A Guide to the 2023 Oscars

A Guide to the 2023 Oscars

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "The Banshees of Inisherin" look to steal Hollywood’s brightest spotlight on Sunday.
Published: March 10, 2023
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 04: Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Jimmy Kimmel will take the stage again to host the Oscars five years later.

Take a break from tanning in the Caribbean sun, toss your Coronas back in the cooler (or don’t), and find a seat in your three-star resort hotel’s lobby because on March 12th, the Oscars are back. Jimmy Kimmel has hosting duties for the third time after back-to-back stints in 2017 and 2018 (here’s to an envelopegate-less show!) in an Academy Awards ceremony that’s geared up for a few surprises. 

The aptly titled Everything, Everywhere All at Once and heart-tugging The Banshees of Inisherin generated its fair share of buzz, both vying for Best Picture, but there’s no counting out the fictional but biopic-reminiscent Tár or the visually stunning film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front for the honor. Cameras will be visiting and revisiting the likes of Austin Butler (Elvis), Michelle Yeoh (Everything, Everywhere), Collin Farrell (Banshees), and Cate Blanchett (Tár) throughout the star-studded night. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the 95th Oscars.

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"The Banshees of Inisherin" and "Everything, Everywhere All at Once" are nominated for a total of 20 Oscars.

Best Picture

While Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water were by far the biggest box office hits of all movies in this category, it’s highly unlikely either will earn Best Picture honors. Though it’s up in the air, Everything Everywhere All at Once seems to be the frontrunner. The film, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinart, deals with a Chinese-American family’s fragmented relationship, interrupted by alternate universes, superpowers, and a lot of hot dog fingers. The Banshees of Inisherin poses as perhaps the biggest threat to swiping the award after winning the Golden Globe over Everything, Everywhere. Colin Farrell and Brendon Gleeson’s chemistry is unmistakable in Banshees, though ironic as the two portray ex-best friends with mounting tension and frustration for one another on the fictional Irish island of Inisherin. And don’t forget The Fabelmans, based loosely on Stephen Spielberg’s own coming-of-age story.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Austin Butler has been busy this award’s season, capturing a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his role in Elvis. It’s evident in the fast-paced film that Butler deeply studied Elvis, to the point where he still hasn’t shaken the voice. Brendon Fraser took on an uncharacteristically dramatic role in The Whale, playing a severely unhealthy english teacher more or less glued to his couch. Farrell rounds out the three-horse race for the award, portraying a hapless and betrayed — but otherwise ordinary — man who begins to question his principles. With actors in biopics historically attracting the Academy’s gaze (think Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody or Jamie Foxx in Ray, among many others), Butler has to like his chances.

 

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Best Actress in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett is eyeing her third Oscar win for her lead role in Tár, but Michelle Yeoh is the more deserving candidate. Yeoh, playing a laundromat owner-turned-superhero mom, is undoubtedly the fan-favorite, especially when pitted against Blanchett, cast as a pretentious, uptight and wholly unlikable music composer. Blanchett thrives in the role, but the film is nothing if not mundane. Meanwhile, Yeoh shines as Evelyn, an instantly timeless character in an instantly classic movie. That said, if the Oscars follow suit of the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, the Oscar for Best Actress will fall into Blanchett’s lap.

Be on the lookout for…

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which is all but guaranteed to run away with Animated Feature Film honors, is a must-watch. It’s not a counterfeit recreation of a childhood fantasy, but instead a visual masterpiece that brings Pinocchio down a much darker path. Del Toro seems to dip his hand into the Henry Selick school of animation en route to the director’s (likely) third Oscar. The Supporting Actress category is intriguing, with Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakana Forever) trying to fend off Kerry Condon (Banshees) and a pair of Everything, Everywhere co-stars. Finally, music is always worth a mention. Babylon bombed at the box office, but has a chance to win the Oscar for Best Score as a consolation prize. Justin Horwitz, the composer of the movie’s soundtrack, may prove to be the production’s saving grace. RRR, an Indian film that exploded onto the worldwide scene, will likely add to the trophy case with potential Best Original Song “Naatu Naatu”.

If the awards season so far has been any indication, there are hardly any guarantees for the 95th Academy Awards, but expect the casts of Everything, Everywhere All at Once and The Banshees of Inisherin to do a couple laps from seat to stage