Oscars 2023

The past few weeks, my spouse and I have been viewing many of the Oscar nominees. We saw several over the course of 2022, but quite a few remain on the watchlist. We would have watched 2 more films last weekend, but the windstorm knocked out our electricity for 54 hours ending hopes of viewing on Friday and Saturday night.

These are my rankings for each category, not my predictions about the awards. You can find forecasts elsewhere. I'll update these by highlighting films or performances that I view after today. 

Best Picture

“The Banshees of Inisherin” 

“All Quiet on the Western Front” 

“Tár” 

“The Fabelmans” 

“Triangle of Sadness”

“Elvis” 

“Top Gun: Maverick” 

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” 

“Avatar: The Way of Water” 

“Women Talking” 

I know that I'm ranking the favorite last, but it just didn't grab me. Maybe I should see it again. 

Best Director 

Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Todd Field (“Tár”) 

Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) 

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Banshees really was an excellent film. As was Tár. 

Best Lead Actor

Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Austin Butler (“Elvis”) 

Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) 

Bill Nighy (“Living”) 

Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 

Though I have Mescal behind others, he delivered a fine performance and I encourage everyone to see the film. Update September 2023: Nighy was also very good in Living, which is also worth your time. 

Best Lead Actress

Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) 

Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)

Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”) 

Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 

Williams was fine, but her performance didn't knock me out. Yeoh's role was a lot more demanding and she was very good. The winner may come from a film I did not see yet. 

Update: Cate Blanchett is a marvel. Riseborough was also excellent in a film few people saw based on the IMDB box office information.

Best Supporting Actor

Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”) 

Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)

It was really difficult to decide which actor to select here from Banshees, which could mean voters will divide their ballots and open the door for another actor. 

Best Supporting Actress

Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) 

Hong Chau (“The Whale”) 

Condon was excellent. Obviously, you know what film would sweep my ballot if I had one. 

Best Documentary Feature Film 

“Fire of Love”

The Kraffts were risk-takers, making this film difficult to watch in spots. But it is an interesting story about volcano experts that is very much worth your time. 

“All That Breathes" 

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” 

“A House Made of Splinters” 

“Navalny” 

Best International Feature Film 

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 

“EO” (Poland) 

All Quiet captures much of the spirit of the novel, but there are some significant plot differences. It is nonetheless a superior film. See it.

“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) 

“Close” (Belgium)

“The Quiet Girl” (Ireland) 

Best Animated Feature Film 

“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” 

I have some work to do here as I have not seen any of these animated films at the time of the Oscars. 

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” 

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” 

“The Sea Beast” 

“Turning Red” 

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