Oscar winners 2023

The big winner on the night was Everything Everywhere All at Once, which managed to win all six of the ‘main’ categories it was nominated in (as well as Best Film Editing).  As much as I loved the film (and I really did), I never expected it to get much attention from Oscar voters – it is, after all, a film involving a fight scene with sex toys, a reality destroying bagel, a conversation between rocks, and in perhaps the film’s funniest moment, an office trophy being put to a very improper use.  But I can’t remember the last time I was so pleasantly surprised by the Oscars, and while this year wasn’t without its controversies (where were the nominations for The Woman King?), it was gratifying to see an original movie with such a small budget but big ideas get the recognition it deserved.

But I know the real question on everyone’s lips is – how many of my predictions did I get correct?!

When the smoke cleared, I only got 5 out of 10 correct, which is my worst score for a long time … but I can live with that, because many of the predictions I got wrong were in categories where what I hoped would win, actually won!

Best picture winner – Everything Everywhere All at Once
My Prediction – Everything Everywhere All at Once
A deserved winner, in my book.

Best actress winner – Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
My Prediction – Cate Blanchett (Tár)
I really couldn’t be happier for Michelle Yeoh – I thought she deserved the win, but I suspected Cate Blanchett’s role was more ‘Oscar friendly’ performance/movie.

Best actor winner – Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
My Prediction – Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
I said Hollywood loves a comeback story, and there’s so much love for Brendan Fraser (especially after Warner Bros.’ treatment last year of the unreleased Batgirl movie) it as heart-warming to see him get his moment.  Meanwhile, The Whale also won Best Makeup & Hairstyling for its prosthetics work.

Best supporting actress winner – Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
My Prediction – Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
I honestly thought that the two nominations in this category for Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu would split the Everything Everywhere All at Once vote, but apparently not!  Jamie Lee Curtis is almost unrecognisable in the role, so it’s great to see her recognised for her performance (even if it still leaves Angela Bassett without an Oscar).

Best supporting actor winner – Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
My Prediction – Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Arguably the Hollywood comeback story to end all Hollywood comeback stories – 30 years after retiring from acting due to a lack of decent offers after Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom and The Goonies, Ke Huy Quan’s first film back earns him an Oscar win!

Best direction winner – Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
My Prediction – Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
I said there were safer/lazier choices that the Oscar voters could have made, but really, the inventiveness and creativity that went into the direction of Everything Everywhere All at Once meant any other choice would have been a travesty.

Best adapted screenplay winner – Women Talking (Sarah Polley)
My Prediction – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
I thought that the intricate weaving of plot threads in Glass Onion might earn Rian Johnson the Oscar, but that’s not to take anything away from Sarah Polley’s script.

Best original screenplay winner – Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert)
My Prediction – The Banshees of Inisherin
In the end, The Banshees of Inisherin didn’t win any Oscars, while The Daniels won their second Oscar of the evening for their imaginative and emotional original script.

Best cinematography winner – All Quiet on the Western Front (James Friend)
My Prediction – All Quiet on the Western Front (James Friend)
Although All Quite on the Western Front didn’t do nearly as well as it did at the BAFTAs, it still won Best International Film, Best Original Score and Best Production Design, as well as the Best Cinematography Oscar for James Friend.

Best costume design winner – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Ruth E Carter)
My Prediction – Elvis (Catherine Martin)
After giving her an Oscar for the first Black Panther movie, I didn’t think they’d give Ruth E Carter a second for the sequel – but I was (happily!) wrong.

Other winners:
In the other categories, Top Gun: Maverick’s only win was for Best Sound, and Avatar: The Way of Water’s only win was for Best Visual Effects, proving that the Oscars have little time for blockbusters, even if they do set box office records.  In the very hotly contested Best Animated Feature category, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio took home the Oscar, which is hard to argue with.