With 2022 having come to a close, the Grammys and Oscars have finally released their nominations, sparking the expected heated debates and conversations.
As COVID restrictions loosened, delayed films such as Top Gun: Maverick and others marked the year as one of tight competition for the Oscars. The nominations contain a wide variety of films – from the second adaptation of the anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front to the latest installment of the Shrek franchise, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Leading the nominations is A24’s acclaimed masterpiece, Everything Everywhere All At Once – directed by both Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – with 11 nominations. It’s followed by Martin McDonagh’s latest film, The Banshees of Inisherin and All Quiet on the Western Front, both with 9 nominations.
The second Avatar film from James Cameron, released 13 years after the first film, recently topped the box office with $2.11 billion in revenues as it receives four nominations, from Best Visual Effects to Best Picture.
Among other best picture nominees is Todd Field’s latest film Tár, which has been commended for showcasing Cate Blanchett’s capabilities as an actor, portraying the downfall of a highly regarded conductor. The winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Triangle of Sadness, which mixes Gilligan’s Island with Marxist Theory, competes alongside with two other nominations for Best Writing and Directing.
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, is nominated for eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Sound. This was his first film in nine years since his adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Meanwhile, the latest entry into the Batman franchise, The Batman, received three nominations – none awarding it a chance to compete for Best Picture. Also receiving three nominations, Damien Chazelle’s latest film since La La Land, Babylon, competes against Elvis for Best Production Design and Costume Design.
The Whale, the film powering Brendan Fraser’s comeback, received three nominations (including Best Actor in a Leading Role). He competes against Paul Mescal in Aftersun, Austin Butler in Elvis and Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin (while he received no nominations for his role in The Batman).
Films such as Park Chan Wook’s Decision to Leave and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film, Broker, which features Song Kang-Ho in his most recognized role since 2019’s Parasite, were left with no nominations for Best International Film, but were both well-received at Cannes. RRR, the highly acclaimed action drama, to the surprise of many, also received no nominations.
Other nomination snubs include Jordan Peele’s Nope, Robert Egger’s The Northman, David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, Brett Morgen’s spectacularly edited documentary of David Bowie’s career: Moonage Daydream and Luca Guadagnino’s much anticipated return to filmmaking with Bones and All.
Finally, Emancipation, the latest film starring Will Smith in a leading role, which received unfavourable reviews across the board, received no nominations.
Though many films went unnoticed by the Academy, a wide variety of films (which can be viewed here, in full), were recognized, and you can expect to see more of a heated debate after the winners are chosen on March 12.