Tonight's Oscars

The Academy Awards will be handed out tonight, and it has been many, many years since I have seen so few of the nominated Pictures and performers.  Not so sure exactly why that was the case in 2022.  Maybe being involved, if only peripherally, in the planning of a couple of weddings can do that to you.

I have seen four of the nine Best Picture nominees, two of the Best Directors, one Best Actress, two Best Actors, three Best Supporting Actors, and one of the Best Supporting Actress nominees.  These are hardly the bona fides  of someone to make Oscar predictions, but let me start with who I would vote for among those that I HAVE seen.

Best Picture: I have seen Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, and The Fabelmans.  I give a slight edge here to Elvis over The Fabelmans.  As for Banshees - gorgeous to look at, wonderful acting, but as a story?  I'll pass on that one.

My thoughts on the other seven nominees:  Top Gun: Maverick was a fun movie and a very good one by all accounts, but for some reason, it just didn't appeal to me so I never made the effort to see it.  If it wins, at least Hollywood will be awarding a popcorn movie that was popular, and that people actually went to see.  I would like to see All Quiet On The Western Front.  Everything Everywhere All At Once in and of itself has no appeal to me, but if it wins, and it seems like it will, I will probably seek it out just out of curiosity.  Maybe, maybe Women Talking is something that I will seek out at some point, but it is not a priority.  As for Avatar, Tar, and Triangle of Sadness?  No chance in Hell will I see those.

Best Actor:  Have seen Austin Butler in Elvis and Colin Farrell in Banshees.  Farrell was very good, but my vote goes to Butler, who was absolutely terrific as Elvis Presley.  At time, you could hardly tell the difference between him and the real thing.

Austin Butler and the Genuine Elvis

One of the trendy favorites to win this one is Brendan Fraser for The Whale, a movie that I would see if you gave me a hundred dollar bill and forced me into the theater at gunpoint.  Maybe.

Best Actress:  I have only seen Michele Williams in The Fabelmans, and she was terrific.  My guess is that Cate Balnchett will win for Tar.

Best Supporting Actor:  I have seen Judd Hirsch in The Fabelmans and Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan in Banshees of Inisherin.  Would love to give it to Judd Hirsch, but if I'm honest, my vote goes to Gleeson.

Best Supporting Actress:  I only saw Kerry Condon in Banshees so she gets my vote.  She was great in that one.  One of the other nominees in this category is Jamie Lee Curtis for Everything Everywhere All At Once.  I be delighted if she ended up winning, because, really, who doesn't just love Jamie Lee Curtis?

Best Director:  I have seen The Fabelmans and Banshees, directed by, respectively, Stephen Spielberg and Martin McDonough.  My vote goes to Spielberg because, well, he's STEPHEN SPIELBERG!!

Okay, that is my 

,

but if it's predictions you want, I'll give you these, based upon what I have been reading and hearing on movie themed podcasts:

Picture: Everything Everywhere All At Once

Actor: Brendan Fraser, The Whale

Actress: Cate Blanchett, Tar

Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson, Banshees of Inisherin

Supporting Actress: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakened Forever (this is purely a S.W.A.G. prediction)

Director: Dan Kwan an Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once

Movie To Win The Most Oscars: Everything Everything All At Once

There you go.  Seven predictions for you.  As always, Watch but don't bet.

Despite my lack of seeing so many of the movies, I will be watching to the end tonight.  This is the one Awards show that I continue ti watch.  Oh, and something to look forward to tomorrow:  The Grandstander will be offering his opinion on who wore the best gown of the evening.  The Grandstander has his own subjective metrics as to how "Best" is defined in this category.