Wow, it’s that time of year again. Another year that neither you nor I will not be winning a gold statue and the recognition of our peers. Another year that Hollywood will praise each other for making it into a small circle of elitism. Another year of dresses and jewelry more expensive than what most Americans could ever own or dream of. Another year of gift bags worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!!!
2015 was a strange year for film, one that Bret Easton Ellis calls “the worst year for American film ever”. Tell us how you really feel! Did you see the films? I saw most of this year’s films, and the only Best Picture nominee I skipped is Bridge of Spies. Quite honestly, it looked like a snoozefest and we get it, Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg are important entities.
Here are my predictions of winners, along with who I believe SHOULD WIN!!!
Best Picture
- “The Big Short”
- “Bridge of Spies”
- “Brooklyn”
- “Mad Max: Fury Road”
- “The Martian”
- “The Revenant”
- “Room”
- “Spotlight”
WILL WIN:
“Spotlight”. The Best Picture category seems to swing away from the films that win for acting and directing. For some reason, I feel like this will win Best Picture. However, I have some criticisms of this film. I think they were trying to make a contemporary “All the President’s Men,” and the subject matter and era simply do not fit. How many times did we see Mark Ruffalo frantically running? Did we need that? Why was Liev Schreiber’s character so boring? Why was he there?
SHOULD WIN:
“The Revenant”. This was the best film of the year. I was captivated. Linda Holmes of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast called it a “theater of pain”. Honestly, if that’s what this film is, I love theaters of pain.
Best Actor
- Bryan Cranston for “Trumbo”
- Matt Damon for “The Martian”
- Leonardo DiCaprio for “The Revenant”
- Michael Fassbender for “Steve Jobs”
- Eddie Redmayne for “The Danish Girl”
WILL WIN:
Leonardo DiCaprio for “The Revenant”. What a performance. Leo has been nominated many times and he’s never won. He’s played many roles and nailed all of them. He is, quite honestly, the greatest living actor of his generation. This was a simple performance, but it highlighted his strengths.
SHOULD WIN:
Leonardo DiCaprio for “The Revenant”. There is no other choice for me.
Best Actress
- Cate Blanchett for “Carol”
- Brie Larson for “Room”
- Jennifer Lawrence for “Joy”
- Charlotte Rampling for “45 Years”
- Saoirse Ronan for “Brooklyn”
WILL WIN:
Brie Larson for “Room”. Larson’s performance was simply astonishing. This film had me captivated the entire time. Larson was calm and complex in this role. She deserves this.
SHOULD WIN:
Brie Larson for “Room”. See Above.
Best Supporting Actor
- Christian Bale for “The Big Short”
- Tom Hardy for “The Revenant”
- Mark Ruffalo for “Spotlight”
- Mark Rylance for “Bridge of Spies”
- Sylvester Stallone for “Creed”
WILL WIN:
Sylvester Stallone for “Creed”. I think Stallone will get this award as a default achievement award. They tend to give Best Supporting Actor to older guys. He also won the Golden Globe.
SHOULD WIN:
Tom Hardy for “The Revenant”. Tom Hardy is a superior actor and he impresses me very time he is onscreen. Did you see Locke? What about Legend, where he played two very different twin brothers? This guy is a powerhouse who deserves an award soon.
Best Supporting Actress
- Jennifer Jason Leigh for “The Hateful Eight”
- Rooney Mara for “Carol”
- Rachel McAdams for “Spotlight”
- Alicia Vikander for “The Danish Girl”
- Kate Winslet for “Steve Jobs”
WILL WIN:
Alicia Vikander for “The Danish Girl.” Alicia has a lot of heat in her career right now, and I see her picking up this award. She won the SAG Award as well. I actually think her performance in Ex Machina is more worthy, but The Danish Girl was an obvious prestige film that was released during awards season on purpose.
SHOULD WIN:
Jennifer Jason Leigh for “The Hateful Eight.” If you haven’t seen her in this film, just get ready to be shocked by the transformation. She is a little powerhouse.
Best Director
- Adam McKay for “The Big Short”
- George Miller for “Mad Max: Fury Road”
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu for “The Revenant”
- Lenny Abrahamson for “Room”
- Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight”
WILL WIN:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu for “The Revenant”. I have a feeling that the single shot that opens this film is Best Director-worthy. I also feel somehow that The Revenant might not win Best Picture, which means they will give Best Director to Inarrritu.
SHOULD WIN:
Adam McKay for “The Big Short.” This was an amazing film from someone who normally does lowbrow comedy. I was truly impressed. I cannot wait to see more heavy subject matter from McKay.
Best Original Screenplay
- Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen for “Bridge of Spies”
- Alex Garland for “Ex Machina”
- Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley for “Inside Out”
- Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight”
- Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff for “Straight Outta Compton”
WILL WIN:
Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight”. This is a tough call for me since the Golden Globe winner, Aaron Sorkin, was not nominated for Jobs. Was that a snub from the Academy? I suppose Spotlight will win here.
SHOULD WIN:
Alex Garland for “Ex Machina”. The fact that Ex Machina was an original story blows my mind. Ex Machina is not being talked about enough at all. Oscar Isaac deserves a nomination for his role, and I see this film as worthy of being a Best Picture nominee. I think it’s early 2015 release date hurt those chances.
Best Adapted Sceenplay
- Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for “The Big Short”
- Nick Hornby for “Brooklyn”
- Phyllis Nagy for “Carol”
- Drew Goddard for “The Martian”
- Emma Donoghue for “Room”
WILL WIN:
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for “The Big Short”. I loved this film and since McKay won the BAFTA for Best Adapted, he’s my pick. The script did a good job of explaining a complicated problem to normal people.
SHOULD WIN:
Drew Goddard for “The Martian”. This film was hilarious, dramatic, gripping, and honestly, one of the most entertaining of the year. Goddard should win for making a story about getting abandoned on Mars actually quite hilarious.
Best Animated Feature Film
- “Anomalisa”
- “Boy & the World”
- “Inside Out”
- “Shaun the Sheep Movie”
- “When Marnie Was There”
WILL WIN:
“Inside Out.” This is the clearly superior film of the year as far as animation. There was something about Anomalisa that I kind of hated, even though I love Charlie Kaufman and consider him to be a god.
SHOULD WIN:
“Inside Out.”
I’m mostly looking forward to Chris Rock. Enjoy tonight!
Fixed Air 
I agree with you about Chris Rock. I’ll tune in at least long enough to see his opening.