The Oscars is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious and eagerly anticipated events in the entertainment industry. As we approach the year 2023, excitement is building up as the film industry gears up for the biggest night in Hollywood. The Academy Awards ceremony celebrates the best of the best in cinema. As well as aknowledges the hard work, creativity, and talent of filmmakers, actors, and other industry professionals. In this article, we will delve into our bold predictions and nominees for Oscars 2023. From heart-wrenching dramas to captivating documentaries, We have scoured the industry to bring you the top contenders for this year’s awards. So sit back, relax, and join us as we explore the best of what Hollywood has to offer.
Best Picture
The nominees are:
“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”
Who would have predicted that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” would leap from underdog to front-runner before the awards season started? After all, it’s a sci-fi comedy with a battle sequence involving a dildo and martial arts, which is hardly Oscar bait. A clean sweep of the top awards from the acting, writing, producing, and directing guilds was achieved by this oddball smash, which only four other movies in history have ever accomplished. Every single one of those films went on to win the best picture Oscar, and “Everything Everywhere” is in a strong position to do the same.
However, there is a group of older voters in the academy who are still perplexed by it. They will likely choose a straightforward blockbuster like “Top Gun: Maverick” or especially Netflix’s World War I saga “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which surged at the last minute, managed to pull off an astonishment-inducing best film victory with the British voting body BAFTA. It’s unlikely that either movie, which received nominations for both acting and directing, can beat “Everything Everywhere,” which received nominations for both. But even this category feels shaky on a night filled with close contests.
Best Director
The nominees are:
Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
✓ Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”
Todd Field, “Tár”
Ruben Ostlund, “Triangle of Sadness”
Since “Everything Everywhere” co-directors Kwan and Scheinert took the top prize from the Directors Guild of America. They’re almost certain to repeat here, as 17 of the last 20 DGA winners have. It’s true that the academy has recently been inclined to split the best picture and best director trophies between two films. I don’t think a compelling alternative to Kwan and Scheinert has emerged: Though “Tár” director Field will collect some highbrow votes and traditionalists may be inclined to pick Spielberg, “Everything Everywhere” has the technical razzle-dazzle that typically clinches this win.
Best Actor
The nominees are:
Austin Butler, “Elvis”
Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
✓ Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”
Bill Nighy, “Living”
Colin Farrell is wonderful in “Banshees,” but voters may underrate him when he’s playing a character who looks and talks like, well, Colin Farrell. Time and time again, the academy has shown a preference for actors who transform, and two such performances are vying here, though each comes with a caveat: Fraser donned prosthetics to play a 600-pound recluse in “The Whale,” but a best actor winner almost always hails from a best picture nominee. His film didn’t make the cut. Meanwhile, Butler played a famous historical figure in a movie that is up for best picture. Ultimately, I don’t think people will hold the mixed reception for “The Whale” against SAG Award winner Fraser: At 54, his return to the spotlight has captivated Hollywood and his speech would surely be one of the night’s most emotional.
Best Actress
The nominees are:
Cate Blanchett, “Tár”
Ana de Armas, “Blonde”
Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”
✓ Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Unless Riseborough pulls off a win even more shocking than her surprise nomination. This battle royal comes down to Blanchett and Yeoh, the season’s top prize-earners. Both women are so fabulous in what will almost certainly be their signature roles that I’m hoping for a deeply unlikely tie. I do think the scales will tip toward Yeoh in the end: Blanchett already has two Oscars, and Yeoh’s first win would be historic in a category where no women of color have won since Halle Berry over two decades ago. If voters want to give this telecast the sort of memorable, dream-come-true moment that will be referenced for years to come, they’ve got to pick Yeoh.
Best Supporting Actor
The ominees are:
Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway”
Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans”
Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
✓ Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Like supporting-actor winner Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) last year, Quan has dominated this awards season with his moving acceptance speeches and compelling personal narrative. Oscar voters love a comeback story, and Quan, who returned to acting after experiencing childhood fame. “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” is finally getting the opportunities that eluded him once he came of age. It also doesn’t hurt that he delivers the linchpin line in “Everything Everywhere” when his swoony suitor tells Michelle Yeoh, “In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.” Could anyone fail to fall in love with Quan in that moment? And could any Oscar voter deny him this win?
Best Supporting Actress
The nominees are:
Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Hong Chau, “The Whale”
✓ Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Though Bassett came on strong earlier this season with wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, she’s since fallen short with voting bodies that have more significant overlap with the academy. In London, the BAFTA went to the Irish actress Condon, while Curtis pulled out a surprise win at the SAG Awards. As Colin Farrell’s sister in “Banshees,” she has more screen time and subplots than her competitors and manages to be the most relatable character in the movie. It’s also telling that the last eight supporting-actress winners, from Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”) to Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”), were the sole winners from their films. If voters don’t want “Banshees” to go home empty-handed, this is the category where they’ll make sure it’s taken care of.
Sum It Up!
The Oscars ceremony is an event that generates a great deal of excitement and anticipation in the entertainment industry, celebrating the best of the best in cinema and recognizing the hard work, creativity, and talent of filmmakers, actors, and other industry professionals. As we approach the 2023 Oscars, predictions and nominees have been announced, with the sci-fi comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once” emerging as the front-runner for Best Picture. The competition is also tough in the other categories, with notable performances from Brendan Fraser in “The Whale” and Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Ultimately, the Oscars are a night of surprises and close contests, and the winners will be revealed in a night of glitz, glamour, and celebration.
