The halfway mark of the year is a great time to take stock of what we've been watching. But if you're all caught up on this year's movies, it's also a great time to fill in anything you missed from last year's films. So before Barbenheimer weekend kicks off the back half of 2023, Rough Cut's Carson Cook and Jonny Diaz put their heads together to look back and highlight some of our favorites from the cinematic year that was 2022.
As 2023's fall festival season remains in flux due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, let these movies serve as a reminder that the work of these writers and performers (alongside their other collaborators) is absolutely vital, and more than merits a fair and equitable deal from the studios.
winners in bold**
runners-up underlined*
Best Picture
Both Sides of the Blade
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Top Gun: Maverick
Best Director
James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Todd Field, Tár**
S.S. Rajamouli, RRR
Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans*
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Tár** (tie)
Anna Diop, Nanny
Park Ji-Min, Return to Seoul** (tie)
Tang Wei, Decision to Leave
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Best Actor
Ram Charan, RRR
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin**
Gabriel LaBelle, The Fabelmans
Paul Mescal, Aftersun*
Park Hae-il, Decision to Leave
Best Supporting Actor
Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway*
Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans
Anthony Hopkins, Armageddon Time
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin**
Marc Maron, To Leslie
Best Supporting Actress
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Dakota Johnson, Cha Cha Real Smooth*
Lashana Lynch, The Woman King**
Jean Smart, Babylon
Sigourney Weaver, Avatar: The Way of Water
Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans
Best Original Screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonaugh
Decision to Leave - Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung
Everything Everywhere All At Once - The Daniels** (tie)
The Fabelmans - Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner** (tie)
Tár - Todd Field
Best Adapted Screenplay
Both Sides of the Blade - Claire Denis and Christine Angot
based on the novel Un tournant de la vie by Angot
Fire Island - Joel Kim Booster
inspired by the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Rian Johnson
based on characters from Knives Out, written by Johnson
Happening - Audrey Diwan, Marcia Romano, and Anne Berest
based on the novel L'événement by Annie Ernaux
Top Gun: Maverick - Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Peter Craig, and Justin Marks*
based on characters from Top Gun,
written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr.
Women Talking - Sarah Polley**
Based on the novel by Miriam Toews
Best Cinematography
Athena - Matias Boucard
Decision to Leave - Kim Ji-yong
The Fabelmans - Janusz Kamiński**
Nope - Hoyte van Hoytema*
Top Gun: Maverick - Claudio Miranda
Best Film Editing
Everything Everywhere All At Once - Paul Rogers*
The Fabelmans - Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Bob Ducsay
Tár - Monika Willi
Top Gun: Maverick - Eddie Hamilton**
Best Production Design
After Yang
Avatar: The Way of Water**
Mad God
Neptune Frost*
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Best Costume Design
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ruth E. Carter**
Elvis - Catherine Martin
Everything Everywhere All At Once - Shirley Kurata
Three Thousand Years of Longing - Kym Barrett*
The Woman King - Gersha Phillips
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Batman*
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Northman
Three Thousand Years of Longing**
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: The Way of Water**
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Mad God
Top Gun: Maverick*
Best Original Score
Babylon - Justin Hurwitz
The Batman - Michael Giacchino
Empire of Light - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Stars at Noon - Tindersticks
Three Thousand Years of Longing - Tom Holkenborg
Best Original Song
"Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick
Written by: Lady Gaga and Michael Tucker
Performed by: Lady Gaga
"I Ain't Worried" from Top Gun: Maverick
Written by: Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Tyler Spry,
Peter Morén, Björn Yttling, and John Eriksson
Performed by: OneRepublic
"Naatu Naatu" from RRR**
Written by: M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose
Performed by: Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava
"Nobody Like U" from Turning Red*
Written by: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
Performed by: Jordan Fisher, Josh Levi, Grayson Villanueva,
Topher Ngo, and Finneas O'Connell (as 4*Town)
"Vegas" from Elvis
Written by: Amala Dlamini, Rogét Chahayed, David Sprecher,
Jerry Lieber, and Mike Stoller
Performed by: Doja Cat and Shonka Dukureh
Best Sound
Avatar: The Way of Water** (tie)
The Batman
Nope
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick** (tie)
Best International Film
Both Sides of the Blade (France)
Broker (Japan / South Korea)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
Return to Seoul (Cambodia / France / South Korea)*
RRR (India)**
Best Documentary Feature
Descendant
Good Night Oppy*
Three Minutes: A Lengthening
Best Animated Feature
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio**
Mad God
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Turning Red*
Wendell & Wild
Best Casting
Everything Everywhere All At Once*
The Fabelmans**
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Top Gun: Maverick
The Woman King
Women Talking
Best Stunt Coordination/Choreography
Athena
Everything Everywhere All At Once*
The Northman
RRR**
Top Gun: Maverick
The Woman King
Best First Feature
Aftersun - Charlotte Wells**
Happening - Audrey Diwan
Hit the Road - Panah Panahi
Nanny - Nikyatu Jusu*
Pleasure - Ninja Thyberg
Breakthrough Performance
Samir Benssalaeh - Athena
Austin Butler - Elvis*
Frankie Corio - Aftersun
Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All At Once**
Thuso Mbedu - The Woman King
Top Ten Scenes of the Year (Spoiler-Free)
Naatu Naatu - RRR
Swimming Lesson - Avatar: The Way of Water
Hallway Confrontation - The Fabelmans
Rocks - Everything Everywhere All At Once
Maverick runs the course - Top Gun: Maverick
Opening Credits - After Yang
Final Concert - Tár
Opening Sequence - Athena
"There Goes That Dream" - The Banshees of Inisherin
"Hello College" - Babylon