LOS ANGELES — Oscar nominations arrive bright and early Tuesday morning and, judging from the conversations I've had with film academy members, there are going to be a lot of surprises when the slate is revealed. There's no best picture front-runner and loyalties are splintered in a dozen different directions. Someone even put "Don't Worry Darling" at the top of their ballot. Welcome to the Victory Project? Probably not, but points for originality!
One producer voter told me he had trouble finding 10 movies to put on his best picture ballot, a reflection either on his lack of enthusiasm for this year's field or perhaps the fact that he has watched "Top Gun: Maverick" 13 times and didn't bother with other contenders. Another told me she could have put any one of 20 movies on her best picture ballot — and any one of five in the top slot. "No sequels, though," she sniffed. "The Oscars should be about original ideas."
Of course, the Oscars should be a lot of things — recognizing excellence in every field of filmmaking, glitz and glamour, remaining in your seat even after a comedian insults your wife with a lame joke — but they usually fall short. I took that into account when putting together these nominations predictions for all 23 categories to be announced Jan. 24. And you should certainly remember it before you let anything the academy does enrage you. Forget it, Jake. It's the Oscars.
