Stanko's Stance

Let’s try to analyze this. It is going to be really hard. Before you scream at your screen, just a reminder that these are only from movies that I have seen from the allotted pool of movies.

These are strictly from the movies I have seen. In some category I had to bend the rules just because I have not seen all the nominees possible, all the possible movies, etc. I have noted these. Be sure to check out blogs that have been completed and upcoming regarding the Oscars. I will be updating my personal nominations and personal winners as we all approach the Academy Awards which will take place on March 27, 2022.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

My Nominations

• Javier Bardem – “Being The Ricardos”
• Daniel Craig – “No Time To Die”
• Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Power Of The Dog”
• Andrew Garfield – “tick, tick…BOOM!”
• Will Smith – “King Richard”

MY WINNER: Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Power Of The Dog”

Phil Burbank is one of the most complicated and hatable characters I have seen on screen in a long time. Benedict Cumberbatch has a maniacal laugh and taunting whistle that can haunt your dreams, as it does Rose Gordon in The Power Of The Dog. Cumberbatch doesn’t need to add weight to appear more menacing, he simply does it with talent and commitment. Also a credit to director Jane Campion for working in his sexual past with beautiful haunting.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

My Nominations

• Ben Affleck – “The Last Duel”
• Jon Bernthal – “King Richard”
• Robin de Jesús – “tick, tick…BOOM!”
• Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Power Of The Dog”
• J.K. Simmons – “Being The Ricardos”

MY WINNER: Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Power Of The Dog”

Have you seen the end of The Power Of The Dog? Have you seen the way Kodi Smit-McPhee acts out the final manipulative scene as Peter Gordon? Have you seen how his character shapes like a chameleon adapting to whatever is needed to slowly suffocate Phil Burbank with just enough mystery for the final killing blow? Smit-McPhee is remarkable.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

My Nominations

• Jessica Chastain – “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye”
• Olivia Coleman – “The Lost Daughter”
• Jodie Cromer – “The Last Duel”
• Nicole Kidman – “Being The Ricardos”
• Kristen Stewart – “Spencer”

MY WINNER: Nicole Kidman – “Being The Ricardos”

Well, Jodie Cromer has been knocked off the pedestal. Nicole Kidman is an absolute star, and she is mesmerizing as Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin’s Being The Ricardos. There is something to when you know that a high profile star is playing a part, but you are still utterly convinced they are the character they are playing. Frankly, it is the opposite of Tom Hanks at the moment. Kidman ate up the screen and chewed up Sorkin’s dialogue like it was a midnight snack.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

My Nominations

• Zazie Beetz – “The Harder They Fall”
• Jesse Buckley – “The Lost Daughter”
• Florence Pugh – “Black Widow”
• Madelyn Pugh – “Being The Ricardos”
• Anya Taylor-Joy – “Last Night In Soho”

MY WINNER: Jesse Buckley – “The Lost Daughter

I am just so embarrassed with myself that I did not include Jesse Buckley on my initial list. Like honestly I need a slap on the wrist.

With all that being said, The Lost Daughter’s most emotionally gut-wrenching scenes take place when it is a young Leda. She is drowning herself in her own mistakes and her own ambitions, and to see those action’s consequences played out in the older Leda is heartbreaking. Buckley has the confidence in young Leda to act out on her own, but that confidence is what kills her.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

My Nominations

• “America: The Motion Picture”
• “Encanto”
• “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines”
• “Space Jam: A New Legacy”
• “The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf”

MY WINNER: “Encanto”

I know for a fact that America: The Motion Picture, Space Jam: The New Legacy and The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf do not deserve on this list and they may not even be eligible at all. I just put them on here to fill out the list.

With that being said, Encanto wins this hands down. I am still going to try and see Raya And The Last Dragon and Luca before the Oscars, but I imagine it is going to be hard for them to match up for a movie that is on people’s contenders list for Best Picture.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

My Nominations

• “Dune” – Greig Fraser
• “The Last Duel” – Dariusz Wolski
• “Last Night In Soho” – Chung-hoon Chung
• “King Richard” – Robert Elswit
• “The Power Of The Dog” – Ari Wegner

MY WINNER: “Dune” – Greig Fraser

There is something to make scale a thing to marvel at, and Greig Fraser did that with Dune. A close runner up is The Power Of The Dog, but I can not get over the dunes of Arrakis looking like they are breathing. Also in terms of scale, he made the sandworms look more behemoth than any Godzilla. I know that is not all Fraser, but he plays a huge part of that.

COSTUME DESIGN

My Nominations

• “Cruella” – Jenny Beavan
• “Dune” – Jacqueline West
• “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye” – Mitchell Travers
• “Last Night In Soho” – Odile DIcks-MIreaux
• “Spencer” – Jacqueline Durran

MY WINNER: “Dune” – Jacqueline West

The different races of Arrakis and the Dune world means that you need to create different looks for each and everyone one of them. You can tell who is from where just by the way they dress, and everyone’s apparel is appropriate for where they are from. Look at the scene where Duke Leto Atreides got the emperor’s decree to go to Arrakis. There are so many different looks there and how cool did the Bene Gesserit.

BEST DIRECTOR

My Nominations

• Denis Villeneuve – “Dune”
• Edgar Wright – “Last Night In Soho”
• Jane Campion – “The Power Of The Dog”
• Maggie Gyllenhaal – “The Lost Daughter”
• Zack Snyder – “Zach Snyder’s Justice League”

MY WINNER: Denis Villeneuve – “Dune”

Before everyone starts yelling at me, I put Zack Snyder on this list because 1.) it is funny, and 2.) it is genuinely shocking to me that his extended version is better than his original but such a wide margin. So just enjoy the laugh.

Denis Villeneuve created a science-fiction masterpiece from seemingly unadaptable source. He compacted all the right things and emerged exposition seamlessly into scenes so that the audience wouldn’t even know it’s being educated. He made Dune both a commercial and blockbuster success and that needs to be rewarded.

BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

My Nominations

• “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible”
• “The Alpinist”
• “Misha And The Wolves”
• “Operation Varsity Blues”
• “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, And Rage”

MY WINNER: “The Alpinist”

I know that most of these movies on my nomination list are no eligible, but that is why it is my nominations list and not the Academy’s. For myself, and my girlfriend, The Alpinist is an emotional journey with a shocking end for those who do not know Marc-André Leclerc.

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

My Nominations

• “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis”
• “The Queen Of Basketball”

MY WINNER: “The Queen Of Basketball”

So simple. This documentary is simple, but in the best way. Told strictly from the point of view of the documentary’s subject, the charisma of Lucy Harris and her own storytelling is remarkable. It is just close up on her face and the infectious smile is impossible not love it. By the end you are in tears and giggling along with her as she is describing how proud she is of her family. It is just remarkable stuff.

FILM EDITING

My Nominations

• “Dune” – Joe Walker
• “The Harder They Fall” – Tom Eagles
• “King Richard” – Pamela Martin
• “Last Night In Soho” – Paul Machliss
• “The Power Of The Dog” – Peter Sciberras

MY WINNER: “The Power Of The Dog” – Peter Sciberras

The Power Of The Dog tells sooooo much about the story through non-visual cues. The best way to dictate this type of storytelling is through an amazing screenplay and slick editing. The editor, writer and director all have to be on the same page, and they all are in The Power Of The Dog.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

My Nominations

• N/A

MY WINNER: I KNOW I HANG MY HEAD IN SHAME.

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

My Nominations

• “Cruella” – Nadia Stacey, Carolyn Cousins
• “Dune” – Donald Mowat, Love Larson, Eva von Bahr
• “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye” – Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, Justin Raleigh
• “King Richard” – Jacenda Burkett, Jennifer Zide
• “Last Night In Soho” – Lizzie Yianni-Georgiou

MY WINNER: “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye” – Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, Justin Raleigh

The stupid amount of make up different style hairdos that Tammy Faye goes through in the story is insane, and credit to those people who are heaving to create the preposterous looks of Tammy that fit her over-the-top personality.

ORIGINAL SCORE

My Nominations

• “Dune” – Hans Zimmer
• “Encanto” – Germaine Franco
• “The Harder They Fall” – Jeymes Samuel
• “The Power Of The Dog” – Jonny Greenwood
• “Spencer” – Jonny Greenwood

MY WINNER: “Dune” – Hans Zimmer

I have not listened to a score of any of movie this year more than Dune. It is the only one you’ll find on my Spotify history. I will be honest with all of you, The Harder The Fall fits into second place on my billing. But as I am typing this I am watching Spencer and my god I want to jump out of the train window with the tension this score is providing right now.

ORIGINAL SONG

My Nominations

• “Be Alive” – Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Dixson (King Richard)
• “Guns Go Bang” – Jeymes Samuel, Scott Mescudi, Shawn Carter (The Harder They Fall)
• “No Time To Die” – Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell (No Time To Die)
• “Surface Pressure” – Lin Manuel Miranda (Encanto)
• “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” – Lin Manuel Miranda (Encanto)

MY WINNER: “Guns Go Bang” – Jeymes Samuel, Scott Mescudi, Shawn Carter (The Harder They Fall)

The more I look back, the more I admire The Harder They Fall. The entire movie is a vibe and this song captures it. It has the calm confidence starting out, followed by the organized chaos with attempts at calm conflict resolution. With that being said, the guns do indeed go bang in The Harder They Fall. The entire score for this remixed western cranks it up a notch and this song is at its centerpiece.

BEST PICTURE

My Nominations

• “Being The Ricardos”
• “Dune”
• “Encanto”
• “King Richard”
• “The Last Duel”
• “Last Night In Soho”
• “The Lost Daughter”
• “Nobody”
• “The Power Of The Dog”
• “tick, tick…BOOM!”

MY WINNER: “Dune”

I have consistently stated how much I love Dune. It has the best combination of all the aspects that I love in a movie. While it may not have and super standout performances, It has consistent acting throughout. It has writing that is to be commended, more so by someone who has read the book because they know all the condensing that needed to be done. It has amazing scale that is shown in both the close ups and the landscape spectacles. It has a blend of tasteful CGI and practical effects, and the score will become a worm ear. Also speaking for myself, it is a classic heroes tale which I have always been a fan of on a personal level, and I am one to admit my own biases when I see them.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

My Nominations

• “Dune”
• “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye”
• “The Last Duel”
• “Last Night In Soho”
• “The Power Of The Dog”

MY WINNER: “Dune”

I mean did you see Dune? Did you see how gorgeous it was? Did you know that Denis Villeneuve made sure that the movie was filmed on site in the deserts of Jordan and United Arab Emirates for the desert shots.

SHORT FILM ANIMATED

My Nominations

• “Far From The Tree”
• “Twenty Something”
• “Us Again”

MY WINNER: “Us Again”

I mislabeled Us Again on my list so I forgot to put it on the first time around with my nominations, and that is a major mistake. The movie is excellent and extra pungent for my now with my grandfather dying recently.

SHORT FILM LIVE ACTION

My Nominations

• N/A

MY WINNER: Haven’t seen any. (Hides face in shame)

SOUND

My Nominations

• “A Quiet Place: Part II” – Ethan Van Der Ryn, Erik Aadahl, Michael Barosky, Brandon Proctor
• “Dune” – Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson, Tod Maitland, Shawn Murphy
• “Last Night In Soho” – Julian Slater, Dan Morgan, Colin Nicolson, Tim Cavagin
• “No Time To Die” – Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, Paul Massey
• “tick, tick…Boom!” – Paul Hsu, Todd A. Maitland

MY WINNER: “Dune” – Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson, Tod Maitland, Shawn Murphy

Dune has moments of intense madness and moments of intense patience and quiet. It has the sounds of the city, the sounds of a palace and the sounds of the desert. All things put together, The variety of different noises needed for different environments, races and events make this one a pleasure on the ears.

VISUAL EFFECTS

My Nominations

• “Dune” – Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer
• “Free Guy” – Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, Dan Sudick
• “Godzilla vs. Kong” – John Desjardin, Bryan Hirota, Kevin Smith, Mike Meinardus
• “The Matrix Resurrections” – Dan Glass, Huw J Evans, Tom Debenham, J.D. Schwalm
• “No Time To Die” – Charlie Noble, Chris Corbould

MY WINNER: “Dune” – Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer

If anyone wins this award besides Dune then I am going to very very very pissed.

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

My Nominations

• “Dune” – Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth
• “The Last Duel” – Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
• “The Lost Daughter” – Maggie Gyllenhaal
• “The Power Of The Dog” – Jane Campion
• “tick, tick…Boom!” – Steven Levenson

MY WINNER: “The Power Of The Dog” – Jane Campion

I know I have raved about Dune and its ability to bring forward everything from the book, but I can not get over how well Jane Campion was able to bring forward the evocative and ultra depressing ending in The Power Of The Dog. You have to adapt a screenplay to play up all the deep motifs of the original novel and do it well; thankfully for all of us, that is exactly what happened. The ending of The Power Of The Dog will leave you gasping.

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

My Nominations

• “Being The Ricardos” – Aaron Sorkin
• “Encanto” – Jared Bush, Charise Castro Smith
• “King Richard” – Zach Baylin
• “Last Night In Soho” – Edgar Wright
• “Spencer” – Steven Knight

MY WINNER: “Last Night In Soho” – Edgar Wright

I hate that I have not seen a lot of movies on this list of films that are eligible for Best Original Screenplay. The fact that I had to put Free Guy on this is sad from the list of films that at least eligible and potential. With that being said, the first two I put on this list are well worth their while: Last Night In Soho and King Richard. For me I picked the movie I enjoyed more and had a deeper message hidden in the subtlety.

I am most upset with myself with the viewings in this category. I am rather livid.

Films Ranked By Nominations

• “Dune” – 11
• “Last Night In Soho” – 10
• “The Power Of The Dog” – 9
• “King Richard – 8
• “Being The Ricardos” – 6
• “Encanto” – 6
• “The Last Duel” – 6
• “The Lost Daughter” – 5
• “Tick, Tick…Boom!” – 5
• “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye” – 4
• “The Harder They Fall” – 4
• “No Time To Die” – 4
• “Spencer” – 4
• “Cruella” – 2
• “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” – 1
• “A Quiet Place: Part II” – 1
• “The Alpinist” – 1
• “America: The Motion Picture” – 1
• “Black Widow” – 1
• “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis” – 1
• “Far From The Tree” – 1
• “Free Guy” – 1
• “Godzilla vs. Kong” – 1
• “The Matrix Resurrections” – 1
• “Misha And The Wolves” – 1
• “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines” – 1
• “Nobody” – 1
• “Operation Varsity Blues” – 1
• “The Queen of Basketball” – 1
• “Space Jam: A New Legacy” – 1
• “Twenty Something” – 1
• “Us Again” – 1
• “The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf” – 1
• “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, And Rage – 1
• “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” – 1

Films Ranked By WINS

• “Dune” – 8
• “The Power Of The Dog” – 4
• “The Alpinist” – 1
• “Being The Ricardos” – 1
• “Encanto” – 1
• “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye” – 1
• “The Harder They Fall” – 1
• “Last Night In Soho” – 1
• “The Lost Daughter” – 1
• “The Queen Of Basketball” – 1
• “Us Again” – 1

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