There were a lot of things I was grateful for in 2021: vaccines, more traveling opportunities, and a spate of new movies that weren't purely soul-crushing. Due to a number of follow-the-money-trail factors - including pandemic-related studio delays - a large portion of last year's major awards push movies were brutal and draining, covering topics ranging from economic and racial despair and political strife to degenerative illness and sexual assault. Is that typical Oscar fare? Yeah, basically, but sometimes there are fun movies in the mix, too. This was not that year and after plenty of real-life misery, viewers weren't having it either. The April 2021 Academy Awards ceremony was one of the least-viewed in history and Nomadland is still one of the smallest-grossing Best Picture winners of all time.
But onto bigger and brasher things! Here are my major category final predictions for the 2022 Academy Award nominations:
Best Picture
Belfast
The Power of the Dog
Dune
Don't Look Up
West Side Story
Licorice Pizza
CODA
King Richard
Being the Ricardos
tick, tick... BOOM!
Directing
Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Denis Villeneuve (Dune)
Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
Actor in a Leading Role
Will Smith (King Richard)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos)
Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)
Andrew Garfield (tick, tick... BOOM!)
Actress in a Leading Role
Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)
Lady Gaga (House of Gucci)
Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)
Jennifer Hudson (Respect)
Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza)
Actor in a Supporting Role
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)
Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Jared Leto (House of Gucci)
Bradley Cooper (Licorice Pizza)
Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)
Actress in a Supporting Role
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)
Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley)
Catriona Balfe (Belfast)
Ruth Negga (Passing)
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)
Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Don't Look Up (Adam McKay and David Sirota)
King Richard (Zach Baylin)
Being the Ricardos (Aaron Sorkin)
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)
West Side Story (Tony Kushner)
CODA (Sian Heder)
Dune (Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth)
The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
Best Animated Feature
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Documentary (Feature)
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Flee
Attica
The Rescue
Faya Dayi
International Feature Film
Drive My Car (Japan)
The Worst Person in the World (Norway)
Compartment No. 6 (Finland)
The Hand of God (Italy)
A Hero (Iran)
Cinematography
The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)
Belfast (Haris Zambarloukos)
West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)
Dune (Greig Fraser)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel)
Editing
Belfast (Úna Ní Dhonghaíle)
The Power of the Dog (Peter Sciberras)
Dune (Joe Walker)
Don't Look Up (Hank Corwin)
No Time to Die (Tom Cross and Elliot Graham)
Best Production Design
West Side Story
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The French Dispatch
Licorice Pizza
Best Costume Design
Cruella
West Side Story
House of Gucci
Dune
The Green Knight
Makeup and Hairstyling
House of Gucci
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Being the Ricardos
Music (Original Score)
Dune (Hans Zimmer)
The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)
Encanto (Germaine Franco)
No Time to Die (Hans Zimmer)
The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)
Music (Original Song)
"No Time to Die" (No Time to Die)
"Dos Oruguitas" (Encanto)
"Just Look Up" (Don't Look Up)
"Beyond the Shore" (CODA)
"Guns Go Bang" (The Harder They Fall)
Best Visual Effects
Dune
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Godzilla vs. Kong
Best Sound
Dune
No Time to Die
West Side Story
Spider-Man: No Way Home
The Matrix Resurrections
Best Animated Short
The Windshield Wiper
Mum Is Pouring Rain
Bestia
Namoo
Robin Robin
Best Documentary Short Film
Three Songs for Benazir
Day of Rage
Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker
The Queen of Basketball
When We Were Bullies
Best Live Action Short Film
The Long Goodbye
Censor of Dreams
Please Hold
When the Sun Sets
You're Dead Helen
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