The Academy Awards are nearly a month away, but it’s still anyone’s guess on who will take home golden statuettes. I’m not even sure if Ke Huy Quan is guaranteed a Best Supporting Actor win. A cursory view of 2022-23 award winners suggests that Brendan Gleeson has a real shot. The surprise wins at the Golden Globes by The Fablemans, Angela Bassett, and Austin Butler didn’t provide much clarity, either.
Vegas still thinks Everything, Everywhere, All at Once or Banshees of Inisherin will win Best Picture, but a Tar Oscar win is not unfathomable. The London Critics Choice Awards, the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the LA Film Critics awarded Tar the top prize. In fact, films focused on women’s issues and patriarchal oppression (this includes you, Lydia) keep making waves at award ceremonies: She Said (best picture winner - Nevada Film Critics Society); Women Talking (best director, ensemble, and screenplay winner - Alliance of Women Film Journalists, best ensemble -Boston Society of Film Critics, DiscussingFilm Critics Awards), and The Woman King (best picture winner - Black Film Critics Circle, Black Reel Awards).
A dark horse for Best Picture is Top Gun: Maverick. Cruise’s sequel took home the top prize from the National Board of Review. It also won the coveted Cheesesteak Award from the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle. The Cheesesteak Award goes to the year’s blockbuster film that you cannot miss - just like a cheesesteak from Geno’s.
Speaking of cheesesteaks, I’d love to see Ruben Ostland’s Triangle of Sadness win best picture. But I don’t think it has a chance. What a shame - it’s a fun take on the overplayed “eat the rich” themes we keep seeing.
Of note, the British Independent Film Awards, the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, and the North Dakota Film Society gave A24’s indie darling Aftersun well-deserved best picture awards. Charlotte Wells, the film’s director, is cleaning up most of the “emerging artists,” “debut directors,” and “up-and-comers” categories at various award ceremonies, but the Academy snubbed the film for Best Picture.
Babylon is another Academy snub that deserves mentioning. It did poorly at the box office, but I believe history will be kind to this film. More directors should “go for it” just as Damien Chazelle did here. The most interesting take on Babylon comes from the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. Babylon won their “Biggest Disappointment of 2022” Award, but Oklahoma’s critics also named it the sixth-best film released in 2022. It was also OFCC’s runner-up for best ensemble and best cinematography. At least they gave Babylon a win for “best score.”
In a perfect world, we’d be matching Aftersun up against Babylon for Best Picture at the Oscars. Instead, we’ll probably just have to settle for EEAAO.
Overplayed but I still love it! Infinity Pool was a blast. I never would’ve thought Triangle of Sadness would be so rewatchable ... especially consider the “messy” Act 2.
And I read somewhere that Spielberg said Cruise saved Hollywood. Now I like your idea more. Let’s give best picture to top gun!
Oh man, I'd love for Triangle of Sadness to win as well!! But, alas! I actually hope Maverick can pull it off. It would be great to see Cruise up there as producer close off the night. Would seem like a very fitting end to a Hollywood celebration, and especially seeing he was the belle of the ball last night at the Awards dinner. He's the closest thing to a new Jack Nicholson that we have now.
Triangle would be a fitting continuation of the Parasite thematic storyline for Best Picture winners, calling out elitism and class structure. I hear you that it feels overplayed. But I feel like it's a note we have to keep hitting until something gives. And Ostlund does it so well. But there are no woke points to be had in awarding Triangle. LOL. I'd also be really happy with a win for Banshees, but again, same issue.