2022 Academy Award Nominations

We're finally here! The 2022 Oscar nominations are upon us. I was mostly satisfied overall, but of course there were some snubs. Here's a list of the nominees + my quick thoughts.

Best Picture
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

I was really thinking tick, tick...BOOM would be here, but Drive My Car is a huge surprise. I wish Passing would've gotten some love here. DMC is the only one I haven't seen of the bunch. 

Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem - Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield - tick, tick…Boom!
Will Smith - King Richard
Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of Macbeth

BENNY BATCH! I'm very much on Team Cumberbatch this year. Denzel Washington's 10th nomination makes him the most nominated black man in history. BAFTAs, are you watching?

Actress in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz - Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart - Spencer

I was so excited that Stewart got in that I didn't even realize Lady Gaga got snubbed. She was doing THE MOST this season. Absolutely crazy. I'm very happy for Cruz though, Parallel Mothers was tremendous. 

Actor in a Supporting Role
Ciarán Hinds - Belfast
Troy Kotsur - CODA
Jesse Plemons - The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons - Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Power of the Dog

Plemons getting in on that Power of the Dog love! Smit-McPhee and Kotsur are my favorite nominations here. 

Actress in a Supporting Role
Jessie Buckley - The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose - West Side Story
Judi Dench - Belfast
Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis - King Richard

Academy Award Nominee Kirsten Dunst sounds SO good. I was so psyched to see Jessie Buckley that I didn't realize Ruth Negga didn't make it in for Passing. Did we really need Dench again? Negga should've been in her place. 

Directing
Kenneth Branagh
Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Paul Thomas Anderson
Jane Campion
Steven Spielberg

Denis Villenueve not being here is a mess. I wish the Academy would showcase some newer talent. Aside from Campion and Hamaguchi (I like that more foreign films are getting nominated here) I'm bored. Spielberg was good, but Branagh and PTA...meh. Not the best movies. 

Adapted Screenplay
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog

Maggie Gyllenhaal getting another nomination!

Original Screenplay
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World

The Worst Person in the World getting in here was huge. I really want to see that. I'm bummed C'mon C'mon didn't make it in. That's far more deserving than a lot of these nominees. Same with Nine Days, but no one but me cares about that movie so...

Documentary Feature
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul
Writing With Fire

I have not seen any of these, so I'll be looking to see what's on streaming asap.

Animated Feature Film
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon

I was really hoping Raya would get snubbed, because the more I think about that movie, the more I dislike it. I haven't seen Flee, which I want to, but the rest of this year animated wise was just...weak. 

International Feature Film
Drive My Car (Japan)
Flee (Denmark)
The Hand of God (Italy)
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Buhtan)
The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

Another category where I've seen nothing, hopefully some of these get released here soon.

Cinematography
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of The Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

I love this category, but I would've swapped West Side Story for Spencer personally. I'm glad Nightmare Alley got a ton of love.

Film Editing
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick…Boom!

I liked Don't Look Up for the most part but I am SO confused by this nomination.

Live Action Short Film
Ala Kacchu – Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold

I plan on doing another Shorts round up as I've done in the past few years, so hopefully I'll have more thoughts on these soon.

Animated Short Film
Affairs of the Art
Bestia
Boxballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper

Documentary Short Subject
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs of Benazir
When We Were Bullies

Original Score
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog

Again...Don't Look Up's nomination puzzles me. Spencer and Passing were right there.

Original Song
Be Alive
Dos Oroguitos
Down to Joy
No Time To Die
Somehow to Do

Production Design
Dune
Nightmare Alley
Power
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Costume Design
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story

Cruella being here is wonderful. This is also Cyrano's lone nod.

Makeup and Hairstyling
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci

Sound
Belfast
Dune
No Time To Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

Visual Effects
Dune
Free Guy
No Time To Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Free Guy over Black Widow and The Suicide Squad is a choice...