Ricky’s Oscars® predictions for 2022

Early on in this year’s Academy Awards race, I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was going to win for his lead role in Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog.” Things changed, however, when Will Smith won the Screen Actors Guild award for his turn as the patriarch of the Williams sisters in “King Richard.”

Also nominated for Best Actor Oscars are Javier Bardem in “Being the Ricardos,” Andrew Garfield in “Tick, Tick … Boom!” and Denzel Washington in the Shakespeare adaptation “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” I think Smith will win for his role as the loving dad in “King Richard.”

The Best Actress race has a plethora of characters with various strong turns all around. This includes Jessica Chastain for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Olivia Colman for “The Lost Daughter,” Kristen Stewart for “Spencer,” Nicole Kidman for “Being the Ricardos” and Penélope Cruz for “Parallel Mothers.” Save for Chastain, all the other nominees have won some sort of Oscar.

That is why I think Stewart will take home the trophy for her role as Lady Diana in “Spencer.”

As for Best Director, there’s Kenneth Branagh for “Belfast,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi for “Drive My Car,” Paul Thomas Anderson for “Licorice Pizza,” Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog” and Steven Spielberg for his retooling of “West Side Story.”

I think “Coda” will win some awards earlier I the night. The same goes for “King Richard.” Without a doubt, I think Campion will take home the Best Director golden statuette for the slow-burn stylings of “The Power of the Dog.”

Best Picture is always a tough one to pick. I have a feeling, however, that “Power of the Dog” has this one in the bag. All the other titles will each get their own acknowledgment during the show. The Best Picture nominees include “Belfast,” “Coda,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story.”

I think “The Power of the Dog” wins Best Picture.