20 Movies That Will Win Oscars In 2023
9. Babylon
One of the few "prestige" films on this list to avoid the fall season awards circuit entirely is Damien Chazelle's Babylon, which from its mesmerising first trailer certainly looks like a whole lot of movie.
Given reports that the film is extremely transgressive and will push the bounds of the MPAA's R-rating, Chazelle's latest is a massive wild card: it could be too weird and out-there for most Oscar voters, or channel the same wild energy as The Wolf of Wall Street and become a major contender.
In a best case scenario, we could see the film competing for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Actress (Margot Robbie), Supporting Actor (Tobey Maguire and/or Brad Pitt), Supporting Actress (Jean Smart), and basically every major below-the-line category.
From the trailer alone, Babylon seems like a top contender for Production Design and Costume Design in particular, and given that Chazelle's three previous films - Whiplash, La La Land, and First Man - have 10 Oscars between them, it'd be a major shock if Babylon got nothing.