Academy Awards 2023 nominees predictions: Best Original Score, Original Soong and Sound Categories (1st ROUND)

We (re)start with the sound categories: Best Original Score, Best Original Song and Best Sound.

These fields are often associated with bigger productions and (in Best Original Song, specially) animated features. So, there's no surprise to predict Top Gun: Maverick as the top contender in two categories: the box-office smash hit features the best sound work of the year so far, with exquisite editing and mixing of all the sounds in the action flick. Plus, it also features the super balad "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga, who seems to be determined to become a two-times Oscar winner.

But there are also other big names here: John Williams is back scoring another Spielberg flick (The Fabelmans) and reviews praise his work (as always); Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connor (both fresh from their Oscar win for "No Time to Die" song) are back with two tunes for Pixar's Turning Red; Taylor Swift wrote and sang "Carolina" for Where the Crawdads Sing and she really wants the gold; Terence Blanchard made an INCREDIBLE score for The Woman King and he has SO to be nominated for it; Hildur Guðnadóttir signs two Oscar-hopeful original scores for Women Talking and Tár (will she be the first female composer to be double nominated?); and the awards regular Alexandre Desplat brings the music and emotion to Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio after being snubed last year for The French Dispatch (surprisingly).

Expect Germany's entry All Quiet on the Western Front (which is backed by Netflix and got rave reviews during TIFF) to crack here too, specially in Best Sound, one of the most praised elements of the movie. As for Avatar: The Way of Water... yes, it will pop here no matter the reception it gets later this year and I was even considering Best Original Score since Simon Franglen worked a lot with James Horner before he passed away, but there's no other than Horner so the Academy branch might either feel some resistance about honouring his substitute or maybe they feel compelled to recognize the man who filled his shoes - James Cameron always delivers stellar work in sound and visual effects departments and his films often feature some great scores, so...!

As for Matt Reeves' The Batman, I know it was an early release and it might suffer from the lack of heat since its release was a long time ago, but I believe the movie was widely seen and it built a solid and faithful fanbase. Plus, it is a movie you respect and honour even if you are not madly in love for it, because the movie is undeniably good technically - and Michael Giacchino's score is one for the years!!!

Feel free to comment. Here are my predictions:

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