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Our movie guy, James Finnegan gives his predictions for the main awards at the Oscars…
This weekend it is not so much lights, camera, action as more glitz and glamour with a particular Green tint to proceedings. Yes TraleeToday.ie is going to the Oscars. Well, sort of.
There are unprecedented numbers of Irish nominations this year, fourteen nominations no less, both in front and behind the camera, including notable first time recognition for an Irish Language film. Let’s have a look at what is possible.
Best Picture: There are ten Best Picture nominations, but I think we can narrow down a number of contenders, including ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, ‘Triangle of Sadness’ and ‘Women Talking’ although all, particularly the latter, are fine films in their own respect.
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‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ was an early front runner, but as the year has gone on, its momentum has lessened, and other films have come to the fore particularly in the other major awards.
Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan in The Banshees Of Inisherin.
Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical ‘The Fabelmans’ will no doubt garner many votes, and the success of ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ winning the BAFTA has added an additional piquancy to deliberations.
However, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ would appear to be in pole position.
Best Director: For all the reasons noted above, it would appear that The Oscar will follow the Directors Guild and Producers Guild Award to the bookshelf of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.
Paul Mescal in Aftersun.
Best Actor: You do not often see two Irish Actors in this category. Again, Colin Farrell was in early contention for Banshees, especially after he and Austin Butler for ‘Elvis’ won Golden Globes.
Then Brendan Fraser won the Screen Actors Guild for ‘The Whale’. Unfortunately Bill Nighy (‘Living’) and Paul Mescal; (‘Aftersun’) seem out of contention.
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I would love Colin Farrell to win, but it could go him, Brendan Fraser or Austin Butler.
Best Actress: Perhaps the most talked about category of all with Cate Blanchett (‘Tar’) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) the two favourites with probably Cate picking up her third Oscar.
Best Supporting Actor: Another category with two Irish Actors in this category with Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan for Banshees both n contention.
However you have two other contenders who have great comeback stories in Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans) and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and suspect the later will bring home Oscar.
Best Supporting Actress: I would love to see Kerry Condon add an Oscar to her BAFTA for Banshees, but I feel it will be between Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once) with the later favourite.
An Cailin Ciuin.
Other Irish Interest is for Best International Feature (An Cailin Cluin/The Quiet Girl), Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay (Banshees), Best Live Action Short (An Irish Goodbye), Best Visual Effects for Richie Baneham (Avatar: The Way Of Water).
I think the best hopes lie in Best Original Screenplay and Live Action Short but all these nominations are spectacular confirmation of Irish Cinema talent.
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