Roeper’s 2023 Oscar Award Predictions
Wword from the Academy about who including Indiana and Michigan.) will step in for Smith, but might I All signs point to “Everything Evsuggest a group of previous best actor erywhere All at Once,” the blazingly hen last year’s best winners? There are more than 30 still original, widely acclaimed, surprise actress Academy with us. Maybe have winners from worldwide box-office sensation, takAward winner Jessieach of the last five decades come out ing home the gold. If you’re looking ca Chastain was in to present, e.g., Richard Dreyfuss. for an upset, go with “All Quiet on the Chicago recently, I asked the “Eyes Ben Kingsley, Tom Hanks, Denzel Western Front” or “The Banshees of of Tammy Faye” star if she would be Washington and Matthew MccoInisherin.” Still, with Saturday night’s presenting the best actor honors at
naughey. That’d be fun! win at the Producers Guild Awards, this year’s Oscars, per tradition, and
Let’s take a look at my picks in the which has a preferential voting sysshe confirmed it was so. We’ve also
major categories. Remember, these tem that mirrors the Academy’s, “Evlearned best supporting actor winner
are my predictions, not necessarily erything …” becomes an even bigger Troy Kotsur will present supporting
my preferences. favorite. actress on March 12, while best sup
Theatres • Santa Clarita Signal porting actress Ariana Debose has Best picture adsource@exhibitorads.com ‘Everything Best director signed on to hand out the best supEverywhere All at Once’
5.9” p.
888.737.2812 f. 203.438.1206 porting actor gold. As much as I enjoyed “Top Gun:
Sunday-thursday, Which leaves us with the March question: 12-16, Maverick,” 2023 it would be one of the least A few weeks ago, I would have preWho will be handing out the best substantial movies of all time to win dicted Steven Spielberg for “The Fa
Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 10:32:49 best picture AM — CASCS_LEM0312-0316.QXP and yet there’s still a belmans,” and there’s still a chance the actress Oscar? Normally, it would be last year’s winner, Will Smith, but as little buzz out there saying this could great one will win on the strength of you might recall, there was a bit of a be the upset winner, at approximatevotes from old-school Hollywooders dust-up at last year’s ceremony, rely 10-1 odds. (You can actually bet on (even with the laudable expansion of sulting in Smith being banned from the Academy Awards via apps and in the voting membership, the Acadeattending all Academy events for the some cases at physical locations, not my still has a voting base that is 66% next 10 years. As of this writing, no just abroad but in a few select states, male and 81% white). But with “The Daniels” winning the Directors Guild of America honors, they have to be considered the favorites.
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Best actor Brendan Fraser, ‘The Whale’
All five nominees are first-timers, the first time that has happened since … holy cow, 1935! (There were just three best actor nominees that year: Clark Gable, who won for “It Happened One Night,” Frank Morgan for “The Affairs of Cellini” and William Powell for “The Thin Man.”) This year’s contest boils down to a twoman race between Austin Butler for “Elvis” and Brendan Fraser for “The Whale.” I’m going with Fraser because Hollywood loves a comeback story, Fraser has been an enormously charming presence on the interview circuit over the last many months, and he’s absolutely transcendent in the film.
Butler is also a likable presence offscreen, and awards voters do love lead performances in musical biopics, e.g., “Ray” and “Walk the Line” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Judy,” so it will hardly be a surprise if his name is called.
Best Actress Cate Blanchett,
‘TAR’
One of the best actors of our time
delivers maybe her best work ever in the kind of grand, artsy, wildly inventive prestige project that might as well have come wrapped in paper labeled “Oscar Bait.” The only contender with a chance is the beloved Michelle Yeoh for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” but in the Big Six categories, the only bigger favorite than Blanchett is ...
Best supporting actor
Ke Huy Quan, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
As we were saying, Hollywood loves a comeback story, and arguably the most inspirational and delightful story of the awards season has been the celebration of an enormously likable and talented artist who had largely disappeared from the scene until he delivered a brilliant performance in the best picture favorite.
Best supporting actress Angela Bassett, ‘Wakanda Forever’
There’s a chance longtime Hollywood favorite Jamie Lee Curtis could pull off the upset — and her win Sunday at the SAG Awards certainly bolstered her chances — and Kerry Condon’s marvelous work in “The Banshees of Inisherin” is a contender, but I still believe the magnificent Bassett, the first actor ever nominated from an MCU film, will take home the gold.