW)

10. Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden) (-1)

DROPPED
Klondike (Ukraine) (-6)
Cinema Sabaya (Israel) (-1)

Best Live Action Short Film

1. An Irish Goodbye

2. Night Ride

3. Nakam

4. The Red Suitcase

5. Tula
   —

6. Ivalu

7. Warsha

8. All in Favor

9. Le Pupille

10. The Treatment

Best Cinematography

1. Janusz Kaminski, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Russell Carpenter, Avatar: The Way of Water (+1)

3. Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick (+5)

4. James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front (+1)

5. Roger Deakins, Empire of Light (-3)
   —

6. Mandy Walker, Elvis (-1)

7. Linus Sandgren, Babylon (-3)

8. Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR (NEW)

9. Ben Davis, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

10. Robert Richardson, Emancipation (-)

DROPPED
Darius Khondji, Bardo (-4)

Best Costume Design

1. Ruth E. Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

2. Mary Zophres, Babylon (-)

3. Catherine Martin, Elvis (-)

4. Gersha Phillips, The Woman King (-)

5. Monika Buttinger, Corsage (-)
   —

6. Jenny Beavan, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (-)

7. Shirley Kurata, Everything Everywhere All At Once (-)

8. Mark Bridges, The Fabelmans (+1)

9. Sandy Powell, Living (-1)

10. Jenny Eagan, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (NEW)

DROPPED
Jennifer Johnson, Blonde (-1)

Best Film Editing

1. Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond‎, Elvis (+2)

3. David Brenner, James Cameron, John Refouaa and Stephen E. Rivkin, Avatar: The Way of Water (+2)

4. Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)

5. Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn, The Fabelmans (-3)
   —

6. Sven Budelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front (+2)

7. Monika Willi, TÁR (-)

8. Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, The Banshees of Inisherin (-2)

9. Bob Ducsay, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (NEW)

10. Tom Cross, Babylon (-)

DROPPED
Michael P. Shawver, Kelley Dixon and Jennifer Lame, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-2)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Shane Thomas, Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Louise Coulston, Elvis (+1)

2. Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Zoe Tahir, The Batman (+1)

3. Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley, The Whale (-2)

4. Joel Harlow, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+2)

5. Heba Thorisdottir and Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Babylon (-1)
   —

6. The team from Amsterdam (+4)

7. The team from Crimes of the Future (NEW)

8. Tina Roesler Kerwin and Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Blonde (-)

9. Heike Merker, All Quiet on the Western Front (NEW)

10. Ken Diaz and Andrea Bowman, Emancipation (NEW)

DROPPED
Babalwa Mtshiselwa, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Jamika Wilson and Louisa V. Anthony, The Woman King (-6)
Maralyn Sherman, Carmel Jackson and Stefania Pellegrini, The Northman (-4)
Michelle Chung and Anissa Salazar, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-2)

Best Original Score

1. John Williams, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin (+3)

3. Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (+1)

4. Terence Blanchard, The Woman King (+3)

5. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Women Talking (+3)
   —

6. Justin Hurwitz, Babylon (-3)

7. Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (NEW)

8. Simon Franglen, Avatar: The Way of Water (+2)

9. Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

10. Nicholas Britell, She Said (NEW)

DROPPED
Hildur Guðnadóttir, TÁR (-9)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Empire of Light (-5)

Best Original Song

1. “Hold My Hand,” Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. “Applause,” Tell It Like a Woman (-)

3. “Dust and Ash,” The Voice of Dust and Ash (-)

4. “Naatu Naatu,” RRR (+1)

5. “Stand Up,” Till (-1)
   —

6. “Ciao Papa,” Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (-)

7. “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” Avatar: The Way of Water (NEW)

8. “Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

9. “This Is a Life,” Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)

10. “Good Afternoon,” Spirited (NEW)

DROPPED
“Nobody Like U,” Turning Red (-4)
“At the Automat,” The Automat (-2)

Best Production Design

1. Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy and Bev Dunn, Elvis (-)

2. Dylan Cole, Ben Procter and Vanessa Cole, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

3. Curt Enderle and Guy Davis, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (-)

4. Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino, Babylon (-)

5. Jason Kisvarday and Kelsi Ephraim, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)
   —

6. Rick Carter and Karen O’Hara, The Fabelmans (-1)

7. Akin McKenzie, The Woman King (-)

8. Christian M. Goldbeck, All Quiet on the Western Front (+2)

9. Hannah Beachler and Lisa K. Sessions, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

10. Rick Heinrichs and Elli Griff, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (NEW)

DROPPED
Eugenio Caballero, Bardo (-3)

Best Sound

1. Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller, Elvis (-)

3. Gwen Whittle, Gary Summers, Mike Hedges, Chris Boyes, Tony Johnson and Julian Howarth, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

4. Lars Ginzel, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler and Viktor Prášil, All Quiet on the Western Front (+2)

5. Brent Kiser, Andrew Twite, Stephen Nelson, Alexandra Fehrman and Ian Chase, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)
   —

6. Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker, Steve Boeddeker and Brandon Proctor, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+2)

7. Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, Andy Nelson and William Files, The Batman (+2)

8. The team from Moonage Daydream (NEW)

9. The team from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (NEW)

10. Steven Morrow, Mildred Iatrou Morgan, Andy Nelson and Ai-Ling Lee, Babylon (-)

DROPPED
Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Chris Burdon, William Miller and Paul “Salty” Brincat, Thirteen Lives (-6)
Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Ronald Judkins, The Fabelmans (-4)

Best Visual Effects

1. Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

2. Ryan Tudhope, Scott R. Fisher, Seth Hill and Bryan Litson, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

3. Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, Hanzhi Tang and Dan Sudick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+2)

4. Markus Frank, Viktor Muller, Frank Petzold and Kamil Jafar, All Quiet on the Western Front (NEW)

5. Jason Billington, Brian Cox and Bruce Bright, Thirteen Lives (NEW)
   —

6. Guillaume Rocheron, Jeremy Robert, Sreejith Venugopalan and Scott R. Fisher, Nope (+4)

7. Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langland and Dominic Tuoh, The Batman (+1)

8. Janek Sirrs, Theo Bialek, Erik Winquist and Chris Corbould, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (+1)

9. Christian Manz, Benjamin Loch, Stephane Naze and Alistair Williams, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (NEW)

10. David Vickery, Alex Wuttke, Paul Corbould and Neal Scanlan, Jurassic World: Dominion (NEW)

DROPPED
Aaron Weintraub, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (-8)
Zak Stoltz, Ethan Feldbau, Benjamin Brewer and Jeff Desom, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-6)
V. Srinivas Mohan, RRR (-5)
Ivan Busquets, Abishek Nair, Marko Chulev and Steven Nichols, Good Night Oppy (-4)

2022 Oscar Nomination Predictions (November)

Hey everybody, just checking in. :)

The past month, since my October set of Oscar predictions, has not exactly seen seismic shifts across this year’s races. Gotham Award nominations aside, we’ve yet to see much in the way of precursors, with Independent Spirit Awards noms on the horizon later this month and then a plethora of honors, including Golden Globe nominations and an array of critics’ prizes, coming in December.

We have, at least, seemingly solidified this season’s category placements in the acting races. As expected, Margot Robbie will score a Lead push for Babylon, with Diego Calva and Brad Pitt on the hunt for Lead and Supporting noms, respectively. More surprising (or not, given the constant category fraud we’re treated to), Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan will go their separate ways for She Said, the former in Lead, the latter (inexplicably) in Supporting.

Speaking of Babylon and She Said, both contenders finally screened since my last predictions - and not to unanimous raves. For sure, these pictures are in play in a plethora of categories, but you’ll see both contenders tumble a bit in the rankings below. Babylon looks poised to be among the year’s more polarizing awards season players, though it’s tough to fathom it not having a field day in at least the crafts categories. As for She Said, it’s seen a critical reception just positive enough to maybe land in Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay…but could just as easily be totally MIA on Oscar noms morning.

While I’m on the topic of films that’ve dipped a bit in my rankings, there’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a contender that, like its predecessor, has proven a commanding box office success. Critically, however, the reception hasn’t been as robust as with the first, so it’s plausible to see it merely proving a force in the craft categories this time around. That’s more than I can say for Armageddon Time, which also hit theaters this past month but to lukewarm critical success and nightmarish box office receipts.

If there’s a contender I’m increasingly high on, it’s Till, which hasn’t surfaced in most pundits’ Best Picture predictions - and I can’t say I understand why. Reviews have been fantastic, not only for leading lady Danielle Deadwyler but also the film itself, and its box office has been no worse than that for The Banshees of Inisherin and TÁR, films overwhelmingly expected to score heaps of recognition. And it could score slots in Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song. Couple those with a likely Best Actress bid and it’s reasonable to fathom this timely, powerful film grab a spot in the top category.

All that said, below are my updated Oscar nom predictions for the month of November, including how many slots a contender has moved up or down since my October set of hunches. I’ll do another revision on these sometime next month, likely after some of the shortlists have surfaced.

See ya! ;)

Best Picture

1. The Fabelmans (-)

2. The Banshees of Inisherin (+1)

3. Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)

4. Women Talking (+2)

5. Top Gun: Maverick (-)

6. Babylon (-5)

7. Elvis (+1)

8. Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

9. The Whale (+1)

10. Till (+4)
    —

11. TÁR (+1)

12. She Said (-3)

13. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-3)

14. Triangle of Sadness (-1)

15. Decision to Leave (-)

Best Director

1. Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (+3)

3. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (+5)

4. Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (-)

5. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (-2)
   —

6. Darren Aronofsky, The Whale (-)

7. Todd Field, TÁR (-)

8. Damien Chazelle, Babylon (-6)

9. Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Bardo (NEW)

10. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)

DROPPED
Maria Schrader, She Said (-1)

Best Actress

1. Cate Blanchett, TÁR (-)

2. Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

3. Danielle Deadwyler, Till (+1)

4. Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans (-1)

5. Olivia Colman, Empire of Light (-)
   —

6. Margot Robbie, Babylon (+1)

7. Viola Davis, The Woman King (-1)

8. Rooney Mara, Women Talking (NEW)

9. Naomi Ackie, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (+1)

10. Jennifer Lawrence, Causeway (-1)

DROPPED
Carey Mulligan, She Said (-4)

Best Actor

1. Brendan Fraser, The Whale (-)

2. Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin (+1)

3. Bill Nighy, Living (+1)

4. Austin Butler, Elvis (-2)

5. Adam Driver, White Noise (+1)
   —

6. Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick (+3)

7. Jeremy Pope, The Inspection (+3)

8. Adam Sandler, Hustle (NEW)

9. Paul Mescal, Aftersun (NEW)

10. Diego Calva, Babylon (-2)

DROPPED
Hugh Jackman, The Son (-6)
Song Kang-ho, Broker (-4)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Jessie Buckley, Women Talking (-)

2. Hong Chau, The Whale (-)

3. Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin (+1)

4. Nina Hoss, TÁR (NEW)

5. Claire Foy, Women Talking (+2)
   —

6. Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness (-)

7. Carey Mulligan, She Said (NEW)

8. Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once (NEW)

9. Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

10. Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once (NEW)

DROPPED
Jean Smart, Babylon (-8)
Samantha Morton, She Said (-6)
Sadie Sink, The Whale (-3)
Laura Dern, The Son (-1)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

2. Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+3)

3. Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans (-1)

4. Ben Whishaw, Women Talking (+2)

5. Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin (+2)
   —

6. Paul Dano, The Fabelmans (+3)

7. Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse (NEW)

8. Brad Pitt, Babylon (-)

9. Woody Harrelson, Triangle of Sadness (-6)

10. Anthony Hopkins, Armageddon Time (-5)

DROPPED
Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time (-1)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

3. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+4)

4. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (-1)

5. Jeong Seo-kyeong and Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (-1)
   —

6. Chinonye Chukwu, Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp, Till (+1)

7. Todd Field, TÁR (+1)

8. Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (+1)

9. Damien Chazelle, Babylon (-4)

10. Sam Mendes, Empire of Light (-)

DROPPED
James Gray, Armageddon Time (-1)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (-)

2. Noah Baumbach, White Noise (-)

3. Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale (+3)

4. Kazuo Ishiguro, Living (-)

5. Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-2)
   —

6. Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said (-1)

7. Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Top Gun: Maverick (+2)

8. Ian Stokell, Lesley Paterson and Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front (+2)

9. Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-1)

10. David Kajganich, Bones and All (NEW)

Best Animated Feature

1. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (+1)

2. Turning Red (-1)

3. Strange World (-)

4. Marcel the Shell with Shoes on (-)

5. Wendell & Wild (+1)
   —

6. The Bad Guys (-1)

7. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (+1)

8. Minions: The Rise of Gru (+1)

9. My Father’s Dragon (+1)

10. The Sea Beast (-3)

Best Documentary Feature

1. Descendant (-)

2. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (+7)

3. Good Night Oppy (-)

4. Fire of Love (-2)

5. Turn Every Page (NEW)
   —

6. The Territory (-2)

7. Black Ice (-2)

8. Navalny (-1)

9. Sr. (+1)

10. Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (NEW)

DROPPED
Aftershock (-5)
Retrograde (-3)

Best International Feature

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) (+1)

2. Decision to Leave (Korea) (-1)

3. Bardo (Mexico) (-)

4. Saint Omer (France) (+5)

5. Klondike (Ukraine) (-1)
   —

6. Close (Belgium) (-1)

7. Corsage (Austria) (+3)

8. Holy Spider (Denmark) (-2)

9. Boy from Heaven (Sweden) (-2)

10. Cinema Sabaya (Israel) (-2)

Best Cinematography

1. Janusz Kaminski, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Roger Deakins, Empire of Light (-)

3. Russell Carpenter, Avatar: The Way of Water (+1)

4. Linus Sandgren, Babylon (-1)

5. James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front (-)
   —

6. Mandy Walker, Elvis (-)

7. Darius Khondji, Bardo (+1)

8. Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick (-1)

9. Ben Davis, The Banshees of Inisherin (NEW)

10. Robert Richardson, Emancipation (NEW)

DROPPED
Chayse Irvin, Blonde (-2)
Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR (-1)

Best Costume Design

1. Ruth E. Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

2. Mary Zophres, Babylon (-)

3. Catherine Martin, Elvis (-)

4. Gersha Phillips, The Woman King (-)

5. Monika Buttinger, Corsage (-)
   —

6. Jenny Beavan, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (-)

7. Shirley Kurata, Everything Everywhere All At Once (-)

8. Sandy Powell, Living (NEW)

9. Mark Bridges, The Fabelmans (-1)

10. Jennifer Johnson, Blonde (-1)

DROPPED
Oliver Garcia, Chevalier (-1)

Best Film Editing

1. Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn, The Fabelmans (+1)

3. Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)

4. Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond‎, Elvis (+2)

5. David Brenner, James Cameron, John Refouaa and Stephen E. Rivkin, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)
   —

6. Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, The Banshees of Inisherin (NEW)

7. Monika Willi, TÁR (-)

8. Sven Budelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front (+1)

9. Michael P. Shawver, Kelley Dixon and Jennifer Lame, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-1)

10. Tom Cross, Babylon (-4)

DROPPED
Bob Ducsay, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story (-1)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. The team from The Whale (-)

2. Shane Thomas, Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Louise Coulston, Elvis (-)

3. Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Zoe Tahir, The Batman (+1)

4. The team from Babylon (-1)

5. Babalwa Mtshiselwa, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Jamika Wilson and Louisa V. Anthony, The Woman King (+1)
   —

6. Joel Harlow, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-1)

7. The team from The Northman (+1)

8. Tina Roesler Kerwin and Jaime Leigh McIntosh, Blonde (-1)

9. The team from Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

10. The team from Amsterdam (-)

Best Original Score

1. John Williams, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Hildur Guðnadóttir, TÁR (-)

3. Justin Hurwitz, Babylon (-)

4. Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (+1)

5. Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin (+1)
   —

6. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Empire of Light (-2)

7. Terence Blanchard, The Woman King (+1)

8. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Women Talking (NEW)

9. Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

10. Simon Franglen, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

DROPPED
Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-4)

Best Original Song

1. “Hold My Hand,” Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. “Applause,” Tell It Like a Woman (-)

3. “Dust and Ash,” The Voice of Dust and Ash (-)

4. “Stand Up,” Till (NEW)

5. “Naatu Naatu,” RRR (-1)
   —

6. “Ciao Papa,” Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (NEW)

7. “Nobody Like U,” Turning Red (-1)

8. “Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (NEW)

9. “At the Automat,” The Automat (-1)

10. “This Is a Life,” Everything Everywhere All at Once (-5)

DROPPED
“(You Made It Feel Like) Home,” Bones and All (-4)
“New Body Rhumba,” White Noise (-2)
“Carolina,” Where the Crawdads Sing (-1)

Best Production Design

1. Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy and Beverley Dunn, Elvis (-)

2. Dylan Cole, Ben Procter and Vanessa Cole, Avatar: The Way of Water (+1)

3. Curt Enderle and Guy Davis, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (NEW)

4. Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino, Babylon (-2)

5. Rick Carter and Karen O’Hara, The Fabelmans (-1)
   —

6. Jason Kisvarday and Kelsi Ephraim, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

7. Akin McKenzie, The Woman King (+3)

8. Eugenio Caballero, Bardo (-)

9. Hannah Beachler and Lisa K. Sessions, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-4)

10. Christian M. Goldbeck, All Quiet on the Western Front (-1)

DROPPED
Rick Heinrichs, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-4)

Best Sound

1. Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

2. David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller, Elvis (-)

3. Gwen Whittle, Gary Summers, Mike Hedges, Chris Boyes, Tony Johnson and Julian Howarth, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

4. The team from Everything Everywhere All at Once (+2)

5. Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Chris Burdon, William Miller and Paul “Salty” Brincat, Thirteen Lives (NEW)
   —

6. The team from All Quiet on the Western Front (-1)

7. Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Ronald Judkins, The Fabelmans (NEW)

8. Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker, Steve Boeddeker and Brandon Proctor, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-4)

9. Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, Andy Nelson and William Files, The Batman (-)

10. The team from Babylon (-3)

DROPPED
The team from TÁR (-3)
Johnnie Burn and Jose Antonio Garcia, Nope (-1)

Best Visual Effects

1. Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, Avatar: The Way of Water (-)

2. Ryan Tudhope, Scott R. Fisher, Seth Hill and Bryan Litson, Top Gun: Maverick (-)

3. Aaron Weintraub, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (+2)

4. Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, Hanzhi Tang and Dan Sudick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-1)

5. The team from Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)
   —

6. V. Srinivas Mohan, RRR (-)

7. Ivan Busquets, Abishek Nair, Marko Chulev and Steven Nichols, Good Night Oppy (+2)

8. Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langland and Dominic Tuoh, The Batman (-)

9. The team from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (-2)

10. Guillaume Rocheron, Jeremy Robert, Sreejith Venugopalan and Scott R. Fisher, Nope (-)

2022 Oscar Nomination Predictions (October)

Oh, hey!

It’s been a tad short of a month since I assembled my first Oscar nom predictions of the season. At this point, the Venice, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals are behind us, with New York doing its thing as I compose this. A plethora of pictures have seen the light of day, with many impressing and others falling short of expectations (hi, The Son).

Key remaining question marks include Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and She Said, all of which ring of formidable contenders for Best Picture noms. And then there’s the question of category placement, with Babylon’s Margot Robbie and She Said’s Carey Mulligan & Zoe Kazan seemingly poised for Lead Actress bids but not out of the question for Supporting pushes.

Speaking of Lead vs. Supporting, a development that nicely shook things up was the surprise news that Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) would join the race in Lead Actress, as opposed to contending over in Supporting - where, pundits presume, she’d have had an easier time prevailing. And perhaps there is some truth there but you know what’s also true? Williams can undoubtedly triumph in Lead.

It remains super early in the season, no doubt, but The Fabelmans looks poised for both critical and commercial success - and Williams, about to be on her fifth Oscar bid without a win, has earned exceedingly glowing praise. Regarding category placement, there is hardly a lack of precedent when it comes to turns on the fence between Lead and Supporting emerging triumphant. Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Nicole Kidman (The Hours), Frances McDormand (Fargo), Patricia Neal (Hud) - all Best Actress winners without heaps of screen time. Williams can for sure do the same.

Anyway, below are my updated Oscar nom predictions for the month of October, this time including Animated/Documentary/International Feature, plus the technical fields (I’ll hold off on the Shorts ‘til later in the season). Among the top eight, I note how many spots a contender has moved up or down since my first set of hunches. I’ll do another revision on these sometime in November.

Take care! :)

Best Picture

1. The Fabelmans (-)

2. Babylon (-)

3. The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

4. Everything Everywhere All at Once (+2)

5. Top Gun: Maverick (+2)

6. Women Talking (+2)

7. Avatar: The Way of Water (+2)

8. Elvis (+7)

9. She Said (-5)

10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-1)
    —

11. The Whale (-)

12. TÁR (-)

13. Triangle of Sadness (+1)

14. Till (NEW)

15. Decision to Leave (-2)

DROPPED
Armageddon Time (-11)

Best Director

1. Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Damien Chazelle, Babylon (-)

3. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (+4)

4. Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (-1)

5. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)
   —

6. Darren Aronofsky, The Whale (+2)

7. Todd Field, TÁR (NEW)

8. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (+1)

9. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (+1)

10. Maria Schrader, She Said (-6)

DROPPED
James Gray, Armageddon Time (-5)

Best Actress

1. Cate Blanchett, TÁR (-)

2. Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)

3. Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans (NEW)

4. Danielle Deadwyler, Till (+6)

5. Olivia Colman, Empire of Light (-)
   —

6. Viola Davis, The Woman King (-)

7. Margot Robbie, Babylon (-4)

8. Carey Mulligan, She Said (-4)

9. Jennifer Lawrence, Causeway (-1)

10. Naomi Ackie, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (-3)

DROPPED
Zoe Kazan, She Said (-2)

Best Actor

1. Brendan Fraser, The Whale (-)

2. Austin Butler, Elvis (+1)

3. Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin (-1)

4. Bill Nighy, Living (+1)

5. Hugh Jackman, The Son (-1)
   —

6. Adam Driver, White Noise (-)

7. Song Kang-ho, Broker (+2)

8. Diego Calva, Babylon (-1)

9. Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick (-1)

10. Jeremy Pope, The Inspection (-)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Jessie Buckley, Women Talking (+1)

2. Hong Chau, The Whale (+2)

3. Jean Smart, Babylon (-)

4. Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin (+4)

5. Samantha Morton, She Said (-)
   —

6. Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness (NEW)

7. Claire Foy, Women Talking (-1)

8. Sadie Sink, The Whale (-1)

9. Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (+1)

10. Laura Dern, The Son (-1)

DROPPED
Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans (-10)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

2. Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans (-)

3. Woody Harrelson, Triangle of Sadness (+3)

4. Anthony Hopkins, Armageddon Time (-)

5. Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-)
   —

6. Ben Whishaw, Women Talking (+1)

7. Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin (NEW)

8. Brad Pitt, Babylon (-5)

9. Paul Dano, The Fabelmans (-1)

10. Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time (-1)

DROPPED
Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway (-1)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans (-)

2. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (-)

3. Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness (+4)

4. Jeong Seo-kyeong and Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (-)

5. Damien Chazelle, Babylon (-2)
   —

6. James Gray, Armageddon Time (-1)

7. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (-1)

8. Todd Field, TÁR (+1)

9. Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (NEW)

10. Sam Mendes, Empire of Light (-)

DROPPED
Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller, Bros (-3)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (-)

2. Noah Baumbach, White Noise (-)

3. Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (-)

4. Kazuo Ishiguro, Living (+1)

5. Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said (-1)
   —

6. Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale (-)

7. Chinonye Chukwu, Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp, Till (NEW)

8. Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (-)

9. Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Top Gun: Maverick (NEW)

10. Ian Stokell, Lesley Paterson and Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front (-)

DROPPED
Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, The Son (-4)
Audrey Diwan, Marcia Romano and Anne Berest, Happening (-2)

Best Animated Feature

1. Turning Red

2. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

3. Strange World

4. Marcel the Shell with Shoes on

5. The Bad Guys
   —

6. Wendell & Wild

7. The Sea Beast

8. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

9. Minions: The Rise of Gru

10. My Father’s Dragon

Best Documentary Feature

1. Descendant

2. Fire of Love

3. Good Night Oppy

4. The Territory

5. Black Ice
   —

6. Aftershock

7. Navalny

8. Retrograde

9. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

10. Sr.

Best International Feature

1. Decision to Leave (Korea)

2. All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)

3. Bardo (Mexico)

4. Klondike (Ukraine)

5. Close (Belgium)
   —

6. Holy Spider (Denmark)

7. Boy from Heaven (Sweden)

8. Cinema Sabaya (Israel)

9. Saint Omer (France)

10. Corsage (Austria)

Best Cinematography

1. Janusz Kaminski, The Fabelmans

2. Roger Deakins, Empire of Light

3. Linus Sandgren, Babylon

4. Russell Carpenter, Avatar: The Way of Water

5. James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
   —

6. Mandy Walker, Elvis

7. Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick

8. Darius Khondji, Bardo

9. Chayse Irvin, Blonde

10. Florian Hoffmeister, TÁR

Best Costume Design

1. Ruth E. Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

2. Mary Zophres, Babylon

3. Catherine Martin, Elvis

4. Gersha Phillips, The Woman King

5. Monika Buttinger, Corsage
   —

6. Jenny Beavan, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

7. Shirley Kurata, Everything Everywhere All At Once

8. Mark Bridges, The Fabelmans

9. Jennifer Johnson, Blonde

10. Oliver Garcia, Chevalier

Best Film Editing

1. Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick

2. Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once

3. Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn, The Fabelmans

4. David Brenner, James Cameron, John Refouaa and Stephen E. Rivkin, Avatar: The Way of Water

5. Tom Cross, Babylon
   —

6. Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond‎, Elvis

7. Monika Willi, TÁR

8. Michael P. Shawver, Kelley Dixon and Jennifer Lame, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

9. Sven Budelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front

10. Bob Ducsay, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. The team from The Whale

2. The team from Elvis

3. The team from Babylon

4. The team from The Batman

5. The team from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
   —

6. The team from The Woman King

7. The team from Blonde

8. The team from The Northman

9. The team from Everything Everywhere All at Once

10. The team from Amsterdam

Best Original Score

1. John Williams, The Fabelmans

2. Hildur Guðnadóttir, TÁR

3. Justin Hurwitz, Babylon

4. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Empire of Light

5. Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
   —

6. Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin

7. Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

8. Terence Blanchard, The Woman King

9. Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All at Once

10. Simon Franglen, Avatar: The Way of Water

Best Original Song

1. “Hold My Hand,” Top Gun: Maverick

2. “Applause,” Tell It Like a Woman

3. “Dust and Ash,” The Voice of Dust and Ash

4. “Naatu Naatu,” RRR

5. “This Is a Life,” Everything Everywhere All at Once
   —

6. “Nobody Like U,” Turning Red

7. “(You Made It Feel Like) Home,” Bones and All

8. “At the Automat,” The Automat

9. “New Body Rhumba,” White Noise

10. “Carolina,” Where the Crawdads Sing

Best Production Design

1. Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy and Beverley Dunn, Elvis

2. Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino, Babylon

3. Dylan Cole, Ben Procter and Vanessa Cole, Avatar: The Way of Water

4. Rick Carter and Karen O’Hara, The Fabelmans

5. Hannah Beachler and Lisa K. Sessions, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
   —

6. Jason Kisvarday and Kelsi Ephraim, Everything Everywhere All at Once

7. Rick Heinrichs, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

8. Eugenio Caballero, Bardo

9. Christian M. Goldbeck, All Quiet on the Western Front

10. Akin McKenzie, The Woman King

Best Sound

1. The team from Top Gun: Maverick

2. The team from Elvis

3. The team from Avatar: The Way of Water

4. The team from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

5. The team from All Quiet on the Western Front
   —

6. The team from Everything Everywhere All at Once

7. The team from Babylon

8. The team from TÁR

9. The team from The Batman

10. The team from Nope

Best Visual Effects

1. The team from Avatar: The Way of Water

2. The team from Top Gun: Maverick

3. The team from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

4. The team from Everything Everywhere All at Once

5. The team from Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
   —

6. The team from RRR

7. The team from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

8. The team from The Batman

9. The team from Good Night Oppy

10. The team from Nope