Who Ya Got? 2023 Academy Awards Edition

Seth Schouten & David Witzke

Last year, Sports Editor Scott Bowers and Staff Writer Diego Bascur wrote a recurring column called “Who Ya Got?” for the sports section. It was a chance for Scott and Diego to share their picks for upcoming sports tournaments and titles. I have always really liked this concept for a column. However, David and I both have such little sports knowledge that our predictions would either be laughable or embarrassing, to say the least. So, instead, I pitched to David that we take the premise of “Who Ya Got?” and instead apply it to something we could talk about with ease.

Behold, Who Ya Got? Academy Awards Edition.

The nominations for the 2023 Academy Awards were announced on January 24, by actors Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams. There were, as always, some big snubs and some major surprises. Some of these nominations came out of the blue, while other films featured blue people. As with almost every Oscars ceremony, this year’s Oscars will once again be wildly interesting and fabulously boring all at the same time. It is incredible how they keep pulling off the same trick year after year.

With the nominations all in, David and I share our picks and predictions—“Who we got”—for the 2023 Oscars.

David: I simply must choose Everything Everywhere All at Once. It has been a long time since I have seen a film with such profundity and one that captured the experience of growing up in our newly interconnected world.

Seth: I have got to agree with you, David. Everything Everywhere All at Once is a very special type of movie that does not come around very often. It is maximalist in its visuals and concept but is so emotionally grounded in a very simple story of family and acceptance. If you have not seen Everything Everywhere yet, you are missing out. The more sadistic part of me, however, is rooting for a Triangle of Sadness win.

BEST DIRECTOR

Seth: First, I have to mention that Sarah Polley (Women Talking) and Charlotte Wells (Aftersun) were completely snubbed in this category. But, out of the nominees, Spielberg is my pick. The Fabelmans is such a beautifully crafted film. It is also one of the few movies about the “magic of the movies” that actually interrogates the effect art has on the life of an artist and the impact it has on how the artist sees the world. It is meta in a way that makes a point.

David: I feel like Spielberg is a fairly obvious pick for this—I mean it is Steven Spielberg—but my little indie heart would like the Daniels to win for Everything Everywhere. Bringing together a movie of that great a scope and fusing all of its odd parts together was a miracle from a directorial standpoint, just as much as it was in the editing room.

David: Colin Farrell. While I found The Banshees of Inisherin to be both eloquently disturbing and just regular disturbing, I have to admit that Farrell plays his role fabulously.

Seth: Farrell is an excellent pick. He and Brendan Gleeson might be the best on-screen duo of the year in a year full of great duos. I also feel like I should show some support for Paul Mescal. Mescal’s performance in Aftersun is truly stunning. Just go watch Aftersun. It was my favourite movie of 2022.

BEST ACTRESS

Seth: Cate Blanchett. It is Cate Blanchett. Is there any actual debate here? Her performance as Lydia Tár is one for the ages.

David: I hate to be contrarian (this is a lie), but this is clearly a win for Michelle Yeoh.

At the time of its release, and following its commercial and critical success, there was talk of producing a sequel to Casablanca, but no sequel was ever made. Remakes have been proposed, but all attempts at a remake (God forbid a “modern-day” remake) have turned sour. No, there is just no recapturing the pure magnetism of Casablanca. It could not have been made at any other time, it never would have made it off the runway. And now, as time goes by, Casablanca stands still. A moment in history, in movie history and in human history, forever preserved.

From the overabundance of poorly executed CGI to the lacklustre productions churned out by multi-media conglomerates, there has been a lot of cynicism recently about the quality of the modern movie-making industry. Maybe Hollywood is worse now than it was in its Golden Age, maybe it is better, or maybe it can get better. But no matter what the future brings, we’ll always have Casablanca

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Seth: Listen, I know he is not a nominee, but Steven Yeun should win this for Nope. It remains a crime that he was not even nominated. I have got my fingers crossed for a “here comes Steven Yeun with a steel chair!” moment at the ceremony this year.

David: C’mon here, Ke Huy Quan is the obvious choice. This man had an incredible performance that made me bawl my eyes out when he mentioned laundry and taxes. (Sometimes I cry about both those things in real life but usually not in movies.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Seth: See the declassifieds.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Seth: This is one of the few categories where I would be fine with any of the nominees winning. Five great films with five great screenplays.

David: I agree with Seth. He did not tell me that this was an option and made me think a bunch about this one.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Seth: For me, it is either Glass Onion or Women Talking Glass Onion is probably one of the most creative, energetic movies of the year, and its scripting is what makes it crackle with so much energy. Women Talking’s screenplay is just exquisite. It effortlessly weaves its themes and characters together into this devastating punch.

David: You have got some points here, Seth. Glass Onion was a fabulous time, but Kazuo Ishiguru is a Nobel Prize-winning author that writes some phenomenel stories, including Living