Best Adapted Screenplay

Honorable Mention: Oppenheimer, Priscilla, Eileen, The Killer and Dumb Money


#5. American Fiction

#4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

#3. Killers of the Flower Moon

#2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
 
And the winner is ...


 
#1. Wonka

Paul King's Wonka remains the most enjoyable watch of 2023, We're immersed in a time where dark and bleak films seem to have a stranglehold over Hollywood's most notable creative voices. However, in a cinematic world full of heavy, hard-hitting stories, Wonka manages to shine as a reminder of life's most important things, candy and human connection. The film follows a poor, young, aspiring chocolatier who finds friendship and meaning in a city full of wicked intentions. Wonka delivers catchy tunes, stunning visuals, and an uplifting story. In a world full of negatively and darkness, we all should seek out a Wonka. 

 
Best Original Screenplay

Honorable Mention: Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Air, Past Lives, and The Starling Girl


#5. Barbie

#4. The Iron Claw

#3. Talk to Me

#2. Saltburn

And the winner is ...



#1. Dream Scenario

If the thought of Nicolas Cage starring in a surreal, genre-bending dark comedy sounds too good to be true, well perhaps it is. Dream Scenario is absurdly poignant and extremely well written. Cage's "Joe Everyman" character, Paul Matthews, desires a life greater than the one he's built for himself. So when he begins appearing in people's dreams throughout the world inexplicably, he embraces this strange phenomenon as the world's most interesting person. Yet, writer and director Kristoffer Borgli crafts a Shakespearean tragedy of sorts that delivers laughs, tension and enough raw emotion to satisfy any moviegoer. 


Best Supporting Actress

Honorable Mention: Tilda Swinton (The Killer), Lily James (The Iron Claw), Alexandra Jensen (Talk to Me), America Ferrera (Barbie)  and Viola Davis (Air)


#5. Marin Ireland (Eileen)

#4. Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

#3. Jodie Foster (NYAD)

#2. Olivia Colman (Wonka)

And the winner is ...



#1. Rosamund Pike (Saltburn)

Best Supporting Actress typically boasts a crowded field where two or three sensational performances get left out of the Academy's final five. Yet, 2023's collection of supporting turns is uncharacteristically thin. Even so, the "Love it or Hate it" Saltburn cashes in with the best of the bunch. Rosamund Pike plays Elspeth Catton, the matriarch of a disgustingly wealthy aristocratic family. Pike captures the spoiled nature of her character win pinpoint precision. Her never-ending supply of carelessly cruel quips are a true highlight of the film. She's selfish, demanding, and hopelessly dependent. It's a rare mixture of traits that Pike somehow grasps with an uncanny ease. While her Oscar prospects appear fringe at the moment, believe me when I say she's absolutely fantastic in the film.


Best Supporting Actor

Honorable Mention: Shea Whigham (Eileen), Jacob Elordi (Priscilla), Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction), Holt McCallany (The Iron Claw), and Charles Melton (May December)


#5. David Bautista (Knock at the Cabin)

#4. Ryan Gosling (Barbie)

#3. Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

#2. Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

And the winner is ...



#1. Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon)

It's rare, Leonardo DiCaprio was massively overshadowed by Robert De Niro's diabolical performance in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. De Niro delivers his finest work since the 90s as William Hale, a local bigwig and criminal mastermind who plays everyone in 1920s Oklahoma like pawns in a chess match. In a film full of brilliant performances, De Niro steals the show. With Two Oscar wins to his credit already, he's never been more deserving a third one. 


Best Actress

Honorable Mention: Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Eliza Scanlen (The Starling Girl), Thomasin McKenzie (Eileen), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), and Greta Lee (Past Lives)


#5. Annette Bening (NYAD)

#4. Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me)

#3. Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)

#2. Margot Robbie (Barbie)

And the winner is ...



#1. Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Emma Stone has quietly morphed into one of Hollywood's most skilled actresses. Her stunning onscreen abilities became evident with her Oscar-winning turn in 2016's La La Land, but since then she's dazzled in films like The Favourite, Battle of the Sexes, Cruella, and now Poor Things. Despite a widespread belief that Lily Gladstone will walk away victorious at this year's Academy Awards, it's Stone who gives the best performance of the year as Bella Baxter, a woman reanimated by a mad scientist. And as Bella rediscovers all there is to know about life, the good and the bad, she develops an individuality that makes her truly one of a kind. Stone bares it all in the film, both literally and figuratively, showing an astonishing level of committed and a skillset that was unmatched by any other performer this year.


Best Actor

Honorable Mention: Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Timothée Chalamet (Wonka), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Zac Efron (The Iron Claw), and Michael Fassbender (The Killer)


#5. Joaquin Phoenix (Beau is Afraid)

#4. Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

#3. Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario)

#2. Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

And the winner is ...



#1. Barry Keoghan (Saltburn)

 One of Hollywood's fastest rising talents is Barry Keoghan. He was exceptional is last year's Banshees of Inisherin, which landed him his first Academy Award Nomination, and his performance in Emerald Fennell's Saltburn dwarfs that turn. In the film he plays Oliver Quick, a student at Oxford on scholarship. Coming from a rough background, he's transfixed by his fellow classmate Felix who comes from a family of wealth and priviledge. Their unexpected friendship develops into an obsessive passion as Oliver seeks more than he's ever dreamed possible. Keoghan brings this obsessed wickedness to life with a natural ease. While Saltburn's polarizing story seems likely to keep Keoghan and the rest of the cast as outsiders this awards season, he gives a career-best turn worthy of recognition and it's just the beginning of this brilliant young performer's talents.


Best Director

Honorable Mention: Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Greta Gerwig (Barbie), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario) and Sean Durkin (The Iron Claw)


#5. Emerald Fennell (Saltburn)

#4. Danny & Michael Philippou (Talk to Me)

#3. Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)

#2. Paul King (Wonka)

And the winner is ...



#1. Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

As the Oscar showdowns between Oppenheimer vs Killers of the Flower Moon (Best Picture) and Christopher Nolan vs Martin Scorsese (Best Director) begin to take shape, I wouldn't mind a split between these two epic features. While the acting and screenplay in Flower Moon are better, the directing edge belongs to Christopher Nolan. There's a reason each new release of his is a big screen spectacle that MUST be seen on its opening night in IMAX. Nolan's penchant for framing a shot and capturing a scene has never been better than it isin Oppenheimer. While I struggle to fully get on board with all of the character development and narrative components in the film, there's no question that Nolan's direction is the reason for watching Oppenheimer.


Best Picture

Honorable Mention: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Dream Scenario, The Iron Claw, Barbie, Priscilla and American Fiction

#5. Saltburn

#4. Oppenheimer

#3. Talk to Me

#2. Wonka

And the winner is ...



#1. Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese has done it again, one of Hollywood's most ambitious filmmakers swings for the fences again with a visually stunning, superbly acted, and narratively engrossing work. Although any of my Top Five films could be shuffled into this spot without reservation, Killers of the Flower Moon's boldness and unbelievable ability to make three and a half hours feel like nothing is a testament of its prowess. 2023's year in cinema was an impressive one and Scorsese reminds us all why he's still at the top of his craft even at the age of 81.