Oscar Results + Reactions

Wowowow! A chaotic year ends with an equally chaotic Oscars. Lots of upsets and surprises! I really did not do all that well on predictions this year! I was on such a streak until the Sound categories, and then things started to just fall apart. I mean, it's frustrating, but at the same time, most of the upsets I was very happy with the results. How cool is it we live in a world where Mad Max: Fury Road has 6 Oscars? An indie film winning Visual Effects? And Leo finally has an Oscar!

However, I will say I was mainly unimpressed by Chris Rock. After this whole #oscarssowhite and people saying that this isn't just a black issue, but it's an issue for all minorites, Chris Rock turned this into just a "black issue". No mention of how there were no Asian nominations, or Hispanic nominations. It was simply just "no black people were nominated!" I don't know about you, but this was incredibly frustrating to me. Diversity is so much more than just 1 minority getting representation. When was the last time we had an Asian woman up in an acting category? However, other than that, Chris Rock did have some good points about diversity, even if not all of his jokes completely landed. Also, Louie CK stole the show with his comments about Best Documentary Short.

Anyway, my predictions did not do all that well, with 15/21 (aka 71%). I mean, it's not bad considering all the upsets, but I had hoped to do much better than that this year. Last year I did 17/21, and the year before was 18/21, so I guess I didn't do much worse, but this was the first year I didn't get Best Picture correct. How well did everyone else do?

I'll give a category by category recap below!

Best Picture
Prediction: The Revenant
Winner: Spotlight

I predicted the Revenant on this one, but was never 100% convinced, and always had a funny feeling Spotlight could end up taking this. I just was never gutsy enough to predict it, especially since I only predicted it to win 1 other Oscar (which hasn't happened since the 1950's). But Spotlight took this one home, and I'm very, very happy! Spotlight is such a top notch film with such an important story. I'm so glad to see this prevail!

Best Director
Prediction: Alejandro G. Inarritu
Winner: Alejandro G. Inarritu

I mean, I really, really, really wanted George Miller to win here. And I had a flicker of hope after Mad Max ended up winning the 2 sound categories, with a total of 6 wins. But Inarritu becomes the first person to win Back to Back Directing Oscars since 1950. I mean, Inarritu is a worthy winner, but when he was up against George Miller, it should've been no contest for Miller.

Best Actor
Prediction: Leonardo DiCaprio
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio

I've been loving that I can point that while watching last years Oscars with my family, I told them Leo would be winning next year. And the fact that I never predicted anybody else to win this category all year. Leo is finally a winner!

Best Actress
Prediction: Brie Larson
Winner: Brie Larson

I really wish Saoirse Ronan had won (how great did she look at the Oscars!?) but I'm still really happy with Brie winning.

Best Supporting Actor
Prediction: Sylvester Stallone
Winner: Mark Rylance

I knew this was the category that would be most likely to have an upset, and an upset we had! I was never 100% sure Stallone would win (the lack of SAG and BAFTA was curious to me), but I feel so blah about Rylance winning here. Had he had more screentime in Bridge of Spies, maybe I would've liked this win more. But he wasn't given all that much to do, and I probably wouldn't have noticed his performance had he not been given so many nominations. Was pulling for a Ruffalo/Hardy upset.

Best Supporting Actress
Prediction: Alicia Vikander
Winner: Alicia Vikander

Still a little sad that Rooney Mara didn't win, but Alicia really has had quite the breakout year. Still, she should've won for Ex Machina instead, and I think we all know that.

Best Original Screenplay
Prediction: Spotlight
Winner: Spotlight

Happy for Spotlight here! Again, a very well-written screenplay, and I'm happy to see if wasn't just a consolidation prize!

Best Adapted Screenplay
Prediction: The Big Short
Winner: The Big Short

While I never truly bought The Big Short as a potential Best Picture winner, I'm glad it didn't walk away empty-handed. And Adapted Screenplay is exactly the category it should win.

Best Cinematography
Prediction: The Revenant
Winner: The Revenant

Man, Chivo is such a legend. While it would've been cool to see Rogers Deakin finally win for Sicario, I can't deny how beautifully shot The Revenant was. Has anyone else ever three-peated at the Oscars? And his 3 wins are so different from each other. Can't deny this win!

Best Costume Design
Prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

So, so excited Mad Max won. And Jenny Beaven and her wonderful Mad Max leather jacket! Can I have one? Very excited about all the Mad Max love!

Best Film Editing
Prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

I'm so, so glad this went to Mad Max. For the third year in a row, this absolutely went to the right movie, despite whether it was a BP frontrunner or not. This and Whiplash winning last year are two of my favourite wins. Also, so many females won Oscars for Mad Max, including this category. So awesome!

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Again, just looking at those war boys, I think we all knew Mad Max had this in the bag.

Best Production Design
Prediction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Again, Mad Max 1000% deserved to win this. The production design on this movie is one of the best parts of the film, and I'm so glad to see this recognized!

Best Original Score
Prediction: The Hateful Eight
Winner: The Hateful Eight

Best Song
Prediction: "Til It Happens To You" (The Hunting Ground)
Winner: "Writing's On the Wall" (Spectre)

Honestly, 100% the most disappointing win of the night, by far. Not that I overly cared for Lady Gaga's song, but Sam Smith's song is just so meh.

Best Sound Editing
Prediction: The Revenant
Winner:  Mad Max: Fury Road

I changed my prediction for MM to The Revenant only 24 hours before the Oscars. Definitely regretting this, but very happy to have been wrong! Also, I love how their presentation of each nominee really showed what sound editing was (or at least helped me to understand it better). Very cool!

Best Sound Mixing 
Prediction:The Revenant
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

MM definitely deserves to win here, so I'm very pleased. It was also about this time of the night when I started to doubt The Revenant would actually win Best Picture.

Best Visual Effects
Prediction: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Winner: Ex Machina

Did literally ANYONE predict this? I was so incredibly stunned when this happened, my jaw literally dropped. But how cool is it this little indie film would VFX? I am so happy with this win, it is so deserved. I mean, I would've loved to have seen Mad Max collect a 7th Oscar, but I definitely love that the Oscars actually went their own way and made such a cool decision!

Best Animated Feature
Prediction: Inside Out
Winner: Inside Out

We all knew this one was coming. Next comeback for Pixar!

Best Documentary Feature
Prediction: Amy
Winner: Amy

Haven't seen it yet, but it hit Netflix a few weeks ago, so I'll definitely be checking it out soon!

Best Foreign Language Film
Prediction: Son of Saul
Winner:  Son of Saul

Final Oscar Predictions

What a year it's been! My husband teases me that every year I tell him "this year is the most confusing!" and while I probably do say that at some point every year, I think we can all truly agree this year actually has been the most confusing, and I think we're definitely in store for a somewhat unpredictable evening on Sunday.

With the Oscars only about 24 hours away, I thought it was finally time to post my final predictions. So many of these I'm not confident on at all, but it's always fun to look back and see where I went surprisingly right and surprisingly wrong.

Best Picture

Spotlight

The Big Short

The Revenant

The Martian

Mad Max: Fury Road

Room

Brooklyn

Bridge of Spies

Will Win: The Revenant 

Could Win: The Big Short or Spotlight

Should Win: Mad Max:Fury Road/Spotlight/Brooklyn

This is definitely the most difficult prediction. Pretty much all 3 of the frontrunners have some sort of history again them, and all 3 have won major guild awards. But I think I'm going to end up with the Revenant. However, I could be completely wrong, and wouldn't even be surprised. The Revenant just has so much momentum right now, that I see this going all the way.

Best Director

George Miller- Mad Max: Fury Road

Lenny Abrahamson- Room

Tom McCarthy- Spotlight

Alejandro G. Inarritu- The Revenant

Adam McKay- The Big Short

Will Win: Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant)

Could Win: George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) or Adam McKay (The Big Short)

Should Win: George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

By and away I feel like George Miller should really be winning this for his totally mad and crazy movie he was able to co-ordinate. However, it doesn't look like that'll happen, and Inarritu will win the first Back to Back director win since Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1950. Inarritu would as well be a worthy winner, as The Revenant is a beautiful directorial achievement. But in my heart, this belongs to George Miller. 

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio- The Revenant

Michael Fassbender- Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne- The Danish Girl

Bryan Cranston- Trumbo

Matt Damon- The Martian

Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Could Win: really!? 

Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

This is the biggest lock of the night. No one else is even a competitor this year. 

Best Actress

Brie Larson- Room

Cate Blanchett- Carol

Saoirse Ronan- Brooklyn

Jennifer Lawrence- Joy

Charlotte Rampling- 45 Years

Will Win: Brie Larson (Room)

Could Win: Saorise Ronan (Brooklyn)

Should Win: Brie Larson or Saorise Ronan

I personally like Saoirse Ronan's performance a hair better than Brie Larson's, but Brie did also give a fantastic performance and it's a worthy win. Especially since she was snubbed for Short Term 12 a few years back. 

Best Supporting Actress

Rooney Mara- Carol

Jennifer Jason Leigh- The Hateful Eight

Kate Winslet- Steve Jobs

Rachel McAdams- Spotlight

Alicia Vikander- The Danish Girl

Will Win: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Could Win: Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Should Win: Rooney Mara (Carol)

I really, really enjoyed Rooney Mara in Carol and I'm frustrated that this isn't her year. And we all know Alicia Vikander should really be nominated for Ex Machina. Nevertheless, Alicia Vikander had a smash "debut" year and will likely win here. However, watch out for Kate Winslet, who actually gives a supporting performance. 

Best Supporting Actor

Mark Rylance- Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone- Creed

Mark Ruffalo- Spotlight

Christian Bale- The Big Short

Tom Hardy- The Revenant

Will Win: Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

Could Win: Basically anyone, minus Christian Bale

Should Win: Idris Elba (Write in nomination!)

I feel like this is the category with the most potential for an upset. Sly was only nominated at the Globes and was snubbed for BAFTA and SAG, which doesn't look great. However, there hasn't really been a consensus on who else would win, and Stallone got huge love at the Globes, giving him the sentimental win.  However, this is Ruffalo's 3rd nomination in 5 years, and if his movie wins Best Picture, he might get swept up. Mark Rylance may win as a consolation prize for Bridge of Spies, and Tom Hardy was nominated here unexpectedly, but shows there is strong support for him and his 2 movies (between which have 22 nominations). But Stallone seems to have the sentimental edge. 

Best Original Screenplay

Spotlight

Inside Out

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Straight Outta Compton

Will Win: Spotlight

Could Win: Straight Outta Compton

Should Win: Ex Machina

I really, really want Ex Machina to win here. How cool would that be? Spotlight will likely win here as a consolation prize, but I'd keep a strong eye out for Straight Outta Compton, who could give it a run for it's money. 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Brooklyn

The Big Short

Room

Carol

The Martian

Will Win: The Big Short 

Could Win: Room

Should Win: Everyone is a deserving nominee here

I do actually find this a pretty strong lineup, so I'd be happy with anyone winning. It's still a shame that Aaron Sorkin was snubbed for Steve Jobs, but The Big Short is likely taking this (also as a consolation) 

Best Animated Picture

Inside Out

Anomalisa

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

Boy And the World

Will Win: Inside Out

Could Win: Anomalisa

Should Win: Inside Out

Honestly, I've only seen Inside Out, but it's such a sweet picture and Pixar's best in years. 

Best Original Score

The Hateful Eight- Ennio Morricone

Star Wars: The Force Awakens- John Williams

Carol- Carter Burwell

Bridge of Spies- Thomas Newman

Sicario- Jóhann Jóhannsson

Will Win: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)

Could Win: Anyone

Should Win: Carter Burwell (Carol) 

Sadly I haven't actually gotten around to listening to any of these scores, outside of watching the movies, so I don't have a strong opinion this year. But I think this may be Morricone's year. However, I'd watch out specifically for Thomas Newman (who has 13 nominations and 0 wins)

Best Original Song

The Hunting Ground- "Til It Happens To You"

Fifty Shades of Grey- "Earned It"

Youth- "Simple Song 3"

Spectre- "Writings On the Wall"

Racing Extinction- "Manta Ray"

Will Win: The Hunting Ground

Could Win: Spectre

Should Win:  I don't actually care

I never care about this category, except the year Skyfall was nominated. But Lady Gaga has probably got this.

Best Film Editing

Mad Max: Fury Road

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Revenant

The Big Short

Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Could Win: The Big Short

Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max had some incredible editing, so I'll be incredibly thrilled to see it win here. However, should the Big Short win this, it'll probably also take Best Picture. 

Best Cinematography

The Revenant

Mad Max: Fury Road

Carol

Sicario

The Hateful Eight

Will Win: The Revenant

Could Win: Sicario

Should Win: The Revenant or Sicario

Emmanuel Lubezki is probably going to get his back-to-back-to-back of Oscar Wins. However, Roger Deakins (Sicario) is extremely overdue, but Lubezki probably has it in the bag. 

Best Costume Design

Cinderella

The Revenant 

Carol

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Could Win: Anybody

Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

I love the costumes for Mad Max. They're so inventive and it's the only movie where the costumes are based off their own universe, and not a specific time period. The more wins for Mad Max the better!

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Could Win: The Revenant

Should Win:  Mad Max: Fury Road

The war boys alone. Also, Furiosa and that awesome oil on the face look. 

Best Production Design

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant 

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

Will Win: Mad Max: Fur Road

Could Win: The Revenant

Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Again, Mad Max created it's own universe, and it's absolutely kooky and zany and amazing. This is an award it should have no problem winning. 

Best Visual Effects

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Ex Machina

Will Win: Star Wars: the Force Awakens

Could Win: Mad Max: Fury Road/The Revenant

Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

I'm probably one of the last people to have still not seen Star Wars yet, but it's true. So I can't comment on whether it deserves this win (it probably does), but I love the effects used in Mad Max. However, I don't think Star Wars will be walking away empty handed, and it has so much more "obvious" effects than MM or the Revenant 

Best Sound Mixing

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Revenant

Bridge of Spies 

Will Win: The Revenant 

Could Win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Should Win: ?

I know the different between mixing and editing, but I don't notice it much at all in movies yet. So I know The Revenant has won several sound awards, so I'm going for this. 

Best Sound Editing

Mad Max: Fury Road

Sicario

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Will Win: The Revenant

Could Win: Mad Max: Fury Road 

Should Win: ?

Honestly, I really want to predict Mad Max to win these sound categories, but the precusor awards have pretty much all been awarded to The Revenant. I may make a last minute switch to Mad Max in this category as this Guild award is only being handed out 24 hours before the Oscars. But I'm sticking with
the Revenant for now. 

Best Documentary Feature

Amy

The Look of Silence

Cartel Land

What Happened Miss Simone 

Winter On Fire 

Will Win: Amy

Could Win: Cartel Land

Best Foreign Language Film 

Son of Saul

Mustang

Embrace of the Serpent 

Theeb

A War

Will Win: Son of Saul

Could Win: Mustang

February Blindspot: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962

Directed by Robert Mulligan

Nominated for 8 Oscars (including Best Picture)

Won 3 Oscars, including Best Actor 

Told mostly from the viewpoint of young Scout, To Kill a Mockingbird is about a small Southern USA town that comes to face a controversial trial over a black man accused of rape. Scout’s father is the town’s prominent lawyer, Atticus Finch, and Atticus is defending the young black man against these rape charges, and trying to protect his children from the prejudices of the people around them.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book I was supposed to read in 10^th grade English class. Key word being “supposed to”. To Kill a Mockingbird was a book I skimmed at best, and decided to talk with friends and nap when we watched the movie in class. However, this is a film I’ve come to see is a classic, and is the film that won Gregory Peck his (only!?) Oscar. And anything that wins Gregory Peck an Oscar is definitely worth watching, to me.

My thing with To Kill a Mockingbird (and these are all problems from the book, I imagine), is that it hasn’t aged particularly well. Much of the story and the points it was making were just so very on the nose. So much of the various evidence in the courts is so convenient, and never for a second are we left to wonder whether Tom Robinson, the black man accused of rape, whether really did it or not. To me, the moral of the story was just knocking me over the head with what it was trying to say, when it really could’ve been a lot more delicate. Maybe it’s just a product of it’s time, I don’t know. That doesn’t mean the movie isn’t affective at times. The story is definitely interesting, as most racism stories like this usually are. I just personally like a little more subtlety.

Personally, I found Scout to be incredibly annoying. I didn’t hate her, I just found her irritating because child actors in the 60s all kind of acted the same, and were never very natural actors. While I do give the young actress who played Scout a little more leeway (she was much better than the other two child actors), I still found her kind of awkward to watch. However, Gregory Peck I could watch for days. How cool is that man? I need to make a note to myself to watch more of his movies, because I just really, really like him. While this part wasn’t particularly showy for Peck, it’s nice to know he has an Oscar (this was his last nomination he ever received).

In the end, while I don’t think the story has aged well (this I blame on the book), the movie itself is well-structured and well-shot. The use of black and white is, again, a little heavy-handed, was still a nice touch to the tone of the movie. Peck is fantastic and child stars from the past are always so hard to watch (for the most part). However, to Kill a Mockingbird is worthy of its classic status, and is a movie I’m definitely glad I was able to see!

7/10 

The Stanford Prison Experiment

The Stanford Prison Experiment, 2015

Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez

A group of researchers at Stanford University are conducting a study that looks at how the personalities of prisoners and guards can affect each other and can cause abusive behavior within the prison system. The group puts out an ad looking for male students, paying them $15 a day. They recruit 24 students, flipping a coin to determine whether they are prisoner or guard, and then they make a mock prison in the basement of Stanford University. The study was to last 2 weeks, and would be observed through cameras, everything running as a normal prison. However, the results start to spiral out of control as things don’t go exactly as expected.

The Stanford Prison Experiment was a real experiment conducted in the 1970s. It was controversial and led to terrifying results. THe movie simply starts with the student interviews, and launches quickly into the “prison life”, having the prisoners be “arrested” and sent to the prison in Stanford University. This is an incredibly fascinating film about an experiment gone wrong, and just how much it affected, not only the subjects, but the researchers themselves.

The film is filled with fantastic performances. Ezra Miller and Tye Sheridan are two of the most interesting young actors working today. Both have such interesting filmographies, and are so talented. Miller, in particular, is just so pitch perfect for this role as a tormented prisoner. Miller just always throws himself into his roles, and this is no exception. Nothing is held back here. The true star of this film, however, is Michael Angarano. Angarano takes on the role of Christopher, one of the prison guards, who decides to embody a John Wayne/Cool Hand Luke persona, and dons the thick southern accent and harsh manner. Angarano is absolutely terrifying and really shines in this role. The small moments where we see him flip back into his regular character is so shocking after seeing him as “John Wayne”.

This movie is masterfully done and well-acted. The story is so incredibly captivating, that it’s so hard to look away. It’s filled with so much to think about, and really digest. It’s definitely not an easy film to watch, as it asks so much of its audience. But it’s definitely a rewarding watch, as this is just so well-made and well-told. 

Bridge of Spies

Bridge of Spies, 2015

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Picture

During the Cold War, a Russian Spy named Rudolf Abel is arrested in America, a US Fighter pilot is shot down over the Soviet Union, and an American student in Berlin is arrested for espionage. James Donovan, an American lawyer, is first tasked to defend Russian Abel in court, But then, he’s also tasked by the CIA with going to Berlin to negotiate the release of the two American men, in exchange for Rudolf Abel.   

I have a confession to make. I don’t really care for Tom Hanks. For whatever reason, there are only a small handful of films that I enjoy that Hanks has been in. For the most part, I just don’t ever care for the movies he chooses to be in. There’s just something about him that I really don’t care for. So I knew going into this movie, between the Spielberg sentimentality it was bound to have and the casting of Tom Hanks, this didn’t look remotely interesting to me.

The story itself is incredibly interesting. Donovan is tasked with defending Rudolf Abel, a Russian spy, and actually takes his job seriously. Everyone around him says it’s an “American honour” to show the world that American doesn’t just convict spies without a fair trial. Yet, this seems to be what everyone around Donovan wants. But Donovan does his job to the best he can, which makes him an incredibly hated person. After Rudolf is convicted, he travels to East Berlin to try to negotiate the release of an American US fighter pilot (who was already sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Soviets). But again, Donovan wants to his job more than well, and also argues for the release of an innocent American student who was studying in Berlin. It’s definitely a fascinating story, but Spielberg’s take on this really didn’t do much for me.

My problem with a lot of Spielbergs more recent films is his sentimentality.  Similar to Lincoln, we have another portrait of a man, during a troubled time in America. And like Lincoln, the movie likes to get overly patriotic and sentimental about it’s main character. James Donovan was a great American during a time when America was under threat. Donovan rose above and went above and beyond for his fellow Americans, but also treated Rudolf Abel as an actual human, putting up a real fight for him, and not just letting him get convicted without a fair trial. While I do recognize that James Donovan is not nearly as well-known as Abraham Lincoln, I did feel like the film was too heavy-handed in telling me how great an American Donovan was. The music would swell with some very patriotic melodies when it wanted us to feel patriotic. There were contrasting shots that were incredibly heavy-handed about how much better a place America was than the Soviet Union. These are all things the audience is full able to come to the conclusion of without Spielberg smashing us over the head with these ideas. Every so often, this movie just felt a little too “True Story” Disney movie.

While this may sound like I didn’t like the movie, that’s not necessarily true. Bridge of Spies tells a captivating story in a flawed manner. Tom Hanks is very Tom Hanks here, and Mark Rylance gives a very nuanced and subtle performance as Rudolf Abel, playing this close to the chest. As well, the art and set direction is very well done here. It’s a beautifully made film, shot to perfection, and well-acted but it was just too heavy-handed for me to really get behind fully.

7/10