Were there even any upsets on Oscar night?

by Danny Cox

Part of the fun of the Oscars are when the winner of the award is not the odds on favorite that  had been predicted. Olivia Colman winning over Glenn Close, Parasite taking Picture and  Director from 1917, and Anthony Hopkins over Chadwick Boseman all added a sense of surprise  and shock to each of their ceremonies. With the uprise of precursor award shows, internet communities dedicated to predicting the awards, and even gambling sites taking odds and  providing bets the outcome of the awards tend to be more predictable. Last night’s awards were  no exception, with Everything Everywhere All at Once winning 7 of its 11 nominations as pretty much predicted from the outset even though sweeps hadn't yet happened in the Best Picture era. But was everything as predictable as it seems? Were there any  moments of surprise and shock? The answer is tricky. 

While some of the categories seemed set in stone (Supporting Actor, Animated Film, Visual  Effects) there were others with uncertain outcomes...

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Best Picture in Black-and-White: 2022 Edition

by Cláudio Alves

Remember when Bong Joon-ho and NEON did a special re-release of Parasite in black-and-white? Since then, it's been an awards season tradition to imagine what the Academy's Best Picture nominees would look like devoid of color. This exercise is based chiefly on silly fun since there's more to black-and-white cinema than just turning the saturation dials down. However, it sometimes reveals exciting things about the films at hand. Whose cinematography relies the most on chromatic contrast? What picture would survive the best in monochrome, mayhap even excel? Last year, The Power of the Dog proved a silvery revelation, calling to mind midcentury revisionist westerns. Let's see if this batch of nominees includes a similar success…

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Oscar Volley: Look at that -- Best Picture is actually a good time!

Team Experience has been pairing or tripling up to discuss the Oscar categories. Here's the (presumed) final award of Sunday night with Elisa Giudici, Nathaniel R, and Eric Blume...

NATHANIEL: Hello team. The final category. Best Picture is such a big big topic, 1434 minutes big. Or 24 and a half hours big if you wanted to watch all the films back to back... though, really, why would you? That's a lot of movie and it's also a lot of Movie-Movie since these mostly aren't shy and self-effacing films. With the exception of Women Talking, if all of these movies were at a party together they'd each try to be the life of it. Or at least life-adjacent. Banshees of Inisherin might just gab away in a corner and The Fabelmans might just watch everyone / everything... but quite enthusiastically! 

I picture Avatar The Way of Water arriving first, because it can't be bothered with a schedule and eager to scope out the scene and really become the vibe. TAR will arrive last with a big flourish and bold gestures expecting the party to shape-shift around it. I'm starting with a party-theme because I am willing myself to stay positive...

And also because I confess I really love a full half of these movies (which is rare). I think we all know who is leaving the festivities with the most party favors from that naked gold host but we don't have to start there.

Please enter this party festively and tell me what you think of the room...

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Oscar Volley: Is production design best or most this year?

Team Experience has been pairing up to discuss Oscar categories. Here's Cláudio and Mark talking Best Production Design. Totally my fault that this went up late but enjoy this digestif since we just talked Best Picture - Editor

CLÁUDIO: Since the start of our new era of an expanded Best Picture ballot, it's become harder and harder for movies not nominated for the big category to win elsewhere. Even so, it's not unusual to see one sole production succeeding against the apparent odds, nabbing a couple of prizes in categories dominated by more beloved titles. This year that could be the case for Babylon in Best Production Design. After its BAFTA victory, I'm inclined to predict the Chazelle's polarizing chronicle of Old Hollywood, but the mightiness of Best Picture nominees Avatar: The Way of Water, All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, and The Fabelmans looms large over the race...

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Oscar Volley: Adapted Screenplay... weak list or weak field?

The team is pairing off to discuss each Oscar race. Here's Eurocheese and Eric Blume...

ERIC:   Euro, I'm so happy to be discussing the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay with you.  Personally, I feel like it's one of our weakest years in this category.  Before we get into each nominee and the race, do you have any candidates you personally loved that didn't make the slate?

EUROCHEESE:  It is strange how all the top contenders, and frankly most of the great films of the year, were original storylines. Even Glass Onion, sneaks into this category thanks to its lead detective but it's really an Original Screenplay...

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