Picking who would win The Oscars has been a breeze over the last couple of years, however this year I’m not so confident when it comes to stating who should have their acceptance speech ready. And that’s a good thing!
The air of unpredictability surround The 2016 Oscars makes the inane conversations on the red carpet tolerable, and the lengthy ceremony that much more exciting. The acting categories are by far the easiest to predict (the awards will go to white people), but when it comes to the best picture category, we’ve got a real race on our hands. I’m also looking forward to how Chris Rock handles the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Harvey Weinstein, the co-chief of The Weinstein Co, predicts Rock is going to “annihilate every one of us” in his opening speech. Can’t wait.
Here are my predictions for the main glamour awards this afternoon. Let me know yours!
Picking who would win The Oscars has been a breeze over the last couple of years, however this year I’m not so confident when it comes to stating who should have their acceptance speech ready. And that’s a good thing!
The air of unpredictability surround The 2016 Oscars makes the inane conversations on the red carpet tolerable, and the lengthy ceremony that much more exciting. The acting categories are by far the easiest to predict (the awards will go to white people), but when it comes to the best picture category, we’ve got a real race on our hands. I’m also looking forward to how Chris Rock handles the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Harvey Weinstein, the co-chief of The Weinstein Co, predicts Rock is going to “annihilate every one of us” in his opening speech. Can’t wait.
Here are my predictions for the main glamour awards this afternoon. Let me know yours!
BEST PICTURE
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
From this year’s 8 nominees, I can see three potential winners; The Revenant, Spotlight and The Big Short. Leonardo DiCaprio has campaigned well for The Revenant and the film took home the Directors Guild Award for best film. My gut instinct is that Golden Globe winning The Revenant has the edge over the other two films, and if it does win, Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman) will become the first director to helm two back-to-back best picture winners. The Big Short did take out the Producers Guild Award (a reliable Oscars predictor) and Spotlight won the best ensemble award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Will the Academy go for a gritty, violent survival period piece, or a more contemporary social story?
BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Got to be honest, I’d love it if 70-year-old veteran George Miller took the statue home. Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the most exhilarating and technically exciting films I saw last year, but he’s up against an increasingly popular Alejandro González Iñárritu. I’d like to see best picture and best director categories split, but I feel the tide is turning in Iñárritu’s favour.
BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Matt Damon, The Martian
If Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t win, he probably never will. Like Julianne Moore last year, this is DiCaprio’s fifth nomination and a win is due. It’s unfortunately for Michael Fassbender, his performance as tech guru Steve Jobs in Danny Boyle’s biopic is superb and worthy of an Oscar.
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
All classy performances, but Brie Larson should wrap up this award thanks to her harrowing performance in Room, and I hope she does.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Well, if enough of the Academy watched Creed, then there’s a good chance Sylvester Stallone might take home his first Oscar. It would be a sentimental win in one of toughest categories of the awards. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tom Hardy was recognized for his successful year (The Revenant and Mad Max), or the award went to Mark Ruffalo or Christian Bale. It’s anyone’s guess!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
The nominees in this category are odd as Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander should really have been considered in the best actress category. Anyway, it’s another tough, competitive category with Kate Winslet leading the pack after her Golden Globe and BAFTA wins. However the seasoned Oscar nominee (7 nominations and 1 win) might have to give up the statue for any of her fellow nominees. I’d say her biggest competition comes from Rooney Mara, and the talented Alicia Vikander whose performance in Ex Machina and The Danish Girl have catapulted her into the big time over the last year.
BEST FOREIGN FILM
Mustang (France)
Theeb (Jordan)
Son of Saul (Hungary)
Embrace the Serpent (Colombia)
A War (Denmark)
I haven’t seen all these films, but I’d be very surprised if Hungary’s critically acclaimed Golden Globe winner Son of Saul doesn’t take this award home.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
Amy will be hard to beat, but faces tough competition from Cartel Land that screens on Rialto Channel this April, and The Look of Silence.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
Matt Charman, Joel & Ethan Coen, Bridge of Spies
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Ronnie del Carmen, Inside Out
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Jonathan Herman, S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus, Andrea Berloff, Straight Outta Compton
This is where Spotlight should shine, although a part of me would love Inside Out to take out this category – imagine an animation winning this category for the first time!
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Drew Goddard, The Martian
Nick Hornby, Brooklyn
Adam McKay and Charles Randolph, The Big Short
Phyllis Nagy, Carol
Emma Donoghue, Room
The Big Short deserves to take this award home, and if it does, it becomes an even stronger contender for best picture.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Inside Out
Anomalisa
Shaun the Sheep
When Marnie Was There
Boy and the World
OK, so Inside Out probably won’t win best original screenplay, but it will win this award, without a doubt.