Best Documentary Feature: I’ve yet to fully catch up on this category so my choice here is made with zero confidence. I’ve heard great things about Navalny but haven’t seen it, so I’ll stick with the hauntingly beautiful and terrifyingly real love story brought to life in Fire of Love.

The Nominees: All That Breathes, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Fire of Love, A House Made of Splinters, Navalny

Will Win: Fire of Love

Should Win: Fire of Love

Best Documentary Short Subject: People love elephants. Lots of people have Netflix. One of these shorts involves elephants and is streaming on Netflix. Should make sense, right?

The Nominees: The Elephant Whisperers, Haulout, How Do You Measure a Year?, The Martha Mitchell Effect, Stranger at the Gate

Will Win: The Elephant Whisperers

Best Supporting Actress: I do not understand the nominees in this category, let alone the frontrunner and likely winner in Angela Bassett. For some reason The Woman King was completely ignored, Janelle Monáe dual performance was overlooked, and Kerry Condon – who for my money does some of the best work of the year in a film I really didn’t even care for all that much – somehow isn’t going to be the winner. Angela Bassett is a legend, but this is a legacy win.

The Nominees: Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Hong Chau (The Whale), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Will Win: Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Should Win: Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin)

Deserved Consideration: Lashana Lynch (The Woman King), Thuso Mbedu (The Woman King), Janelle Monáe (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Keke Palmer (Nope)

Best Sound: It’s hard to tell who wins this one. The heavily nominated war film that rattles the speakers. The heavily nominated music biopic that gets your feet tapping and hips swaying. Or does it go to the film that was canned during Covid and held until it could be seen and heard on the big screen. I’m going with the movie that basically saved movies.

The Nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Batman, Elvis, Top Gun: Maverick

Will Win: Top Gun: Maverick

Should Win: Top Gun: Maverick

Deserved Consideration: Babylon, Nope, Tár

Best Cinematography: It’s mind-boggling to me that neither Top Gun: Maverick or Avatar: The Way of Water didn’t secure a nomination here; they both gave us images and experiences we’ve never felt before. The Academy seems to love a well-lit war movie, and by that measure All Quiet on the Western Front will likely be the winner.

The Nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, Bardo False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths, Elvis, Empire of Light, Tár

Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front

Should Win: Tár

Deserved Consideration: Avatar: The Way of Water, The Batman, Decision to Leave, Nope, Top Gun: Maverick, The Woman King

Best Film Editing: Everything Everywhere All At Once definitely has the MOST editing, but out of all the wins it’s likely to rack up, this is the sole category I find it to be most deserving. Not all of the cutting is great, but some of the sequences blending together alternate universes show great foresight and staging. It combines countless pieces in a way that feels organic.

The Nominees: The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick

Will Win: Everything Everywhere All At Once

Should Win: Top Gun: Maverick

Deserved Consideration: Aftersun, Decision to Leave

Best Visual Effects: There’s a reason James Cameron waited more than a decade to release this sequel. He and his team were busy literally creating technology unlike anything that’s been done before. The most sure thing win of the night.

The Nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Batman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Top Gun: Maverick

Will Win: Avatar: The Way of Water

Should Win: Avatar: The Way of Water

Deserved Consideration: Everything Everywhere All At Once

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