On March 12, another annual film awards season will culminate with the premiere of the 95th Academy Awards.
While I do not hope another Chris Rock and Will Smith “slap” incident occurs, here are the films and performances I do hope take home the glory Sunday.
Released March 11, 2022, the A24-produced absurd comedy “Everything Everywhere All At Once” was my favorite movie of the year and personal choice for Best Picture.
I had high hopes for the film, due in part to its trailer providing a great glimpse of some of the film’s wackier elements, and it ultimately delivered comedy, heart and creative effects.
While the film was full of motivating performances, I expect Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan’s emotional portrayals of a faltering couple to snag awards in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards, respectively.
I hope Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s excellent direction of the couple, along with the entire cast, leads to a Best Director win for the duo. The film was also full of impressive transitions and split edits that, hopefully, earns its editors a well-deserved Best Editing award.
The reign of A24 will, hopefully, continue throughout the night with a win for Brendan Fraser. Fraser, who played Charlie in “The Whale,” has had a strong media resurgence in recent years.
I fully expect his positive reception to carry on and award him with his first Academy Award for his varied performance of a morbidly obese teacher trying to rekindle his relationship with his daughter.
Additionally, I hope Angela Bassett “does the thing” and take home the Best Actress award. Even though she is long overdue for an Oscar (and Stephanie Hsu gave one of my favorite performances of the year), Angela Bassett had me glued to the theater screen whenever Queen Ramonda appeared in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Tied with nine nominations each, “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” are two films I also expect to win at least one trophy.
The Netflix-produced German “All Quiet …” is an excellently shot and performed anti-war film should be the next Best International Film, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay recipients.

Martin McDonagh’s comedic original script for “The Banshees of Inisherin” will earn him a Best Original Screenplay award.
While I am glad to see a lack of biopics lead the nominations this year, the most popular celebrity drama of the year, “Elvis,” has strong merits to potentially win multiple awards.
While Austin Butler’s performance as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was outstanding, the film’s near-perfect hand-crafted recreations of Elvis attire and stunning makeup and hairstyling will earn the film two technical awards: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
The highest-grossing film of the year, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” is nominated for 4 awards, and I am hopeful it will take home two of them.
One of the best aspects of the film is its visual effects, pulling viewers into the gorgeous world of Pandora. The film is a lock for Best Visual Effects, and I would not be surprised if it snagged Best Production Design as well.
Neon’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” focuses on LGBTQ+ activist Nan Goldin, the associated takedown of the Sackler family and the opioid epidemic of the period. It will possibly leave with the Best Documentary award that evening.
In the categories related to music, the old 1920s Hollywood sounds of the unfortunate box office bomb “Babylon” may secure it an Oscar for Best Original Score.
And despite “Naatu Naatu” from the ever-popular Indian epic “RRR” being a catchy lock for Best Original Song, I hope Rihanna’s soulful tribute to Chadwick Boseman in “Lift Me Up” from “Wakanda Forever” manages to upset.
In the animated realm, I hope there is a world where “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” wins over “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” for Best Animated Feature Film. While the latter is full of excellent stop-motion animation, the former’s sense of spectacle, charm and darker themes drew me in more.
The story of a growing friendship in “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” produced by Apple Studios, will hopefully land it a Best Animated Short Film award. Netflix’s inspiring “The Elephant Whisperers” will walk home with the Best Documentary Short Subject award, while Disney’s “Le Pupille” will possibly leave with the Best Live Action Short Film award.