Academy Awards: Library Edition

Academy Awards Oscar award, popcorn, and movie tickets

The Academy Awards, often referred to as the Oscars, is one of the most prestigious awards to earn when it comes to filmography. The 95th Academy Awards will be presented on March 12, celebrating some of the best films released in 2022. However, the Academy should not be the only one who gets to have all the fun. Alachua County Library District has a wide selection of DVDs available for checkout, including some of the biggest and most anticipated films released last year. Fellow staff members voted on their favorite films that were released on DVD in 2022, from a list of DVDs that were checked out the most. Here’s Alachua County Library District’s very own version of the Academy Award’s nominees and winners!

Best Drama Nominees:

And the winner for Best Drama is...: Top Gun: Maverick
A sequel to the original Top Gun that came out over 25 years ago, Top Gun: Maverick is an aviation action-packed adventure, with some members of the original cast returning to reprise their roles. Fans of the original and newcomers alike will enjoy this exciting naval aviator action drama.

Best Comedy Nominees:

And the winner for Best Comedy is...: The Lost City
A zany and hilarious adventure following an author and the man who models for the covers of her books as she is kidnapped by a billionaire, who is convinced she knows the location of a lost, hidden city. Thrilling action and wacky hijinks come together for an exciting and hilarious adventure.

Best Horror Nominees:

And the winner for Best Horror is...: Nope
Jordan Peele’s third feature length film is another gripping horror film, following the investigation of a mysterious alien entity and a former TV star trying to capitalize off of it. Thrilling tension and social commentary blend together for a gripping and chilling tale.

Best Children’s DVD Nominees

And the winner for Best Children’s DVD is...: Encanto
This charming Disney animated film follows the saga of a girl rediscovering the magic- both literally and metaphorically- that hides within her family and their house. A delightful soundtrack with aspects of Columbian culture sprinkled in makes this another memorable Disney/Pixar film.

Best Biography and Non-fiction Nominees

And the winner for Best Biography and Non-fiction is...: Summer of Soul
A riveting documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, blending together restored footage of the event, modern-day interviews with audience members and musicians who attended, alongside insightful commentary as to why this music festival is often overlooked or forgotten about in history.

Best Misc. DVD Nominees

And the winner for Best Misc. DVD is...: West Side Story
The classical musical has received a delightful movie adaptation, bringing all the charm of the stage musical to the big screen. Following a young man and young woman caught up in falling in love in between scuffles of their rivaling gangs, this captivating tale will be enjoyable for stage musical newcomers and veterans.

Best Sci-Fi Nominees

And the winner for Best Sci-Fi is...: Everything Everywhere All at Once
A wildly chaotic but well-put together spectacle of an adventure, this movie follows a Chinese immigrant to America who must save the world after discovering the ability to travel between universes and bridge together the multitude of different lives and experiences she could have had.

Best Foreign Film Nominees

And the winner for Best Foreign Film is...: Drive My Car
An engrossing Japanese film, following a theater director struggling with work and coming to terms with the death of his wife, while forming a connection with a chauffeur hired to drive him around for a project. An enthralling character-driven drama that is sure to leave an impact.

Best Picture Nominees:
These are the most popular films of last year- that is, the ones most frequently checked out.

And the winner for Best Picture is...: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man returns to the big screen and to steal the hearts of fellow staff members of the Alachua County Library District! Peter Parker and his secret superhero identity, Spider-Man, are revealed to the world, and chaos ensues as he tumbles through the Multiverse trying to restore his life back to normal. This action-packed adventure and stunning visuals will certainly make this another memorable addition to the ongoing superhero saga.

Honorable mentions: Most Overlooked
Celebrating the most popular films is fun, but there are still plenty of fantastic movies that are not quite as popular as some other big name titles. Here are some of the films released in 2022 that had the least amount of checkouts in the last year:

Even if your personal favorites did not win, 2022 had DVD releases of some fantastic movies. You can watch (or re-watch!) all the winners, nominees, and even 2023 movies when they are released on DVD easily. All you need is a standard library card, which is free to sign up for at any of our locations, where you can check out all these movies and more.

By Derek on May 20, 2024