by Thomas Biamonte

It’s that time of year once again – a time when all the film buffs and talk show hosts across the world make their predictions about what movies will become the select few to win the most prestigious honor in film: the Oscar. There is a lot to look forward to at this year’s Oscars ceremony which takes place on March 12th at 8pm ET! Most years that I have watched the Oscars, I had only seen one or two of the films nominated, so I usually felt a little left in the dark. However, this year I made it a point to watch as many Oscar-nominated films as I could so I could be knowledgeable enough and hopefully get a few predictions right. Now, without further ado, here are my predictions for some of the most competitive Oscar categories for the 2023 Oscars season.

Best Visual Effects:

I am willing to bet anything that Avatar: The Way of Water will win this category. When I saw the film, I was stunned by how lifelike some of the visuals were. When they have closeups on the CGI characters in the film, you can see every last minuscule detail on their skin, hair, and clothes as if they are real people being captured on film. This is the first time in a while that I have been taken aback by how convincing CGI was in a film, and I am sure the Academy will agree with me and give Avatar: The Way of Water the award. 

Best Original Score:

Alright, first off I am going to tell you who I want to win as opposed to who I think will win. If it were up to me, I would choose Justin Hurwitz’s rollercoaster of a score in Babylon. Its extremely chaotic nature and great use of jazz instruments to tell the story really shows how great the unspoken art of music truly is. However, I believe that the Academy will give the Best Original Score to John Williams for The Fablemans. John Williams is the man who wrote the music for Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Wars and even ET. Earlier this year, John Williams said that he would retire after his work on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but he later retracted that statement and told Entertainment Weekly, “I can’t retire from music.” John Williams is currently 90 years of age, so the Academy may feel pressured to honor this all-time great one last time before it’s too late. 

Makeup and Hair Styling: 

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Why’d he put this category in there? Who cares who wins this one?” Well, normally I would agree with you but just look at Breden Fraser’s makeup and fat suit for The Whale and tell me that is not a great technical achievement for film making. Once you see how that suit adds so much weight to his body that he actually moves as if he were 600 pounds, you can truly understand how deserving the makeup team for this film is to win. 

Directing: 

Directing is truly one of those toss-up categories this year due to the amazing vision of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert in Everything Everywhere All At Once, the bleak yet Shakespearean vision of Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, and the deeply personal story of The Fablemans by Steven Spielberg. It seems to me that the winner could be any one of these and I wouldn’t bet my life savings on any of them either. But for the sake of conjecture and suspense, I’ll tell you who I think will win. I believe it will be Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once due to the fact that they made such an epic film with energetic visuals and dramatic yet unconventional story beats that the public absolutely adored. It is considered one of the best films of the year and its zany and modern directing style truly shows we are entering a new age of filmmaking.

Best Supporting Actress:

I think Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All At Once will win because of the true range displayed on screen. In most films where a person has to play multiple versions of the same character, it feels slightly different or even tacky, but she truly displays her acting chops and range by playing a countless number of different characters throughout the film. Trust me and watch it. You will not be disappointed.

Best Supporting Actor

When it comes to this award, I would love to see Barry Keoghan take the award for his great performance of a young boy in The Banshees of Inisherin. His true emotional subtlety is hard to come by nowadays, and in every film I have seen him in, he always roots the character he plays so deep in reality that it tricks the viewers eyes and senses. 

Best Actress 

I think Michelle Yeoh will steal this category for her amazing and emotional performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. She truly understands the dramatic and comedic artform we call acting and, although she has only attained supporting roles over the years, I can see her breaking out and becoming one of Hollywood’s best Actresses. 

Best Actor

This has to be by far the most contentious category at the Oscars this year. Each man listed gave such great heart-wrenching performances that made you feel their troubles as deeply as you would feel your own. Yet I still have to choose a winner. Well, if I truly have to choose, it would have to be Austin Butler for his amazing, lifelike and beyond energetic performance of Elvis. Trust me, if you have not seen this film it is worth watching for many great performances throughout. 

Best Picture

Best Picture is another tough one that could go a million ways, and I would still be happy. But ultimately, I believe Everything Everywhere All At Once will win due to its amazing visuals, acting, directing, writing, cinematography and, hell, even costume design. This film, like wine, will only get better with age and I believe it will go down as one of the best films of the early 2020s.