2023 CGI Fridays Oscars

In a weird way, Will Smith's childish and inappropriate slap to the face of Chris Rock may have somehow saved the Academy Awards from extinction. Smith eventually took home Best Actor in a tumultuous evening - which I correctly predicted in the 2022 link below.

With Hollywood struggling to produce quality content and the political agenda becoming more important than providing entertainment, I fear we are just a few years away from the closing of theaters, a permanent switch to streaming and the Oscars being broadcast on social media.

Thankfully, I do not judge the last year of films solely from the Academy's field. I use my own as well, or I wouldn't be doing this at all. Plus I made up some of my own categories. Anyway, I have four subscribers to keep, so here we go.

Previous Years: 2022, 2021, 2019, and 2018 is pictured below.

Actor

Academy: Austin Butler (Elvis)

CGI Fridays: Austin Butler (Elvis)

Worth Mentioning: Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Colin Farrell (Thirteen Lives), Viggo Mortensen (Thirteen Lives), Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front), Ben Foster (The Survivor), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Ralph Fiennes (The Menu), Sam Rockwell (See How They Run)

The B+ I gave Elvis rides almost entirely on the shoulders of Austin Butler. He deserves this award. How many people can portray an icon like Elvis Presley and not leave mass audiences all shook up in all the wrong ways?

Actress

Academy: Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once)

CGI Fridays: Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once)

Worth Mentioning: Aubrey Plaza (Emily the Criminal), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Saoirise Ronan (See How They Run), Viola Davis (The Woman King)

While I gave The Woman King an unimpressive C+, you will see a couple actors from that film on this list. Viola Davis is a titanic force in Hollywood and can play any role to award-worthy precision. However, Michelle Yeoh is pretty darn awesome in this year's Oscar darling, Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Supporting Actor

Academy: Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once)

CGI Fridays: Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent)

Worth Mentioning: Joel Edgerton (Thirteen Lives), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), Tom Hanks (Elvis)

Remember Short Round from the second Indiana Jones movie? The one everyone considers a classic? Well I didn't like it and thought Short Round was annoying. He's all grown up in Everything Everywhere All at Once! The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent got no Oscar love, but man Pedro Pascal is just good at everything.

Supporting Actress

Academy: Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once)

CGI Fridays: Hong Chau (The Whale)

Worth Mentioning: Isabella Rossellini (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Lashana Lynch (The Woman King)

Another win for Everything Ever --let's just call it EEAaO-- but the supporting role that really won me over was Hong Chau as the emotional lynchpin in The Whale.

Cinematography

Academy: All Quiet on the Western Front

CGI Fridays: Top Gun: Maverick

Worth Mentioning: The Batman, Thirteen Lives, Elvis, Don't Worry Darling, Werewolf by Night, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Woman King

I expect --and will be disappointed but not surprised-- if All Quiet on the Western Front doesn't have a big Oscar night.

International Film

Academy: All Quiet on the Western Front

CGI Fridays: All Quiet on the Western Front

Words.

Visual Effects

Academy: Avatar: The Way of Water

CGI Fridays: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Worth Mentioning: The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, Beast, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Nope, Three Thousand Years of Longing

I didn't even see the new Avatar, but I have no doubt that it is a visual spectacle with the finest and newest technology on display. I'm also pretty sure the story was meh, but those who actually saw it can be the judge of that. (And A LOT of people saw it.)

Music

Academy: Volker Bertelmann - All Quiet on the Western Front

CGI Fridays: Michael Giacchino - The Batman

Worth Mentioning: Rob Simonsen - The Whale, Ludwig Goransson - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Two great movies with great scores, and then an honorable mention for The Whale and an MCU movie that isn't great but has a fantastic soundtrack from a great composer who defies the quality of the films he scores. (Goransson also worked on Venom - oof.)

Original Song

Academy: "Hold My Hand" - Lady Gaga (Top Gun: Maverick)

CGI Fridays: "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)" - The Old 97s (The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special)

Worth Mentioning: "I Ain't Worried" - OneRepublic (Top Gun: Maverick), "Lift Me Up" - Rihanna (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Top Gun: Maverick had two bangers. Either could have one, but Lady Gaga's song is the emotional one where OneRepublic's is the fun one. The Academy doesn't like fun.

Costume Design

Academy: Elvis

CGI Fridays: The Batman

Worth Mentioning: All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Don't Worry Darling, The Woman King

Costume design is definitely the "I bet I could do it if I had the money" category.

Production Design

Academy: All Quiet on the Western Front

CGI Fridays: All Quiet on the Western Front

Worth Mentioning: The Batman, Thirteen Lives, The Survivor, Elvis, Don't Worry Darling, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Menu, See How They Run, Operation Mincemeat

A great war movie that deserves multiple awards. The sets and battles are incredible.

Makeup & Hairstyling

Academy: The Whale

CGI Fridays: The Whale

Worth Mentioning: The Batman, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Survivor, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Elvis, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Is Brendan Fraser's fat suit in The Whale technically a costume? Either way... it's a big deal.

Editing

Academy: Top Gun: Maverick

CGI Fridays: Thirteen Lives

Worth Mentioning: The Batman, All Quiet on the Western Front, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Elvis

Cutting together aerial combat seems difficult. So does cave diving, especially when actors obviously cannot actually accomplish the real thing without risking their lives.

Animated Film

Academy: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

CGI Fridays: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Worth Mentioning: Lightyear

A category I definitely should not be given a vote in.

Sound

Academy: Top Gun: Maverick

CGI Fridays: Top Gun: Maverick

Worth Mentioning: The Batman, Thirteen Lives, All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Nope

I had a headache after seeing Top Gun: Maverick and I'm pretty sure that was the intent.

Documentary

Academy: N/A

CGI Fridays: Facing Nolan

My number one film of the year was a documentary. It's the only one I saw. View my 2022 rankings at the bottom of this amazing post.

Adapted Screenplay

Academy: All Quiet on the Western Front

CGI Fridays: The Batman

Worth Mentioning: Top Gun: Maverick

I'm adaptable.

Original Screenplay

Academy: Everything Everywhere All at Once

CGI Fridays: The Valet

Worth Mentioning: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Vengeance

I wasn't obsessed with Everything Everywhere All at Once like everyone else (I gave it a positive-but-not-CGI Fridays-worthy B) but there's no doubting its creativity in a Hollywood that is full of reboots and recycled ideas.

Best Director

Academy: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once)

CGI Fridays: Matt Reeves (The Batman)

Worth Mentioning: Bradley Jackson (Facing Nolan), Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), Ron Howard (Thirteen Lives), Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front)

Another predicted "W" for Everythere Everywing All at Once. The Batman is not a perfect film, but my minor faults with that picture come with the overflowing story, not the incredible production value and direction from Reeves.

Best Picture (why can't we just say best MOVIE?)

Academy: Top Gun: Maverick

CGI Fridays: Facing Nolan

Worth Mentioning: The Batman

In plain terms, you have to receive an A+ from CGI Fridays to be in consideration for the vaunted "Best Picture" category. These are the three.

Worst Picture

CGI Fridays: The Bubble

Worth Mentioning: Bones and All, Amsterdam, Jurassic World: Dominion

You can read more about these films in the 2022 link below, because there's not much more I want to say about them.

Sleeper Hit

CGI Fridays: Orphan: First Kill

Worth Mentioning: Emily the Criminal, The Valet, Hustle, Beast

Belayed sequels hardly ever work, especially in the horror genre. Somehow, Orphan: First Kill worked. AC/DC had it right all along: "Shoot to thrill, play to kill!"

Biggest Disappointment

CGI Fridays: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Worth Mentioning: Men, The Gray Man, Nope

The movie that could have righted the sinking ship at Marvel, instead Multiverse of Madness only sped up the downward spiral the MCU has been on since Avengers: Endgame.

Check out my entire 2022 CGI Fridays Rankings HERE!