Cinematography:
Personal - Mad Max: Fury Road: The biggest strength of Mad Max is the action, and it stands out so well because of how it was shot. That last action scene of the movie was so visceral not only because of the practical effects, but because the clarity, and camera movement gave life to the action. Not to mention the quieter scenes are shot great too (the shot of Furiosa might come to mind if you've seen any of the commercials).
Prediction - The Hateful Eight: 2 words: 70 MM. That alone helps the picture. That, and Tarantino does well in imbuing personality into his cinematography. That, and the Academy may make up for the lack of nominations for his movie (3, 1 for acting) by giving him an award he hasn't won yet (He has won writing twice).
Writing (Adapted):
Personal - The Martian: The premise and the characters caught up in it are what made this movie great. If the thought of living on a inhospitable planet by yourself wasn't interesting enough, the character played by Matt Damon really grounds the situation and his infectious optimism leaks into the audience, and we feel confident in what he does every step of the way, despite all the highs and even the lows. But it's not just Matt, but his crew, and even Earthbound NASA that contribute a lot to the drama, humor, and even some action.
Prediction - The Martian: One of the most confusing parts of the Golden Globes was the nomination for The Martian for best comedy. While I still disagree with the comedy label (still more of a drama), but the film really does balance humor and drama very well, and even blends it wonderfully. The movie is very funny, but never really loses it's dramatic tone, meaning that this could bring home the gold.
Writing (Original):
Personal - Inside Out: I wish I could say I saw Ex Machina, since the general consensus is that it got snubbed, but in all fairness, Inside Out was very well written. The story wasn't entirely new (watch this again after seeing Finding Nemo), but the characters and their interaction with their enviornment created both new and interesting characters, funny jokes, and a great moral that honestly doesn't get told enough.
Prediction - Straight Outta Compton: Another movie I wish I saw, and after #OscarsSoWhite, I don't think they can afford to not let this win. The idea of putting this story to the screen is brilliant. The men this movie focuses on are the symbol of a musical revolution and changed culture for decades to come, and to show them from the dirt they rose from makes them all the more human and likable.
Director:
Personal - Adam McKay: Mr. McKay's first Oscar nomination is well deserved for his work on The Big Short. He balanced a very jargon heavy story well for an audience that may not be familiar with it (even if it doesn't explain everything perfectly), as well as creating it's own unique style. It's crazy to think that he did Anchorman and Talladega Nights. The comedy and writing is certainly different, and while I like those two movies, I think the direction he took The Big Short was better and more in line with the tone the movie should have set.
Prediction - George Miller: My first instinct was that Mr. Iñárritu would win (and he still might), but winning the directing last year might convince the voters to get a fresh face the award, and the way George Miller handled production of Mad Max and the use of practical effects, unique set pieces, and the film cinematography should net him his second Oscar, but first for directing.
Animated Film:
Personal - Inside Out: This movie was very heart-warming, has a great moral, and is book-ended with a great voice-acting cast (even if the high caliber Mindy Kaling did have a very small role). A very interesting and even suspenseful climax . Not one of my favorite Pixar movies, but after the company put out movies like Cars 2, Monster's University, Brave and eventually the Good Dinosaur which all range from barely average to just bad, it's nice to see Pixar in regular form.
Prediction - Inside Out: This should have been an easy choice, but I was torn with giving it to Inside Out or Anomalisa. Inside Out is the safe, Pixar choice, and easily the most popular, but if the Academy wants to turn some heads, they could go with the art-house stop motion movie (btw, that stop-motion is GORGEOUS), but I still think Inside Out will win.
Supporting Actress:
Personal - Kate Winslet: Confession time, I have not seen any of the movies these ladies are in yet. My campus will be showing Spotlight and the Hateful Eight after the Oscars, but before-hand, I'm firing blind, so this is my prediction answer.
Prediction - Kate Winselt: Bonus points for portraying a real person in a biopic, it's nice to see she got credit for her role in Steve Jobs: The Good One. I've heard good buzz around Carol, but most of that is for Cate Blanchett.
Supporting Actor:
Personal - Sylvester Stallone: It's crazy to see that an action legend like Sly Stone would be up for his 3rd Oscar Nomination (I love Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he's not taking home Oscar gold anytime soon). Maybe it helps that the stories he helps write and star in for the Rocky series are just so wonderful, not just as sports movies, but as just movies in general. Creed is the natural and best continuation of the Rocky franchise without putting poor old 69 year old Sly back into the ring.
Prediction - Sylvester Stallone: Yes, while I want him to win, I still think he will thanks to the praise he got bringing back the character. Even next to up and coming acting stud Michael B. Jordan (See: Fruitvale Station), Stallone stood out as the role that propelled this movie. This may well be his final shot at nomination since Rocky is his last series he's continuing, unless he helps write something groundbreaking, so I think the Academy might think about that. Or they can save it for the Lifetime Achievement award so they apologize to him right after apologizing to poor old Harrison Ford.
Actress:
Personal - Saoirse Ronan: Miss Ronan pulled off an amazing performance playing a Irish immigrant torn between allegiance to two very different locations. The struggles she endures and the triumphs she takes are fully realized by a powerful and believable performance by Miss Ronan. Brooklyn was my biggest surprise in quality when it came to movies, which I go over more in my review of the movie.
Prediction - Brie Larson: There is a lot of buzz around Room, and if what I've heard is to be believed, then she should grab the award. Again, a movie I was not able to see, but hopefully something I will get to post-Oscars. Not much more to say other than good to see a new actress getting her first nomination, and even more so to see if she wins.
Actor:
Personal - Leonardo DiCaprio: Oh hey look, a cliche! Yeah, by this point, it seems that everyone that doesn't work for the Academy wants to actually see Leo win one. He has been arguably one of the best actors of the last decade, pulling out so many good performances with a range of roles. Even neither got nominated the contrast between his roles for The Departed and Django Unchained should be proof enough that the acting range he possess is enough to sit at the big boys table. But talking about The Revenant, talk about a compelling story featuring actors suffering for their art. One of my favorite things to point out about Sly Stone is his will to allow the Rocky movies to feature actual punches (yes, all the boxing scenes in the Rocky movies are filmed with the actors actually beating the piss out of each other), Leo and Tom really went the extra mile to film this. Both lived in the frozen wilderness with nothing but dead animal fur. No under armor, no sock liners, just what the old frontiersmen would do. Hell, Leo is a vegetarian willing to eat raw meat for the movie, which made him sick for 2 days! And to go through all of that and still pack that emotional power in between visceral scenes of bear attacks is astounding. He should win. But will he?...
Prediction - Bryan Cranston: Sure The Man Who Knocks got some help in this movie from talented people like John Goodman, Louis C.K. and Helen Mirren; but Heisenberg still made a great performance. So why is he getting Oscar gold? He's portraying a man that worked in the film industry. As they say, the odds are in his favor. Maybe I'm still bitter that Michael Keaton lost last year (because I definitely still am), but the impact that actors portraying other people have on the Academy's voting is staggering, especially when those real people used to work in movies (which is what most of the Academy voters are). Sorry Leo, but while I'd like to be pleasantly surprised, maybe sign on to do a Bio Pic.
Best Picture:
Personal - The Martian: When it came down to it, The Big Short and The Martian came down to the wire for my favorite nominee from last year (I think it's pretty obvious my favorite film last year was Star Wars VII). As much as I appreciate The Big Short's unique style and gripping story of economics and finance (which is something I luckily find interesting), the underdog story of The Martian ultimately won me over. It's not shot in such a new way that would shock me, but the story that is told is so riveting and entertaining that I found it the best of the nominees (that I saw).
Prediction - Room: There is a LOT of buzz surrounding the feels surrounding this movie, which doesn't surprise me seeing the director's previous work. I was originally leaning towards having Mr. Iñárritu repeat Best Picture Winners after his movie Birdman took home the big cheese, but like with the Directing award, some fresh faces would be in order. Hopefully when I get to it, the hype is well deserved.
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