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88th Oscars Nominations Announcement

There’s been a lot of talk about #OscarsSoWhite; so much talk that the diversity discussion has admittedly overshadowed the fact that a lot of great actors and great movies are nominated for awards this year.

Yes, we all would have loved for there to be more actors of color represented, but there’s no denying the talent and caliber of those who did get recognized.

The question remains: Who will win? Will Leonardo DiCaprio get his first Oscar, or will there be some big upsets? Well, we watched all of the Best Film nominees and came up with a few predictions for the top five awards we’ll be looking out for at this year’s award ceremony.

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

The Big Short is a great film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, while completely nailing one of the most serious topics in the world: greed on Wall Street and the financial crisis that almost crippled the world’s economy. Still, it probably won’t win the Oscar, even though it took home the Producer’s Guild Award, which is almost always the precursor.

Also nominated is Bridge of Spies starring Tom Hanks, who just so happens to be phenomenal in this film, which is worth checking out if you haven’t already. Brooklyn is there – even though this spot should have been reserved for Straight Outta Compton. Also nominated is The Martian starring Matt Damon, Room with Brie Larson, and Spotlight, featuring an amazing ensemble cast with Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo.

However; we’re choosing between two flicks – Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant. We’re going to put our money on The Revenant to come out of Oscar Sunday as the big winner. Mad Max was a favorite movie  of the year, but The Revenant is just perfect, including stellar direction, acting, and a true story that’s even weirder than the legend.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bryan Cranston, Dalton Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

First off, let’s just go on record and say Matt Damon is not going to win this award. He was OK. Hell, they could have given this nomination to Idris Elba or Jason Mitchell from Straight Outta Compton, but whatever, we understand how star power works. Also not winning are Eddie Redmayne and Michael Fassbender. While Fassbender played a great asshole as Steve Jobs, he doesn’t look anything like the man and couldn’t truly embody the character.

Bryan Cranston owned the role of Dalton Trumbo. Like seriously, he bodied that role. To be able to go from Walter White to Dalton Trumbo is a great feat, but what Leonardo DiCaprio did in The Revenant was amazing. Pure art and pure perfection. His character has so many layers that we can’t help but say if he doesn’t win the award for this, it must be a personal vendetta the Academy has against him. Plus, he swept all seven other award shows.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Cate Blanchett seems to always win, but we’re going to go with Brie Larson for Room. Ask anyone who saw the film if it was a good movie and watch their faces light up. Brie’s emotional and harrowing performance is the reason and for that reason alone, we’re giving it to Brie.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed

While there are a lot of great roles nominated – including Tom Hardy playing off Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant and Christian Bale in The Big Short – this award pretty much belongs to Sylvester Stallone. While he did an excellent job as Rocky, it’s more for his whole body of work than for this actual role. Either way, slow claps for Sly!

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

This is a toss-up because every woman nominated in this role deserves to win. However, the Academy will probably give this award to Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl. She’d basically be the lead in the film if Eddie Redmayne didn’t “out girl her.” Other picks for the award are Kate Winslet or Jennifer Jason Leigh, but we can’t shake the feeling that Alicia will cap out her break-out year with a win, particularly as a shout-out to the transgender community.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

2016 Oscar Predictions: Will Leonardo DiCaprio Get His First Oscar Win?  was originally published on globalgrind.com