2022 Oscar Predictions
Elsie Aleck ‘24
I donned my A24 half-zip and watched Fight Club for the fifth time in order to make this list. With March 27th just around the corner, please take these predictions with two grains of salt and tear all the red carpet looks to shreds.
Best Picture
Winner: Belfast (Described as “Roma lite,” this seems like the safest choice. Does that mean that this Best Picture prospect excites me? Not particularly. If I were to get excited, Licorice Pizza would be coated in gold right now.)
CODA
Don't Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Will Smith, King Richard (This category is tough for me, but I think Will Smith takes it—closely followed by Benedict Cumberbatch.)
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick … Boom!
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Kristen Stewart, Spencer (Yes, this is wishful thinking on my part but no, I’m not caving and giving this prediction to Jessica Chastain.)
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Troy Kostur, CODA (Incredible performance, not to mention he would be the first deaf actor to win an Oscar.)
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Directing
Winner: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog (A woman has never won this category two years in a row, and Jane is the badass to make that happen.)
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Winner: Drive My Car (The writing drives this film (pun not intended) in such a flawless way.)
CODA
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Winner: Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson’s writing is and has always been phenomenal, how would this be his first Oscar win!?)
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
The Worst Person in the World
Animated Feature Film
Encanto (Lin-Manuel Miranda, I see you. I just don’t see "Dos Oruguitas,” sorry.)
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Documentary (Feature)
Winner: Summer of Soul (Give Questlove his Oscar!)
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Writing With Fire
Documentary (Short Subject)
Winner: Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies
International Feature Film
Winner: Drive My Car (The only international feature nominated for Best Picture, this should be a clean winner.)
Flee
The Hand of God
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
The Worst Person in the World
Film Editing
Winner: Dune
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
tick...tick...BOOM!
Cinematography
Winner: Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Sound
Winner: No Time To Die
Belfast
Dune
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Music (Original Score)
Winner: Dune (The music in this film tells its own story and it’s incredible.)
Don’t Look Up
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog
Music (Original Song)
Winner: "No Time to Die" from No Time to Die (This song slowed and reverb absolutely slaps.)
"Be Alive" from King Richard
"Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto
"Down to Joy" from Belfast
"Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days
Costume Design
Winner: Cruella (Such impressive storytelling through clothes in this film, House of Gucci take notes.)
Cyrano
Dune
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story
Makeup and Hairstyling
Winner: House of Gucci (It would be disgraceful if the film about a fashion house didn’t at least win makeup and hairstyling, although the fact that House of Gucci is not nominated for costume design is embarrassing enough.)
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Production Design
Winner: West Side Story (In the words of my good friend, “They basically recreated the entirety of New York City.”)
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Visual Effects
Winner: Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home