In a year where The Oscars seem more irrelevant then ever #oscarssowhite, it's interesting that this is a field where I have absolutely no confidence in my Best Picture pick. It's as if the controversy has been so distracting that no one is really all that passionate about the nominees we were left with. But as they say, the show must go on, so let's see if I can keep up my three year streak of nearly perfect ballots. (I really doubt it). Also, please enjoy the gallery I put together at work to find out what to eat to match all the nominees.
Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Will Win: The Revenant
Should Win: Spotlight
My actual favorite movie of the year has been regulated to the animated feature category, leaving several of my other top picks to choose from. However, this category is really anyone's to win this year—anyone if you're The Revenant, Spotlight or The Big Short. Those three have split the major guild awards, and while Spotlight won the best picture equivalent from the actor's (the Academy's largest voting branch), I have a sinking feeling that The Revenant is surging at the right moment. Love for Leo and its director will probably lead to its victory. It's not the Best Picture I want, but apparently it's the Best Picture we deserve.
Best Director
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Adam McKay, The Big Short
Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
Will Win: Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
Should Win: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
It seems Best Director this year really just means MOST directing. George Miller and Alejandro González Iñárritu physically toiled to being their stories to the screen. Then you have Tom McCarthy and Adam McKay—these men made movies about MORTGAGES and RESEARCH actually compelling and exciting to watch. I could make a case for all of them to win, but I think The Revenant's momentum and his DGA win spell a repeat award for Iñárritu. Though, my vote would go to the 70 year-old Miller who directed Mad Max with the energy and gumption of a man half his age.
Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Leo, Leo, Leo .. I've already waxed on and on about your virtues once this week, but here we are. I thought you deserved your Oscar for The Aviator. I wouldn't have begrudged a win for The Wolf of Wall Street. But I can't fathom how you will lose with your performance in The Revenant. I've read the case against you: We shouldn't only be rewarding hardship during filming, you barely say a word, Tom Hardy has the tougher role to play, etc. Against these other actors, none of those arguments matter. You frightened me, enthralled me and devastated me in equal measure. It's your year Leo. Enjoy your award, at last.
Best Actress
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Brie Larson, Room
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Will Win: Brie Larson, Room
Should Win: Brie Larson, Room
Brie Larson has been the front-runner all season long, and for good reason. I've loved her since The Spectacular Now, and couldn't be happier for her continued success. Her performance in Room is powerful and without a peer this year. It hers and she deserves it.
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Will Win: Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Should Win: Sylvester Stallone, Creed
I was about to make an argument that Christian Bale and Tom Hardy both have a better claim to this award than Sly. Then I remembered his big scene in Creed and teared up. No memory of Bale or Hardy's performance can do that. Sly FTW!
Best Supporting Actress
Rooney Mara, Carol
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Will Win: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Should Win: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
This is a tough one. Alicia Vikander has had a remarkable year. She's was incredible in no less than three films—Ex Machina (my favorite), The Danish Girl and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Plus, she looks completely different in all of them, helping to create mystique about her. Her performance in The Danish Girl is absolutely beautiful. But then there's Kate Winslet, an actress I've loved for 20+ years, playing a role that renders her unrecognizable. So what is the great feat? I predict the Academy will go for the lady who is shiny and new to them, but I can't help but wish Winslet was taking home the gold, especially since I felt Steve Jobs was unfairly pushed out of the Oscar race by a fickle public.
And now, some quick picks for the remaining categories:
Best Original Screenplay
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room
Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Boy & The World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep: The Movie
When Marnie Was There
Best Foreign Language Film
A War
Embrace of the Serpent
Mustang
Son of Saul
Theeb
Best Original Score
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Original Song
“Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Grey
“Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction
“Simple Song #3,” Youth
“Til It Happens To You,” The Hunting Ground
“Writing’s On The Wall,” Spectre
Best Cinematography
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario
Best Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Documentary Feature
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter of Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom
Best Production Design
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Best Film Editing
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out
The Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
Best Costume Design
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Best Sound Editing
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Sound Mixing
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Animated Short
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
Best Live Action Short
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok
Stutterer
Best Documentary Short
Body Team 12
Chau, Beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom
