The 2022 Academy Awards are coming up soon. I have lots of feelings on most of the categories, but I have a strong suspicion that my picks in the categories won’t always match with the winners. So here are my picks of who I predict will win vs who I think should win!
Best Picture
- Belfast
- CODA
- Don’t Look Up
- Drive My Car
- Dune
- King Richard
- Licorice Pizza
- Nightmare Alley
- The Power of the Dog
- West Side Story
Who Will Win: West Side Story
It’s a nearly perfect production of West Side Story and Spielberg is a Hollywood favorite.
Who Should Win: CODA
Easily my favorite film of the year. A unique story told really, really well and filled with wonderful performances.
Best Directing
- Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
- Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
- Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
- Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
- Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)
Who Will Win: West Side Story
Seems obvious.
Who Should Win: West Side Story
I can’t argue with this one because the director of my best picture choice isn’t even a nominee. And Spielberg put together a crazy good film here.
Actor in a Leading Role
- Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos)
- Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
- Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick … Boom!)
- Will Smith (King Richard)
- Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)
Who Will Win: Denzel Washington
Shakespeare and Denzel together, the Academy can’t wait to vote for this.
Who Should Win: Andrew Garfield
Andrew’s performance was brilliant, but I don’t think the academy feels like he’s earned it.
Actress in a Leading Role
- Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
- Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)
- Penélope Cruz (Parallel Mothers)
- Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)
- Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
Who Will Win: Kristen Stewart
She’s been winning a lot of awards already for this.
Who Should Win: Olivia Coleman
Her performance was amazing but the film was overall too boring to get through.
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)
- Troy Kotsur (CODA)
- Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)
- J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos)
- Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)
Who Will Win: Troy Kotsur
The Academy loves voting for historical wins (He’s the first deaf actor nominated) and he actually deserves it.
Who Should Win: Troy Kotsur
His performance was solid.
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)
- Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
- Judi Dench (Belfast)
- Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog)
- Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)
Who Will Win: Ariana Debose
The Academy will not lose the opportunity to give an Oscar to an actual Latina woman in West Side Story.
Who Should Win: Aunjanue Ellis
She gave the best monologue of the year in King Richard.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
- CODA (Sian Heder)
- Drive My Car (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe)
- Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve)
- The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
- The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)
Who Will Win: Drive My Car
They will want to give this critics favorite something.
Who Should Win: CODA
It’s the best story.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
- Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)
- Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay and David Sirota)
- Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
- King Richard (Zach Baylin)
- The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
Who Will Win: Licorice PIzza
They will give into the buzz.
Who Should Win: Don’t Look Up
I absolutely loved the writing in this.
Animated Feature Film
- Encanto
- Flee
- Luca
- The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- Raya and the Last Dragon
Who Will Win: Encanto
Who Should Win: Encanto
Thanks for agreeing with me, Academy.
Costume Design
- Cruella (Jenny Beavan)
- Cyrano (Massimo Cantini Parrini)
- Dune (Jacqueline West)
- Nightmare Alley (Luis Sequeira)
- West Side Story (Paul Tazewell)
Who Will Win: Dune
They want to show they like SciFi even thought they won’t give best picture to one.
Who Should Win: West Side Story
Fabulous Costumes.
Music (Original Score)
- Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)
- Dune (Hans Zimmer)
- Encanto (Germaine Franco)
- Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)
- The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)
Who Will Win: Dune
Who Should Win: Encanto
Sound
- Belfast
- Dune
- No Time to Die
- The Power of the Dog
- West Side Story
Who Will Win: No Time To Die
They reliably pick an odd winner.
Who Should Win: Dune
Cinematography
- Dune (Greig Fraser)
- Nightmare Alley (Dan Lausten)
- The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel)
- West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)
Who Will Win: West Side Story
This will go hand in hand with the WSS sweep.Off chance of Nightmare Alley
Who Should Win: West Side Story
Documentary Feature
- Ascension
- Attica
- Flee
- Summer of Soul
- Writing With Fire
Who Will Win: Flee
Cause it is different.
Who Should Win: Summer of Soul
Film Editing
- Don’t Look Up (Hank Corwin)
- Dune (Joe Walker)
- King Richard (Pamela Martin)
- The Power of the Dog (Peter Sciberras)
- Tick, Tick… Boom! (Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum)
Who Will Win: Dune
Who Should Win: Don’t Look Up
International Feature Film
- Drive My Car (Japan)
- Flee (Denmark)
- The Hand of God (Italy)
- Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)
- The Worst Person in the World (Norway)
Who Will Win: Drive My Car
This film is sweeping the critics awards.
Who Should Win: The Worst Person In The World
This film has it all. Funny, touching, and original.
Makeup and Hairstyling
- The Eyes of Tammy Faye
- House of Gucci
- Coming 2 America
- Cruella
- Dune
Who Will Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Who Should Win: House of Gucci
Music (Original Song)
- Be Alive — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Darius Scott (King Richard)
- Dos Oruguitas — Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto)
- Down to Joy — Van Morrison (Belfast)
- No Time to Die — Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (No Time to Die)
- Somehow You Do — Diane Warren (Four Good Days)
Who Will Win: No Time To Die
They Love Bond film songs.
Who Should Win: Dos Oruguitas
Lin Manuel should win all somg awards.
Production Design
- Dune (Zsuzsanna Sipos and Patrice Vermette)
- Nightmare Alley (Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau)
- The Power of the Dog (Grant Major and Amber Richards)
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (Stefan Dechant and Nancy Haigh)
- West Side Story (Rena DeAngelo and Adam Stockhausen)
Who Will Win: Nightmare Alley
Only to try and not give West Side Story everything.
Who Should Win: West Side Story
Visual Effects
- Dune
- Free Guy
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- No Time to Die
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
Who Will Win: Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings
I think this will be a guilt play.
Who Should Win: Spider-Man No Way Home
It’s visual effects were completely indistinguishable from real life.
About The Author
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
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