2022 has been an immaculate year for film. As we leave the COVID-19 pandemic in the past, movie theaters are back on the rise. It’s a pretty glorious thing to see. We’ve had the privilege to see the release of great superhero films, heartfelt animated pictures, and even outside-the-box thrillers. While I’ve fallen in love with many films and performances this year, there’s only one winner per category. Here are my picks for the major categories at the Oscars.

Best Picture: All Quiet On The Western Front

What a brilliant picture. War movies are very tough to execute as you want to have a strong storyline and an accurate depiction. All Quiet On The Western Front delivered on both of those tasks. Director Edward Berger gave us an intriguing storyline of boys who romanticized fighting in the war until they are ankle-deep in rainwater in the trenches. Berger then delivered on the realism factor. There was no over-the-top bombing or a Mission Impossible-esque fighter. Every soldier was just out in the fields of Europe mainly fighting for their lives along with their country.

All Quiet On The Western Front made you experience a true array of emotions. When our young lads are ready to go off to war, you feel excited for them because they’re so excited. Then, you see their friend group get picked apart one by one by one. You feel sad and really shocked in the ways that they die and how their best friends have to watch it happen. I actually watched All Quiet On The Western Front in a Panera and it was probably a poor choice. A, because this movie deserves to be shown on the big screen. And B, this is just a jarring film that shouldn’t have been watched while I ate a turkey sandwich. All in all though, All Quiet On The Western Front deserves the award for Best Picture.

Best Actor: Austin Butler in Elvis

There were a lot of people who challenged the crown like Ralph Fiennes in The Menu and Eddie Redmayne in The Good Nurse, but I don’t think anyone has dethroned Austin Butler. He was truly magnificent as Elvis Presley. Butler was able to master every single movement that Elvis ever made, from the thrust of his hips to the way that he fixed his hair. The casting was spot-on perfect and Butler delivered a strong performance.

I felt at times that the film did drag, but even at that time, Butler’s performance was still great. He brought such a great burst of energy to the screen that no other actor was able to do this year. Butler also made Elvis feel relatable. When he danced, you wanted to dance in theaters. Anytime he felt sad or distraught, you kind of felt bummed out with him. It’s always difficult to make a great biopic with casting being the toughest part, but Butler might have conducted the best performance in any biopic ever.

Best Actress: Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu

When it came to Best Actor, I didn’t have any qualms or second thoughts about picking Austin Butler. For Best Actress, the process was a little more difficult. I narrowed it down by eliminating actresses from movies I viewed this year and came down to a final three; all actresses that I believe will be nominated for said award. It came down to Cate Blanchett in Tar, Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu. My pick is Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu.

A good portion of this process and why I picked Taylor-Joy was because of how much I enjoyed her performance. She was outstanding, and this could have been a role that she could’ve botched. Taylor-Joy was able to not look like an absolute rube the entire dinner and figured out what was happening pretty early on. Her feistiness coupled with her quick wit and stubbornness was entertaining to watch and made you further invest in The Menu. Taylor-Joy has had a great year with The Northman and was even good in Amsterdam, but she shined the brightest in The Menu.

Best Director: Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan with Everything Everywhere All At Once

I didn’t enjoy Everything Everywhere All At Once as much as the average person in 2022. What I did enjoy about it was the visuals and at times the direction it took and that’s because of Scheinert and Kwan. What this duo created was nothing short of visually stunning. To be able to switch from seeing Michelle Yeoh in an IRS office, too in a beautiful ball gown at a fancy event to, seeing her watching her daughter get shot in a hallway was exhilarating. This duo 100% deserves the accolade of Best Director and no one should see an issue with it. Even if you didn’t love the film like me, you should be able to respect great directorial execution.

Best Supporting Actor: Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin

While I didn’t love The Banshees of Inisherin due to its over-the-top antics where Brendan Gleeson is literally cutting his hand off, I found Barry Keoghan to be brilliant. He plays the role of the islands recluse Dominic Kearney beautifully. Keoghan is so quirky and awkward, but is very likable because he means well. He’s just clumsy and kind of ditsy. I personally think that he’s the best part of the whole film because his entire character is meant to be there for comic relief, but he becomes so much more than that. Keoghan becomes an integral part of Farrell and Gleesons chronicle.

Best Supporting Actress: Saoirse Ronan in See How They Run

There was a boatload of actresses in leading roles that shined, but not a ton in supporting roles. Hong Chau in The Menu and Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans made great runs at the award, but I adored Saoirse Ronan in See How They Run. She was coming off an appearance in the French Dispatch, a leading role in Little Women, and then her breakout role came five years earlier in Lady Bird. Ronan plays a strong-willed, yet too by-the-book detective, and I adored it.

She continues to take different roles and absolutely kill it. This was once again another example of that. Her alongside Sam Rockwell was great because her character’s job was to essentially keep Rockwell’s character out of shit and make sure he doesn’t go off the rails while working the case at hand. Ronan has a great character ark written, and she makes sure you vividly see her development.

Best Animated Film: Guilermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Guilermo del Toro)

I’m shocked that I’m putting this here. Truly baffled. I am not a fan of Guillermo del Toro as a director and didn’t know what to expect going into it. Well, it was outstanding. Guillermo del Toro was able to incorporate real-life events into a heartfelt kids film. We watched Pinocchio get used, abused, and disregarded up until the end of the film when he was surrounded by the people who truly care for him. I’ll admit it, I cried. I cried because the film made you relate to the character and feel for him when loved ones passed. It’s truly beautiful.