DECEMBER 30, 2015
I’ve been putting it off long enough. As 2015 draws to a close, it’s time to look back at the movie year and try to figure out what those inscrutable Oscar voters have on their minds. Nominations from the ultra-influential film guilds will start coming in over the next few days which may change the picture significantly, but as of now these are my best guesses at what names will be read the morning of Thursday, January 14. Here goes….
BEST PICTURE (presuming there are 10 nominees)
“The Big Short”
“Bridge of Spies”
“Brooklyn”
“Inside Out”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”
“Room”
“Spotlight”
“Straight Outta Compton”
BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”)
Matt Damon (“The Martian”)
Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”)
Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”)
Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”)
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett (“Carol”)
Brie Larson (“Room”)
Jennifer Lawrence (“Joy”)
Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years”)
Saoirse Ronan (“Brooklyn”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale (“The Big Short”)
Idris Elba (“Beasts of No Nation”)
Michael Keaton (“Spotlight”)
Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”)
Sylvester Stallone (“Creed”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Hateful Eight”)
Rooney Mara (“Carol”) (unless she is rightly nominated as Best Actress)
Rachel McAdams (“Spotlight”)
Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) (unless she is rightly nominated as Best Actress)
Kate Winslet (“Steve Jobs”)
If Mara & Vikander move up to the Best Actress category, I’ll add:
Helen Mirren (“Trumbo”)
Alicia Vikander (of all people!) (“Ex Machina”)
BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“The Revenant”)
Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”)
George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road”)
Ridley Scott (“The Martian”)
Steven Spielberg (“Bridge of Spies”)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Adam McKay & Charles Randolph (“The Big Short”)
Phyllis Nagy (“Carol”)
Drew Goddard (“The Martian”)
Emma Donoghue (“Room”)
Aaron Sorkin (“Steve Jobs”)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Matt Charman, Joel & Ethan Coen (“Bridge of Spies”)
Quentin Tarentino (“The Hateful Eight”)
Josh Cooley, Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve (“Inside Out”)
Annie Mumolo, David O. Russell (“Joy”)
Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer (“Spotlight”)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Carol”
“The Hateful Eight”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Revenant”
“Sicario”
BEST EDITING
“Bridge of Spies”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“Spotlight”
“Steve Jobs”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Brooklyn”
“Carol”
“Cinderella”
“The Danish Girl”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
BEST MAKE-UP & HAIRSTYLING
“Black Mass”
“Mr. Holmes”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“Bridge of Spies”
“The Danish Girl”
“The Hateful Eight”
“Spotlight”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“So Long” (“Concussion”)
“Love Me Like You Do” (“50 Shades of Grey”)
“See You Again” (“Furious 7”)
“Til It Happens To You” (“The Hunting Ground”)
“Simple Song #3” (“Youth”)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Bridge of Spies”
“Brooklyn”
“Cinderella”
“The Danish Girl”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
BEST SOUND EDITING
“The Hateful Eight”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
BEST SOUND MIXING
“The Hateful Eight”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Revenant”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Ex Machina”
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
“The Walk”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Anomalisa”
“The Good Dinosaur”
“Inside Out”
“The Peanuts Movie”
“Shawn the Sheep Movie”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Amy”
“Cartel Land”
“Listen To Me Marlon”
“The Look of Silence”
“What Happened, Miss Simone?”
BEST FOREIGN FILM
“Labyrinth of Lies” (Germany)
“Mustang” (France)
“Son of Saul” (Hungary)
“Theeb” (Jordan)
“A War” (Denmark)
These are just guesses, of course, but all of these movies are in the mix, so go out and see them, people! Or in the case of “Inside Out” or “Mad Max: Fury Road,” buy, rent or stream them. They are all (or most of them) worth your time. I’ll check in with a final set of day-before predictions, which will include any shifts that the film guilds make, on January 13. The 88th Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 28, hosted by Chris Rock. Be there or be square.
