We’re doing some things a bit differently for this category. While I’ll still be giving a close analysis of each nominee, a real sample of the sound work couldn’t be done justice with the written word. Fortunately, someone on Twitter named Will Mavity has compiled montages of all the nominees and their sound work. A link to that thread may be found here. Give Will’s work a listen, and give more respect to these filmmakers than the Academy seems to want to.

Belfast

Nominees: Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather, Niv Adiri
Scene That Should Win: Looting the Store

Belfast‘s sole technical nomination, the sound category is unlikely to reward the quickly floundering Best Picture nominee. Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiography is the least flashy of the nominees, with Belfast relying on the few large scenes within it such as the opening riot or the film’s climax. Missing an Editing nomination is also a red flag, as the two categories have tended to match well regardless of whether a film wins one or both.

Dune

Nominees: Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, Ron Bartlett
Scene That Should Win: “Fear is the mind-killer.”

At least from a stats and merit standpoint, Dune should have an easy win for the Sound category. This category, and the two it used to be split into, have heavily favored loud Best Picture nominees like Dune. The sci-fi epic won big at the Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards, winning their overall sound effects awards. At the MPSE, it beat both Belfast and No Time to Die, while losing in Dialogue to the not-nominated Nightmare Alley. Additionally, Dune beat out No Time to Die on its home turf at BAFTA, despite losing in Editing to the Bond flick there. As long as Dune wins, or loses to the not-nominated Spider-Man: No Way Home, at Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards, it should stay safe for the Oscar win.

No Time to Die

Nominees: Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey, Mark Taylor
Scene That Should Win: Stairwell Fight

A loss isn’t necessarily guaranteed for No Time to Die, despite going home empty-handed at the MPSE. There’s a chance for the Bond film to rally at the Cinema Audio Society Awards, securing that the sound mixing side of the Sound category is on No Time to Die‘s side. The lack of a Best Picture nomination, especially when two other films in the race have it, hurts No Time to Die‘s overall chances. However, there’s easily enough wiggle room left for it to win.

The Power of the Dog

Nominees: Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie, Tara Webb
Scene That Should Win: “Radetzky March” Showdown

The Power of the Dog getting in here puts it in a tricky scenario. While one could easily view its sound nomination as just adding to its overall tally, The Power of the Dog needs a technical win to justify its Best Picture frontrunner status. It is nominated at the CAS Awards as well, so if The Power of the Dog can win there it’ll be a vital shot in the arm below the line. It left the MPSE empty-handed, but with an all but guaranteed Best Director win The Power of the Dog could convert that here.

West Side Story

Nominees: Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson, Shawn Murphy
Scene That Should Win: “Tonight Quintet”

As the only other MPSE winner to be nominated, West Side Story is lucky in that it fits a mold that the sound category has awarded before. Whiplash, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Sound of Metal are recent music-driven films that won the Sound category (or one of the two sound categories), with West Side Story easily capable of falling into the same pattern. One thing that hurts West Side Story though is that (unlike the previously discussed films) it wasn’t nominated for Editing. That’s a stat that doesn’t necessarily kill it, but it hurts the musical’s chances.

While Dune should theoretically have Best Sound locked in safely, the same was once said about its chances in Film Editing and Production Design. Much will be decided this Saturday, where the CAS will get a chance to cement Dune‘s frontrunner status or put their support behind another contender. The feeling is that Dune will sweep through the tech awards, with this being one of the less-watched races where it’s thought that it’s sewn up. However, the same has been said about others who ended up as just nominees.

Will Win: Dune
Could Win: The Power of the Dog
Should Win: Dune
Should’ve Been Nominated: The Mitchells vs. The Machines

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