OSCARS GUIDE

The 95th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday. Our screentime columnists made their predictions for which actors, directors and films will take home an Oscar

By The Daily Orange

Illustration by Julia English

contributing illustrator

On Sunday, the 2023 awards season will come to a close with the 95th Academy Awards, live from Los Angeles. 2022 marked a near-complete return for movie theater audiences and Sunday night’s show is expected to be a strong celebration of some of the films that helped bring people back to the cinema. This year, there are a few intriguing storylines surrounding the nominees. Will Steven Spielberg garner recognition for his most personal film, “The Fabelmans?” Will Brendan Fraser or Colin Farrell finally take home a “Best Actor” award? Will “Everything Everywhere All At Once” become one of the most unique “Best Picture” winners of all time?

Here are our screentime columnists’ predictions for some of Sunday’s top prizes.

Henry O’Brien

Best Original Screenplay: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Original Screenplay is a two-horse race between “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Martin McDonagh’s script for “Banshees of Inisherin.” McDonagh, a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker, has won awards for his writing before, like at the Golden Globes for his 2017 film, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” While his dark humor is my preferred choice, Daniels’ knocked it out of the park with the perfect blend of humor, emotion, nihilism and warmth to bring home one of probably many awards on Sunday.

Anish Vasudevan

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Tár”

“You cannot start without me!” This line from Blanchett at the start of “Tár” immediately sets the precedent for the control she has over the screen, her presence demanding your attention in every second. Todd Field allows Blanchett to be at her best in one of the more complex and interesting movies of the year. She perfectly portrays a broken, psychotic and tortured artist.

Michelle Yeoh is a close second for this award, having also won the SAG

Best Actress award, but I expect Blanchett to win this one.

Best Picture: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

The fact that the creators of the “Turn Down for What” music video are favored to win the Best Picture is an accomplishment in itself. But after “Swiss Army Man” showed that Daniels could make an absurd plot enjoyable, the rise of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” shouldn’t be that surprising. “EEAAO” pays homage to some of the greatest action movies with compelling performances from Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu. A lot of older people in the Academy might disagree, but all the versions of each character are captivating and the ending is perfect. Goodbye, Oscars of old. It’s time for a multiverse, immigrant family drama to win Best Picture.

Teddy Hudson

Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

No nominee in any category this year is more of a lock to win than Ke Huy Quan. The 51-year-old former child star, who audiences will remember from ‘80s hits like the “Indiana Jones” franchise and “The Goonies,” has mounted a major comeback with his supporting role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Quan’s performance as Waymond Wang, a mild-mannered laundromat owner, has earned him dozens of awards, including key victories at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and SAG Awards. With such widespread buzz, his first Oscar win is almost guaranteed and well-deserved.

Best Animated Feature: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Oscar voters are notorious for not taking Best Animated Feature very seriously. An anonymous Academy member admitted to The Hollywood Reporter this week that they only saw three of the five nominees before voting. This means the award tends to become a brand name recognition contest, which Disney routinely wins. But this year’s nominee pool includes a new competitor — former Best Picture winner Guillermo del Toro. The director’s first animated film, a stop-motion passion project aptly titled “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” has swept the animation categories at most major award shows this season. After nine Disney victories in the past 10 Academy Awards, “Pinocchio” has a chance to change the narrative.

Nate Lechner

Best Actor: Brendan Fraser, “The Whale” culture@dailyorange.com

There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than a good comeback story, and none has been more discussed this awards season than Brendan Fraser. Fraser was one of the biggest stars of the ‘90s, with films like “School Ties,” “George of the Jungle” and “The Mummy,” but he hasn’t seen much success in the 21st century. In “The Whale,” Fraser gives a very powerful and emotional performance as an obese English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter. He has already picked up Best Actor wins at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice and SAG awards, and is primed to truly cement his legacy with the Best Actor Oscar.