Oscars 2016

A Night to Remember: The 88th Academy Awards

Actors — L to R: Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Alicia Vikander celebrate their Oscar wins

Last night, the 88^th Academy Awards were announced at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. The stars came out in droves to see who would be granted the new moniker, “Oscar winner”. For the first time in several years, the Oscar was unpredictable, which made for a fantastic show.

Chris Rock hosted the second annual “White People’s Choice Awards”. He spent most of the night acknowledging the fact that none of the acting nominees were minorities and that no African-American was nominated. To be perfectly frank, I was a bit worried going into the show. The issue was obviously going to be addressed, but it could have been very heavy-handed making for a difficult show. However, Rock rose to the challenge. He spent equal time both subtly shaming the Academy for its “sorority racism”, and the groups who decided that the best thing to do was boycott the Oscars. It was edgy and funny, mostly because it was very true.

ewgrab-03490 — Tracy Morgan with the Danish that makes him *The Danish Girl*

The best part of the night, however, was when Rock showed a segment showing a variety of black actors/actresses inserted into some of the night’s nominees. Whoppi Goldberg showed up as a janitor in Joy, rightfully pissed that Jennifer Lawrence couldn’t seem to mop on live television. Leslie Jones was the bear who mauled Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant. That’s what you get for not calling her back, Leo! Rock was the stranded astronaut in The Martian, but NASA couldn’t justify spending “white dollars” to bring him back from Mars. But the best of the best was when Tracy Morgan showed up in a dress playing the “Danish” girl, because he had a Danish. I fear that my downstairs neighbors thought I was being attacked since I was laughing so hard.

Leo and Oscar — Leo finally got his Oscar

For me, one of the best parts of the evening was that many of the awards were not a foregone conclusion. There were the people who were obviously going to win, like Leo and Brie Larson. However, there were just as many surprises. The biggest of the night was that Spotlight was named Best Picture. During the acceptance speech, the filmmakers made an impassioned plea for the Vatican to stop covering up sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. The Vatican was quick to congratulate the film and stated that the film was “convincing” and “not anti-Catholic”.

Obviously, Leo did take home his first Academy Award last night for his portrayal of a grunting, bear-mauled, frontiersman. He graciously thanked the makers of The Revenant as well as other shapers of his career like Martin Scorsese. The Revenant also won Best Director for Alejandro G. Iñárritu, making him the first director since Joseph L. Mankowicz in 1951 to win back-to-back directing Oscars. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki won his third straight Oscar for his work on The Revenant, as well.

Larson and Oscar — Brie Larson after winning for *Room*

Room star Brie Larson went home with an Academy Award for Best Lead Actress. Prior to accepting the award, she hugged 9 year-old costar Jacob Tremblay and thanked him during her acceptance speech. Alicia Vikander won Best Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl, and in a huge surprise, Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Bridge of Spies.

Oscar spread the love around last night, because the film to win the most awards was Mad Max: Fury Road. The post-apocalyptic action film walked away with awards for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, and Best Production Design.

Girl in a River — Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy wins for *A Girl in the River*

I would be remise if I did not mention one of the most heartfelt speeches of the night, which was given by the maker of the Best Documentary Short film A Girl in the River, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. The subject of the documentary was honor killings in Islamic nations, and Obaid-Chinoy stated in her speech that the prime minister of Pakistan said that he will change the Pakistani law on honor killing after watching this film. Bravo.

Well, my little award show junkies, what did you think? Did you enjoy the show? Were you upset that Sly didn’t win? Are you pumped that Ex Machnia won for Visual Effects? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

-Ariadne Ansbro

The complete list of winners is below:

Nicole Rocklin — The cast and crew of *Spotlight* celebrate their win

Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
WINNER: Spotlight

Larson and Vikander — Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
WINNER: Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
WINNER: 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
WINNER: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
WINNER: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Director
The Big Short, Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller
WINNER: The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight, Tom McCarthy

Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: 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
WINNER: Spotlight, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton, Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff

88th Annual Academy Awards - Show — Jonas Rivera and Pete Docter win for *Inside Out*

Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
WINNER: Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Best Documentary Feature
WINNER: Amy
Cartel Land
Look of Silence
What Happened Miss Simone
Winter on Fire

Best Foreign Language Film
Embrace of the Serpent, Colombia
Mustang, France
WINNER: Son of Saul, Hungary
Theeb, Jordan
A War, Denmark

Best Original Score
Bridge of Spies, Thomas Newman
Carol, Carter Burwell
WINNER: 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)
WINNER: “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
WINNER: The Revenant
Sicario

Best Film Editing
The Big Short
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Production Design
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared
The Revenant

Jenny Beavan won for Best Costume Design of *Mad Max: Fury Road*

Best Costume Design
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

Best Animated Short
WINNER: Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live Without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow

Best Visual Effects
WINNER: Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Editing
WINNER: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Mixing
Bridge of Spies
WINNER: 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
WINNER: 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
WINNER: Stutterer

MoviefiedNYC’s in-your-face Oscar Predictions: Who Will and Should Win!

Here we are again, just a few short days away from the 88th Academy Awards. For those of you who are doing some final research for that office pool and want to make a truly informed prediction, the Moviefied NYC team has done all of the leg work. Managing Editors John David West and Myrna Duarte share their predictions along with Award Season Guru Ariadne Ansbro. Below are our picks for who will win and which of the nominees should win, cause, as we know, Oscar can be a fickle mistress.

Best Picture: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight.

David: Who will win: This is one of the toughest years in recent memory to predict the winner—and I like it that way! I’m going to go with The Revenant winning, making Alejandro G. Iñárritu the first director to direct back-to-back Best Picture winners. Who Should Win: Spotlight was the most evenly excellent and riveting movie of the year.
Myrna: Who will and should Win: The Revenant
Ari: Who will Win: How is it that this is the toughest category for me to predict?! The Big Short won the Producers Guild Award, Spotlight won the Screen Actors Guild Award, and The Revenant won the Golden Globe. Statistically, the Producers Guild has correctly predicted the Best Picture winner in the eight of the last ten years, where as the SAGs have correctly predicted six of the last ten years. I am going to go out on a limb and say Spotlight. To hell with statistics! Who Should Win: For me the movie of the year was Spotlight. Even though the audience knew exactly what the Boston Globe reports would find, this journalistic thriller still kept us rapt.

Best Director: Adam McKay, The Big Short, George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant, Lenny Abrahamson, Room, Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

George Miller directing Mad Max: Fury Road

David: Who will win: This year’s directors are quite strong, so this is a tough one but I’m going to go with George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road. Who Should Win: I’m leaning towards Adam McKay for The Big Short.
Myrna: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road – Teach those whipper snappers how to make a movie George.
Ari: Who will win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu will be the first director since Jospeh L. Mankowitz to receive back-to-back directing Oscars for The Revenant. Who Should Win: Lenny Abrahamson somehow took a book with an extremely depressing premise and directed a hopeful story in Room.

Best Actor: Bryan Cranston, Trumbo, Matt Damon, The Martian, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant, Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs, Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl.

David: Could, should, and will Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant. Missing from the nominees: Paul Dano, Love and Mercy.
Myrna: Leonardo DiCaprio‘s day has arrived.
Ari: Let’s face it, Leo is winning for his raspy voice and eating raw bison liver. However, I really loved Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs.

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, Carol, Brie Larson, Room, Jennifer Lawrence, Joy, Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years, Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

David: Who will win: This year’s Oscar for pretty blond girl goes to Brie Larson. Who should Win: Cate Blanchett, Carol. Missing from this list is Rooney Mara, Carol and Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl.
Myrna: Brie Larson, Room – Because BLar might even be cooler than JLaw and good.
Ari: Who will win: Brie Larson‘s heartbreaking performance as a kidnap victim will rain supreme on Oscar night. Who should win: Saoirse Ronan‘s beautiful portrayal of an Irish immigrant in 1950s Brooklyn was the performance of the year.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Big Short, Tom Hardy, The Revenant, Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight, Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies, Sylvester Stallone, Creed

David: Who will win: Supporting Actor category is really tough this year—and this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Sylvester Stallone for Creed. Who Should Win: Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight, and or Mark Rylance. Possible upset: very deserving Tom Hardy for The Revenant.
Myrna: Sylvester Stallone, Creed but I would not mind a Rylance upset.
Ari: Who will win: Honestly, this is the toughest of the big categories for me. The actor who won the SAG award was not nominated in this category and the actor who won the Golden Globe was not nominated by the Screen Actors Guild. However, I am going to follow the party line and say that Sylvester Stallone will win for playing the underdog character that he created 40 years ago. Who Should Win: Mark Rylance‘s nuanced performance as a Soviet spy in Bridge of Spies.

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight, Rooney Mara, Carol, Rachel McAdams, Spotlight, Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl, Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs.

David: Who will Win: This year’s Young Pretty Actress Award goes to Alicia Vikander for her excellent (lead roll) performance in The Danish Girl. Who Should Win: Kate Winslet for her (Supporting) roll Steve Jobs. Upset: Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Myrna: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs because she is so loved but my heart belongs to Rachel McAdams, Spotlight.
Ari: Who will Win: Again, I am torn. This is truly a toss up between Kate Winslet and Alicia Vikander. Winslet has won several awards for this film already, however, Vikander will probably win for the substantial role she played in The Danish Girl. Who Should Win: Winslet was fantastic as the heart of Steve Jobs, the film and the man.

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short, Brooklyn, Carol, The Martian, Room.

The Big Short 2 — Christian Bale, The Big Short

David: Who will and should win: The Big Short.
Myrna: Who will Win: The Martian. Who Should Win: The Big Short.
Ari: Who will Win: The Big Short will most likely get one of its only wins of the night in the category. Who knew watching the demise of the American housing market could be so much fun?! Who Should Win: I read Brooklyn, I loved Brooklyn, so, Brooklyn.

Best Original Screenplay: Bridge of Spies, Ex Machina, Inside Out, Spotlight, Straight Outta Compton.

David: Who will and should win: Spotlight. Upset: a win for Straight Outta Compton could make things interesting.
Myrna: Ex Machina I ♥ Alex Garland
Ari: Who will and should Win: Spotlight (starting to see a trend here?)

Best Animated Feature: Anomalisa, Boy and the World, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep Movie, When Marnie Was There.

David: Inside Out will and should Win
Myrna: Who will Win: Inside Out Who Should Win: Anomalisa
Ari: Who will Win: Inside Out will continue Pixar’s domination of this category. Who Should Win: Shaun the Sheep Movie was adorable!!!! I kinda loved it.

Best Animated Short: Bear Story, Prologue, Sanjay’s Super Team, We Can’t Live Without Cosmos, World of Tomorrow

David: Who will win: Sanjay’s Super Team. Who should win: World of Tomorrow
Myrna: World of Tomorrow hands down!
Ari: Who will win: World of Tomorrow Who Should Win: Bear Story. What can I say? I like bears.

Best Cinematography: Carol, The Hateful Eight, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Sicario.

David: Who will win: If The Revenant wins this will three years in a row for Emmanuel Lubezki. Who Should Win: Edward Lachmann’s stylized look for Carol.
Myrna: Who will win: Tough category, The Revenant will win but Sicario is nipping at its heals.
Ari: Who will win: The Revenant will most likely win, for its use of natural light and beautiful photography. Who Should Win: Carol was eye candy for me. That is the true winner.

Best Costume Design: Carol, Cinderella, The Danish Girl, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant.

David: Who will win: the winner is The Mad Costume Showcase Cinderella. I kid! I think the winner will be The Danish Girl. Who should win: Mad Max for its mad-creative, found-object costume design.
Myrna: Who will win: Carol. Who Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road‘s design is mind blowing.
Ari: who will and should Win: Carol’s gorgeous 1950s designs were exquisite. I am all for this win!

Best Documentary — Feature: Amy, Cartel Land, The Look of Silence, What Happened, Miss Simone?, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

David: Who will Win: Amy. Who Should Win: This is tough, as they were all quite good, but I have to go with The Look of Silence.
Myrna: Who will Win: Amy, I loved getting to know her. Who Should Win: What Happened, Miss Simone? A woman so head of her time.
Ari: Who will Win: Amy will most likely win for its look into at an artist who could not handle her fame. Who Should Win: I really enjoyed Winter on Fire, so I will have to go with that.

Best Documentary—Short: Body Team 12, Chau Behind the Lines, Claude Lanzman, A Girl in the River, Last Day of Freedom

A Girl in the River 1 — A Girl in the River

David: Who will win: A Girl in the River. Who should win: The nominees in this category are all very compelling documentaries, but A Girl in the River felt immediately important, stirring, and insightful.
Myrna: Who will win: A Girl in the River. Who Should Win: Body Team 12.
Ari: Who will and should win: A Girl in the River feels a lot like a previous winner in this category, Saving Face (2011) about women in the Islamic world whose husbands throw acid on them. Another film which makes me appreciate all of the freedom that I have.

Best Film Editing: The Big Short, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Spotlight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Ryan Gosling plays Jared Vennett and Jeffry Griffin plays Chris in The Big Short from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises — The Big Short

David: Who will win: The Big Short. Who should win: The Big Short.
Myrna: Who will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Ari: Who will win: Mad Max: Fury Road will reign supreme. Who should win: The Big Short was put together in a way that made me feel a bit like I actually understood sub-prime mortgages. That is Oscar worthy.

Best Foreign Language Film: Embrace of the Serpent, Mustang, Son of Saul, Theeb, A War.

David: Who will win: Son of Saul. Who should win: Son of Saul.
Myrna: Who will win: Son of Saul. Who should win: Mustang.
Ari: Who will and totally should win: Son of Saul.

Best Live Action Short: Ave Maria, Day One, Everything Will Be Okay, Shok, Stutterer.

David: Who will win: I’m predicting Shok. Who should win: Shok.
Myrna: Who will win: Shok Who should win: Day One
Ari: Who will win: Shok Who should win: Stutterer, I have a soft spot for movies about characters with speech impediments.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared, The Revenant

Nux-Mad-Max-Fury-Road-680x478 — Mad Max: Fury Road

David: Who will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road, Who should win: Mad Max. It’s insult to all the brilliant Makeup and Hairstylist that the Oscars can’t find five nominees.
Myrna: Who will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road Who Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road two words, War Boys!
Ari: Who will and should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road had some pretty amazing makeup on every single character. This will most likely be one of many technical awards Mad Max will win.

Best Original Score: Bridge of Spies, Carol, The Hateful Eight, Sicario, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

David: Who will Win: For sure Ennio Morricone will win his first competitive Oscar for The Hateful Eight. Who should win: Morricone!
Myrna: Who will Win: The Hateful Eight. Who Should Win: Sicario
Ari: Who will win: Ennio Morricone has been nominated six times since 1979 and has never won a competitive Oscar (He received an honorary Oscar in 2007). Look for him to win for his career as opposed to just the work he did on The Hateful Eight. Who should win: I honestly was not blown away by any of the scores this year. I will abstain.

Best Original Song: “Earned It,” 50 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.

David: Who will win: The Oscars love to award a pop stars, so this year it will go to Lady Gaga, Diane Warren for “Til It Happens to You,” The Hunting Ground. It’s been a good year so far for Gaga! Who Should Win: Gaga!
Myrna: Who will Win: “Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction. Who should win: “Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction.
Ari: Who will Win: “Til It Happens to You”, The Hunting Ground. I am sure that the Academy will continue its trend of awarding superstars with Oscars in this category (see Adele, Eminem, Three 6 Mafia). Congrats, Lady Gaga. Who Should Win: “Writing’s on the Wall”, Spectre. Hey, it was the only thing good to come out of Spectre.

Best Production Design: Bridge of Spies, The Danish Girl, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant.

David: Who will win: Mad Max: Fury Road. Who should win: Mad Max: Fury Road.
Myrna: Who will and should: Mad Max: Fury Road.
Ari: Who will win: Mad Max: Fury Road Who should Win: Creating the terrain of Mars in The Martian was pretty incredible. I really wish that the film would receive accolades for that, however, it won’t.

Best Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Sicario, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

David: Who will and should win: Seems like a no-brainer to me, Mad Max: Fury Road.
Myrna: Who will win: Mad Max: Fury Road. Who should win: Mad Max: Fury Road.
Ari: Who will win: Mad Max: Fury Road will continue to rake in the technical awards. Who should win: I think that The Martian should see some love in this category.

Best Sound Mixing: Bridge of Spies, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

David: Who will win: it’s going to be a tech sweep for Mad Max: Fury Road, and it should be that way!
Myrna: Who will win: The Revenant. Who should win: Mad Max: Fury Road.
Ari: Who will win: Mad Max: Fury Road, again who should Win: The Martian.

Best Visual Effects: Ex Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

David: Who will Win: This could be the one chance for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Who Should Win: Ex Machina.
Myrna: Who will win: The Revenant Who should win: Ex Machina.
Ari: Who will win: I am pretty sure that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will walk away with this one. Who should win: Ex-Machina was so cool!!!!! This is a category where cool should win!

The 88th Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday, February 28 on ABC. Join MoviefiedNYC for live streaming at @MoviefiedNYC

Movie-Still Monday Oscar Edition: World of Tomorrow

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2016 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE: BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

World of Tomorrow is a 2015 American animated science fiction short film written, directed, produced, animated, and edited by Don Hertzfeldt. It features the voice of Julia Pott, opposite Hertzfeldt’s then-four-year-old niece Winona Mae, who was recorded while drawing and playing. Her spontaneous, natural vocal reactions and questions were then edited into the story to create her character. Hertzfeldt is also credited as cinematographer, production designer, sound editor, sound mixer, and digital effects supervisor.

Don Hertzfeldt is a two-time Oscar nominee whose animated films include It’s Such a Beautiful Day, The Meaning of Life, Billy’s Balloon, and Rejected.

Winner of 40 awards, including: Grand Prize, Sundance Film Festival
Best Animated Short, SXSW / Grand Jury Animated Short Award, AFI Fest / Golden Zagreb, Animafest Zagreb / Best Film, Fantoche / Grand Prix, Anifilm Trebon / Audience Award & Special Jury Distinction, Annecy Animation Festival / Best Script & Audience Award, Ottawa Animation Festival / Grand Prix for Short Film, Utopiales Festival of Science Fiction / Visionary Award, Nashville Film Festival / Scientific Merit Award, Imagine Science Film Festival / Best Short Film, Philadelphia Film Festival / Best Short Film, BAFICI / Audience Award, VIS Festival / Best Animation, Milano Film Festival / Best Animated Short, Dallas Film Festival / Best Animated Short, Omaha Film Festival

2016 Oscar Nominations

Oscar promo

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 88^th Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock, will be handed out on February 28^th.

-Ariadne Ansbro

Full list of nominees below:

The Renevant

Spotlight

The Martian

Brooklyn

Bridge of Spies

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

Room

Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Cate Blanchett in Carol

Brie Larson in Room

Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn

Jennifer Lawrence in Joy

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Matt Damon in The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs

Bryan Cranston in Trumbo

Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl

Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight

Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl

Rachel McAdams in Spotlight

Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs

Rooney Mara in Carol

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Christian Bale in The Big Short

Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight

Tom Hardy in The Revenant

Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone in Creed

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Tom McCarthy directing Spotlight

Lenny Abrahamson directing Room

Adam McKay directing The Big Short

Alejandro G. Iñárritu directing The Revenant

George Miller directing Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Director
The Big Short, Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller
The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight, Tom McCarthy

Brooklyn

The Big Short

The Martian

Room

Carol

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short, Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Brooklyn, Nick Hornby
Carol, Phyllis Nagy
The Martian, Drew Goddard
Room, Emma Donoghue

Ex Machina

Spotlight

Inside Out

Straight Outta Compton

Bridge of Spies

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

When Marnie Was There

Inside Out

Anomalisa

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Boy and the World

Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Look of Silence

Cartel Land

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire

Amy

Best Documentary Feature
Amy
Cartel Land
Look of Silence
What Happened Miss Simone
Winter on Fire

Theeb

A War

Mustang

Son of Saul

Embrace of the Serpent

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

Force Awakens A — *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*

Best Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

leonardo-dicaprio-revenant-trailer-buried-alive-092915 — *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 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

Oscars 2016 – Who will be nominated?

oscar-statues

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

Bryan Cranston in Trumbo

The Danish Girl

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs

The Martian

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

Cate Blanchett in Carol

Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl

Jennifer Lawrence in Joy

Brie Larson in Room

Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn

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

Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation

Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone in Creed

Christian Bale in The Big Short

Jacob Tremblay in Room

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

Helen Mirren in Trumbo

Jane Fonda in Youth

Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs

Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara in Carol

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

Room

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Carol

Brooklyn

The Big Short

Straight Outta Compton

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

Bridge of Spies

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

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