2023 Oscar nom predictions

I CANNOT BELIEVE I MISSED THAT TODAY WAS OSCAR NOM DAY. That's the way my month has been. *sigh*

So I have been spoiled on 3 things: 2 adapted screenplay noms, 1 supporting actor snub (?), and one best picture nom, but it was Oppenheimer, so that hardly counts. So I'm going to quickly make my predictions and then see if I was right. 

Last year was my best ever year. This year, let's try not to do worse than 2021. If I do terribly, I'm blaming it on doing these at midnight in the middle of a very stressful week. 

2022 (91/120; 114/120), 2021 (79/120; 108/120), 2020 (84/118; 110/118), 2019 (88/124; 113/124), 2018 (91/121; 113/121), 2017 (90/122; 118/122).

[Ed: update with correct answers in bold. Anything missed in italics. 

Totals: 82/120 - not my worst!

107/120 with spoilers - but yeah - oof. Officially my worst year there. WHAT was going on in documentary??

Perfect categories - 4: PICTURE. YEAH I DID. Actor. Original Screenplay. Costume. 

Missed - 13: Ryan Gosling (I thought I had seen that he was snubbed, so I didn't count him. c'est la vie.) Teachers' Lounge for foreign. Holdovers for editing. Creator for Sound. Bobi Wine, Eternal Memory & To Kill a Tiger - Doc. Island in Between - short Doc. Red White and Blue - live short. Ninety five senses - animated short. Wahzhazhe for song. American Fiction & Indiana Jones for score. 

Maybe more color commentary once I've slept.] 

Picture

Assuming 10 (I have reasons, but I'm too tired to type them all out):

Oppenheimer

Killers

Holdovers

Anatomy of a Fall

Zone of Interest

Poor Things

American Fiction

Barbie

Past Lives

Maestro

Spoilers

Saltburn

Color Purple

All of Us Strangers

May December

[Updated color commentary 1/24: I am really sad All of Us and May December didn't make it in over Barbie and Maestro. I also guessed Oppenheimer would be up for 13 nom (got 13), Poor Things 12 (got 11 - swapped supporting actor (spoiler), I guessed VFX), Killers 12 (got 10, I guessed makeup, sound, screenplay, and it got song, which I ended up NOT putting as a poiler), Barbie 10 (got 8 - I guessed director/actress/score/sound, thought Ryan was out on supporting, missed supporting actress (spoiler)), Maestro 7 (7), Zone 5 (5 but I guessed supporting actress and editing, and it got director and screenplay - both spoilers for me), American Fiction 4 (5 - got score, which was totally unexpected for me. Gotta go listen to that now.), Anatomy 4/5 (5 missed director (listed as spoiler)), Holdovers 5 (5 - guessed director, it got editing out of nowhere!), and Past Lives 2 (2 Really wish it had made it into song!)

Also - All of Us Strangers getting skunked? WTF. It's not a huge shocker when some of the best films are left out, but this one had a real shot. At least it's up for 6 (shoulda been 7) BAFTAs and 3 Indies.]

Editing

Oppenheimer (BAFTA, won CCA)

Killers (BAFTA, CCA)

Poor Things (BAFTA, CCA)

Anatomy of a Fall (BAFTA, LAFC)

Zone of Interest (BAFTA)

Holdovers. Interesting! No precursors. Even more excited to see it now.

Spoilers

Barbie (CCA)

Maestro (CCA)

Air (CCA)

All of Us Strangers (BritIndie, LAFC runner up)

Rotting in the Sun (Indie) (I mean, not really. But tickled to throw it in)

Director

Christopher Nolan (all of them)

Alexander Payne (DGA, CCA, BAFTA)

Greta Gerwig (DGA, CCA)

Martin Scorsese (DGA, CCA)

Yorgos Lanthimos (DGA, CCA)

Spoilers

Bradley Cooper (CCA, BAFTA)

Jonathan Glazer (BAFTA)
Andrew Haigh (BAFTA) (PLEASE)

Justine Triet (BAFTA)

Celine Song (DGA deb, GG, Indie)

Sorry, Todd Haynes. :(

[1/24: Really delighted Jonathan and Justine made it in, although given the Holdovers strong showing, I'm a little surprised. I am sad about Andrew Haigh.]

Actress

Lily Gladstone (SAG, CCA, GG, NFSC)

Emma Stone (SAG, BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Carey Mulligan (SAG, BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Margot Robbie (SAG, BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Sandra Huller (Anatomy) (BAFTA, CCA, GG, NSFC)

Spoilers

Annette Benning (SAG)

Fantasia Barrino (BAFTA)

Greta Lee (CCA, GG)

Cailee Spaeny (GG, gotham)

Natalie Portman (GG, Indie)

[1/24: Yeah - I'm good with this. Emma Stone better calm the fuck down with her campaigning. She's risking pulling an Anne Hathaway.]

Actor

Cillian Murphy (SAG)

Colman Domingo (SAG)

Bradley Cooper (SAG)

Paul Giamatti (SAG)

Jeffrey Wright (SAG)

(Look - I'll always over-weight the SAG noms, because actors are the largest branch)

Spoilers

Andrew Scott (BritIndie, LAFC, Indie, Gotham, NSFC, GG)

Barry Keoghan (GG, BAFTA)

Teo Yoo (BAFTA, indie)

Leo (CCA, GG)

Franz Rogowski (gotham, Indie, NYFC)

[1/24: BOOOOO No Andrew Scott. 😭]

Supporting Actress

Da'Vine Joy Randolph (everything)

Emily Blunt (SAG, BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Danielle Brooks (SAG, BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Jodie Foster (SAG, CCA, GG)

Sandra Huller (Zone) (BAFTA)

Spoilers

Penelope Cruz (SAG)

Claire Foy (BAFTA)

Rosamund Pike (BAFTA)

Julianne Moore (CCA, GG)

America Ferrera (CCA)

[1/24: I mean - I like America fine, but not for this. And I really would have liked Sandra to be up for the double. Luckily, Da'Vine seems to be sweeping.]

Supporting Actor

So I'm pretty sure I saw Ryan Gosling didn't get a nom. So counting him out:

Robert De Niro  (SAG)

Robert Downey Jr  (SAG)

Sterling K. Brown  (SAG)

Willem Dafoe  (SAG)

Charles Melton (NSFC, CCA, GG, gotham)

Ryan Gosling

Aha - the article title I saw was 'reacts to barbie snub' but he was talking about director/actress. Oops

Spoilers

Dominic Sessa (BAFTA)

Jacob Elordi (BAFTA)

Mark Ruffalo (CCA, GG)

Paul Mescal (BAFTA)

Glenn Howerton (gotham, indie)

[1/24: https://i.gifer.com/6us.gif]

Screenplay - O

Anatomy of a Fall (GG, gotham, bafta)

May December (NSFC, CCA)

Past Lives (BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Holdovers (BAFTA, CCA, Indie)

Maestro (BAFTA, CCA)

Spoilers

Air (CCA)

Asteroid City

But no really. No other original screenplay has been nominated for a thing. 

[1/24: Well at least May December wasn't skunked.]

Screenplay - A

Okay - so I know Barbie got nominated here (after campaigning for original and then getting slotted into adapted. So other 4:

American Fiction (scripter)

Killers (scripter)

Oppenheimer (scripter)

Poor Things (scripter)

Spoilers

All of Us Strangers (CCA/BAFTA)

Are You There God? (CCA)

Zone of Interest (BAFTA)

Origin (scripter)

Spiderverse

[I mean - Barbie being nominated for that unholy mess isn't surprising, given how hard they've been campaigning. But yikes.]

Foreign

Society of the Snow (GG, BAFTA, CCA)

Zone of Interest (GG, BAFTA, CCA, NSFC Runner up, Indie)

Fallen Leaves (GG, NSFC)

20 Days in Mariupol (BAFTA)

Taste of Things (CCA)

Teachers' Lounge

The fuck?

Spoilers

Perfect Days (CCA)

Io Capitano (GG)

Godland (Indie)

Totem (Indie, LAFC Runner up)

Promised Land (Mads)

[1/24 so, so surprised by this. Really can't figure out why foreign and documentary went so unexpectedly.]

Animated

Boy and the Heron

Spiderverse

Elemental

TMNT

I really hope Nimona here

Spoilers

Super Mario Bros

Chicken Run

Robot Dreams

Suzume

Wish

Doc

American Symphony (PGA, BAFTA, 6 CCA, DocNY shortlist)

Beyond Utopia (PGA, BAFTA, 4 CCA)

20 Days in Mariupol (PGA BAFTA, NSFC runner up, 5 CCA, Doc NY shortlist)

Still (BAFTA, won CCA)

Mother of All Lies (PGA, DocNY, IDA, Indie)

Bobi Wine: The People's President (won the IDA, DocNY shortlist)

Eternal Memory (2 CCA, DocNY shortlist, won IDA editing)

To Kill a Tiger (literally not a single precursor.)

WOW. What in the left field happened here?

Spoilers

Disappearance of Shere Hite (PGA)

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (PGA)

Squaring the Circle (PGA)

Kokomo City (NSFC runner up)

Four Daughters (Gotham)

Cinematography

Killers (guild, NSFC, BAFTA, CCA, LAFC Runner up)

Poor Things (guild, BAFTA, CCA, LAFC)

Maestro (guild, BAFTA, CCA)

Oppenheimer (guild, BAFTA, NSFC Runner up, NYFC, Won CCA)

Zone of Interest (BAFTA, NSFC Runner up)

Spoilers

Barbie (CCA, LAFC Runner up)

Saltburn (CCA)

El Conde (guild)

Holdovers (Indie)

All of Us Strangers (BritIndie)

[1/24: Whoo! Left field freaky guild nom!]

Costume

Barbie (guild, won CCA, BAFTA)

Killers (guild, CCA, BAFTA)

Napoleon (guild, CCA, BAFTA)

Poor Things  (guild, CCA, BAFTA)

Oppenheimer (guild, BAFTA)

Spoilers

Color Purple (CCA)

Wonka (CCA)

Maestro (guild)

Saltburn (guild)

Priscilla

[1/24: Obviously, according to ye olde youtubes, it wasn't a great year for period costumes.]

Makeup

Poor Things (guild, CCA, BAFTA)

Oppenheimer (guild, CCA, BAFTA)

Maestro ((guild, CCA, BAFTA)

Killers (BAFTA)

Napoleon (BAFTA)

Spoilers

Society of the Snow

Golda (guild)

Ferrari

Production Design

Poor Things (ADG, CCA, LAFC runner up, BAFTA)

Barbie (ADG, Won CCA, LAFC, BAFTA)

Killers (ADG, CCA, BAFTA)

Oppenheimer (ADG, CCA, BAFTA)

Saltburn (ADG, CCA)

Spoilers

Asteroid City (ADG, CCA)

Zone of Interest (BAFTA)

Maestro (ADG)

Napoleon (ADG)

Wonka (ADG)

VFX

The Creator (BAFTA, CCA, VES)

Guardians (BAFTA, CCA, VES)

Mission Impossible (BAFTA, CCA)

Poor Things (BAFTA, CCA)

Spiderverse (VES, CCA)

Spoilers

Indiana Jones (VES)

Society of the Snow (VES)

Napoleon (VES)

Godzilla Minus One

Score

Oppenheimer (BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Killers  (BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Poor Things  (BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Spider verse  (BAFTA, CCA, GG)

Barbie (CCA, LAFC runner up)

American Fiction So surprised. Not a single precursor.

Indiana Jones. Really? I mean, I get the John Williams love, but okay.

Spoilers

Zone of Interest (LAFC, GG)

Boy and the Heron (GG)

Saltburn (BAFTA)

Society of the Snow (CCA)

American Symphony

Song

I'm Just Ken - Barbie (GG, CCA)

Road to Freedom - Rustin (GG, CCA)

What Was I Made For - Barbie (GG, CCA)

Am I Dreaming - Spiderverse (I am WILLING IT INTO EXISTENCE)

It Never Went Away - American Symphony (I just can't believe they'd nominate 3 barbie songs, & Jon Batiste is popular)

Wahzhazhe - Killers. Aww man. I thought about putting that in spoilers. 

Spoilers

Dance the Night - Barbie (GG, CCA)

Dear Alien - Asteroid City

The Fire Inside - Flamin' Hot (obligatory Diane Warren blackmail spot)

Quiet Eyes - Past Lives

Can't Catch Me Now - Hunger Games

[1/24: Kinda sad Olivia didn't topple Diane Warren.]

Sound

Ferrari (MPSE, CAS, BAFTA)

Maestro  (MPSE, CAS, BAFTA)

Oppenheimer  (MPSE, CAS, BAFTA)

Barbie (MPSE, CAS)

Killers of the Flower Moon (MPSE, CAS)

Creator

Spoilers

Zone of Interest (BAFTA)

Killer (MPSE - foley)

Napoleon (MPSE - adr & foley)

Mission Impossible (BAFTA)

[1/24, I like these swaps. Creator is pretty surprising.]

Short Doc

Last Repair Shop

Nai Nai & Wai Po

Between Earth & Sky

Black Girls Play

Deciding Vote

Island in Between

Spoilers

Barber of Little Rock

Camp Courage

ABCs of Book Banning

Last Song from Kabul

Bear

Short Live

Invisible Border

Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

The After

Yellow

Good Boy

Red, White and Blue

Spoilers

the One Note Man

Knight of Fortune

An Avocado Pit

Dead Cat

Invincible

[1/24: Man - thought about putting that as a spoiler just for the title. Some interesting thoughts on the shorts over here and here.]

Short Animated

Wild Summon

A Kind of Testament

Letter to a Pig

Once Upon a Studio

War is Over!

Ninety-five senses

Spoilers

Our Uniform

Pachyderme

Humo

Dog Apartment

27

[1/24: Letter to a Pig is the only one from the shortlist I've seen so far, and I thought it was great, so glad to see it got in.]

2023 Mixes

Better late than never?

Past mixes: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Since I was behind on putting these together, I didn't take a ton of time on perfecting them. C'est la vie. 

Disc 1
1. Blame Brett - The Beaches. Love this album.

2. Dilemma - Green Day. Hey! Best new Green Day song in ages. 

3. Los Ageless - St. Vincent. I don't know how I missed this one before. 

4. Am I Dreaming - A$AP Rocky, Roisee, Metro Boomin. I'm personally rooting for this for best song. (Well - or maybe Sharon Van Etten, since I love her? But I only just heard her Past Lives song. Maybe one for next year's mixes)

5. Black Cloud - POSTDATA. My most listened to song this year? I dig the Girl Walk video. 

6. Kendrick Lamar x Feel Good Inc

7. American Teenager - Ethel Cain. I listened to SO MUCH Ethel Cain this year. Let's kick it off with her most accessible song

8. The Hardest Cut - Spoon

9. Teenage Kicks - The Undertones. I don't remember why this came back on my radar in August. Buzzcocks?

10. Obstacle 1 - Interpol. Okay - a real throw back, but I saw them live for the first time this year and it was GREAT.

11. New York - The Kills

12. Crush - Ethel Cain

13. Broken Horses - Brandi Carlile

14. $20 - boygenius. I didn't LOVE the record the way I had hoped to, but I liked a couple of the songs.

15. Cigarette - The Beaches

16. Wild - Spoon

17. Paint the Town Red - Doja Cat

18. Barbie Dangerous - Nicki Minaj

19. Venom - Little Simz

20. Crosses - Genesis Owusu

21. Sheesh - Josh Sallee & Blev

22. The Next Episode ft. Snoop Dogg - Dr. Dre. This one was definitely buzzcocks.

23. Everybody Knows - Leonard Cohen

Disc 2 - Yet again, the ladies are pissed

1. Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo. I mean. What a thrilling single to kick off her new album. 

2. Me & Me - The Beaches

3. Bahm Bahm - Nicki Minaj

4. Demons - Doja Cat

5. Burn Your Village - Kiki Rockwell

6. labour - Paris Paloma. My third most-listened to song this year. 

52 Films by Women - 2023

Time to clear out my tracker for 2024 (7/10 films I'm seeing at Sundance are directed by women!)

2022 here (12/50). 2021 here (20/36; although it should have been 21/37 because I forgot to include Yael Farber's Maccers (because the INEXORABLY STUPID MODS AT TMDB removed it [Ed: it's back as of now! My 3,000th film!] and I missed out Shepherd's Song, which was a lovely short, but one tied to my day job so I didn't review it). 2020 here (23/4), 2019 here (15/25), 2018 here (22/20).

27/18. Hey! A personal best. And several favorites from the last two years (and at least a couple for 2023.)

I also re-watched Alice Guy-Blaché's Cabbage Patch Fairy at the Musee D'Orsay, Shannon Murphy's Babyteeth (Mendo! Essie Davis! Eliza Scanlen!), Véréna Paravel & Lucien Castaing-Taylor's brilliant Leviathan, Autumn de Wilde's delightful Emma, 

Features

Eight Mountains (2022, Charlotte Vandermeersch & Felix van Groeningen) 4.5 stars, but probably should have been 5. My second favorite of 2022, but I keep second guessing that and swapping back and forth with TÁR. Just unbelievably epic while telling an intimate story. Staggering, beautiful, I just can't get over how they were able to show the scope and sweep of those lives so well. 

Aftersun (2022, Charlotte Wells) 4.5 (5th favorite of 2022) This was one where it was SO hyped that I thought it was going to be like Minari or CMBYN where I liked it fine when I finally saw it but didn't LOVE love it, and then I saw it and I loved it. 

Past Lives (2023, Celine Song). 4.5 stars. My favorite so far (albeit with a lot to catch up on before the Oscars.) Felt it in my bones. Didn't know John Magaro was in it, and he comes into what is ostensibly a two-hander and just spins the film on its axis. 

Palm Trees and Power Lines (2022, Jamie Dack). 4.5 stars. (7th favorite of 2022). After winning the US directing prize at Sundance, I was surprised when this basically didn't get released until a tiny release about a year later. I can only assume due to the subject matter. But I think it was handled so sensitively and the actors worked so well and that ending. Fuck.

I'm Your Man (2021, Maria Schrader) 4.5 stars (10th favorite of 2021). Alex has smart things to say about this one!

Alias Grace (2017, Mary Harron) 4.5 stars. This had been on my to-see list since it came out, and I wanted to see a couple of Mary Harron things on my watchlist before seeing her in person (although this was all I ended up managing). But that's okay because this is brilliant. Loved it through and through. 

The Souvenir Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg). 4 stars (5th favorite of 2021). I didn't love it quite as much as the Souvenir, but it's immediately more engaging and wrestles with the thorny meta-ness of the story in incredibly thrilling ways. 

Bergman Island (2021; Mia Hansen-Løve). 4 stars (6th favorite of 2021). This was a slow burn for me (I wonder if I would have liked the start more if I knew Bergman more.) But the ensemble is fabulous, and I really loved the ending and everything Mia Wasikowska did in this. I feel like it's been a minute since she had a project worthy of her talents and this one reminded me why she's one of my absolute favorite actresses.

Fancy Dance (2023, Erica Termblay). 4 stars. I really liked this! And what with Lily Gladstone having a banner year it is BONKERS to me that this hasn't been released! What is the story there??

The Starling Girl (2023, Laurel Parmet). 4 stars. Look - do you know exactly where this is going? Yes. Is Eliza Scanlen one of my favorite actresses and I'd watch her in just about anything? Yes. Did I spend a not insignificant amount of time going, 'wow. Lewis Pullman looks so much like Bill Pullm... wait a minute."

Bottoms (2023, Emma Seligman) 4 stars. Look - it made me laugh a lot and it's weird. 

Snow and the Bear (2022, Selcen Ergun). One of three films I got to see at SFIFF last year (! see below), and the type that really illustrates what (used to) be great about that fest. This was a small Turkish film, I'm sure I would never have otherwise heard of or had a chance to see it, and I've thought about it often this year. Really great lead and supporting actor. 

Slow (2023, Marija Kavtaradzė). 3.5 stars. Really beautiful film about a relationship between a dancer and sign language interpreter, intimacy, and asexuality. Really great physical performances and chemistry.

Theater Camp (2023, Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman). 3.5 stars. Look - if you went to an arts camp as a child, you've already seen this. Everyone else: this is not for you.

Polite Society (2023, Nida Manzoor). 3.5 stars. Brunch! Brunch! Brunch! Brunch!

Scrapper (2023, Charlotte Regan). 3 stars. I wanted to like this more. You know where it's going, the actors are good. It just didn't fully grab me for whatever reason. It won at least one award at the brit indies. 

When it Melts (2023, Veerle Baetens). 3 stars. Bleak film about childhood trauma. 

Sometime I Think About Dying (2023, Rachel Lambert). 3 stars. Also bleak, but very much its own vision. 

Good Luck to You Leo Grande (2022, Sophie Hyde). 3 stars. I was hoping for more from this. It was fine. The actors are charming, but the script was very tropey. 

Mae Martin: SAP. (2023, Abbi Jacobson). Look - probably cheating, but here we are. I like some bits of this (the cemetery of imaginary kids), but it finishes really oddly. I feel like I should see Feel Good, but I also feel like I keep trying to like Mae more than I do (sorry, S15 of TM).

Silent Night (2021, Camille Griffin). 2.5 stars. Was it exceedingly obvious where this was going from the get go? Yup. I wish it had gone further, or spun in a different way. It's a fun premise.

Catherine Called Birdy (2022, Lena Dunham). 2.5 stars. Just not for me, although there were a few things I liked (Andrew Scott.) I still need to see Sharp Stick, though.

Dalíland (2022, Mary Harron.) Oy vey. This was all over the place. Also, a note about the screening: I was so excited to see her at the SF Film Fest, and then the HVAC system wasn't working at all, so the CO2 levels in the theater for this film were over 4,000. Most times I have been on a plane they were 1600-2200. I mean, wtf. Ben Kingsley and Barbara Sukowa are good, but the focus on the assistant as the lead is so misguided (or needed a better actor) and the flashbacks with Ezra Miller (yikes) didn't work and yeah. Just a mess. 

Titane (2021; Julia Ducournau) 2.5 stars. Just like with Raw, I wanted to like this! It opens with one of my all time favorite songs! I like Vincent Lindon and Agathe Rousselle was very watchable! But jesus - this seemed so confused as to any type of viewpoint. Or point. 

Barbie (2023; Greta Gerwig) 2 stars. Look - I liked Lady Bird? Make more like that Greta. (I liked some of what Micarah had to say about it, especially about needing to pick a plot.)

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022, Halina Reijn) 2 stars. Nothing that wasn't in the trailer other than Lee Pace being entertainingly sleazy. 

Bad Behaviour (2023, Alice Englert) 1.5 stars. Any article about nepo-babies could just be a link to this film. 

Shorts

Haulout (2022, Evgenia Arbugaeva & Maxim Arbugaev). 5 stars. One of the most brilliant shorts I've ever seen. Devastated it didn't win the Oscar. 

Nuisance Bear (2022, Gabriela Osia Vanden & Jack Weisman). 5 stars. A perfect companion piece to Haulout (both are New Yorker shorts). Oscar-shortlisted and VERY sad it wasn't nominated. 

Le Pupille (2022, Alice Rohrwacher). 4.5 stars. Love, love, loved this. Devastated it didn't win the oscar. 

My Year of Dicks (2022, Sara Gunnarsdóttir). 4 stars. Loved this. Devastated, etc.

Aftertaste (2020, Chloe Wicks). 4 stars. Jessica Brown Findlay & Joe Dempsie & she's a vampire. 

The Flying Sailor (2022, Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby). 3.5 stars. Oscar nominee!

Ivalu (2023, Anders Walter & Pipaluk K. Jørgensen.) 3.5 stars. I understand those who didn't like it because the plot was obvious, but the little girl worked for me. And the landscapes are gorgeous. 

Embraced (2018, Justine Vuylsteker). 3.5 stars. Pinscreen animation. 

The Elephant Whispereres (2022, Kartiki Gonsalves). 3.5 stars. This should so be my type of thing, but you see the two brilliant films at the top and then this wins, and then I am sad at the world. 

Drummies (2022, Jessie Zinn). 3 stars. Drum majorettes in South Africa. 

Outside (Emily Murnane) 3 stars. I may have been the only person to see this?? It's not rated on LB. Anyways - cute short about covid, a long-distance relationship (ish) and isolation/agoraphobia. It's here. 

Night of the Living Dread (2021, Ida Melum). 3 stars. Animated film about insomnia/past selves.

While We Wait (2022, Kamilla Alnes) 3 stars. Dark comedy that thinks its cleverer than it is about periods.

The Club (2020, Lisa Steen) 2.5 stars. 2 friends run into each other at a sex club. 

My Double Life (2018, Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins, Job Roggeveen). Animated film about masculinity. 

My Shepherd (Lucy McKendrick) 2.5 stars. A young religious couple seeks out a secret abortion.The Soloists (2021, 5 directors). 2.5 stars. Animated film about singing sisters.

Belieiving is Seeing (2023, Sophie Black). 2.5 stars. Short about tic disorders and TikTok. 

Steakhouse (2021, Špela Čadež) 2 stars. Animated film about abuse. Oscar shortlisted and not for me.

JWD Award winners - 2021 & 2022

Continuing to be... very... late.... on... these... 

But getting it done before anything for 2023. And combining both in one post, because why not?

Best films of 2021 here, Best films of 2022 here. 

2021 JWD Awards

Best Film:

Power of the Dog

Tick Tick Boom

Worst Person in the World

Green Knight

Souvenir pt 2

Bergman Island

Spencer

Flee

Passing

Luzzu

Best Popcorn Flick:

CODA

Licorice Pizza

Matrix Resurrections

I'm Your Man

Sparks Brothers

In the Heights

Zola

French Dispatch

Film I'm Most Looking Forward To That I Missed:
Oh god so many

Drive My Car

The Rescue

Petite Maman

Riders of Justice

Red Rocket

Pig

Moffie

Cow

Lost Daughter

Bitterbrush

Card Counter (especially since I just learned it uses William Tell's Overture)

Quiet Part pt 2

Best Debut Film:
Passing

Shiva Baby (I have somehow included Shiva Baby on both my 2020 and 2021 lists??? What is time in the pandemic?? (I think it's because NBR, the Indie Spirits, and Sight & Sound have all listed it as a 2021 film, but I saw it in 2020. But I forgot to put it up for best debut and poster, so here I go in 2021. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)  

Censor

Wild Indian

Nine Days

Tick Tick Boom

Luzzu

Land

Best Actress:
Tessa Thompson - Passing

Katherine Waterson - The World to Come

Kristen Stewart - Spencer

Honor Swinton Byrne - Souvenir pt 2

Renate Reinsve - Worst Person in the World

Taylour Paige - Zola

Vicky Krieps - Bergman Island

Maren Eggert - I'm Your Man

Michelle Pfeiffer - French Exit

Best Actor:

Benedict Cumberbatch - Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield - Tick Tick Boom

Dev Patel - Green Knight

Michael Greyeyes - Wild Indian

Demián Bichir - Land

Peter Dinklage - Cyrano

Best Supporting Actress:

Mia Wasikowska - Bergman Island

Ruth Negga - Passing

Vanessa Kirby - the World to Come

Caitíona Balfe - Belfast

Kirsten Dunst - Power of the Dog

Marlee Matlin - CODA

Tilda - Souvenir pt 2

Riley Keough - Zola

Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

Valerie Mahaffey - French Exit

Best Supporting Actor:
Troy Kotsur - CODA

Kodi Smit-McPhee - Power of the Dog

Jesse Plemons - Power of the Dog

Anders Danielsen Lie - Worst Person in the World

Andre Holland - Passing

Casey Affleck - the World to Come

Colman Domingo - Zola

Mike Faist - West Side Story

Anders Danielsen Lie - Bergman Island

Tim Roth - Bergman Island

Richard Ayoade - Souvenir pt 2

Best Ensemble:
Power of the Dog

Passing

Bergman Island

Worst Person in the World

Souvenir pt 2

Licorice Pizza

Zola

In the Heights

World to Come

Hmmm... tricky to say Harder They Fall at this point, but for Idris, Zazie, Regina, Delroy & Lakeith (among others), let's still include it...

2022 JWD Awards

Previous Years: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 

Since I both didn't see half of what I meant to see, and this is so late, I'm sure these are going to be missing a lot of things, because I just haven't had the time to devote to it this year. 

Best Film:

TÁR

Eight Mountains

Bones & All

Decision to Leave

Aftersun

Memoria

Palm Trees and Power Lines

Banshees of Inisherin

After Yang

Eternal Daughter

Benediction

Notable Omissions: Women King, Women Talking, The Fablemans, The Wonder, Corsage, Pinocchio, Holy Spider, No Bears, Kimi, armageddon time, playground, lost illusions, EO

Best Popcorn Flick:

RRR

Top Gun Maverick

Nope

The Menu

Glass Onion

Men

Bob's Burgers

Marcel the Shell

Film I'm Most Looking Forward To That I Missed:
Corsage

the Wonder

Three Thousand Years

Crimes of the Future

The Northman

Zero Fucks Given

The House

the Card Counter

Pleasure

Best Debut Film:
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Aftersun

Palm Trees and Power Lines

Barbarian

On the Count of Three

Notable Omissions: Joyland, Farha, the Quiet Girl, Night of the Coconut, Lullaby, 20th Century Girl, Hit the Road, Falcon Lake, Emily the Criminal, the Inspection, Murina, Saint Omer, Happening, Clara Sola, Rodeo, We're All Going to the World's Fair

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett - TÁR

Tang Wei - Decision to Leave

Taylor Russell - Bones & All

Tilda - Memoria, Eternal Daughter

Keke Palmer - Nope

Michelle Yeoh - EEAAO

Lily McInerny - Palm Trees and Power Lines

Odessa Young - Mothering Sunday

Notable Omissions: Viola Davis - Woman King, Michelle Williams - the Fablemans, Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie, Margot Robbie - Babylon, Danielle Deadwyler - Till, Lesley Manville - Mrs. Harris, Dale Dickey - A Love Song, Alena Mikhaylova - Tchaikovsky's Wife, Rooney Mara - Women Talking, Vicky Krieps - Corsage, Zar Amir Ebrahimi - Holy Spider, Mia Goth - Pearl, Adele Exarchopoulos - Zero Fucks Given, Guslagie Malanda - Saint Omer, Zoe Kazan - She Said, Anna Diop - Nanny, Park Ji-Min - Return to Seoul

Best Actor:
Rory Kinnear - Men

Jonathan Tucker - Palm Trees & Power Lines

Luca Marinelli - Eight Mountains

Timothee Chalamet - Bones & All

Park Hae-il - Decision to Leave

Paul Mescal - Aftersun

Colin Farrell - Banshees

Colin Farrell - After Yang

Jack Lowden - Benediction

Cooper Raiff - Cha Cha Real Smooth

Notable Omissions: Paul Dano - the Fablemans, Bill Nighy - Living, Diego Calva - Babylon, Jeremy Pope - the Inspection, Hugh Jackman - the Son, Daniel Gimenez Cacho - Bardo, Eden Dambrine - Close, Song Kang-ho - Broker, Brendan Fraser - the Whale, Viggo Mortensen - Crimes of the Future, Franz Rogowski - Great Freedom, Benjamin Voisin - Lost Illusions, Freddie Gibbs - Down with the King, Jake Gyllenhaal - Ambulance

2021 JWD awards

Previous Years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 

This is 18 months late, so I barely remember the year. I'm sure a shocking amount of things are missing from the below. 

Best Film:

Power of the Dog

Tick Tick Boom

Worst Person in the World

Green Knight

Souvenir pt 2

Bergman Island

Spencer

Flee

Passing

Luzzu

Best Popcorn Flick:

CODA

Licorice Pizza

Matrix Resurrections

I'm Your Man

Sparks Brothers

In the Heights

Zola

French Dispatch

Film I'm Most Looking Forward To That I Missed:
Oh god so many

Drive My Car

The Rescue

Petite Maman

Riders of Justice

Red Rocket

Pig

Moffie

Cow

Lost Daughter

Bitterbrush

Card Counter (especially since I just learned it uses William Tell's Overture)

Quiet Part pt 2

Best Debut Film:
Passing

Shiva Baby (I have somehow included Shiva Baby on both my 2020 and 2021 lists??? What is time in the pandemic?? (I think it's because NBR, the Indie Spirits, and Sight & Sound have all listed it as a 2021 film, but I saw it in 2020. But I forgot to put it up for best debut and poster, so here I go in 2021. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)  

Censor

Wild Indian

Nine Days

Tick Tick Boom

Luzzu

Land

Notable Omissions: Lost Daughter, Pig, El Planeta, Test Pattern, Beginning, Identifying Features, Faya Dayi, Mass, the Novice, the Humans, the Inheritance, the Killing of Two Lovers, Last and First Men

Best Actress:
Tessa Thompson - Passing

Katherine Waterson - The World to Come

Kristen Stewart - Spencer

Honor Swinton Byrne - Souvenir pt 2

Renate Reinsve - Worst Person in the World

Taylour Paige - Zola

Vicky Krieps - Bergman Island

Maren Eggert - I'm Your Man

Michelle Pfeiffer - French Exit

Notable Omissions: Olivia Colman - Lost Daughter, Matha Plimpton - Mass, Marion Cotillard - Annette, Claire Rushbrook - Ali & Ava, Frances McDormand - Maccers, Katia Pascariu - Bad Luck Banging, Noomi Rapace - Lamb

Best Actor:

Benedict Cumberbatch - Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield - Tick Tick Boom

Dev Patel - Green Knight

Michael Greyeyes - Wild Indian

Demián Bichir - Land

Peter Dinklage - Cyrano

Notable Omissions: Simon Rex - Red Rocket, Clifton Collins - Jockey, Nicholas Cage - Pig, Oscar Isaac - Card Counter, Hidetoshi Nishijima - Drive My Car, Adeel Akhtar - Ali & Ava, Denzel - Maccers, Jason Isaacs - Mass, Udo Kier - Swan Song, Andrew Garfield - Mainstream

Best Supporting Actress:

Mia Wasikowska - Bergman Island

Ruth Negga - Passing

Vanessa Kirby - the World to Come

Caitíona Balfe - Belfast

Kirsten Dunst - Power of the Dog

Marlee Matlin - CODA

Tilda - Souvenir pt 2

Riley Keough - Zola

Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

Valerie Mahaffey - French Exit

Notable Omissions: Jessie Buckley/Dakota Johnson - Lost Daughter, Aunjanue Ellis - King Richard, Ann Dowd - Mass, Gaby Hoffman - C'mon C'mon, Kathryn Hunter - Maccers, Revika Anne Reustle - Pleasure, Clair Foy - Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Kotone Furukawa/Aoba Kawai - Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Park Yurim - Drive My Car

Best films of 2022

Following on 2021, just calling it now. Still a bunch I want to see from last year, but I have to get this done. 

Past Years: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009

1. TÁR

2. The Eight Mountains

3. Bones and All

4. Decision to Leave

5. Aftersun

6. Memoria

7. Palm Trees and Power Lines

8. The Banshees of Inisherin

9. After Yang

10. The Eternal Daughter

The rest here. 

I may or may not get to my award categories. We'll see how the week goes.