A lot of great films came out in 2022, including some we haven’t seen yet. But while we can’t see everything, here are the films we did see, that we really want to win. And yes, we are aware that some of these films weren't technically nominated, but this is fantasy league for movies, okay?
Everything Everywhere All at Once
I love action, I like sci-fic, Michelle Yeoh is awesome—what other reasons did I need to see this one? I was prepared to enjoy the heck out Everything Everywhere All at Once. Then I saw it, and my emotions went through a multiverse. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I sympathized, I cried some more.
I want this film to win everything, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh, Best Supporting Actress for Stephanie Hsu, Best Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography.
Previous Best Picture Winners you should check out: Parasite and Spotlight
The Batman
Just when you think you’re burnt out on superhero properties, something special comes around. Matt Reeves is a great director, so I knew I didn’t really have anything to worry about as a Batman fan. I was still struck by how much the story revolved around a young Bruce Wayne’s anger and its limitations. I love the ending of this film, which shows him reconciling that anger with the need for hope and care. Reeves also did a great job creating the grounded, yet haunted feel of Gotham.
I also want this film to win Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. I’m aware I just listed the latter award again, but just go with it. I’m hedging my bets.
Previous Best Adapted Screenplay Winners you should check out: BlacKkKlansman and The Big Short
Pinocchio
Not the one by Disney, though I don’t think anyone who’s seen both could confuse Guillermo del Toro’s work with the… other Pinocchio film that came out in 2022.
I’ve been a fan of Guillermo del Toro since I saw Pan’s Labyrinth as a kid, and I saw his latest feature for my birthday last year. Here, we are taken to Italy, where the rise in fascism has led to Mussolini in power and WWII. Pinocchio, a tiny agent of chaos without guile, ends up getting involved in many a misadventure. Geppetto is a man not yet done mourning the loss of his first son, when he’s given another, much different boy to care for. He has his own missteps. Watching them both try to navigate how to be father and son does something special to your heart.
I want this film to win Best Animated Feature.
Previous Best Animated Feature winners you should check out: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spirited Away
The Black Phone
This is the Film You Should Watch Even Though It Won’t Win an Oscar. I
t’s a tight, well-constructed horror film about a boy trying to survive a serial killer. He’s already been caught, and his only help comes from the ghosts of other victims. If you like scary movies, you shouldn’t miss this one.
-Leslie
Wendell and Wild
Wendell and Wild deserves a nom for being so new and interesting. This movie kind of snuck under the radar and was probably missed by a lot of people! It has amazing animation, an intricate and fascinating story, and a killer soundtrack. The protagonist, Kat, is a cool punk teen tortured by a tragic backstory and some delightful demons played by Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. No shade to Pinocchio and Puss and Boots, but I prefer this kind of originality any day.
I would have loved for this film to win Best Animated Feature, but at the very least to get a nod for Best Original Screenplay or Best Visual Effects.
I put some of the songs from the soundtrack together into a playlist which you can listen to on Freegal using your library card.
Previous Best Visual Effects winners you should check out: Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Alien
Nope
Jordan Peele is on my list twice y’all! I know that horror movies rarely find their way into the conversation when it comes to winning Oscars, but they should’ve said “Yes” to nominating Nope! Terrible jokes aside, this is another original and visually striking film. Jordan Peele wins my heart again with a fascinating and horrifying screenplay. The effects are stunning. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer are excellent at playing siblings struggling to keep their family business afloat, training horses to be used on Hollywood sets. I don’t want to say too much about this movie at all for fear of spoiling it, but any horror film lover should check it out!
This film deserved a nomination for Best Original Screenplay or Best Visual Effects for sure.
A couple of the horror films that have won Oscars: The Silence of the Lambs is the only horror film to ever win Best Picture, and Get Out for Best Original Screenplay
- Sarah G.
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