The Golden Globes are over, which means it is officially and finally Oscars season. This year we've seen some phenomenal movies and now it's time for the directors, actors, composers, designers, and filmmakers to be recognized! (Despite the fact the selection of acting nominees is ridiculously poor on the diversity scale, race-wise...come on guys, even though it was an incredible year for women in film, this doesn't make up for the lack of color on this list).
This year, there are quite a few that are making multiple appearances throughout the categories. For example, "Carol," the story of a lesbian couple in the '50s, "The Martian," with Matt Damon as an astronaut stuck in space, "The Revenant," aka the one with 12 nominations and Leo's chance yet again to win his very first Oscar, "Mad Max: Fury Road," the action movie with 10 nominations, "Brooklyn," where Saoirse Ronan gave a performance that made me wish I was forced to leave my family and start a new life in another country in the '50s, and "The Danish Girl," the marvelously touching story of a transgender woman in 1920s Denmark.
I've also taken the liberty to tell you who has my vote and why, so without further ado, here are the nominees:
BEST PICTURE - The most important award of the evening:
"The Big Short"
"Bridge of Spies"
"Brooklyn"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Martian"
"The Revenant"
"Spotlight"
"Room": I had never cried in a movie until I saw this incredible film. While "The Revenant" or "Spotlight" will most likely take this, Brie Larson and nine year old Jacob Tremblay perform this story written by Emma Donoghue in a way that is heart wrenching, while simultaneously forces a stream of joyous tears down your face for a full two hours. Larson plays a 24-year-old who was kidnapped at the age of 17 and thrown into a shed with no windows and a skylight. After being raped repeatedly by her captor, she gives birth to her with her son, Jack, played by Jacob Tremblay, who grows to be 5-years-old without ever seeing anything beyond "Room." The story follows their escape and his transition into the real world and man, it has never been so incredible to see a boy experience sunshine for the first time.
BEST ACTOR - Leo's chance to finally shine in the eye of the Oscar's:
Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo"
Matt Damon, "The Martian"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"
Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl"--I'm sorry, I know we want Leo to win because he hasn't yet and he slept in a horse carcass and all, but Eddie Redmayne is a heterosexual man, married with children, who fully made believe that he was a woman. The transition of transgender men and women finding wider acceptance in our society has made a huge step with this film. This portrayal of such a difficult time in someones life was told with incredible grace, and very little room for discomfort. An absolutely essential and gorgeous performance by Eddie Redmayne.
BEST ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett, "Carol"
Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy"
Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"
Brie Larson, "Room"-- Again, one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. She deserves this, even though I LOVED Saoirse Ronan in "Brooklyn," and Cate Blanchett in "Carol." T'was a phenomenal year for women in film, but Brie Larson has my vote.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Sylvester Stallone, "Creed"
Christian Bale, "The Big Short"
Mark Ruffalo, "Spotlight"
Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies"
Tom Hardy, "The Revenant"--The most intense movie I think I have ever seen, so if Leo can't win, Tom Hardy should. Extremely hatable character, but he did a damn good job with it. I mean, he freaking bit a guy's ear off.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight"
Rooney Mara, "Carol"
Rachel McAdams, "Spotlight"
Kate Winslet, "Steve Jobs"
Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl"--Phenomenal film, phenomenal performance. Her character is watching her husband go through an incredibly difficult transition, and she supports and loves him the entire time, even though this transition creates a painful change in her own life as well. The performance was breathtaking.
DIRECTING:
Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"
George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "The Revenant"
Lenny Abrahamson, "Room"
Adam McKay, "The Big Short"--This film was put together in a completely unique and innovative way. Written by the author of "The Blindside" and "Moneyball," while directed by the same guy who did "Step Brothers" and "Anchorman," the style of this production makes an extremely complex story understandable and almost interactive for an audience whose knowledge of finance stops at high school Econ class. McKay felt this was a story he wanted to tell, despite its complexity, and did it in a way so that "Anchorman" fans would enjoy it.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
"Anomalisa"
"Boy and the World"
"When Marnie Was There"
"Shaun the Sheep Movie"
"Inside Out"--So adorable, so true, so intellectual, and so heartwarming. It's meant to be a children's movie, but makes for some thought provoking and high-quality entertainment for all ages. Plus, it's Pixar, so the animation took 12 years, so it's amazing.
COSTUME DESIGN:
"Carol"
"Cinderella"
"The Danish Girl"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Revenant"--Unbelievable. These people were covered layers and layers of animal hide and fur, and I did not doubt for a second that they killed the animal and made a hat out of it a week earlier.
ORIGINAL SONG:
"Earned It" - Fifty 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-- Sam Smith. Enough Said.
MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared"
"The Revenant"--I have no doubt about this one. The man was taking a beating, to say the least the entire film, and his body showed that fully. His character was attacked by a bear, living in the freezing cold, cut and shot multiple times, and it all looked entirely real. I would watch a documentary as long as this film showing how they did the makeup.
SOUND EDITING:
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"Sicario"
" Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
"The Martian"
"The Revenant"--Again. The score was phenomenal, but the sound mixing made the movie. From avalanches, river rapids, and waterfalls, to the bear attack and the ear ripping off the skull, I absolutely felt that I was in the snow with them. And was that much more terrified for it.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
"Carol"
"Sicario"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Revenant"
"The Hateful Eight"--While scenery in "The Revenant" was absolutely breathtaking, "The Hateful Eight" was shot on 70mm film which is a higher resolution than the regular 35mm motion picture format.
And those are the ones I feel strongly about. Here are the rest of the nominations, so all you fellow film nerds can prepare your own score sheets.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
"Amy"
"Cartel Land"
"The Look of Silence"
"What Happened, Miss Simone?"
"Winter on Fire"
DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
"Body Team"
"Chau, Beyond the Lines"
"Claude Lanzmann"
"A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness"
"Last Day of Freedom"
ANIMATED SHORT:
"Bear Story"
"Prologue"
"Sanjay's Super Team"
"We Can't Live Without Cosmos"
"World of Tomorrow"
FILM EDITING:
"The Big Short"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Revenant"
"Spotlight"
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
"Embrace of the Serpent"
"Mustang"
"Son of Saul"
"Theeb"
"A War"
ORIGINAL SCORE:
"Bridge of Spies"
"Carol"
"The Hateful Eight"
"Sicario"
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
PRODUCTION DESIGN:
"Bridge of Spies"
"The Danish Girl"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Martian"
"The Revenant"
VISUAL EFFECTS:
"Ex Machina"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Martian"
"The Revenant"
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
"The Big Short"
"Brooklyn"
"Carol"
"The Martian"
"Room"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
"Bridge of Spies"
"Ex Machina"
"Inside Out"
"Spotlight"
"Straight Outta Compton"
