As we approach the Academy Awards on March 12, it becomes more and more obvious that “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” will win… everything.
The most beloved film of last year, with a whopping 11 nominations, is locked in to win the Best Picture Award, having swept the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards, the British Academy Film Awards and won at the Producer Guild of America Awards, all known as reliable predictors of the Academy Awards.
Fan-favorite Ke Huy Quan is also set to win Best Supporting Actor for his role as Waymond Wang, having previously performed in “The Goonies” and a handful of Indiana Jones films as a child. His long absence from film and his underdog comeback story makes him a front runner for this award.
Actress Michelle Yeoh, who led “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” could receive Best Actress. Yeoh, however, will compete with Cate Blanchett’s career-defining role in “Tár ” as Lydia Tar. Supporters of Yeoh feel her significance has yet to be truly recognized and want her to get the appreciation she deserves, while supporters of Blanchett feel her performance was too powerful to ignore.
It should be noted that this category has a fair amount of controversy tied to it due to the film “To, Leslie” and its questionable ethical choices concerning its campaign. It’s been criticized for using money and industry influence to promote the film, going against academy regulations.
Best Supporting Actress will likely to to Angela Bassett for her work in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Her performance, a stand-out of the piece dedicated to the late Chadwick Boseman, has been heavily praised.
Best Actor has a high chance of going to Austin Butler for his titular role in “Elvis.” Butler has received much support for his charisma, though he does face a contender for the award in Colin Farrell from “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
“Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” is highly anticipated to win Best Animated Feature and Steven Spielberg has a chance for winning Best Director for “The Fabelmans,” an Academy favorite, though that award is more up in the air.
“Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” will probably win Best Original Screenplay while “Women Talking” will take the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Best Visual Effects will go to “Avatar: The Way of Water.” It did take 13 years to make, after all. Best Film Editing will go to either “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” or “Top Gun: Maverick” while Best Sound will probably go to “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Although I’d love to see a world where “Top Gun: Maverick” would win Best Picture, this round of the Academy Awards is pretty locked-in. But who knows — maybe they’ll surprise us?