Around this time last year, I wrote that "Everything, Everywhere All at Once" would be one of the best movies of 2022. After another weak year in movies, it turned out to be the best one. Also, as I predicted in my review, the Communist Party in China found the movie to be subversive and prevented its release there. Without any sense self-awareness or irony, there was plenty of talk in media and acceptance speeches about the limited representation of Asians in American cinema. As if.
Having rolled my eyes as hard as I can, there is an obvious way that the Academy does not appreciate the contribution of Asians to cinema and an obvious way to remedy that. There does not yet exist an Oscar category for Stunt Direction. Stunt Direction is an import from Asia. The influence of Asians in the realm of stunt direction over the course of the past fifty years has transformed how action movies are made. Before the Asians taught us how to block and shoot fist-fights, all the movies had were static people pointing guns at each other. If the Academy wanted to do something about Asian representation, it should create this category and give out a few honorary Oscars to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and all the other great technicians of martial arts that have gone unrecognized over the years. This is one category that "Everything, Everywhere All At Once" would surely have won and although the movie earned many awards, the stunt choreographers Brian Le and Andy Le didn't get theirs for their incredible work.
My Oscar categories have solidified and probably won't change in the near future. I've ditched the "Foreign Language" and "Animated Feature" categories as kids' tables categories. The categories of "Best Use of a Song", "Stunt Direction", and "Best Use of Cultural Appropriation" are here to stay. I have also started considering certain TV shows as long as they end in the year of the awards, so at the very least I can judge the whole (after all, who knows if "Severance" will actually be a well thought out TV show when considered in its totality). It is tough considering TV shows because it is so much harder to see a decent amount of them. It's hard enough seeing a decent amount of movies. But, as the point of giving out awards is to give recommendations for movies/tv to watch, the inclusion of TV shows that I believe have merit (Atlanta, especially) is better than the unfair exclusion of TV shows I haven't yet watched (see Better Call Saul). Without further discussion, here are my choices. Winner in Bold.
Best Original Screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonagh
Everything, Everywhere All At Once - Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinart
The Northman - Sjon and Robert Eggers
Turning Red - Julia Cho, Domee Shi
Vengeance - B.J. Novak
Best Adapted Screenplay
We Own This City - George Pelecanos and David Simon
Documentary Now! Soldier of Illusion - John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader
Pinnochio - Guillermo Del Toro
The Whale - Samuel D. Hunter
White Noise - Noah Baumbach
Best Documentary
The Beatles: Get Back
Navalny
Best Costumes
The Batman
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Northman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Best Hairstyling/Makeup
The Batman
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Whale
Best Original Score
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Banshees of Inishiren
Everything, Everywhere All At Once
See How They Run
Top Gun: Maverick
Best Sound Design
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
Nope
Tar
Top Gun: Maverick
Best Use of a Song
The Batman - “Something In the Way”
The Beatles “Get Back” - The Rooftop Concert
Atlanta Series Finale: “Dream of a Lifetime” Marvin Gaye
Turning Red - 4*Town
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - “Eat It”
Best Production Design
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
The Banshees of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Northman
Best Film Editing
Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Nope
See How They Run
Top Gun: Maverick
We Own This City
Best Use of Cultural Appropriation
Atlanta: “The Goof that Sat by the Door”
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Breakdancing Martial Arts
Turning Red - “Wallace & Gromit” inspired animation
Weird - The Al Yankovic Story - Song Parodies
White Noise - Lectures on Elvis and Hitler
Best Supporting Actress
Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Anya Taylor-Joy - The Northman
Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin
Saoirse Ronan - See How They Run
Best Supporting Actor
Ashton Kutcher - Vengeance
Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin
Christian Bale - Thor: Love and Thunder
Ke Huy Quan - Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Steven Yeun - Nope
Best Stunt Direction
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Jackass: Forever
RRR
Best Actress
Alison Brie - Spin Me Round
Cate Blanchett - TAR and Documentary Now! Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport
Michelle Yeoh - Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Zar Amir-Ebrahimi - Holy Spider
Zazie Beetz - Atlanta: “Tatare”
Best Actor
Adam Driver - White Noise
Brendan Fraser - The Whale
Brian Tyree Henry - Atlanta: “Andrew Wyeth, Alfred’s World”
Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin
Patton Oswalt - I Love My Dad
Best Visual Effects
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Nope
Top Gun: Maverick
Best Cinematography
All Quiet on the Western Front
Atlanta: “New Jazz”
The Batman
Empire of Light
Nope
Best Director
Robert Eggers - The Northman
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin
Hiro Murai and Donald Glover - Atlanta
Jordan Peele - Nope
Best Picture
Atlanta
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything, Everywhere All at Once
Holy Spider
Nope
The Northman
Pinocchio
Top Gun: Maverick
Turning Red
We Own This City
Vengeance
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