It’s been a pretty strange year for movies but the 2022 Oscars are nearly upon us. The nominations are all out for both the nodding and shaking of heads and the affair will come to a culmination on March 22.

 

The Oscars can be confusing, even to those who pay keen attention, so one could well imagine how much of a challenge it could be for folks who only picked up interest after the nomination news came out.

 

The awards are changing, much like everything else, so it’s good knowing some of the not-so-clear facts and what they really mean. Fortunately, we’re here to answer a few questions you might have.

 

Which Movie Will Win Best Picture This Year?

 

No one ever really knows for sure but the People’s Choice Award winner at the Toronto International Film Festival is usually thought to have the best chance. Ontario betting sites would probably reflect as much.

 

It appears as if Netflix will be the proud recipient of the award. The streaming giant has come a long way. Two decades ago, you would have a hard time convincing people the DVD-mailing company would be vying for the biggest honor in American cinema right now, yet that’s exactly the case.

 

Netflix has since become one of the biggest entertainment hubs on the planet and is now among the ranks of Paramount, Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal.

 

They’ve been keen on winning the award for a few years now and this year looks like the one they’ll snag it. Netflix has two films in the running this year in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog and Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up.

The former is a drama-thriller typically attributed to Campion and has some big names such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.The other is a comedy boasting A-listers in Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Timothee Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, and Jonah Hill, among others.

 

Is There A Difference Between The Oscars And Academy Awards?

 

No, they’re the same thing. No one is quite sure where the name Oscars comes from and the origins are usually the subject of debate. It’s used in reference to both the show and the mini gold statue winners are presented.

 

The Academy Awards are handed out by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which is a group consisting of around 10,000 film industry pros who aren’t journalists or critics but invited to join on the back of various feats in their field.

 

How Does One Win An Oscar?

 

Winning an Oscar is no simple thing; it’s even been compared to running a political campaign as campaign experts are often hired to consult during the Academy Awards season. If you want to win an Oscar, at the very least, you have to tell a good story about your movie’s importance or how hard the actor had to work to get it out there. You also have to make several media and event appearances to stay fresh in people’s minds, as well as meet and greet voters.

 

It also pays to do the homework on the opposition. That’s mostly due to the now-disgraced Harvey Weinstein who got a win for Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan, which was heavily favored, in 1999. Weinstein started what’s been referred to as a “bully campaign,” leaking negativity about the contestant thought to be most likely to win and pretty much forced members into voting.

 

What Does It Really Mean To Win An Oscar?

 

Well, winners don’t get any money or anything of note and, depending on the category, sometimes not even fame. It’s no promise of continued success. One might even find themselves completely forgotten after a win.

 

What is acquired is the respect among one’s peers, plus an opportunity to join the Academy, if that hasn’t already been obtained. It will be easier to navigate the industry and getting roles should be markedly less difficult too. One’s movie could also get a boost on the box office front.

 

And, of course, don’t forget that shiny gold statuette.

 

Why Wasn’t Spider-Man: No Way Home Nominated?

It didn’t get enough votes is the quickest way to explain but it’s a bit more than that. It has to do with ranked-choice voting, meaning that, even if many people voted it in, it probably wasn’t on enough ballots to make it. This is a complicated process that you would probably be better off leaving alone, but you could read about the process right here.

 

Spider-Man: No Way Home had a great reception and saw lots of success, even during the pandemic, which has hurt plenty of movies. It was thought that it would at least get nominated, yet huge-market superhero films typically struggle at the Oscars because voters don’t think they’re serious enough.