Denzel Washington is celebrating his eighth acting nomination (ninth career nomination) for his work in this year’s Roman J. Israel, Esq. He is tied with Paul Newman and Spencer Tracy as third most nominated actor in Oscar history (behind Jack Nicholson with 12 and Laurence Olivier with 10). Washington received his first Oscar nomination 30 years ago for his role as South African activist and martyr for the cause Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987).
They’re heeeeeeeeeere! That’s right, the Oscar nominations have come in. As usual, there were some surprises and some snubs that I may never forgive. Obviously, I have a masochistic relationship with the Oscars.
The Shape of Water received 13 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Guillermo del Toro), Best Actress (Sally Hawkins), Best Supporting Actor (Richard Jenkins), and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer). This was followed by the wartime drama Dunkirk with eight nominations. Dunkirk received nominations in mostly technical categories, but it did receive nominations for Best Picture and Best Director (Christopher Nolan). SAG Awards darling Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri followed with seven nominations. As predicted, Three Billboards received nominations for Best Actress (Frances McDormand), Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson), and Best Picture.
After being snubbed at the Golden Globes, both Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig were nominated in the Best Director category for their work on Get Out and Lady Bird, respectively. They also both received nominations in the Best Original Screenplay category. Gerwig is only the fifth woman to ever be nominated in this category, and the first woman nominated in eight years. Lady Bird made out pretty well, scoring nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Saoirse Ronan), and Best Supporting Actress (Laurie Metcalf). Similarly, Get Out was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor (Danial Kaluuya).
Even though he received nominations for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, I was not expecting to see Denzel Washington amongst the nominees for his work in Roman J. Israel, Esq. This is his eighth acting nomination and ninth career nomination (he received a nomination as a producer on last year’s Fences). Roman J. Israel, Esq. hit theaters back in November with little to no fanfare. The film itself received middling reviews scoring only 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. While I adore Denzel, I was rather disappointed that Tom Hanks wasn’t nominated. His work in The Post was well crafted, and definitely worthy of a nomination. The other surprise in the Best Actor category was the omission of James Franco for his work in The Disaster Artist. A nomination for Franco’s portrayal of The Room actor/director/producer Tommy Wiseau was widely considered a lock until the Golden Globes. After winning the award for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy, he was accused of sexual misconduct by several women who worked with him at his acting school. The nominations were accepted through January 19, so I would guess that it significantly hurt his chances of receiving a second nomination.
The omission of Holly Hunter in the Best Supporting Actress category astonishes me. She was divine in The Big Sick as the mother of a young woman in a coma attempting to bond with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend. On the plus side, The Big Sick did receive a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. For those of you who are unaware, the film is based on the real life romance of writers Kumail Nanjiani (who also starred in the film) and his wife, Emily V. Gordon. Octavia Spencer’s nomination did not seem to be earned to me. In The Shape of Water, she played a very similar character to the one she played in last year’s Hidden Figures. Since she received a nomination for that film as well, I would guess that it is a formula that works for her. British actress Lesley Manville surprised everyone by slipping into the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as the sister and business partner of couturier Reynolds Woodcock (fellow nominee Daniel Day-Lewis) in The Phantom Thread. Her inclusion in this category kicked out Downsizing’s Hong Chau.
Also, KOBE BRYANT RECEIVED A NOMINATION! His animated short film Dear Basketball was nominated. Wow, just wow.
The 90th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be presented on March 4, 2018 on ABC.
-Ariadne Ansbro
Full List of Nominees:
BEST PICTURE
Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.
BEST ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post
BEST DIRECTOR
Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan
Get Out, Jordan Peele
Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig
Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson
The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory
The Disaster Artist, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Logan, Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green
Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin
Mudbound, Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
Get Out, Jordan Peele
Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig
The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Mudbound
The Shape of Water
COSTUME DESIGN
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Victoria & Abdul
SOUND EDITING
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
SOUND MIXING
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
ORIGINAL SCORE
Dunkirk
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
VISUAL EFFECTS
Blade Runner 2049
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes
FILM EDITING
Baby Driver
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Darkest Hour
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Fantastic Woman, Chile
The Insult, Lebanon
Loveless, Russia
On Body and Soul, Hungary
The Square, Sweden
ORIGINAL SONG
“Mighty River,” Mudbound
“Mystery of Love,” Call Me By Your Name
“Remember Me,” Coco
“Stand Up For Something,” Marshall
“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Faces Places
Icarus
Last Man in Aleppo
Strong Island
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Dear Basketball
Garden Party
Lou
Negative Space
Revolting Rhymes
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
DeKalb Elementary
The Eleven O’Clock
My Nephew Emmett
The Silent Child
Watu Wote/All of Us
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Edith and Eddie
Heaven Is A Traffic Jam on the 405
Heroin(e)
Knife Skills
Traffic Stop
It’s almost here! The nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced tomorrow morning. The question that hangs in the air is, of course, who will get a nomination? With the Golden Globes, Critics Circle Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Producers Guild Awards all bestowing their honors in the past few weeks, the front-runners have emerged. However, there is always that dark horse that sneaks in at the last second (I’m looking at you Michael Shannon!). Here are my predictions for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Post
The Big Sick
Wonder Woman
The problem with this category is that the number of available spots varies from year to year. Since the Academy changed the rule regarding the number of Best Picture nominations (it can be anywhere between five and ten), the number has gone from nine to eight to seven. I am going to choose nine this year. The locks are Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, and Call Me By Your Name. Get Out and Dunkirk are also pretty safe bets. Both have been nominated for Golden Globes, Producers Guild Awards, and Critics Circle Awards. They were also both on the AFI list of the best films of the year. The Post has the pedigree of an Oscar winner, however, its late release caused it to be completely blocked out of the SAG Awards. Other than the SAG shut out, it has been nominated for all of the major pre-Oscar awards. This leaves a couple more spots. I, Tonya was nominated for a Producers Guild Award and a Golden Globe, however, it received no love from the Critics Circle, AFI, or the BAFTAs. The unevenness of the film is probably what will keep it from being nominated in this category. The Florida Project is too small a film to get much more than an acting nomination this year. It has picked up a few nominations, but nothing prestigious, which makes me think that it probably will be left off this list. The Big Sick was widely acclaimed when it came out in the middle of the year. Surprisingly, it was noticeably absent from the Golden Globe nominations. It did gain some ground when it was nominated for almost every other award, excluding the BAFTAs. That leaves the real dark horse: Wonder Woman. The film has received nominations from the Producers Guild, the Critics Circle, and AFI. However, Oscar does not look kindly upon action movies. But, who knows? It may sneak in.
Best Actor
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Tom Hanks, The Post
Gary Oldman went through four hours of make-up and donned a fat suit to portray one of the greatest figures of the 20th Century. That is basically Oscar porn. He’s a lock. Newcomer Timothée Chalamet has received raves for his work in Call Me By Your Name, and he has been nominated more times than I can count for this role. Daniel Kaluuya, the star of the hit horror film Get Out is also primed for a nomination. If you asked me two weeks ago, I would have said that the only maybe on this list would have been Tom Hanks. However, the recent allegations of sexual misconduct that James Franco has received put his nomination in jeopardy. The voting closed one week after the allegations surfaced, so he may have taken a big hit. I thought Tom Hanks was fantastic in The Post. It was not a normal role for him, and he really knocked it out of the park. However, he did not receive SAG or BAFTA nominations. I am going all in with Hanks, but Daniel Day-Lewis may edge his way in for his work in The Phantom Thread.
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post
The first four ladies on this list can probably sleep in tomorrow, since it is pretty obvious that they will all receive a nomination for their strong work this year. The only one I am not completely confident about is Meryl Streep. However, every time I think that she will not receive another nomination I am proven wrong. I have learned my lesson: never bet against the Streep.
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell is going to win the Oscar for his tour-de-force performance in Three Billboards. Done. Period. Nothing more to be said. If he has competition, it would be Willem Dafoe for his work as a motel manager in The Florida Project. Richard Jenkins has received much acclaim for his role as the closeted neighbor of the mute Eliza in The Shape of Water, so he will probably receive his second Oscar nomination tomorrow. That leaves two spots. Woody Harrelson was a great foil to Rockwell’s character in Three Billboards, but he may not be recognized next to Rockwell. I am going to bet on him, though. That film will probably walk away with a bunch of nominations, and I can see it receiving two in this category. All of the controversy that has surrounded All the Money In the World will probably propel Christopher Plummer to a third Oscar nomination. He was fantastic in the role, and when you add in the fact that he was cast, and filmed the whole thing in about a week, it will probably push him over the edge and into the category.
Best Supporting Actress
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Hong Chau, Downsizing
Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
This is another one of those categories where the first four actress are almost guaranteed to receive a nomination. These names have been bandied about for months now, and tomorrow morning they will finally see all of their hard work pay off. That leaves one spot. I am going to give it to Holly Hunter in The Big Sick. The Academy loves her, and she had the perfect blend of humor, love, strength, and fight in what could have been a one note role.
-Ariadne Ansbro
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 24, 2017, Hollywood woke up at the ungodly hour of 5:18 am to find out who the chosen were. Over the course of the following 10 minutes, the 89th Academy Award nominations were announced by Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Jennifer Hudson, Brie Larson, Emmanuel Lubezki, Jason Reitman, and Ken Watanabe.
Unsurprisingly, La La Land stole the show by garnering a whopping total of 14 nominations, tying for the most nominations for a single film in Academy history. Titanic and All About Eve are the only other films to have 14 nominations. Land received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Director (Damien Chazelle), and Best Original Screenplay (Damien Chazelle). The film received multiple technical nominations including two for Best Song (“City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”).
Arrival and Moonlight each received eight nominations including Best Picture and Best Director (Denis Villeneuve and Barry Jenkins, respectively). In a surprise turn, Amy Adams did not receive a sixth nomination for her role in Arrival. Adams has received rave reviews for her role as a linguistics professor interoperating the language of aliens. Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris both received nominations in the supporting actor/actress categories for their work in Moonlight.
Manchester by the Sea, Hacksaw Ridge, and Lion each received six nominations. In a surprising turn, Mel Gibson was nominated for Best Director of Hacksaw Ridge. Gibson previously received two Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture for his work on Braveheart. Judging by his legal and personal problems over the past 12 years, I honestly believed that Gibson would be left off of this list; after all, the Oscars are not objective. However, it seems like this is Hollywood’s way of saying, “We forgive you.”
he Best Picture category was rounded out by Fences, Hell or High Water, and Hidden Figures. Fences picked up nominations for Denzel Washington as Best Actor and Viola Davis as Best Supporting Actress, and front runner for the award. Water and Figures was also nominated in the supporting actor/actress categories for the work of Jeff Bridges and Octavia Spencer.
For the first time in two years, minorities were included among the acting and directing nominees: seven actors/actresses and one director. These include Denzel Washington for Fences (Best Actor), Ruth Negga for Loving (Best Actress), Mahershala Ali for Moonlight (Best Supporting Actor), Dev Patel for Lion (Best Supporting Actor), and Barry Jenkins for Moonlight (Best Director). Viola Davis (Fences), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) all received nominations in the supporting actress category, making it the first time ever that an acting category has more than two black actors/actresses.
Finally, I have a little Easter Egg for you all. Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame received his first Oscar nomination for writing the song “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana. Yay!
Any surprises or snubs you want to talk about? Write to us on Twitter or Facebook.
The Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air on Sunday, February 26.
-Ariadne Ansbro
Best Picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Best Actress
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Best Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
Best Documentary Feature
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life Animated
O.J.: Made in America
13th
Best Director
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival, Eric Heisserer
Fences, August Wilson
Hidden Figures, Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
Lion, Luke Davis
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins with story by Tarell Alvin McCranley
Best Original Screenplay
Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan
La La Land, Damien Chazelle
The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou
Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan
20th Century Women, Mike Mills
Best Foreign Language Film
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann
Best Original Score
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
Best Original Song
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
“City of Stars,” La La Land
“The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story
“How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
Best Cinematography
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
Best Production Design
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
Best Costume Design
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
Best Visual Effects
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Sound Editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully
Best Sound Mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Best Documentary Short
Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets
Best Live Action Short
Ennemis Intérieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode
Best Animated Feature
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia
Best Film Editing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight
Best Animated Short
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper
Well, that was interesting. The Academy Awards nominations were announced this morning by Guillermo del Toro, Ang Lee, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and John Krasinski. While many of my predictions were correct, there were definitely some surprises this morning.
While it was obvious that Alicia Vikander would receive a nomination for her role in The Danish Girl, the question became which category would she be nominated in? The roll was a substantial one and would normally be considered for the Lead Actress category. However, the film’s production company has been pushing for her to be nominated in the Supporting Actress category. The production company won out and Vikander was placed in the Supporting Actress category. The surprise nomination in that category was Rachel McAdams for her role as an investigative journalist in Spotlight. Most of the buzz has been given to her other two costars, Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo, so it was quite a shock to see her mentioned here.
With Vikander vacating a spot in the Best Lead Actress category, 69 year old Charlotte Rampling was able to receive her first ever Oscar nomination for 45 Years. This is an independent film that has not generated much in the way of award buzz, so Rampling’s nomination is a pleasant surprise.
For my money, the biggest surprise announcement was in the Supporting Actor category. While critics have praised Tom Hardy’s villainous turn in The Revenant, he has not been included on many of the pre Oscar award lists. However, he was triumphant, receiving his first nomination. If I were to hazard a guess, this is mainly due to the kind of year Hardy has had. He starred in three films this year, two of which are nominated for Best Picture (The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road), so this nomination is likely in recognition of that. The other major surprise in this category was the fact that Idris Elba was snubbed for his role in Beasts of No Nation. Elba received nominations from the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and the SAG awards, so this is an unfortunate surprise.
In the Best Director category, many were surprised at the omission of Ridley Scott for directing The Martian. Much like Elba, Scott has been consistently nominated during this award season, including a nomination from the Directors Guild of America. The slot that he would have occupied was given to Lenny Abrahamson for his direction of Room. Room is performing in much the same way that Beasts of the Southern Wild did in 2013. Beasts received surprise nominations for Best Picture, Best Lead Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis), Best Director (Benh Zeitlin), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Room has been gaining a lot of ground throughout this awards season, but no one really thought it would perform as well as it has. Along with the nomination for Best Director, Room received nominations for Best Picture, Best Lead Actress (Brie Larson), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
While none of the Best Picture nominees was a shock, the lack of nomination for Carol was stunning. Carol has long been thought of as one of the real contenders this year. It has shown up on countless critics’ top ten lists and has performed well during the awards season. Carol ended up receiving only six nominations including Best Lead Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara), and Best Adapted Screenplay.
It should come as no surprise that The Revenant dominated the nominations this year. It is the most nominated film of the year with a total of 12 nominations including: Best Picture, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Hardy), and Best Director (Alejandro G. Iñárritu). Mad Max: Fury Road was not far behind with a total of 10 nominations. The film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (George Miller), and a plethora of technical awards. This is followed by The Martian with seven nominations which include Best Picture and Best Actor (Matt Damon).
What did you think of the nominations? Surprises? Snubs? Extreme love for any certain movie? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.
The 88th Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock, will be handed out on February 28th.
-Ariadne Ansbro
Full list of nominees below:
Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Best Director
The Big Short, Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller
The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight, Tom McCarthy
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short, Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Brooklyn, Nick Hornby
Carol, Phyllis Nagy
The Martian, Drew Goddard
Room, Emma Donoghue
Best Original Screenplay
Bridge of Spies, Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Ex Machina, Alex Garland
Inside Out, Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton, Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
Best Documentary Feature
Amy
Cartel Land
Look of Silence
What Happened Miss Simone
Winter on Fire
Best Foreign Language Film
Embrace of the Serpent, Colombia
Mustang, France
Son of Saul, Hungary
Theeb, Jordan
A War, Denmark
Best Original Score
Bridge of Spies, Thomas Newman
Carol, Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone
Sicario, Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams
Best Original Song
“Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Grey (Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio)
“Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction (Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty)
“Simple Song #3,” Youth (Music and Lyric by David Lang)
“Til it Happens to You,” The Hunting Ground (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga)
“Writing’s on the Wall,” Spectre (Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith)
Best Cinematography
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario
Best Film Editing
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Production Design
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
Best Costume Design
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Best Animated Short
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live Without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
Best Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
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 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
Best Live Action Short
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok
Stutterer
We are mere hours away from the announcement of the nominations for the 88th Academy Awards. In preparation for this major event, I have spent hours analyzing statistics, pouring over past winners and trends, and creating a special algorithm to show the statistical possibilities of each nomination. Well, maybe I didn’t do quite that much. Anyway, below are my predictions for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture.
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
This category is probably the most stable of all five of the categories I am predicting. The first four potential nominees on this list have been nominated for the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and BAFTA. The fifth position is a bit tricky. Matt Damon won the Golden Globe this past Sunday, however, he did not receive a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild. The voting body of the Golden Globes has no overlap with the Academy voters, yet many of the members of the Screen Actors Guild are members of the Academy. The overwhelming success of The Martian will probably be the thing that propels Damon to his third acting nomination. If he is not included in this list, he will most likely be replaced with Will Smith for Concussion, who received a Golden Globe nomination or Johnny Depp for Black Mass, who was nominated by the Screen Actors Guild.
Best Actress
Brie Larson, Room
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Larson, Blanchett, and Ronan are pretty much guaranteed to hear their names announced tomorrow. As a matter of fact, Vikander is too, however, the category is still up for grabs. The production company responsible for The Danish Girl has been pushing Vikander in the Supporting Actress category. They were successful at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, however, for both the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, Vikander’s performance in this film was listed in the Lead Actress category. Since she was in more of the film than the titular character, I am going to bet that she is nominated in this category. The fifth spot is not quite as secure. Regardless of her win at the Golden Globes on Sunday, Jennifer Lawrence was completely snubbed by the Screen Actors Guild and the BAFTAs. The Academy does have a love affair with Lawrence, though, so I expect that she will receive her fourth career nomination for Joy. If she is not included in this category, she will most likely be usurped by Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years or Maggie Smith for The Lady in the Van. As much as the Academy loves 25 year-old Lawrence, they do love honoring screen veterans late in life too.
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Jacob Tremblay, Room
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
I went out on a limb here with the last two nominations. This may seem like an odd statement considering Sylvester Stallone just won the Golden Globe. The thing is that Stallone was not nominated for a SAG award or a BAFTA. Due to the overwhelming popularity of film and the critical acclaim it is receiving, I think that there is a good possibility that Stallone could receive a nomination. Jacob Tremblay’s role in Room has been widely acclaimed since the film premiered. The Academy has been very reticent about nominating children in the past. It has been 16 years since a child has received a nomination in this category, so either Tremblay could be the one to break the streak or history will work against him. If either Tremblay or Stallone are not nominated, it would leave a space for any number of other performances to nab a nomination. Mark Ruffalo or Michael Keaton are both primed to sneak in an acting nomination for Spotlight. Christian Bale’s costar in The Big Short Steve Carell could also surprise everyone by getting his second consecutive Oscar nomination for his role as a hedge fund manager with a heart. Yes, I do know that is an oxymoron. The other possibilities are Benicio Del Toro for his role in Sicario or Michael Shannon for 99 Homes.
Best Supporting Actress
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Rooney Mara, Carol
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
Jane Fonda, Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
As I previously mentioned, Alicia Vikander could completely mess up my predictions for this category. If she is nominated for Supporting Actress, she will bump either Jane Fonda or Jennifer Jason Leigh. Kate Winslet, Ronney Mara, and Helen Mirren are all safe bets, and I would be very surprised if one of them does not end up with a nomination. The other two spots could go in many directions. Vikander’s role in Ex Machina has gained momentum in recent weeks due to a Golden Globe nomination and a BAFTA nomination. If she is nominated for The Danish Girl in the Lead Actress category, she could earn a second nomination here. Rachel McAdams earned a SAG nomination for Spotlight, however, she is does not have as strong a role as Michael Keaton or Mark Ruffalo. If they are not included in the Supporting Actor race, this could be the film’s conciliation prize. Brooklyn’s Julie Walters received a BAFTA nomination last week, which could allow her to worm her way to a third Oscar nomination. Ultimately, I think that Jennifer Jason Leigh will get her first (!) nomination for her role in Quentin Tarentino’s latest film The Hateful Eight. Also, even though Jane Fonda only showed up in one scene in Youth, she stole the show. The Academy has been known to award a short amount of screen time, so this does not take away from her chances. (See Beatrice Straight winning for a 5 minute and 40 second role in Network, Judi Dench’s 8 minutes in Shakespeare in Love, and Gloria Grahame’s 9 minute part in The Bad and the Beautiful.)
Best Picture
Spotlight
The Revenant
Carol
Room
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Big Short
The Martian
Brooklyn
Bridge of Spies
Straight Outta Compton
The Academy rules state that there can be anywhere between 5 and 10 Best Picture nominees. It is pretty impossible for me to predict the number of films that will be nominated, so I am working under the assumption that there will be 10 nominees. Spotlight, The Revenant, The Big Short, and Carol seem to be sure things. The Martian‘s win at the Golden Globes should be a good indicator that this film will make it onto the list. As one of the best reviewed movies of the year, Mad Max: Fury Road has continually gotten nominations for Best Picture during this awards season, making it a good bet for a nomination tomorrow. Bridge of Spies was released early in the autumn, causing it to lose momentum as the award season came around. Last week it made a come back by getting a nomination for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Picture. Room and Brooklyn have locked in nominations in the Lead Actress category, however, these are small films with limited release and that could hurt their chances for getting a nomination for Best Picture. They were both nominated for Golden Globes, but only Brooklyn received a nomination from the PGA. Straight Outta Compton surprised many in the Hollywood community by getting a nomination for Best Ensemble Cast from the SAGs. To prove it wasn’t just a fluke, the PGA also nominated it for Best Picture. A nomination for this film would be a welcome addition to this category.
So, what do you guys think? Am I totally off base? We will see tomorrow when the Academy Award nominations will be announced at 8:30 am EST.
-Ariadne Ansbro
