Figure 1 Everyone wants to know who is going to win an Oscar
Awards season is upon us. The great and the good from all across the creative spectrum will be receiving the plaudits of their peers and performing emotional acceptance speeches in the next few months, as the arts celebrate their finest.
The Oscars betting odds have been steadily attracting more attention recently as we get closer to the big night in the second week of March. The Academy Awards are probably the most prestigious of all the ceremonies and the winners become household names outside their craft. There is always a lot of speculation over who will end up walking off with the famous statuette, so we thought we would add our thoughts to the debate and predict this year’s big Oscar winners.
Big Favorites
There is an excellent range of films and performers across the main awards this year and it is actually difficult to predict with much confidence who will turn out to be the winners. Although there are a few films that have swept up the nominations across the board, there doesn’t seem to be an overriding favorite in any of the main categories.
That being said, we think Everything Everywhere All at Once could be in line for the best picture prize. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, this unique film has managed to appeal to the critics and the trendier crowd in what could be a winning move. The Academy likes to think of itself as arty, rather than commercial, so this kind of movie could well be rewarded for ticking all boxes.
One of the ways that actors and actresses can move into consideration for the two best performer awards is to portray characters that we don’t always see at the forefront of cinema. It also helps if the performance gets a lot of attention. Brendan Fraser’s role in The Whale is successful on both counts.
The reaction to his performance as a morbidly obese recluse has been nothing short of incredible. The outpouring of affection for an actor who has never taken the easy route in Hollywood has been truly heartwarming and the Academy could tap into that feeling by awarding Fraser the Oscar this year.
The other main award that would seem to be more predictable than most is Steven Spielberg being celebrated as best director for his autobiographical picture, The Fabelmans. Spielberg has long been considered one of the most popular and bankable directors in the business and his latest film is a delight. Hollywood loves to celebrate its own and no director quite fills that role more than Spielberg.
Figure 2 All eyes will be on Hollywood
Surprise Winners
We have watched the Academy Awards for far too many years to be completely confident of who will win – and there are some names that could be read out on March 12 that come as a surprise to some. It is not as though all these names are little known, but they could take the Oscar ahead of a more favored artiste.
Angela Bassett is regarded as one of the finest performers in cinema and has provided a range of roles that have been loved by audiences and critics alike. She has been nominated before but her role in a Marvel film has made history. Winning an Oscar for her part in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would show that the Academy recognize her as a serious actress, as well as the success of the Marvel genre.
Our final two potential ‘surprise’ winners are in the same category, so someone will miss out. But they both fit in here, as there was originally a groundswell for The Banshees of Inisherin – and Brendan Gleeson is nominated for the best actor in a supporting role.
Gleeson is a very fine actor and would certainly deserve this award. But we think that it could go to someone else. Ke Huay Quan was a child star, appearing in The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But he has been largely unseen since then. He is wonderful in Everything Everywhere All at Once and an Oscar win would round off the biggest comeback in movie history.
The other option for this award, though, is Brian Tyree Henry. He came to the attention of many first in Atlanta, as Donald Glover’s rapper cousin. But he has become a bona fide Hollywood star in recent years and his performance in Causeway could sway some voters.
