Welcome back to THE KINO!
It was a much needed few weeks off but I am stoked to be back at it.
Some news: In the interest of brevity, I’m renaming the newsletter to THE KINO, which is already how I refer to it out loud. But feel free to call it whatever you want!
In case you missed it …
With the Oscars coming up on March 12th, I’ve finally finished my predictions for the show! I have two components for each category – who should win and who will win. Last year I went 17/19 on predictions, but this year is far more difficult. There’s no frontrunner in a lot of the technical categories. The acting races are anyone’s game. It’ll be a fun show.
TECHNICAL AWARDS
Awards honoring below-the-line talent that makes film possible
Should win: BABYLON
Will win: ELVIS
While I think the Academy will pick the glitzy showbiz sets of ELVIS, I preferred BABYLON’s larger-than-life descent into the underbelly of 1920s Hollywood.
Should win: ELVIS
Will win: ELVIS
Between The Whale and The Batman, we’ve seen plenty of crazy transformations this year, but I think ELVIS exemplifies what the award is all about: accentuating strong performances and bringing them to life.
Should win: BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Will win: ELVIS
Elvis will take the win (and I wouldn’t be mad about it), but the BP Costume Design team deserves their flowers, especially with the indigenous inspired Kingdom of Talokan costumes.
Should win: TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Will win: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
If you watched Top Gun: Maverick in an IMAX theater with Dolby speakers, you know what I mean.
Should win: BABYLON
Will win: BABYLON
JUSTIN HURWITZ (Whiplash, La La Land) DOES NOT MISS! My personal favorite track.
Should win: Naatu Naatu (RRR)
Will win: Naatu Naatu (RRR)
With a live performance at the Ceremony??? A BOP
Should win: AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Will win: AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Over a decade of VFX work and innovation went into Avatar, and it shows.
Should win: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Will win: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
War has never looked so pretty.
WRITING, ACTING, AND DIRECTING
Should win: TÁR
Will win: THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Maybe my hardest personal pick of the year. These are all stunningly well-written. But this single scene in TÁR cements it for me.
Should win: WOMEN TALKING
Will win: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
(Haven’t seen Women Talking but I think it’s the front runner) — I read All Quiet at some point in high school. It was magical to see it come to life here.
Should win: Steven Spielberg (THE FABELMANS)
Will win: Daniels (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)
Only Spielberg could craft something so precise and sharp out of material this personal and messy.
Should win: Ke Huy Quan (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)
Will win: Ke Huy Quan (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)
“In another life, I would have loved doing laundry and taxes with you.”
Should win: Stephanie Hsu (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)
Will win: Angela Bassett (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER)
Critics Choice and Globes: Angela Bassett. SAG: Jamie Lee-Curtis. BAFTAs: Kerry Condon. It’s anyone’s race, but I think Angela Bassett will pull through.
Should win: Paul Mescal (AFTERSUN)
Will win: Austin Butler (ELVIS)
Paul Mescal is my sleeper-performance of the year (and Diego Calva if he was nominated). But clearly the ELVIS campaign has paid off — let Butler have it.
Should win: Cate Blanchett (TÁR)
Will win: Michelle Yeoh (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)
The most exciting race of the show by a mile. Blanchett with Critics Choice, BAFTAs, and Golden Globe (drama). Yeoh with SAG and Golden Globe (comedy). But momentum is with Yeoh, and she’s going to get her flowers.
OVERALL FILM AWARDS
Should win: GDT’S PINOCCHIO
Will win: GDT’S PINOCCHIO
Not only does GDT bring the story of Pinocchio back to life, but he’s championed the animation art-form every step of the way.
Should win: RRR
Will win: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
India should have submitted RRR as its nominee, and it should have won. Alas.
DRUMROLL PLEASE …
Should win: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Will win: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
It’s a lock. With SAG, DGAs, Critics Choice, and PGAs locked, Everything Everywhere All At Once is almost sure to be our Best Picture Winner of the year. A movie released almost a year ago, bizarre and unlike anything the Academy has ever rewarded. A movie complete with butt-plugs, hot-dog fingers, animatronic raccoons, deadly dildos, everything bagels, and anything else you can imagine in the multiverse. This movie changed my life and it’s almost unbelievable that it’ll capture the hearts of the Academy as well.
See you all again next week. Until then, please get in touch if you have any thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share. If you want to keep up with what I’m watching, follow me on Letterboxd @atharv_gupta.