After taking the 2021 Oscars off due to the pandemic but moreso the lack of quality motion pictures, we are back in 2022 with a slate of slightly improved movies from the cinematic wasteland that was 2020.
2021 was better (I guess) and the Oscars are back to a live format after going sort-of virtual last year in an awkward, lowly rated ceremony which showed that people don't really care about the Academy Awards anymore. I'm not even sure I do.
But yeah, let's do this Oscars thing again. Friendly reminder about the CGI Fridays Oscars: I'll pick from the Academy's honorable candidates, but also from the entire cinematic field, regardless of real-life nominations.For previous reference, the link to the 2019 CGI Fridays Oscars is above and my 2018 picks can be seen below:
Actor
Academy: Will Smith, King Richard
CGI Fridays: Will Smith, King Richard
Worth Mentioning: Tom Holland, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Jeremy Irons, Munich - The Edge of War, Michael Keaton, Worth, Mads Mikkelsen, Riders of Justice, Daniel Craig, No Time to Die, Winston Duke, Nine Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins, The Father & Benedict Cumberbatch, The Courier
For all of his notoriety, the Fresh Prince has never won an Oscar. He's nominated this year for a third time, and it's his best chance to win based on the magnificence of King Richard as well as an anemic opposing field.
The rest of my honorably mentions are personal selections, not from the actual Academy field. Some are from blockbuster films (Holland, Craig) and never had a chance. Others flew so far under the radar (Keaton, Mikkelsen, Duke) that they didn't either, one isn't technically from a movie this year and already won (Hopkins), and the other (Cumberbatch) is nominated, but for something else.
Actress
Academy: Kristen Stewart, Spencer
CGI Fridays: Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place Part II
Worth Mentioning: Jodie Comer, The Last Duel, Keira Knightley, Silent Night, Mila Kunis, Four Good Days & Juliah Sarah Stone, Come True
Kristen Stewart has always been near the top of my crush list, and I'd love to see her get awarded for her portrayal of Princess Dianna. Comer stars amongst many stars in The Last Duel while Knightley anchors the heart of the lesser-known Silent Night. Kunis doesn't do many films, but makes them coun, and Stone's starring turn in Come True is one of the best acting jobs of the year.
Supporting Actor
Academy: Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
CGI Fridays: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Worth Mentioning: LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah, George MacKay, Munich - The Edge of War, Jannis Niewöhner, Munich - The Edge of War, Matt Damon, The Last Duel & Adam Driver, The Last Duel
Technically, Judas and the Black Messiah was part of last year's Oscars, but I follow a normal 12-month calendar when I make my selections, even if the Academy doesn't. Kaluuya and Stanfield share co-leads which relegates both to the supporting category. Both deserve recognition, as do a pair of actors from The Edge of War and The Last Duel.
Supporting Actress
Academy: Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
CGI Fridays: Glenn Close, Four Good Days
Worth Mentioning: Camille Cottin, Stillwater, Zazie Beetz, Nine Days & Cate Blanchett, Nightmare Alley
If Plemons and Dunst both win, I have to believe it will be the first time a real-life couple take home Oscars in the same year, especially for the same category. The two-handed nature of Four Good Days relies on Kunis and Close, who really sell the mother-daugther relationship.
Cinematography
Academy: Dune
CGI Fridays: The Last Duel
Worth Mentioning: No Time to Die, Fear Street Trilogy, The King's Man, Gunpowder Milkshake & Last Night in Soho
Dune is a sprawling epic and director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) has solidified his role in Hollywood as an artistic genius. I think The Last Duel is a better film, but the period piece has a better shot in costume design than cinematography.
International Film
Academy: The Worst Person in the World
CGI Fridays: Riders of Justice
Riders of Justice is a Taken-like gritty, emotional thriller from Danish writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen. Mads Mikkelsen can do anything.
Visual Effects
Academy: Dune
CGI Fridays: Dune
Worth Mentioning: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Free Guy, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Black Widow, Finch,, The King's Man & The Tomorrow War.
I remember thinking around 2019 that visual effects had achieved a sense of realism like never before, especially in big budget films that could afford it. Since then, I've noticed some really lazy effects work in the movie industry, especially with CG backgrounds. The pandemic obviously hasn't helped studios and many VFX artists have been working from home. With that said, Dune still looks incredible in every scene.
Music
Academy: Hans Zimmer - Dune
CGI Fridays: Michael Giacchino - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Worth Mentioning: Joel P West -Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Lorne Balfe - Black Widow, Hans Zimmer - No Time to Die, Lorne Balfe - Silent Night, Matthew Margeson/Dominic Lewis - The King's Man & Sean Callery - The Marksman
A sequel technically doesn't have an "original" score, even if Giacchino mixes up the same sounds from his previous Spider-Man entry. This time there's more bells and choir, and sounds from previous generations of Spider-Man are mixed in nicely. The legendary Zimmer is back for Dune and No Time to Die, and hopefully wins even if the Academy doesn't think the category is important enough to televise.
Original Song
Academy: Somehow You Do - Reba McEntire
CGI Fridays: Second Nature - Bon Iver
Worth Mentioning: Michael Buble - The Christmas Sweater
"Second Nature" and its relevant lyrics are a sweet anthem for the end of the world. Buble's "Christmas Sweater" is a catchy jingle, and combined into Lorne Balfe's score for "All Is Calm."
Academy: Somehow You Do - Reba McEntire
CGI Fridays: Second Nature - Bon Iver
Worth Mentioning: Michael Buble - The Christmas Sweater
"Second Nature" and its relevant lyrics are a sweet anthem for the end of the world. Buble's "Christmas Sweater" is a catchy jingle, and combined into Lorne Balfe's score for "All Is Calm."
Costume Design
Academy: Nightmare Alley
CGI Fridays: The Last Duel
Worth Mentioning: Judas and the Black Messiah, Fear Street Trilogy,The King's Man & The Harder They Fall
Both Nightmare Alley and The Last Duel flex their retro muscles and boast Oscar-worthy production value.
Production Design
Academy: Dune
CGI Fridays: Judas and the Black Messiah
Worth Mentioning: The Last Duel, No Time to Die, Gunpowder Milkshake, Reminiscence & The French Dispatch
I gave Dune a good-but-not-great B, but it deserves all the praise in every technical category. Since it's a book movie and not a comic book movie, it will likely be rewarded for its efforts.
Animated Film
Academy: Encanto
CGI Fridays: Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1
Worth Mentioning: Injustice & Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2
They're going to talk about Bruno, while I talk about Batman.
Sound
Academy: Dune
CGI Fridays: A Quiet Place Part II
Worth Mentioning: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Free Guy, Don't Look Up & Nightmare Alley
Dune, Dune, Duuuuune! Also, the lack of sound in A Quiet Place sounds nice.
Documentary
Academy: Ascension
CGI Fridays: Framing Britney Spears
Worth Mentioning: The Final Account & 'Til Kingdom Come
A couple political documentaries worth mentioning, but the Britney Spears story is too crazy -and the film does a good job telling it- not to give it my vote.
Adapted Screenplay
Academy: Dune
CGI Fridays: Munich - The Edge of War
Worth Mentioning: The Last Duel, Four Good Days & The Father
Turning a book as expansive as Dune into a movie made for a very bloated, crowded film, though it was certainly entertaining. Munich - The Edge of War isn't eligible for the actual 2022 Oscars, but I play by my own rules.
Original Screenplay
Academy: Don't Look Up
CGI Fridays: Judas and the Black Messiah
Worth Mentioning: Free Guy, Don't Look Up & Red Blood Sky
The words "original" and "Hollywood" don't really go together anymore. It's slim pickings from new IPs (intellectual properties) that are delivering original, quality content. Adam McKay's Don't Look Up is my pick for shining a (not-so subtle) light on what a joke society has become.
Best Director
Academy: Stephen Spielberg - West Side Story
CGI Fridays: Shaka King -Judas and the Black Messiah
Worth Mentioning: Jon Watts - Spider-Man: No Way Home, Christian Schwochow - Munich - The Edge of War, Ridley Scott - The Last Duel, Adam McKay - Don't Look Up & Anders Thomas Jensen - Riders of Justice
West Side Story might not even be a top 50 Spielberg film, but the field this year is so shallow. My pick and many picks this year go to Judas, but Jon Watts deserves praise for juggling all those spiders, as the messy script isn't on him.
Best Picture
Academy: King Richard
CGI Fridays: Spider-Man: No Way Home
My three A+ films from 2021 are all on display. I hope King Richard draws a royal flush on Oscar Sunday. No Way Home is a master class in fan service and saved the MCU from an underwhelming year. Judas and the Black Messiah is a social commentary film done right. More positive thoughts here.
Worst Picture
CGI Fridays: Coming 2 America
Worth Mentioning: Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Protege & Mortal Kombat
There are always going to be bad movies. But what makes a movie not just bad, but the worst, is when it's so bad it hurts. I didn't have any expectations for The Protege or Mortal Kombat, but I thought Ghostbusters would be serviceable and I assumed Eddie Murphy wouldn't let Coming 2 America be made without care.
Sleeper Hit
CGI Fridays: Red Blood Sky
Worth Mentioning: Silent Night, Four Good Days & Nine Days
"Hit" is relative for 2021 as none of these films received at least an A- and therefore a place on the Infinity List. B+ is still a good score and these films went from off the radar to positively reviewed. Red Blood Sky gets the nod for being not just the most unknown, but featuring no big names in front of or behind the camera.
Biggest Disappointment
CGI Fridays: Godzilla vs. Kong
Worth Mentioning: Candyman, Venom: Let There Be Carnage & Eternals
Audiences are becoming more comfortable settling for mindless eye candy, and that's exactly what Godzilla vs. Kong is. The reason this is such a letdown is that the rebooted "MonsterVerse" starting out strong -Godzilla in 2014 and King Kong in 2017- and then went down a very steep hill after that.
Candyman isn't a good movie and worse, tries to shoehorn a political message into the final act. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is carnage, alright. And garbage. Eternals is the first MCU movie to ever get a negative score from yours truly.
