It’s Oscars season. The time of year when movie lovers make their picks, pop some popcorn, and sit in front of the TV, waiting for the awards show to begin. The 2022 Oscars are on ABC at 8:00 P.M. EST on Sunday the 27th. If you wanted to know a little bit more about the nominees and who’s expected to win, then you can find it here, in the RamPage’s Guide to the Oscars.
Best Picture
The Nominees
Belfast: Kenneth Branagh’s period piece set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles is certainly expected to take home some trophies, but Best Picture may be just out of reach.
CODA: This Sundance film follows a young woman who is the only hearing person in her deaf family. It has gotten rave reviews, but I wouldn’t count on it winning many awards.
Don’t Look Up: Nope. No chance.
Drive My Car: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Japanese-language drama is the first Japanese film nominated for Best Picture, and it may just have a chance at winning the coveted award.
Dune: Denis Villenueve’s sweeping sci-fi epic is certainly one of the frontrunners to win it all. Dune could be the dark horse of the competition.
King Richard: This biopic about the father of Serena and Venus Williams doesn’t have a great chance of winning Best Picture, but Will Smith’s performance has been praised heavily and may be able to win the Best Actor award.
Licorice Pizza: Paul Thomas Anderson’s coming-of-age dramedy is a lot of fun, but it doesn’t nearly live up to the heights of his other films.
Nightmare Alley: Why was this film nominated? Nobody knows.
The Power of The Dog: Jane Campion’s Western is the frontrunner, no doubt about it.
West Side Story: Don’t sleep on Spielberg.
Our Pick: The Power of The Dog
Biggest Snub: The Green Knight
Actor in a Leading Role
The Nominees
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos:” Ehh. Very unlikely.
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog:” One of Hollywood’s biggest names has a lot of fans picking him in their Oscar ballots, and for good reason.
Andrew Garfield, “tick, tick…BOOM!:” It’s a sad world we’re living in when the Amazing Spider-Man is one of the best actors of the year.
Will Smith, “King Richard:” No one would be surprised if the legendary actor took home Oscar gold this year. His portrayal of the titular character is absolutely stunning.
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth:” Unfortunately, no one seems to care about The Tragedy of Macbeth. Tragic.
Our Pick: Will Smith, King Richard
Biggest Snub: Cooper Hoffmann, Licorice Pizza
Actress in a Leading Role
The Nominees
Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye:” It’s a long shot. A very very long shot.
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter:” It’s almost impossible to dislike Olivia Colman, and we wouldn’t be shocked if she won another Academy Award.
Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers:” Unlikely, but still has a better chance than Jessica Chastain.
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos:” Again, very unlikely.
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer:” Stewart’s portrayal of Princess Diana has been heavily acclaimed, and she has a good chance at the award. This category is really just a two person race between Colman and Stewart.
Our Pick: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Biggest Snub: Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Actor in a Supporting Role
The Nominees
Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast:” The veteran actor is talented, no doubt, but this might not be his year.
Troy Kotsur, “CODA:” You never know. The definition of underdog, this deaf actor could maybe, somehow, barely take home the award. It would be nice, but we’ll have to see.
Jesse Plemons, “The Power of The Dog:” Everybody’s favorite actor, like a male Olivia Colman. Plemons has an okay shot to take it home, but Kodi Smit-McPhee, who plays Plemons’ son, has a better chance.
J.K. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos:” Everybody’s second favorite actor, like an old male Olivia Colman, doesn’t have a chance in heck.
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of The Dog:” This young man has a bright career ahead of him, and an Oscar win could skyrocket him to becoming a bigger name.
Our Pick: Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Biggest Snub: Willem Dafoe, Nightmare Alley
Actress in a Supporting Role
The Nominees
Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter:” Although she may not be a frontrunner, the nomination could be great for this talented young actress.
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story:” She’s young, she’s exciting, and she’s worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda. What’s not to like?
Judi Dench, “Belfast:” Probably not, but the legend herself could have a chance through her status as one of the best actors of the generation.
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog:” The frontrunner for this category, Dunst has had a successful career, and deserves her first Academy Award for her powerhouse performance.
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard:” Sadly, she doesn’t have a chance.
Our Pick: Ariana DeBose in an upset win
Biggest Snub: Ruth Negga, Passing
Animated Feature Film
The Nominees
Encanto: Do we want it to win? Yes. Does it deserve to win? No. Do we talk about Bruno? No, no, no.
Flee: An acclaimed Danish film that could pull an upset in this category. It’s certainly one of the frontrunners for Best Foreign Film.
Luca: Unlikely. Very unlikely.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines: One of the most definite things in this year’s Oscars, this comedic delight has a massive chance of winning.
Raya and the Last Dragon: What? Oh, I forgot about that one. Yeah, it was fine.
Our Other Picks
Cinematography: Dune
Directing: Belfast
Original Screenplay: Licorice Pizza
Adapted Screenplay: The Power of the Dog
Sound: The Power of the Dog
Documentary Feature: Flee
Film Editing: The Power of the Dog
Costume Design: West Side Story
Original Song: “Dos Oruguitas,” Encanto
Original Score: Dune
International Feature Film: Drive My Car
Makeup and Hairstyling: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Visual Effects: Dune
