Ahead of the 95th Academy Awards on March 12, Associated Press Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle share their predictions for a ceremony with some sure things and some major question marks.
BEST PICTURE
Nominees:
“All Quiet on the Western Front”; “Avatar:
The Way of Water”; “The Banshees of Inisherin”; “Elvis”; “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; “The Fabelmans”; “Tár”; “Top Gun:
Maverick”; “Triangle of Sadness”; “Women Talking.”
COYLE:
“Everything Everywhere All at Once.” In an odd, mixed-up year, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s blissfully chaotic film has turned into an improbable Oscar runaway, cleaning up at all the predictive guild awards. This year, the road to best picture is paved with googly eyes.
BAHR:
I usually wish for chaos when a best picture winner is locked – but “Everything Everywhere” is about as chaotic (and inspired) a best picture winner as you can get.
BEST ACTRESS
Nominees:
Ana de Armas, “Blonde”; Cate Blanchett, “Tár”; Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”; Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”; Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
BAHR:
So, it’s down to Lydia Tár and Evelyn Wang. This was the race between Blanchett and Yeo for most of the season. Blanchett as a genius conductor, her stature in the classical music world begins to crumble around her, and Yeo, as a Chinese-American laundromat owner, saves the multiverse and different possible versions of herself. I have to. By movie stars rocking on the way.
COYLE:
This is certainly between Yeo and Blanchett. And as much as I’ve been thinking about Blanchett’s performance, and as much as I’m terrified of what Lydia Tarr will do to me if I say it, this is the year of Yo. Both in a cosmic yet grounded performance and in her bat-kicking career, Yo is well-deserved and will triumph. best actor
BEST ACTOR:
Candidate:
Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”; Colin Farrell, “Inisherin’s Banshee”; Austin Butler, “Elvis”; Bill Nighy, “Life”; Paul Mezcal, “Aftersun”.
COYLE:
The only sure thing in this category is that I’m starting to feel a little sorry for Austin Butler. The jokes where he still speaks like Elvis were all funny at first, but now I’m afraid the attractive young actor will be permanently typecast. rice field.
BAHR:
Austin Butler is in good spirits, and who knows what voice he’ll make in Dune 2. After SAG, it turns out the industry wants to honor journeymen more than relative newcomers this year. Looked clearer. That’s right, Fraser fits the story perfectly – a perfect comeback story only hampered by the split in the film itself (another reason it could still be Pharrell’s). On the other hand, Nye could also be Anthony Hopkins of the year.
Best Director
Candidate:
“Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Anywhere at Once”; Steven Spielberg, “Favermans”; Todd Field, “Tar”; Ruben Ostrund “Triangle of Sorrow” ”.
BAHR:
The history of the awards shows that Daniels, Kwan and Scheinert put this on pause after the directors’ union won.
COYLE:
For Spielberg, who eventually called ‘Favellmans’ his home after one of his most glorious careers in film history, that once seemed like a sure thing.
