Who will take home the Oscars? 2022 Oscar winners predictions and speculations

In less than a week, all the who’s whos and boohoos and cuckoos of Lalaland will be strutting their peacock feathers on the velvet red pilgrimage to the Oscars. They all thirst for the gold, but only a select few will know the taste of it next Sunday night. Who will be taking home an Oscar? Their names are already printed in charcoal ink within the envelope, forbidden from human eyes for now. We are free to speculate, though, and what better way to pass the time? Here are my predictions for the Academy Awards.

I am going to do what the Oscars have been trying to do for the last four years and just skip to the four awards that people would care to know about. Let’s start with Best Actor.

Hidden Remote’s predictions for the Oscars

Best Actor

• Javier Bardem – Desi Arnaz – Being the Ricardos
• Benedict Cumberbatch – Phil Burbank – The Power of the Dog
• Andrew Garfield – Jonathan Larson – Tick, Tick… Boom!
• Will Smith – Richard Williams – King Richard
• Denzel Washington – King Macbeth – The Tragedy of MacBeth

Let’s start by process of elimination. For starters, I think it’s a safe call to say it ain’t going to be Bardem. Have I seen Being the Ricardos? No. And neither have you, most likely. Nothing against the man. For me, Javier Bardem’s name is already inscribed in gold along prosperity’s walls for his performance as Anton Chigurh. That’s the thing that’s missing for him this year, the role. Best Actor isn’t about the man most skilled at the craft, but the character most liked. Whose identity and story gripped the audience most? Why do you think Joaquin Phoenix has an Oscar on his shelf?

By that same logic, I might rule out Denzel Washington as the tragic king Macbeth. It was an amazing show of talent to be sure. Washington’s rendition of the dagger scene as Macbeth prepares himself for murder is but one of many acting highlights by him and many others in The Tragedy of Macbeth. For that reason, I wouldn’t be surprised if Washington was the winner, but the safety of the role, the classic Macbeth, I think holds it back from really ringing for Oscar voters. How many of them can even understand Shakespearean verse anyway?

From there, rule-outs are harder to make with any confidence. My gut feeling tells me it will go to Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank. It feels to me like the role that most sticks out from the herd. A complex character, one abusive and short-tempered and hiding sexual frustrations, and also a rancher. Now that’s a seller. It’s also a great performance too. Whatever you want to say about the pacing or purpose of the story, Phil Burbank gave one hell of a character performance. I truly hated him, and that shows great power (of the dog) on Cumberbatch’s part as an actor. Those Marvel movies haven’t dulled the edge, Benedict. Bravo!

It’s a matter of fact, the Oscar will go to Cumberbatch.

Best Actress

• Jessica Chastain – Tammy Faye Bakker – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• Olivia Colman – Leda Caruso – The Lost Daughter
• Penélope Cruz – Janis Martínez Moreno – Parallel Mothers
• Nicole Kidman – Lucille Ball – Being the Ricardos
• Kristen Stewart – Diana, Princess of Wales – Spencer

Unlike Best Actor, it’s a much harder call to make on Best Actress winner. Strong performances all around. Colman has become a frequent name on the Oscars honor roll since her Best Actress win for her work in The Favorite. Kirsten Stewart is another big name here, and her performance as Princess Diana might just get it too, as per the praise it has received despite Spencer’s lack of other nominations. The Oscars love them some British people biopics.

Nicole Kidman was another great biopic performance, but again, I just lack the confidence that the Academy is that aware of Being the Ricardos. Kidman definitely has a higher chance of winning it than Bardem in his respective category though. This one is a bit of a coin toss, but I wager a copper penny it will be Olivia Colman winning for Best Actress.

They believed me when I told them, the Oscar goes to Colman.

Best Director

• Paul Thomas Anderson –Licorice Pizza
• Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
• Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
• Ryusuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car
• Steven Spielberg – West Side Story

Steven Spielberg will not be winning Best Director. That is something I feel absolutely sure of, though the forces that see to it may make me a fool. However, I think Steven Spielberg is a well established director with many accolades, and he is too boring a pick. And the conventionality of the picture, a remake of the musical West Side Story. I’m not commenting on its quality as a film, but do I need to to address how boring a pick it would be? Unless the Academy turn out to be a really nostalgic bunch, it ain’t Spielberg they’ll call to the stage.

Parasite winning in 2019 (a year I remember like a deceased friend) showed that there was interest in the Academy, as well as in general audiences, to break out of the American Hollywood film bubble and look to directors from other countries, and South Korea and Japan have exceptional films to offer every year. Based on that, I think it is possible Ryusuke Hamaguchi could be the winner, but Drive My Car hasn’t generated the same buzz as Parasite.

Honestly, if I’m just following my gut feeling again, I think it will be Jane Campion for Power of the Dog. She made those mountains look incredibly pretty. I didn’t exactly see the Dog in their shape, but pretty nonetheless. However, if you can forgive me for my cynicism, the ultimate reason I think she is a safe bet for winner is that she is a female director. Film goers have more and more noticed and voiced criticism over the lack of female directors in the major motion pictures produced, yet Hollywood struggles for whatever reason to feature more women directing. The disparity is evident if you run the numbers on it, and the Oscars can give themselves a round of back pats for the choice, while the general number of female directors remains low.

But like I said, that’s me being cynical. I want to make it clear, if it goes to Campion, I do not think it will be an undesired win. The Power of the Dog is a beautifully directed film. Just keep in mind the type of criticism, rightful ones, that have been thrown at the Academy and Hollywood in general, and what they would do to make those criticisms seem baseless.

There’s no way it can’t be it, the Oscar goes to Jane Campion.

Best Picture

• Belfast – Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, and Tamar Thomas
• CODA – Fabrice Gianfermi, Philippe Rousselet, and Patrick Wachsberger
• Don’t Look Up – Adam McKay and Kevin Messick
• Drive My Car – Teruhisa Yamamoto
• Dune – Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve, and Cale Boyter
• King Richard – Tim White, Trevor White, and Will Smith
• Licorice Pizza – Sara Murphy, Adam Somner, and Paul Thomas Anderson
• Nightmare Alley – J. Miles Dale, Guillermo del Toro, and Bradley Cooper
• The Power of the Dog – Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Jane Campion, and Tanya Seghatchian
• West Side Story – Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger

And now, the crown jewel. The belle of the ball. The mark of excellence. Best Picture. Competition is fierce this year, and the favorite to win by far is The Power of the Dog. Its numbers in nominations far exceeds most of its contenders, with the exception of Belfast, just three below it. Then again, maybe nom count means nothing. Last year, Mack was also nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture, only to get away with only two, for Production Design and Cinematography. Imagine, a film about old Hollywood not winning best picture. Perhaps The Power of the Dog wins it, but Belfast could be a valid choice too.

If it goes to Don’t Look Up, I’ll commit to looking down by jumping off a cliff. Ditto King Richard.

Nightmare Alley was another beautiful and well-crafted story by Guillermo del Toro, but for whatever reason failed to stand out among the releases last year. It is debatable whether popularity has a large sway in determining the winner (remember Green Book winning?), but I see it working against Nightmare Alley. Sorry Toro, you know I love you though.

If I let my gambler’s instinct guide me here, I’d place my money on Belfast crossing the finish line, the unexpected second placer snatching victory in the last minute. The Power of the Dog is too expected, know what I mean? A sense of drama is needed when understanding how showbiz people think and vote.

I’ll answer since I asked, the Oscar goes to Belfast.

And those are my predictions for the Oscar. The only other big bits of uncertainty around the Academy Awards this year is whether or not I’ll actually watch. But at the very least, I know what I’ll be picking on Fanduel Sportsbook when the Oscars air March 27, 8 p.m ET on ABC.