These just might be the best Academy Award predictions that you will read anywhere. Honest

The members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences don’t always get it right, but this year’s batch of Oscar nominees is particularly well chosen.

A much-maligned body of voting members did a better job recognizing diverse talent, but whether coveted Oscar statutes end up in the hands of the most deserving candidates remains the biggest question. Here are my thoughts on who ought to win and my best predictions on who will actually take home the awards.

Who deserves to win: By far, the most talked-about movie of 2022 is Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (EEAAO). The directors, known collectively as “Daniels,” created a poignant, riotous, profoundly unique masterpiece blessed with a cast led by Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis. Disorienting, moving and visually stunning, the Daniels undoubtedly deserve this award.

Who will win: The Academy sure loves to pat itself on the back, so “The Fabelmans,” a movie about filmmaking by a household name like Steven Spielberg, appears to be a shoo-in. With its winning chances bolstered by performances from A-list celebrities Paul Dano and Michelle Williams, this Oscar is all but assured to go to Spielberg.

Who deserves to win: All five men nominated in this category gave award-winning performances, particularly Brian Tyree Henry for “Causeway” and Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan for “The Banshees of Inisherin.” But this award belongs to Quan for his role in EEAAO. Playing a kind-hearted but taken-for-granted husband, Quan gives an emotionally wrought and action-packed performance, with his impressive martial arts background on full display.

Who will win: This category seems wide open and you wonder if the Academy will smile at “The Fabelmans” actor Judd Hirsch. He was last nominated 42 years ago for his role in “Ordinary People,” the longest span between nominations in Oscar history. Hollywood loves giving unofficial career achievement awards to distinguished actors in the twilight of their careers and Hirsch certainly qualifies. And let’s face it, the Academy skews older, white and male.

Who deserves to win: For her masterful break-out role in EEAAO, this award belongs to Stephanie Hsu. In the film, she plays the dual roles of Joy Wang and Jobu Tupaki. The former is the young daughter of Chinese immigrants whose overworked mother (Yeoh) is unaccepting of her lesbian identity, and the latter is a mega-powerful villain who threatens to destroy the multiverse (both the present and all other existing realities). In this role, Hsu gives a courageous performance while sometimes covered in rhinestones, clad in avant-garde costumes or even, at one point, voicing a rock (yes, a literal rock). Give her the Oscar, for goodness sake!

Who will win: I couldn’t believe it when I found out that Jamie Lee Curtis had never won an Oscar, but for her performance in EEAAO as a disgruntled, schlumpy IRS agent, she appears certain to win. A Hollywood darling and the daughter of actor Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh, Curtis gives a revelatory performance in the Daniels’ film, flaunting her acting chops — at once, investigating Yeoh’s character for tax fraud while, in another scene, lovingly stroking her face with hotdog fingers (yes, fingers made of hotdogs). Having recently won a Screen Actors Guild Award for this role, Curtis seems poised to take home this Oscar.

Who deserves to win: I’ll be happy with any of the five possible outcomes, but I’m personally rooting for firsttime Oscar nominee Paul Mescal for his performance in Charlotte Wells’ comingof-age drama “Aftersun.” The 27-year-old Irish actor who made his film debut just two years ago in “The Lost Daughter” gives a devastating, knock-yoursocks-off performance as a financially and emotionally struggling divorced dad on vacation in Turkey with his 11-year-old daughter.

Who will win: I wouldn’t be surprised if the Academy honors 31-year-old Austin Butler for his exceptional performance playing the titular role in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” but I think the Oscar will go to Fraser for his heart-wrenching performance in “The Whale.” Fraser is a national treasure, and a much-deserved standing ovation that would follow his win would be amazing to see.