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

  • Nicolas Cage – “Pig”
  • Bradley Cooper – “Nightmare Alley”
  • Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Power Of The Dog”
  • Andrew Garfield – “tick, tick…BOOM!”
  • Hidetoshi Nishijima – “Drive My Car”

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

  • Ciarán Hinds – “Belfast”
  • Jon Bernthal – “King Richard”
  • Alex Hassell – “The Tragedy Of Macbeth”
  • Troy Kotsur – “CODA”
  • Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Power Of The Dog”

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.

It is between Troy Kotsur and Smit-McPhee, and it just just preference for me.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

My Nominations

  • Jessica Chastain – “The Eyes Of Tammy Faye”
  • Alana Haim – “Licorice Pizza”
  • Emilia Jones – “CODA”
  • Nicole Kidman – “Being The Ricardos”
  • Kristen Stewart – “Spencer”

MY WINNER: Emilia Jones – “CODA”

HOW WAS EMILIA JONES NOT NOMINATED?? Jones has you cheering for her in every step of the way of CODA. She is balancing so many different things in her performance. It has to be different to approach scenes primarily in sign language and those in dialogue. Did I mention that she also has an incredible voice? She is best performance of a young student since Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018). She had me in a puddle. She gets my award.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

My Nominations

  • Caitriona Balfe – “Belfast”
  • Ariana DeBose – “West Side Story”
  • Jesse Buckley – “The Lost Daughter”
  • Katherine Hunter – “The Tragedy Of Macbeth”
  • Madelyn Pugh – “Being The Ricardos”

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.

The best aspect of the disappointing West Side Story is Ariana DeBose. She has won the majority of the awards and attention on the awards circuit. I do not have a gripe with her winning if she does. At this point it is just preference.

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
  • “Nightmare Alley” – Dan Laustsen
  • “The Power Of The Dog” – Ari Wegner
  • “The Tragedy Of Macbeth” – Bruno Delbonnel
  • “West Side Story” – Janusz Kaminski

MY WINNER: “Dune” – Greig Fraser

I am back on my Greig Fraser bandwagon. Having watched The Batman, and then rewatched some sequences from Dune, it is impossible not to appreciate it. I get back to the fact that Fraser and Denis Villeneuve made sand look interesting and invigorating. Then there were also the sand worms.

COSTUME DESIGN

My Nominations

  • “Cruella” – Jenny Beavan
  • “Dune” – Jacqueline West
  • “Last Night In Soho” – Odile DIcks-MIreaux
  • “Spencer” – Jacqueline Durran
  • “West Side Story” – Paul Tazewell

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

  • Kenneth Branagh – “Belfast”
  • Jane Campion – “The Power Of The Dog”
  • Joel Coen – “The Tragedy Of Macbeth”
  • Paul Thomas Anderson – “Licorice Pizza”
  • Denis Villeneuve – “Dune”

MY WINNER: Denis Villeneuve – “Dune”

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. I am shocked at how much I wanted to put Joel Coen in this spot, but can’t let recency bias influence the way my heart as always felt.

BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

My Nominations

  • “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible”
  • “The Alpinist”
  • “Operation Varsity Blues”
  • “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
  • “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

  • “Audible”
  • “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis”
  • “Lead Me Home”
  • “The Queen Of Basketball”
  • “Three Songs for Benazir”

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
  • “King Richard” – Pamela Martin
  • “Belfast” – Úna Ní Dhonghaíle
  • “The Power Of The Dog” – Peter Sciberras
  • “The Tragedy Of Macbeth” – Lucian Johnston

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

  • “Drive My Car” – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

MY WINNER: “Drive My Car” – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

This three hour marathon of a character study overcomes a boatload of hurdles. There are multiple languages and demands focusing all your attention to notice all the details. With that being said, Drive My Car has some many emotional avenues that it guarantees a focused audience a visceral response. Everyone has emotional scars, and Drive My Car attempts to unveil them in every which way. Also, just have to say that to adapt the original story into a three hour movie that doesn’t relent is a proud achievement. Hidetoshi Nishijima is remarkable in the lead role as well. He wears guilt like a 100 pound weighted blanket.

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)
  • “Down To Joy” – Van Morrison (Belfast)
  • “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)

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

  • “Belfast”
  • “CODA”
  • “Dune”
  • “Licorice Pizza”
  • “The Lost Daughter”
  • “Nightmare Alley”
  • “Pig”
  • “The Power Of The Dog”
  • “tick, tick…BOOM!”
  • “The Tragedy Of Macbeth”

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”
  • “Nightmare Alley”
  • “The Power Of The Dog”
  • “The Tragedy Of Macbeth”
  • “West Side Story”

MY WINNER: “The Tragedy Of Macbeth”

Simplicity is a fine art. The willingness to go minimalist when telling a story like this makes The Tragedy Of Macbeth an achievement in filmmaking. This castle setting and constructions allows for Joel Coen to amplify the intriguing parts of the story with his unbelievable eyes. The Production Design in The Tragedy Of Macbeth allow Coen and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel to shine (and shadow…you know because they play with lights a lot).

SHORT FILM ANIMATED

My Nominations

  • “Far From The Tree”
  • “Namoo”
  • “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

  • “Belfast” – Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather, Niv Adiri
  • “Dune” – Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson, Tod Maitland, Shawn Murphy
  • “No Time To Die” – Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, Paul Massey
  • “tick, tick…Boom!” – Paul Hsu, Todd A. Maitland
  • “The Tragedy Of Macbeth” – Carter Burwell

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
  • “Eternals” – Stephane Ceretti, Matt Aitken, Daniele Bigi, Neil Corbould
  • “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

  • “CODA” – Sian Heder
  • “Drive My Car” – Haruki Murakami, Takamasa Oe, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
  • “Dune” – Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth
  • “The Power Of The Dog” – Jane Campion
  • “The Tragedy Of Macbeth” – Joel Coen, William Shakespeare

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.

Having just watched CODA, it 100% deserves a nomination here. The story itself is heavy and the screenplay allows for the remarkable performances to shine through. Also I just want to know how the screenplay was written or adapted for the deaf actors? It is fascinating to think about. The different cues when they are shining, is that in the script or not? It is just a fascinating story.

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

My Nominations

  • “Being The Ricardos” – Aaron Sorkin
  • “King Richard” – Zach Baylin
  • “Licorice Pizza” – Paul Thomas Anderson
  • “Belfast” – Kenneth Branagh
  • “Spencer” – Steven Knight

MY WINNER: “Licorice Pizza” – Paul Thomas Anderson

I never thought that I would be shipping a 15 and a 25 year old to get into a relationship, but damn I am. It comes down to Belfast and Licorice Pizza, and I connected a lot more with the confusing, high school-sh, on-off relationship of Alana and Gary. Also all the side characters written in that have just 10 minutes of screen time but manage to leave a stamp; shout out to you Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn. Belfast may have had the lessons you want to teach, but Licorice Pizza taps into something humane that everyone connects to but doesn’t want to admit.

Films Ranked By Nominations
Films Ranked By WINS
  • Dune (7)
  • The Power Of The Dog (4)
  • The Alpinist (1)
  • CODA (1)
  • Drive My Car (1)
  • Encanto (1)
  • The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (1)
  • The Harder They Fall (1)
  • Licorice Pizza (1)
  • The Lost Daughter (1)
  • The Queen Of Basketball (1)
  • The Tragedy Of Macbeth (1)
  • Us Again (1)

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Posted on 0 By jstanko99 Disney+ Posted in Disney+, General Topics, HBO Max, Hulu, Movies, Netflix, Peacock, Prime Video, Reviews Tagged #, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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