Cinelinx 2022 Oscar Previews – Part 1

This is your guide to the major nominees of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony. Part 1 takes a look at the films in the running for Best Picture.

There’s always a lot of talk leading up to the big day about who will win what awards. We try to make our predictions based on trends from the past, but we can’t help to be swayed by our own personal opinions. Some movies truly strike a chord with us, while others aren’t interesting at all. Furthermore, Oscar films are usually heavy in the drama department and therefore they aren’t always the easiest or most entertaining movies to watch.

Belfast

Directed By: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill

Story: A semi-autobiographical film which chronicles the life of a working class family and their young son’s childhood during the tumult of the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capital.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

BAFTA – Outstanding British Film of the Year

Golden Globes – Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Original Screenplay

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Best Sound

Best Achievement in Directing

Best Achievement Written For Motion Pictures

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

What The Critics Said: 

“Not only do its themes comment on important timeless issues, but the way the film uses its dialogue to mold its young protagonist will warm your heart even in the saddest moments.” – G.S. Perno, Cinelinx

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 75%

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

IMDB: 7.3/10

Cinelinx: 4 of 5 Stars (read our review, here)

Interesting Fact: The film is based on true story events based on director Kenneth Branagh’s childhood. 

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CODA

Directed By: Sian Heder

Starring: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Eugenio Durbez

Story: Ruby is the only hearing member of a deaf family from Gloucester, Massachusetts. At 17, she works mornings before school to help her parents and brother keep their fishing business afloat. But in joining her high school’s choir club, Ruby finds herself drawn to both her duet partner and her latent passion for singing.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

BAFTA – Best Screenplay, Adapted

BAFTA – Best Supporting Actor

BAFTA – Best Leading Actress

SAG – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

SAG – Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

AFI – Movie of the Year

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Best Adapted Screenplay

What The Critics Said: 

“CODA is a brilliantly humane, uplifting film full of fine performances-and it’s a leap forward for the representation of people with disabilities on film.” – Samuel R. Murrian, Parade Magazine

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 75%

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

IMDB: 8.0/10

Interesting Fact: All of the onset interpreters were CODAs. 

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Don’t Look Up

Directed By: Adam McKay

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence

Story: Two low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

None

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Achievement in Film Editing

Best Achievement Written For Motion Pictures, Original Score

Best Original Screenplay

What The Critics Said: 

“The ability for the film to frame the challenges of our world today in a satirical, if entertaining fashion is both the film’s best and worst attribute.” – G.S. Perno, Cinelinx

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 49%

Rotten Tomatoes: 56%

IMDB: 7.2/10

Cinelinx: 2.5 out of 5 Stars (read our review, here)

Interesting Fact: Became Netflix’s 3rd most viewed film ever, just 3 days after its release. 

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Drive My Car

Directed By: Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada

Story: An aging, widowed actor seeks a chauffeur. The actor turns to his go-to mechanic, who ends up recommending a 20-year-old girl. Despite their initial misgivings, a very special relationship develops between the two.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

BAFTA – Best Film, Not in English Language

Critics Choice – Best Foreign Language Film

Palme d’Or – Cannes Film Festival

Golden Globes – Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Achievement in Directing

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best International Feature Film

What The Critics Said: 

“Drive My Car is an expertly crafted drama with an incredible script that unfolds as the film moves along.” – G.S. Perno, Cinelinx.com

Overall Critic Consensus: 

Metacritic: 91%

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

IMDB: 7.7/10

Cinelinx: 4.5 out of 5 stars (read our review, here)

Interesting Fact: Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi said that when filming either Hidetoshi Nishijima or Toko Miura in the car alone facing the camera he would have the other actor stand next to the camera so that they would feel that they were still working together. 

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Dune

Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Issac

Story: Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

AFI – Movie of the Year

Critics Choice – Best Production Design

Critics Choice – Best Visual Effects

Critics Choice – Best Score

Golden Globes – Best Original Score, Motion Picture

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Sound

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Best Achievement in Production Design

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Best Achievement in Film Editing

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Best Adapted Screenplay

What The Critics Said: 

“In just about every way, watching Dune feels like witnessing an experience that will stand the test of time.” – Jordan Maison, Cinelinx

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 74%

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

IMDB: 8.1/10

Cinelinx: 4.5 of 5 stars (read our review, here)

Interesting Fact: Hans Zimmer spent a week in the deserts of Utah alone to assimilate some of the sounds of the landscape into his thinking for the score. 

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King Richard

Directed By: Reinaldo Marcus Green

Starring: Will Smith, Aunjane Ellis

Story: Armed with a clear vision and a brazen, 78-page plan, Richard Williams is determined to write his two daughters, Venus and Serena, into history. Training on tennis courts in Compton, Calif., Richard shapes the girls’ unyielding commitment and keen intuition. Together, the Williams family defies seemingly insurmountable odds and the prevailing expectations laid before them.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

BAFTA – Best Leading Actor

SAG – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

AFI – Movie of the Year

Critics Choice – Best Actor

Golden Globes – Best Lead Actor

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Best Achievement in Film Editing

Best Original Screenplay

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

What The Critics Said: 

“This is a dream role for Will Smith and he attacks it with gusto. Williams is a larger-than-life character who just happens to be real, and Smith embodies his underdog, combative, indefatigable spirit to perfection.” – Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 76%

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

IMDB: 7.5/10

Interesting Fact: As a thank you to the cast, Will Smith divided his $40 million earnings amongst the other actors as bonuses for them. 

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Licorice Pizza

Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman

Story: Alana Kane and Gary Valentine grow up, run around, and fall in love in California’s San Fernando Valley in the 1970s.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

BAFTA – Best Screenplay, Original

AFI – Movie of the Year

Critics Choice – Best Comedy Movie

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Achievement in Directing

Best Original Screenplay

What The Critics Said: 

“It’s a radiant coming-of-age romance, that fills your heart with electricity and actively propels you straight into another dimension.” – Michael Lee, Film Ireland Magazine

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 90%

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

IMDB: 7.4/10

Interesting Fact: Most of the background actors are friends and family of the main actors as well of friends and family members of Paul Thomas Anderson. 

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Nightmare Alley

Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett

Story: In 1940s New York, down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle endears himself to a clairvoyant and her mentalist husband at a traveling carnival. Using newly acquired knowledge, Carlisle crafts a golden ticket to success by swindling the elite and wealthy. Hoping for a big score, he soon hatches a scheme to con a dangerous tycoon with help from a mysterious psychologist who might be his most formidable opponent yet.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

AFI – Movie of the Year

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Achievement in Production Design

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Best Achievement in Cinematography

What The Critics Said: 

“It really does feel like a noir modernized with contemporary production and a sophisticated sheen.” – G.S. Perno, Cinelinx. 

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 70%

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%

IMDB: 7.1/10

Cinelinx: 3 out of 5 stars (read our review, here)

Interesting Fact: Bradley Cooper claimed that many of the tabletop props in the film were actual possessions of Guillermo del Toro. 

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The Power of the Dog

Directed By: Jane Campion

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kristen Dunst

Story: A domineering rancher responds with mocking cruelty when his brother brings home a new wife and her son, until the unexpected comes to pass.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (x2)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Best Achievement in Directing

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Achievement in Production Design

Best Sound

Best Achievement in Cinematography 

Best Achievement in Film Editing

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

What The Critics Said: 

“The western HAS been done ad nauseum, but it never really peeked behind the curtains like this one does. Campion tears away the excess to reveal the western at its core – all of its beauty and fragility on full display.” – G.S. Perno, Cinelinx

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 89%

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

IMDB: 6.9/10

Cinelinx: 4.5 out of 5 stars (read our review, here)

Interesting Fact: Kristen Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch were so into their characters that they did not speak to each other except during filming. 

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West Side Story

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler

Story: Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. Their burgeoning romance helps to fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks — two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.

Biggest Awards Wins So Far:

BAFTA – Best Supporting Actress

BAFTA – Best Casting

SAG – Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Supporting Role

AFI – Movie of the Year

Golden Globes – Best Motion Picture, Music or Comedy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Musical or Comedy

Other Oscar Nominations:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Best Achievement in Production Design

Best Sound

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Best Achievement in Directing

What The Critics Said: 

“Everything from the sets to the costumes and makeup speak to an impeccable production helmed by some of the most experienced people in the industry.” – G.S. Perno, Cinelinx

Overall Critic Consensus:

Metacritic: 85%

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

IMDB: 7.4/10

Cinelinx: 3 out of 5 stars (read our review, here)

Interesting Fact: John Williams was brought in to serve as music consultant for the film. Williams was the piano soloist for the 1961 soundtrack version of the score.

Check back later this week for Part 2 of our Oscar Previews!