It’s Oscar Nomination Eve! Yay!

Despite my two favorite films of the year – Nightmare Alley & In the Heights – being left out of the Best Picture conversation, it was a rock star year for movies. It is definitely a year to celebrate!

With an ever changing precursor season, however, it is getting more and more difficult to read the Oscar tea leaves. Luckily, I follow it all close enough that to still determine what’s out front and what’s been forgotten.

So here we go!

And the nominees for the 94th Academy Awards might be…

BEST PICTURE

1. Belfast
2. The Power of the Dog
3. King Richard
4. Licorice Pizza
5. Dune
6. CODA
7. Don’t Look Up
8. West Side Story
9. Tick, Tick… Boom! 
10. Being the Ricardos

Look out for: House of Gucci, Drive My Car

What should be here: Nightmare Alley & In the Heights – my top 2 of this past year

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Jane Campion — The Power of the Dog
2. Denis Villeneuve — Dune
3. Paul Thomas Anderson — Licorice Pizza
4. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi — Drive My Car
5. Steven Spielberg — West Side Story

Look out for: Kenneth Branagh — Belfast, Reinaldo Marcus Green — King Richard

BEST ACTOR

1. Will Smith — King Richard
2. Benedict Cumberbatch — The Power of the Dog
3. Andrew Garfield — Tick, Tick… Boom!
4. Denzel Washington — The Tragedy of Macbeth
5. Javier Bardem — Being the Ricardos

Look out for: Leonardo DiCaprio — Don’t Look Up, Bradley Cooper – Nightmare Alley

BEST ACTRESS

1. Lady Gaga — House of Gucci
2. Nicole Kidman — Being the Ricardos
3. Jessica Chastain — The Eyes of Tammy Faye
4. Olivia Colman — The Lost Daughter
5. Kristen Stewart — Spencer

Look out for: Penélope Cruz — Parallel Mothers, Alana Haim — Licorice Pizza

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Kodi Smit-McPhee — The Power of the Dog
2. Troy Kotsur — CODA
3. Ciarán Hinds — Belfast
4. Bradley Cooper — Licorice Pizza
5. Ben Affleck — The Tender Bar

Look out for: Jesse Plemmons – Power of the Dog, Mike Faist – West Side Story

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Ariana DeBose — West Side Story
2. Caitríona Balfe — Belfast
3. Kirsten Dunst — The Power of the Dog
4. Aunjanue Ellis — King Richard
5. Ruth Negga — Passing

Look out for: Cate Blanchett — Nightmare Alley, Rita Moreno – West Side Story

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1. Encanto
2. The Mitchells vs. The Machines 
3. Flee
4. Luca
5. Raya and the Last Dragon 

Look out for: Belle, Sing 2

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. Jane Campion — The Power of the Dog
2. Sian Heder — CODA
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal — The Lost Daughter
4. Tony Kushner — West Side Story
5. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe — Drive My Car 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. Kenneth Branagh — Belfast
2. Adam McKay — Don’t Look Up
3. Paul Thomas Anderson — Licorice Pizza
4. Aaron Sorkin — Being the Ricardos
5. Zach Baylin — King Richard

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1. “Be Alive” — King Richard
2. “Dos Oruguitas” — Encanto
3. “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” — Respect
4. “Just Look Up” —Don’t Look Up
5. “No Time To Die” — No Time to Die

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Tristan Tapscott Theatre Columnist

Tristan Layne Tapscott has been dubbed the “Quad Cities’ P.T. Barnum” and although the person who initially said it meant it as an insult, he happily accepts the title.