Cinema Wellman's Oscar Ballot
Short Film (Animated)
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse ✅
The Flying Sailor
Ice Merchants 🥈
My Year of Dicks
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe Him - NOT SEEN!
I have always thought that the shorts (both animated and live action) don't get the credit they deserve. I always looked at them like short stories with features being novels in that comparison. It's extremely difficult to tell a good story in a short amount of time whether it's on paper or film. Kudos to filmmakers that continue to accept the challenge and produce quality shorts.
I've only seen four of the five animated shorts so far, and I'm looking forward to whatever that ostrich movie is going to be! Cinema Wellman's vote is going to The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse. This fable follows the three animals as they help the boy search for a home. I loved the positivity in the film and how it inspires you to be kind and accepting of others, no matter where you come from. And the disclaimer at the end is perfect; "No cakes were harmed in the making of this film." Loved that! And loved the mole!
Short Film (Live Action)
An Irish Goodbye - NOT SEEN!
Ivalu ✅
Le Pupille
Night Ride 🥈
The Red Suitcase
Here is another category that features a "missing" entry as far as my viewing is concerned. But, I don't think I'll change my vote after seeing the 5th nominee, that's how much I enjoyed Ivalu.
Have you been to Greenland? I don't think I know anyone who has been to Greenland, and its beauty on display in this film is beyond belief. This film is only 16 minutes long, and it's packed full of gorgeous scenery.
The beautiful scenery in this film can also be harsh and brutal much like the topic of this short and the themes it explores. All in 16 minutes. There is more feeling and emotion in the 16 minutes of Ivalu than in the entire 192 minutes of Avatar: The Way of Water. That is not an exaggeration.
Documentary Short Film
The Elephant Whisperers
Haulout 🥈
How Do You Measure a Year? - NOT SEEN!
The Martha Mitchell Effect ✅
Stranger at the Gate
I have not yet seen How Do You Measure a Year? and it looks delightful. I'm looking forward to seeing that. For now, Cinema Wellman's vote in this category is cast for The Martha Mitchell Effect simply because I was a "Watergate Kid."
According to the Interwebs, the Watergate Scandal took place between June of 1972 and August of 1974. That makes me 10-12 years old during the mess and I soaked it all up like a sponge. I was fascinated by the idea of corruption in our presidency. I was still young enough to think that all presidents of my country were honorable men. Boy did that change. Right around this time.
This documentary short brought me right back to those days when I couldn't wait to get home from school to watch the Watergate hearings on television. Seeing those rogues and their puppet master again brought back a lot of memories. Halderman, Erlichman, Dean, Liddy, and that crooked bastard Nixon pulling the strings made for some amazing viewing back then. This film brings it back with Martha Mitchell at the forefront. She was quite a character to say the least! If you watch this, you'll totally understand why Nixon hated her and (probably) wanted her dead. She was that dangerous to him!
Documentary Feature Film
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Fire of Love
A House Made of Splinters ✅
Navalny 🥈
All of the attention is going to Fire of Love in this category, but I don't get it. I love nature documentaries, but I didn't buy into it for some reason. There were actually three films I liked more in this category.
Cinema Wellman's vote goes to A House Made of Splinters, a heartbreaking documentary about an institution in Ukraine that houses children who have been removed from their homes while waiting for court custody decisions.
Listening to these young people talk frankly about their neglectful, abusive parents is genuinely sad. As a father I watched this and wanted to adopt every one of these kids. I was happy to see that the people who run this institution are very caring and loving people. These children certainly deserve someone in their lives who loves them.
Music (Original Song)
"Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman
"Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick
"Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 🥈
"Naatu Naatu" from RRR ✅
"This Is a Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once
If you're a regular here at Cinema Wellman, you know my struggle with this category. The Best Original Song category has "caused" me to watch so many horrible movies over the years. I had to sit through 50 Shades of Grey because of this category! That remains one of the worst things I have ever seen.
I'm here to tell you that dozens and dozens of AWFUL movies over the years have been Oscar nominated in this category and nothing else!
This year is an exception as there are a few good choices in a few really good movies. I really enjoyed "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but a movie I truly loved, RRR, was only nominated in this category, so I have to go with "Naatu Naatu" from RRR.
RRR is a tremendous action adventure film from India that is unlike anything I have ever seen. The action sequences (and CGI effects) are phenomenal. It's three hours and seven minutes long, but it doesn't seem like it. There's just too much going on. The three R's stand for "Rise, Roar, Revolt," and the movie is about two legendary revolutionaries who are fighting for their country in the 1920s. This is an amazing film, and the song at the end is unbelievably fun. The movie is worth watching for this song over the closing credits alone. Masterful filmmaking!
Music (Original Score)
All Quiet on the Western Front - Volker Bertelmann 🥈
Babylon - Justin Hurwitz ✅
The Banshees of Inisherin - Carter Burwell
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Son Lux
The Fabelmans - John Williams
John Williams is the sentimental favorite here scoring his 25th and final film for Steven Spielberg, but I'm not buying into sentimentality. Williams has already won 5 Oscars, 3 of those for scoring movies directed by Spielberg. Been there, done that.
Instead, Cinema Wellman will vote for Justin Hurwitz's score for the amazing Babylon. I think Babylon was overlooked with "only" three nominations, half of what Top Gun: Maverick got which is patently absurd. Babylon is an assault on the senses that has to be seen to be believed. The excess of early Hollywood is fully on display. Elephant poop and all!
Sound
All Quiet on the Western Front ✅
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Elvis 🥈
Top Gun: Maverick
I have a greater appreciation for sound in movies after watching a 2019 documentary titled Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound. If you think that all there is to movie sound is a person with a boom mic recording everything, you need to see that documentary.
Sound in movies is an extremely complex art that layers multiple audio tracks to form one complete sound. There is, of course, the dialogue track. Add to that background sound, sound effects, the score, and the sound created by the magical work of the foley artists. It's an amazing process.
Sound in movies is like the umpires in a baseball game. You shouldn't notice it if it's doing its job. I think a lot of people take sound in movies for granted. The next time you watch a movie, pay attention to all of the sound you're hearing. I guarantee those sounds are on multiple tracks that were not recorded live during the scene.
Cinema Wellman's vote goes to All Quiet on the Western Front because, like many war movies, the sound is extremely important in helping put us in the trenches and vividly hear the horrors of war.
Makeup and Hairstyling
All Quiet on the Western Front 🥈
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ✅
Elvis
The Whale
Sorry, not going for the fat suits. Either of them. I've gone on record with my feelings about the prosthetic blubber, and I won't change my opinion now.
Our vote is going to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I have always thought that makeup & hairstyling go hand in hand to a certain degree with costume design. All work together to help create the illusion of another time or place, and it works magnificently in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Speaking of costume design...
Costume Design
Babylon 🥈
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ✅
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
As I just mentioned, costume design goes hand in hand with makeup & hairstyling. Since our makeup & hairstyling vote went to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we will double up and give them the nod for costume design as well.
Babylon was a close second, but some of the costumes in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were absolutely stunning. I've always thought it was tougher to create costumes for a place that never existed than to look back at photos and replicate the actual past from a place that did exist.
Production Design
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon ✅
Elvis 🥈
The Fabelmans
There was so much to look at in Babylon, so much to pay attention to. As mentioned earlier, excess is the name of the game in this movie, and the production design in Babylon brings every bit of that excess to life in a grand fashion.
I'm one of those people that pays very close attention to production design, and when a crew does it right, it's just a beautiful thing. Not everything in Babylon is beautiful, not by a long shot. But the sets, props, lighting, etc. are all masterfully done. In a visceral, visual film, the wonderful production design helps create the reality of early Hollywood's debauchery.
Visual Effects
All Quiet on the Western Front ✅
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 🥈
Top Gun: Maverick
This category is always challenging for me because of the mixed feelings I have about CGI. I think that too much CGI can ruin a movie. Take 2012 for example. The effects in that were fantastic, but the movie was ludicrous due in part to those very effects being just too much to believe even when suspending so much belief to begin with.
It may sound strange, but I prefer my effects in movies that are grounded in reality. It's one of the reasons I'd never cast a vote for Avatar: The Way of Water. As I've said before...just make a damn cartoon...
Cinema Wellman's vote is cast for All Quiet on the Western Front because of its heart pounding war sequences. These effects added to the overall story without being front and center. I believed I was watching a WWI battle because of the stellar visual effects employed by the filmmakers. I don't like being distracted by the visual effects in a movie; I prefer that they add to the production instead of dominating it. That's exactly how the effects were utilized in All Quiet on the Western Front, and that's why they get our vote.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
All Quiet on the Western Front - Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Rian Johnson 🥈
Living - Kazuo Ishiguro
Top Gun: Maverick - Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie
Women Talking - Sarah Polley ✅
As much as I love Rian Johnson and his films Knives Out and Glass Onion, I have to go with longtime friend (since 1999) of Cinema Wellman Sarah Polley and her screenplay for Women Talking.
Women Talking is an amazing film shot in such a unique way that it deserves to get more attention than it seems to be getting. Yes, I realize it was nominated for Best Picture, but that seems insincere since the only other nomination it received was for Adapted Screenplay. Sarah Polley's screenplay is so important to this film because it's mostly, you know, women talking..and none of those were nominated in the acting categories, which is ridiculous.
Polley also directed this film and continues to hone her skills behind the camera. She could have easily been included in the Best Director category. I will see every movie she makes in her career and look forward to what's to come from her.
One more thing...the fact that Top Gun: Maverick is included in this category pisses me off so much. That screenplay could have been written by a drunk monkey.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonagh 🥈
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
The Fabelmans - Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner
Tar - Todd Field
Triangle of Sadness - Ruben Ostlund ✅
I always associate the Original Screenplay Oscar with movies that the Academy is "afraid" to honor in any other category. For example, Pulp Fiction, Almost Famous, Promising Young Woman, Get Out, Her, Juno, Lost in Translation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Hospital only won one Oscar each, and it was for Original Screenplay. There are tremendous movies on that list that should have won multiple Oscars. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and again, I blame The Academy.
This year's "that fits the mold" vote goes to Ruben Ostlund's Triangle of Sadness which is an unflinching look at class and power. And vomit. Let's not forget the vomit. I wonder what those pages looked like in the script. I loved that movie. Even the vomit.
And vomit was a thing in this year's 54 nominated films! Triangle of Sadness is awarded four buckets, but barf was also prominently featured in scenes from Babylon and The Whale. Hell, even Marcel in Marcel the Shell With Shoes On vomits in his movie! What is going on?!?!
Film Editing
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis 🥈
Everything Everywhere All at Once ✅
Tar
Top Gun: Maverick
When I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once, I was blown away by a lot of it. There's so much to see and there are times that you feel like your senses are being assaulted. In a good way, of course.
It seems like a movie that was impossible to shoot was even more impossible to edit. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. I think editor Paul Rogers deserves a double Oscar for his effort on this film!
Cinematography
All Quiet on the Western Front - James Friend
Bardo, False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths - Darius Khondji ✅
Elvis - Mandy Walker
Empire of Light - Roger Deakins 🥈
Tar - Florian Hoffmeister
Some excellent films on this short list. When this category is awarded, it will go to a worthy cinematographer/film. You may say that that's true for all of the categories, but I would disagree with you.
I really enjoyed Empire of Light, but Cinema Wellman's vote is going to Darius Khondji and Bardo, False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths. It's directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, so you know it's worth seeing right off the bat. I'll let IMDb handle the synopsis, because it's a little hard to describe. "An acclaimed journalist-turned-documentarian goes on an oneiric introspective journey to reconcile with the past, the present, and his Mexican identity."
Bardo is beautifully shot with several dreamlike/surrealistic sequences. The movie poster actually tells the truth for a change. It reads "A Breathtaking Experience."
I couldn't agree more.
Animated Feature Film
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio ✅
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 🥈
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red
When I saw that Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio was nominated in this category, I knew right away that none of the other films had a chance. I absolutely adore his films and look forward to watching anything he's involved in.
I personally hate the actual story Pinocchio, but I knew del Toro would do a much better job than anyone who had attempted it before, and I was right.
Stop motion animation films are always amazing to watch, but when you sit and think about how they actually create them, it's mind blowing. This film took 40 animators 940 days to capture. That is some painstaking work right there, and I'd love to see it honored.
International Feature Film
All Quiet on the Western Front - Germany 🥈
Argentina, 1985 - Argentina
Close - Belgium
EO - Poland ✅
The Quiet Girl - Ireland
I saw a comment online that suggested the donkey from EO host SNL, and after watching the movie, I think he could pull it off.
EO is a Polish film that uniquely tells the story of the life of a donkey from the donkey's perspective. EO journeys throughout Europe encountering both good and bad people, experiencing joy and sadness. It's beautifully shot and edited, and the final product is unforgettable. Especially the ending.
See EO if you can, especially if you're an animal lover. EO is quite loveable.
Directing
The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonagh
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert ✅
The Fabelmans - Steven Spielberg
Tar - Todd Field
Triangle of Sadness - Ruben Ostlund 🥈
I recently stated that I don't understand how the Best Director Oscar doesn't automatically go to the director of the Best Picture winner every single year. And here I am voting for the directors of a film I DIDN'T vote for for Best Picture, so I guess I can understand how it can happen.
I just think that what the "Daniels" Kwan and Scheinert pulled off with Everything Everywhere All at Once is something that needs to be awarded multiple Oscars. And since I didn't vote for it for Best Picture, I wanted to do what I consider the next best thing.
Spielberg will be the sentimental favorite in this category, but that doesn't mean much to me. He's already won two. I'm for giving someone else some recognition. Not that there should be a cap on how many Oscars you can win, but it shouldn't be a knee jerk reaction based solely on past performance.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin ✅
Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway 🥈
Judd Hirsch - The Fabelmans
Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once
I was mesmerized by the complexity of Brendan Gleeson's character in The Banshees of Inisherin. Gleeson always creates compelling characters and is adept at both drama and comedy. His Banshees character, Colm Doherty, makes some outrageous decisions making him a character you can't take your eyes off of.
Simply put, I really like Brendan Gleeson and I'd love to see him win an Oscar. That's the reason for my vote here. I'm way less complicated than Colm Doherty.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 🥈
Hong Chau - The Whale
Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once ✅
Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All at Once
This category is filled with worthy nominees. I still can't understand why the entire cast of Women Talking got shut out of the acting categories, but that's what makes The Academy the entity I love to question and often times hate.
Angela Bassett was wonderful in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and I would be very happy if she won an Oscar for her performance. She is an excellent actress who deserves recognition.
That being said, Cinema Wellman's vote goes to longtime friend of Cinema Wellman Jamie Lee Curtis. Her pictures graced my dorm walls 40 years ago at BU. The "Scream Queen" of the heydey of slasher films has certainly made her mark on the world of cinema. I also think she's a good human being who is intelligent and honest and sassy as hell. I'd love to see her win an Oscar. I love the idea of Laurie Strode winning an Oscar.
Actor in a Leading Role
Austin Butler - Elvis 🥈
Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin ✅
Brendan Fraser - The Whale
Paul Mescal - Aftersun
Bill Nighy - Living
I loved Paul Mescal's performance in Aftersun, and I'm interested to see what he does next. But I'm not ready to vote for someone who is so early in their career in such a major category as this.
I'm actually going to say the same thing about Austin Butler in Elvis. I had seen Butler in three of his previous movies and he didn't make much of an impact on me. He was excellent as Elvis, but I want to see where he goes from here not playing Elvis and using that voice.
Brendan Fraser is getting a lot of support for a win, and I get it. It certainly is a career resurrection for Fraser, and he seems like a decent enough guy. I am rooting for him in his future endeavors.
But Cinema Wellman's vote is going to Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin. Colin Farrell has had a very interesting career. I enjoyed some of his early "cheese" such as Minority Report, The Recruit, and the always wonderful Phone Booth. He then showed me he could actually act, and in a variety of genres with his roles in In Bruges, Horrible Bosses, and especially in The Lobster which I consider an amazing movie.
Farell's performance in The Banshees of Inisherin is wonderfully sweet and he shares his character's confusion about his situation with the audience in a way that has us rooting for him to sort out his problems in his remote little isolated town where everyone knows everyone else's business.
I'd love to see him win an Oscar for this performance.
Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett - Tar 🥈
Ana de Armas - Blonde
Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie
Michelle Williams - The Fabelmans
Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once ✅
Cate Blanchett was in two Oscar nominated movies this year. Did you know that? She obviously plays Lydia Tar and is nominated for that role, but she's also in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio as the voice of Spazzatura the Monkey. She has very few lines and her performance is mostly noises. Blanchett has gone on record as saying that she loves del Toro so much she would do anything for him including "playing a pencil." Much love here for two time winner Cate Blanchett. She is one of the most talented actresses of this era, and very well could walk off with her third Oscar here. If she does, I will not be upset, I love her, but I am casting my vote for Michelle Yeoh for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Michelle Yeoh has been kicking ass onscreen since the mid 80's and she gets our Best Actress vote for being the anchor (if that's possible) of a movie that's absolutely bananas. I cannot imagine what that shoot was like. So many things going on in so many dimensions. It's like everything is coming at you from everywhere all at once. Oh...I get it!
I think the IMDb synopsis is perfect, so I'll share it with you. "A middle aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led." If existence itself is in one person's hands, I'd go with Michelle Yeoh to save us. Yeah, she's that good.
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin ✅
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once 🥈
The Fabelmans
Tar
Top Gun: Maverick
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking
If you're a regular here at Cinema Wellman, you already know who gets our vote for Best Picture since we did an entire blog breaking down all 10 nominees. That blog, like all others can be found right here at cinemawellman.com You can also listen to the official podcast of Cinema Wellman on Spotify or watch on YouTube, as you most likely already know.
We cast our vote for The Banshees of Inisherin because we liked it the most of the 10 Best Picture nominees. It's as simple as that.
Well that's it for our Oscar Ballot reveal or whatever they'd call it in Hollywood. If you're attending an Oscar viewing party, have a blast. A special shout out to my mom's Oscar Party which is still going strong. They're altering the concept a bit this year, but the love is still there, and I know my mom is there as well. Have fun, ladies!
Wherever you're watching, have fun with whoever you're with and enjoy debating the winners and losers and talking about what everyone is wearing. It wouldn't be the Oscars without that part. I just hope nobody gets hurt this year.
Join us next week for A Farewell to Netflix. A long love affair comes to a partial end.
Until then...take care!
Keep up with everything Cinema Wellman!
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A Farewell to Netflix:
A Partial End to a Love Affair
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