2023 Oscar nominations we want to see

If the Academy judged films like the Olympics and took into account the level of difficulty when evaluating the competitors, the screenplay for Everything Everywhere All At Once would be hard to beat. It pulls off the cinematic equivalent of a triple-double with a reverse somersault twist (we’re probably mixing up sports here, but you get the idea) by keeping multiple storylines, characters, and worlds spinning around the axis of an emotionally rich story about an immigrant family coming to terms with itself. We can’t think of another film that did so much so well this past year.

Usually, this category goes to a Disney musical or an established artist, but we love the idea of honoring the RRR song that gave us one of the best musical numbers in any film last year. After the song won a , we were even more excited by the possibility that it might also be nominated for an Oscar. Win or lose, if they have a chance to perform the song live at the ceremony, it’s sure to bring the house down.

We don’t actually expect this horrible, spontaneous accordion dirge from to get a nomination for best original song, but it’s technically eligible, and wouldn’t it be funny if it did? Even Blanchett couldn’t keep it together when performing it in the film. More important than the song itself is what it says about the crumbling mental state of her character, who loses her cool when the greedy, callous relatives of her deceased neighbor start showing the apartment to potential buyers. It’s one of the few moments of emotional abandon Lydia shows in the film, and it’s almost cathartic when she breaks out into song. An instant classic.

Icelandic musician and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir delivered not one but two amazing original scores this year, so we can only hope she doesn’t split her own votes. She might even get nominated for both, and we’d be fine with that. For Tár, Guðnadóttir created a subtle ambiance to complement the classical pieces in the film and also wrote the original piece Blanchett’s character is working on. Her score for is more folk-inspired, to match the rustic barn loft where much of the film takes place. One of the most interesting and thoughtful cinematic composers on the scene right now, Guðnadóttir never stops surprising us.

Even the critics who hated had to admit that the brisk, jazzy score by Justin Hurwitz was the best thing about the film. The Oscar hopes for Damien Chazelle’s balls-to-the-wall epic about the early days of Hollywood have been falling as quickly as its box-office numbers, so it’s starting to look like a Hurwitz nomination for best original score might be the film’s best hope for an award in any of the major categories. His score is the beating heart that drives the film, and now that he’s got a with his name on it, his chances to at least secure an Oscar nomination are even better.

Best international feature is an especially tough category this year, with films like Belgium’s , Germany’s , and Golden Globe winner from (you guessed it) Argentina, . All of those would be great nominees, but we’d really like to see director Park Chan-wook back in the Oscar conversation with his intricate and profound detective mystery . This is his first film in seven years, and he’s only grown as an artist in that time.

In case you’re wondering, RRR is not eligible in the race for best international film at this year’s Oscars, as India submitted another contender—Last Film Show—as its national entry (each country is only allowed one submission). That doesn’t mean it can’t be nominated for , though, and we think it should be. If the Academy is looking to honor the best that cinema has to offer in 2022, they shouldn’t overlook this ambitious and energetic offering that pushed boundaries in all the best ways.

When it comes to singling out populist films or artistic ones, the Academy often leans into the latter. is a movie for the masses, and undoubtedly last year’s big winner when you take into account both critical and financial success. Is that enough to consider it a candidate for ? With 10 slots to fill, it just might be. Nominating Maverick might also help boost the broadcast ratings a bit, since a lot of viewers won’t have seen many of the other films in contention. If nothing else, it would be a sign that the Academy Awards are still relevant to the filmgoing audience at large.