Oscar Nominations 2022

Jane Campion's “The Power of the Dog,” a revisionist Western that uses a careworn genre to examine toxic masculinity, dominated the Academy Awards on Tuesday with 12 nods. It was followed closely behind by “Dune,” a sprawling adaptation of a popular sci-fi novel that was once believed to be unfilmable, which defied naysayers to earn 10 Oscar nominations. “West Side Story,” Steven Spielberg’s ravishing take on a beloved musical, and “Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age story, each received 7 nominations. All four of those films are up for best picture, joining a race that includes “Don’t Look Up,” “Drive My Car,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza” and “Nightmare Alley.” 

Guillermo Del Toro's neo-noir “Nightmare Alley” has received 4 Oscar nods. “West Side Story,” “Belfast” and “Nightmare Alley” were among the many films that failed to convert critical raves into ticket sales. Oscar voters largely steered clear of more populist choices. “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which has become one of the rare post-pandemic blockbusters, was overlooked in the best picture category. Its omission is bad news for the Oscar producers given that the telecast usually gets a rating boost when a popular film is up for major awards, something that happened when “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” and “Titanic” dominated the race. 

Spielberg now ranks alongside Billy Wilder and behind Martin Scorsese’s nine nominations and William Wyler’s 12 nods in the category. Best actor is a race between Hollywood heavyweights Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of MacBeth”) and Will Smith (“King Richard”), along with respected veterans such as Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”) and Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”).  Best actress will be a contest between Penelope Cruz, Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”) and Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”). The 94th annual Academy Awards will be on March 27 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. The in-person ceremony will be televised on ABC. For the first time in three years, the Oscars will have a host in 2022, Craig Erwich, president of ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals, announced in January. Variety later learned that multiple hosts will likely take the stage, however no official names have been revealed yet. Source: variety.com