Tonight sees the red carpet rolled out once more for the biggest award ceremony in the movie industry, the Academy Awards, which is the 88th celebration so far. This year has been unfortunately marred with controversy, many claiming that the Oscars are racist. It’s a shame when this happens as it takes something away the great work done by so many tremendously talented people. However, I’m sure it won’t get in the way of tonight’s festivities, especially with Chris Rock hosting. I’ll be live blogging the whole event through the night, I’m so glad I’ve got Monday off, staying up until 5am and then working all day? No thanks.
So here are my predictions of a few awards being handed out this weekend, let’s see how close I come to getting them right, for once!
Best Film
Nominations
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
And the winner is The Revenant
Out of those which have been nominated, no film is better. The story, screenplay, shots, costume, acting and more make this the best film of the year. Alejandro González Iñárritu has done incredible job, each sequence shot is a masterpiece in its own right, the attack on the beach is a particular favourite of mine. Hearing that he shot only at a certain time of the day to get the right light, putting Leonardo DiCaprio through such a hellish ordeal, the track shots throughout, the cinematography that made you feel just a bit colder than normal in a movie theatre, it’s all a testament to on of the best films ever made.
Best Director
Nominations
Adam Mckay – The Big Shiort
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G Inarritu – The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson – Room
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
And the winner is Alejandro G Inarritu for The Revenant
Well, what more can I say? He has created a masterpiece that has been talked about for so long now, it feels like this movie has been with us for quite some time. Inarritu has had a very solid history of making acclaimed movies from last years Birdman, to 2010’s Biutiful, to 2000’s Amores Perros and several more. He’s got a brilliant eye for what makes a good story and then executes it with perfect diction and a lot of the time his work will really make you think.
Best Actor
Nominations
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Matt Damon – The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl
And the winner is Leonardo DiCaprio
As much as I enjoyed almost all of these performances, there’s no doubt at all that this is Leo’s year. It’s his fifth nomination and it’s finally going to happen for him. For those of you who have seen The Revenant, you would have witnessed a man being put through some very trying circumstances in which he not only had to endure but he had to act through as well, it’s a really superb performance. Well done Leo, you finally did it.
Best Actress
Nominations
Cate Blanchett – Carol
Brie Larson – Room
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
And the winner is Brie Larson
I have loved every single performance in this category but for me, my money is on Brie Larson who starred in the incredible Room, bringing an emotional performance like no other. The story involves a mother and son, locked in a room together for years with no way out. The mother, Ma, has been kidnapped and given birth to Jack whilst in this dungeon. Larson gives a deeply emotional performance in which she depicts the trauma of a kidnapping victim in a remarkably realistic way and she has a bond with Jack that’s different to any other mother and son relationship. A really amazing film with a superb performance by its lead actress.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominations
Christian Bale – The Big Short
Tom Hardy – The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone – Creed
And the winner is Mark Rylance
He won the BAFTA for his performance in Bridge of Spies and there’s no question that he not only deserves the Oscar, but that he has earned it. His performance as Rudolf Abel is smart, witty, understated and surprisingly funny. He delivers some incredible lines, written by Matt Charman along with the Cohen brothers, no wonder there are so many oddly humorous moments in this spy thriller. But the lines would be nothing without Mark Rylance. He is working with Spielberg again on The BFG and I’m sure we can expect yet another stellar performance.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominations
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara – Carol
Rachel McAdams – Spotlight
Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs
And the winner is Kate Winslet
This is the most difficult one to predict however I’ve gone with Kate Winslet as it does feel like she has the edge over my second choice of Rachel McAdams. She’s brilliant as Joanna Hoffman in the extremely underrated Steve Jobs (I can’t tell you how annoying it is that this film has not received the appreciation it deserves, especially when it comes to the screenplay. How was Aaron Sorkin not nominated?!) She’s the voice of reason when Jobs (Michael Fassbender) is losing it with his staff, the mother of his daughter and his daughter. Winslet does a great job of keeping her accent (what is it with some actors who try and fail this so many times) and keeping her cool with each escalating situation. Let’s hope she wins.
Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep
Boy and the Wild
When Marnie Was There
And the winner is Inside Out
No question when it comes to this one, Inside Out was a stand out film in so many ways. Pixar have a history of making us feel something very real for animated characters, no other studio can compare with their current work.But this time they have used emotions to make us feel emotional. The concept of using the emotions within a girl going through a major change in her life really hit home for a lot of older viewers who can see themselves in Riley. It’s a very relatable story which anyone who has ever had something big in their life completely change and anyone who has ever grown up! Moving on from your imaginary friend, going through changes, making new friends, it’s all in there and it’s all why this film will win the Oscar this year.
Keep. It. Reel.
Neels Reel Deel 