I had a few things to say about the 2022 Oscars, although at this point, most of it has already been said a thousand times over. So I won't say anything about Will Smith and make a general complaint about something else entirely.
I have a big problem with the choice of "CODA" as Best Picture. It is not a problem with the movie. I have no opinion of the movie. I have not seen it. That is my complaint. The movie is hard to see. CODA exists entirely on Apple+ TV. It was never in any theaters and you cannot rent it on DVD, on YouTube, on Amazon, or anywhere else. There is only one place to see it, and you need a annual Apple+ subscription.
Way way back in the day, the Academy had this rule that all movies in contention for the Oscars needed a theatrical run. This theatrical run was limited but ostensibly, it meant that if you were looking for a movie, you could see it (if you lived in NYC or LA). If you didn't live in NYC or LA, at the least you could wait for the VHS/DVD release and see the movie. Those days are over and not coming back. I'm not saying we need to bring back that particular rule, but the idea behind the rule was sound: that is a celebrated movie should be able to be seen. You should be able to buy a ticket to or rent the thing. There needs to be some new rule that mandates all Oscar nominees should be available somewhere other than a closed streaming subscription service. If the Oscars are good for anything, it is to give suggestions to the audience as to what people who make movies think are good movies to see. If the movies cannot be seen, the Oscars truly are pointless, a vapid stew of pretension where rich and beautiful people complain about inequality in designer dresses.
Here are my picks for 2022. The best that can be said about 2022 is that it was a better year than 2021, which was the worst ever. I have excised the categories for Animated film and Foreign Language film, perhaps permanently as they seem to be kids' table categories, and have added a category for Stunt Direction, an integral part of many movies which has been overlooked for way too long of a time.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Dune
Drive My Car
The Green Knight
House of Gucci
The Power of the Dog
Best Original Screenplay
The French Dispatch
A Hero
Licorice Pizza
Midnight Mass
Red Rocket
Best Production Design
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Green Knight
Spencer
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Costume Design
Dune
House of Gucci
Last Night in Soho
Nightmare Alley
Spencer
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
The House of Gucci
The Green Knight
The Suicide Squad
Best Supporting Actress
Brenda Deiss - Red Rocket
Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog
Vera Farmiga - The Many Saints of Newark
Meryl Streep - Don't Look Up
Marisa Tomei - Spider-Man: No Way home
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon - The Last Duel
David Dastmalchian - The Suicide Squad
Ethan Darbone - Red Rocket
Hamish Linklater - Midnight Mass
Jeffrey Wright - The French Dispatch
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Lady Gaga - House of Gucci
Alana Haim - Licorice Pizza
Frances McDormand - The Tragedy of MacBeth
Best Actor
Nicolas Cage - Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog
Adam Driver - House of Gucci
Simon Rex - Red Rocket
Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Use of a Song in a Movie
“Nearer My God to Thee” – Midnight Mass
“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
“In the Heights” – In the Heights
“L’Ultima Volta” – The French Dispatch
Gym Dance “Mambo” - West Side Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xtkGKeccLI
Best Use of Cultural Appropriation
The Green Knight – Dev Patel
Midnight Mass – Catholicism and Vampires
The French Dispatch – The French Dispatch of the Kansas Evening Sun
Licorice Pizza – waterbeds, sushi bars, licorice pizza, L.A., the movies, Haim, hustlers
West Side Story – “America”
Best Visual Effects
Black Widow
The Suicide Squad
No Time to Die
Dune
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Best Stunt Direction
Black Widow
The Suicide Squad
No Time to Die
Dune
Red Notice
Best Film Editing
No Time to Die
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Power of the Dog
Red Rocket
Best Sound
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
The Green Knight
West Side Story
Best Cinematography
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Red Rocket
The Power of the Dog
The French Dispatch
The Green Knight
Best Director
The Green Knight – David Lowery
Dune – Denis Villeneuve
The French Dispatch – Wes Anderson
The Power of the Dog – Janet Campion
Red Rocket – Sean Baker
Best Picture
Pig
The Green Knight
Midnight Mass
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Power of the Dog
Licorice Pizza
Red Rocket
The Tragedy of Macbeth
A Hero
