Oscars 2023
A Guide to the 2023 Academy Awards
With this year’s Oscars just on the horizon, here’s a rundown of the nominees.
The 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET.
This year’s show features 10 films up for Best Picture, so here is a rundown of the nominees.
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
This German war film takes place during World War I and follows a young man named Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) who is eager to enlist in the army. Though very quickly the battlefield proves to be violent, gruesome, and merciless.
It’s been praised for being a particularly horrific anti-war film that doesn’t shy away from the truth of war.
The movie is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
James Cameron’s latest film has been smashing box office records. It’s currently the third-highest-grossing film of all time behind ‘Avenger: Endgame’ and the first ‘Avatar.’
The sequel follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Ney’tiri (Zoe Saldana), and their children as the humans return to invade Pandora. The film has been especially innovative in the visual effects department as Cameron went on to invent new technology for it.
‘The Way of Water’ is also nominated for Best Sound, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects.
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
With the Irish Civil War as the backdrop, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ takes place on a remote island and tells the story of Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) who becomes devastated when his best friend, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson), abruptly decides to end their friendship.
This movie has been praised for being a clever metaphor for the Irish Civil War.
The film is also nominated for Best Director, Best Actor (Farrell), Best Supporting Actor (Gleeson and Barry Keoghan), Best Supporting Actress (Kerry Condon), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score.
‘Elvis’
‘Evis’ is a biopic that showcases the story of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), the King of Rock n’ Roll, from childhood to his death.
It was praised by Lisa Marie Presley – Presley’s daughter – before her death who claimed to be very “proud” of the movie.
The film has also been nominated for Best Actor (Butler), Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Sweeping up awards season is this surrealist movie that follows Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a laundromat owner, who becomes the unlikely hero when an interdimensional rupture unravels reality.
The film has been praised for its absurdist humor and heartwarming story. It also marks Ke Huy Quan’s return to acting.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ has also been nominated for Best Director, Best Actress (Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Quan), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu), Best Original Screenplay, Best Score, Best Original Song, Best Costume Design and Best Film Editing.
‘The Fabelmans’
‘The Fabelmans’ is a semi-autobiographical film by director Steven Spielberg. The plot follows Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) as he develops a love for movies and embarks on a journey to be the one making them.
According to producer Kristie Macosko Krieger, Spielberg was “more raw and vulnerable” than ever before during filming.
It has also been nominated for Best Director, Best Actress (Michelle Williams), Best Supporting Actor (Judd Hirsch), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Production Design.
‘Tár’
Tár follows renowned musician Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) as she composes a symphony that will take her career to the next level. However, events seem to conspire against her, and her adopted daughter, Petra, becomes an integral support system for Lydia.
Blanchett reportedly re-learned piano and learned how to speak German and conducted an orchestra for the movie.
The film is also nominated for Best Director, Best Actress (Blanchett), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing.
‘Top Gun: Maverick’
The sequel to 1986′s ‘Top Gun’ picks up with Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) more than 30 years as an aviator. However, as his past comes to haunt him, Maverick is forced on a mission that forces him to face his fears.
The film used minimal CGI as Cruise insisted on more realistic scenes.
‘Maverick’ is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
‘Triangle of Sadness’
This comedy and drama film follows influencers Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yara (Carlbi Dean Kriek) on board a luxury cruise ship with other wealthy people when a terrifying storm hits the ship and disaster strikes.
‘Triangle of Sadness’ is Dean’s final movie as the actress, unfortunately, passed away in August 2022 from bacterial sepsis.
The film is also nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
‘Women Talking’
Adapted from a book of the same name, ‘Women Talking’ depicts a religious colony isolated from the rest of the world. When the women realize that the men have been drugging and assaulting them for years they discuss a plan to escape.
While the movie isn’t based on a true story and is mostly a work of fiction, the author of the original book describes the plot as “an imagined response to real events”.
‘Women Talking’ is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.