Secret Oscar Voter #8: Ballot exposed with ‘Everything Everywhere,’ Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh

Here in the final stages of the 2023 Oscars season, several Academy Awards voters told Gold Derby who they voted for — and why. They asked us not to reveal their identities, but they were otherwise eager to share their views of the year’s best films. Now that voting has concluded, we’ll share a few with you. The comments below by Voter #8 for each category are part of the thought process in choosing these potential winners.

Also, you can click here to see the ballot of Voter #1 and Voter #2 and Voter #3 and Voter #4 and Voter #5 and Voter #6 and Voter #7.

BEST PICTURE: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
It was very inventive and wacky. I also felt this notion of playing a moment in popular culture where this kind of construct is very much present because of visualization and digitization. They still had a lot of fun with it all, as opposed to a few Marvel-type films that take it so seriously. It was good use of talking about human, emotional life and making a point about having heart. Second place is “The Fabelmans.” Third place is “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

BEST DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”)
Spielberg really put himself out there with his semi-autobiographical story. I went into it thinking it might be a fluff piece, but I really felt it was about something very substantial… the portrait of the artist as young man kind of thing.. It grabbed my attention the whole time.

BEST ACTRESS: Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)
It’s a combination of body of work and achievement in a very unusual film that she anchored. I want to see her recognized.

BEST ACTOR: Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”)
The subject matter was tough, but then I was totally engrossed in the film. He carries the film and was excellent with a lot of work to to making that happen. Both lead categories are really, really strong races and hard ones to pick.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)
I feel strongly about supporting actress being Angela Bassett! She holds a commanding presence in the film, and I want to see her recognized. I usually am anti-sequel, but in this case it had a lot of heart, and she was the emotional center of it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”)
A lot of his work is understated, but I also felt his performance was very commanding. It was very effective in the film, and the way he worked with Jennifer (Lawrence) was very engaging.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: “Women Talking”
I think it starts with the screenplay, and it was a very riveting story. The film is under-recognized, and I thought it was a very engrossing, provocative film.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: “TAR”
As much as I didn’t find this film likable, the impact is there. Cate (Blanchett) playing the role of Lydia was compelling.

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