When it comes to award shows, it's impossible to please everyone. In recent years, no other awards ceremony has stirred up such heated debates as the Oscars. Every time the nominees are announced and the winners are selected, you can practically hear the many frustrated groans of those who didn't see their favorite names and titles bestowed with such prestigious recognition. The same could be said for those who cheer for the winners, but because the name "Oscar" has become synonymous with the word "controversy," the sense of frustration is usually stronger. At the end of the day, all anyone can ever really do is select their own nominees and winners for the year.
If you are a movie fan like I am, you've probably made a personal "best/favorite movies of the year" list by now, and if you follow the Academy Awards as I do, you can probably name a few movies, actors and directors you thought were snubbed this year. As you may have guessed, I've done both, but I've come to accept that the Academy will always pick movies that fall into specific categories, such as the old-fashioned romance, the lavish period drama and the well-acted biopic. However, let's assume that I was miraculously chosen to change up this year's Oscar nominations according to my desire. Before I have my fun, here are the nominees for the six major categories:
BEST PICTURE"The Big Short"
"Bridge of Spies"
"Brooklyn"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Martian"
"The Revenant"
"Room""Spotlight"
BEST DIRECTOR
Lenny Abrahamson … "Room"
Alejandro González Iñárritu … "The Revenant"Tom McCarthy … "Spotlight"
Adam McKay … "The Big Short"
George Miller … "Mad Max: Fury Road"
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 ACTORChristian Bale … "The Big Short"Tom Hardy … "The Revenant"Mark Ruffalo … "Spotlight"Mark Rylance … "Bridge of Spies"
Sylvester Stallone … "Creed"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Jason Leigh … "The Hateful Eight"
Rooney Mara … "Carol"Rachel McAdams … "Spotlight"
Alicia Vikander … "The Danish Girl"
Kate Winslet … "Steve Jobs"
First off, I'd like to commend the actors and directors who actually made the cut this year, for they are all worthy of praise and recognition by the Academy. Unfortunately, for the names I crossed off the list, I believe that there are others far more deserving of Oscar glory. As for the Best Picture category, I have heavier criticism aimed at the films I scratched from that list. All of them are well-made, but they are instantly forgettable (especially "Brooklyn," which is a complete bore from start to finish).
Now for my personal selection for the 88th Academy Awards. The nominees are:
BEST PICTURE
"Creed"
"Ex Machina"
"Inside Out"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Martian"
"The Revenant"
"Room"
"Sicario"
BEST DIRECTOR
Lenny Abrahamson … "Room"
Ryan Coogler ... "Creed"
Alejandro González Iñárritu … "The Revenant"
George Miller … "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Ridley Scott ... "The Martian"
BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston … "Trumbo"
Leonardo DiCaprio … "The Revenant"
Michael Fassbender … "Steve Jobs"
Michael B. Jordan ... "Creed"
Eddie Redmayne ... "The Danish Girl"
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett … "Carol"
Emily Blunt ... "Sicario"
Brie Larson … "Room"
Rooney Mara ... "Carol"
Alicia Vikander ... "The Danish Girl"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Paul Dano ... "Love & Mercy"
Benicio Del Toro ... "Sicario"
Oscar Isaac ... "Ex Machina"
Sylvester Stallone … "Creed"
Jacob Tremblay ... "Room"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elizabeth Banks ... "Love & Mercy"
Jennifer Jason Leigh … "The Hateful Eight"
Sarah Snook ... "Predestination"
Alicia Vikander ... "Ex Machina"
Kate Winslet … "Steve Jobs"
Note that Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander have been bumped up from supporting to leading nominations for their work in "Carol" and "The Danish Girl," respectively. This is due to the fact that they share equal screen time and dramatic importance as their leading counterparts. Vikander also gets a second Oscar nod (in my book) for her hypnotic performance as the fembot in "Ex Machina," a sci-fi gem that, as you can see, deserved far more attention from the Academy.
"Creed" and "Sicario" each earn three more nominations as well. It's difficult to resurrect a well-worn boxing drama series and breathe new life into the crime thriller genre as successfully as these two films do. Their collective display of outstanding cinematic craft and strong performances are reason enough for them to have warranted heavier inclusion in this year's list of Oscar nominees.
If you're not satisfied with the Academy's choices, or mine for that matter, who would you have nominated for the Oscars?
