January 12, 2016 8:54 PM EST
Okay. This makes it my fifteenth year in a row I make my predictions for the Oscar nominees. As in past years, I give my five picks, a dark horse (DH) or two if I feel I can sense them out as well as a For Your Consideration (FYC) pick for a deserving long shot. One thing different from previous years is that I won't predict for them all. Just for 14 I really feel are necessary. Besides I found out the Awards Daily site has a contest for just the Top 8 categories so I didn't feel predicting for them all was all that worth it. Nevertheless I will give you an exciting set. So here goes:
BEST PICTURE:
- The Big Short
- Bridge of Spies
- Brooklyn
- Carol
- Inside Out
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Martian
- The Revenant
- Room
- Spotlight
DH1)Straight Outta Compton
DH2)The Hateful Eight
DH3 & FYC)Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Most years there are nine nominees in this category. last year was eight. I'm still keeping it at ten just to be safe.
BEST DIRECTOR:
- TODD HAYNES/Carol
- ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU/ The Revenant
- THOMAS MCCARTHY/ Spotlight
- GEORGE MILLER/Mad Max: Fury Road
- RIDLEY SCOTT/ The Martian
DH1) ADAM McKAY/The Big Short
DH2) STEVEN SPIELBERG/ Bridge of Spies
FYC) F. GARY GRAY/Straight Outta Compton
Funny how my predictions aren't even a day old. Yes, the Directors Guild Nominees were announced this morning and that's how fresh my predictions are.
BEST ACTOR:
- BRYAN CRANSTON/ Trumbo
- MATT DAMON/ The Martian
- LEONARDO DICAPRIO/ The Revenant
- MICHAEL FASSBENDER/ Steve Jobs
- EDDIE REDMAYNE/ The Danish Girl
DH1: JOHNNY DEPP/ Black Mass
DH2: WILL SMITH/ Concussion
Funny how this is the category that seems to be the most generous to performances of people that existed. This year seems to be a mix of people that existed and fictional characters.
BEST ACTRESS:
- CATE BLANCHETT/ Carol
- BRIE LARSON/ Room
- CHARLOTTE RAMPLING/ 45 Years
- SAOIRSE RONAN/ Brooklyn
- ALICIA VIKANDER/ The Danish Girl
DH1: JENNIFER LAWRENCE/ Joy
DH2: HELEN MIRREN/Woman In Gold
FYC: CHARLIZE THERON/Mad Max: Fury Road
Interesting how some of the best lead actress performances this year were from women under the age of 30. Lucky year for young women.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
- CHRISTIAN BALE/ The Big Short
- IDRIS ELBA/Beasts of No Nation
- MARK RYLANCE/Bridge of Spies
- MICHAEL SHANNON/99 Homes
- SYLVESTER STALLONE/ Creed
DH1: PAUL DANO/ Love & Mercy
DH2: JACOB TREMBLAY/Room
FYC: MARK RUFFALO/ Spotlight
It was interesting when the race first started, there were very good chances that Spotlight would have at least one acting nomination with either Keaton or Ruffalo. Boy can the race change things.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
- JENNIFER JASON LEIGH / The Hateful Eight
- ROONEY MARA/ Carol
- HELEN MIRREN / Trumbo
- ALICIA VIKANDER/ Ex Machina
- KATE WINSLET/ Steve Jobs
DH1: JANE FONDA/ Youth
DH2: RACHEL MCADAMS/ Spotlight
FYC: ISABELLA ROSSELLINI/Joy
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
- ANDREA BERLOFF & JONATHAN HERMAN/ Straight Outta Compton
- ETHAN COEN, JOEL COEN & MATT CHARMAN/ Bridge of Spies
- ALEX GARLAND/Ex Machina
- JOSH SINGER & THOMAS MCCARTHY/ Spotlight
- QUENTIN TARANTINO/The Hateful Eight
DH1: JOSH COOLEY, MEG LEFAUVE & PETE DOCTER/ Inside Out
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
- DREW GODDARD/ The Martian
- ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU & MARK L. SMITH/ The Revenant
- ADAM McKAY/The Big Short
- PHYLLIS NAGY/Carol
- AARON SORKIN/ Steve Jobs
DH1: NICK HORNBY/Brooklyn
DH2: EMMA DONOGHUE/ Room
Have you noticed a lot of movie scripts based on novels have been written by the actual novelist lately?
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
- Anomalisa
- The Good Dinosaur
- Inside Out
- The Minions Movie
- The Peanuts Movie
DH: Shaun The Sheep Movie
BEST FILM EDITING:
- AFFONSO GONCALVES/ Carol
- TOM McARDLE/Spotlight
- STEPHEN MIRRIONE/The Revenant
- PIETRO SCALIA/ The Martian
- MARGARET SIXEL/Mad Max: Fury Road
DH1: HANK CORWIN/The Big Short
Usually the films with the best chances for Best Picture have the best bets of nomination in this category.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
- THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT (Belgium)
- THE FENCER (Finland)
- MUSTANG (France)
- SON OF SAUL (Hungary)
- THEEB (Jordan)
DH1: A WAR (Denmark)
DH2: EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (Columbia)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
- CARTER BURWELL/ Carol
- BRYCE DESSNER, CARSTEN NICOLAI & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO/The Revenant
- ENNIO MORRICONE/The Hateful Eight
- THOMAS NEWMAN/ Bridge Of Spies
- JOHN WILLIAMS/Star Wars: The Force Awakens
DH1: DANIEL PEMBERTON/Steve Jobs
DH2:ALEXANDER DESPLAT/ The Danish Girl
There are certain givens come Oscar nominations. One is that John Williams will get nominated. That's one foregone conclusion.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
- “Love Me Like You Do”, Fifty Shades of Grey
- “One Kind Of Love”, Love & Mercy
- “See You Again”, Furious 7
- “Till It Happens To You”, The Hunting Ground
- “Writing’s On The Wall”, Spectre
DH: “Simple Song #3”, Youth
What's you're guess when Wiz and Charlie Puth perform 'See You Again' onstage, that's when the Academy will roll their montage of those that passed in the 12 months?
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
- Ex Machina
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Martian
- The Revenant
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
DH1: Jurassic World
DH2: The Walk
Another given. Star Wars nominated for visual effects. Makes pure sense, right?
And there you have it. My predictions for this year's Oscar nominees. Thursday will be the day to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Stay toond!