My Predictions For The 2017 Oscars
The Oscars will be awarded Sunday night. Jimmy Kimmel will be back. Last year’s ‘envelope guardians’ from PWC, Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz, won’t be for obvious reasons. I’ve seen enough movies and shorts to make up 90 of the nominations here. And to think just before Christmas, the only big-time contender I saw was Dunkirk. Whatever the situation, I succeeded again for the seventeenth year in a row in seeing all of the Best Picture nominees before Oscar night.
And now here are my predictions:
BEST PICTURE WRAP-UP:
Interesting how last year I did ‘summaries’ where I reviewed three in one blog. This time I had the energy to do one blog per film. So here’s my summary. All titles have links to my reviews:
-Call Me By Your Name– This is an excellent story about a love that’s meant to be, but is only temporary. It’s best quality is the story happening in a picturesque background. Excellent film, but I don’t think it has what it takes to win Best Picture.
-Darkest Hour– This is one film that was not considered a huge threat to the Best Picture race, but it did it. It has a lot to admire, especially Oldman’s acting. However I don’t think it has what it takes both as a picture and in terms of campaigning to win.
-Dunkirk– This is a film that first appears like it has Best Picture material. This makes for n excellent case, but the script is lacking and there’s no single acting performance that stands out for this year. Excellent film, nevertheless.
-Get Out– This is one of the Top 3 bets for Best Picture. It has a lot of what it takes to win, and especially since this is a come-from-nowhere story. However the Academy has never taken well to horror movies. I think this is the first ever to be nominated for Best Picture? I think the Academy will back off in favor of the ‘other two’ contenders.
-Lady Bird– This is a charmer of a film and one of the more significant films of the year. It’s a film written and directed by a woman and sends the message about how much of an impact women can have in film. Excellent work, but usually the Academy doesn’t normally reward movies where a teenager is the central character.
-Phantom Thread– This is a film that had the luck of a ‘late surge.’ The film was first seen having its best chances in nominations in Day-Lewis’ acting, Anderson’s writing and Bridges’ costuming. Instead it also acquired Best Picture and Best Director. Very good film, but lacks the muscle of some of the other contenders.
-The Post– This is another excellent Spielberg film. However it doesn’t compare to some of his more legendary works like Schindler’s List or Saving Private Ryan or even E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Not this time Steven.
-The Shape Of Water– This is the one film of the bunch that I can truly describe as ‘having it all.’ Top acting, top directing, top script, and even a lot of pluses along the way like top set design, excellent costuming, excellent make-up and excellent music. This is my pick for Should Win and Will Win.
-Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri– This is a film packed with top acting and a top script. I liked it because of its unpredictability. I don’t think it will win Best Picture, but I think this is the film that has the best chances of upsetting The Shape Of Water.
BEST DIRECTOR:
Should Win & Will Win – Guillermo del Toro, The Shape Of Water
How many of you have seen Pan’s Labyrinth? How many of you fell in love with that film? I’m one that has. I’ve been waiting for the longest time for Del Toro to get his acclaim as a director. Finally he gets his chance with The Shape Of Water.
BEST ACTOR:
Should Win and Will Win – Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Many people have felt that Gary Oldman is one of the most underrated actors around. He’s given us a lot to appreciate ever since he burst onto the scene with Sid And Nancy. After so long, he finally gets his long overdue respect. And if you saw Darkest Hour, you’d know it’s for all the right reasons.
BEST ACTRESS:
Should Win and Will Win – Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Frances knows how to mix the comedic with the dramatic. Those who saw Fargo ought to know. That’s where she won her first Best Actress Oscar. I read that Frances tried to adopt John Wayne as an influence for Mildred Hayes. In retrospect, I think she was dead on! It’s no wonder she’s favored to win her second Oscar here.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Should Win and Will Win – Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
This year’s favorites for the acting categories are rather predictable. All of them have won the Golden Globe, The SAG and the BAFTA awards. The Oscar is a forgone conclusion. Same here for Sam Rockwell. Nevertheless he is deserving of it as he does some excellent character acting that makes him unrecognizable.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Should Win and Will Win – Allison Janney, I, Tonya
I’m sure all of you can name at least one movie where you saw Allison Janney catch your eye in a supporting role. Primary Colors, American Beauty, Nurse Betty, The Hours, Hairspray, Juno, The Help, The Way Way Back, the list goes on. Even if the role is small, she helps make the movie. Now it’s her turn for Oscar glory, and rightly so. She’ll leave you wondering if the movie’s about Tonya or LaVona.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Should Win – Jordan Peele, Get Out
Will Win – Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
It’s a tough call between the two scripts. I’d like to see Get Out because everybody loves a come-from-nowhere story. I think it will go to Three Billboards on the strength of it Best Picture buzz.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Should Win and Will Win – James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name
I can see why it’s so highly acclaimed. It plays out like a lot of European films, even though it’s actually a love story about two Americans in Europe. Nevertheless the best choice in this category.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
Should Win and Will Win: CoCo
2017’s line-up of animated movies really couldn’t compare to that of 2016. We’re talking a year where The Boss Baby was nominated and there was even the mere release of The Emoji Movie! However it’s like they saved the best for the end of the year with Ferdinand, CoCo and Loving Vincent. A lot of people loved the humor of Ferdinand, but I went with CoCo. I always love it when an animated movie takes you to another world, and CoCo is the movie that did it this year.
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Will Win: Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin, The Shape Of Water
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Will Win: Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Will Win: Mark Bridges, Phantom Thread
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Will Win: Faces Places
BEST FILM EDITING:
Will Win: Lee Smith, Dunkirk
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Will Win: The Square (Sweden)
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
Will Win: Darkest Hour
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Will Win: Alexeandre Desplat, The Shape Of Water
It seems like every time John Williams creates a film score, it gets nominated. Actually his score for The Post–which had bigger nomination expectations than his score for The Last Jedi— didn’t get nominated! That’s odd. I always considered a nomination for John Williams a default. Whatever the situation, Alexandre Desplat looks to be the film composer most poised to be the next great one. He won for The Grand Budapest Hotel and he’s highly likely to do it again.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
Should Win & Will Win: ‘Remember Me’ from CoCo
BEST SOUND MIXING:
Will Win: Dunkirk
BEST SOUND EDITING:
Will Win: Dunkirk
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Will Win: Blade Runner 2049
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM:
Click here for reviews and predictions.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
Click here for reviews and predictions.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:
Will Win: Edith+Eddie
JUST ONE MORE – TOP OSCAR UPSETS
Here are the five upsets I feel are most likely to occur:
- Three Billboards wins Best Picture
- Willem Dafoe wins Best Supporting Actor for The Florida Project
- Jordan Peele wins Best Original Screenplay for Get Out
- ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman wins Best Original Song
- A Fantastic Woman from Chile wins Best Foreign Language Film
And there you have it. My predictions for this year’s Academy Awards. The 90th edition. I’m expecting them to show a lot of memories of the past. One thing I hope for this year is that they have all their envelopes right. Whatever the situation, it looks to be one entertaining night.
Oscars 2017 Shorts Review: Live-Action and Animation
Once again, I had the luck to see the shorts nominated for the Oscars for Best Live-Action Short Film and Best Animated Short Film. All were entertaining in their own way and all showed the qualities of why they were nominated.
Anyways here are my thoughts on this year’s nominated shorts:
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILMS:
Last year, all nominated shorts were in a language other than English. This year, four of the nominated shorts were in English. This year’s crop of stories are impressive to see. All five have a wide variety from the funny to the thought-provoking.
DeKalb Elementary: dir. Reed van Dyk – Today is supposed to be an ordinary day at an elementary school in the US, but a young man with an assault rifle comes in and threatens people. The receptionist tries deal one-on-one with him. She notices some mental instability and even some flaws in his thinking. She feels she can talk him into withdrawing his gun. She is able to talk with him, talk to law authorities, and get him to cooperate. In the end, the man is arrested and no one dies.
This is a remarkable story, especially since this is being shown during a time when a shooting incident in a Florida high school made headlines. It’s remarkable because it takes you there into the moment. You feel the intensity. Plus seeing in the film how brains win over brawn make this an incredible story to watch. That’s why this is my Will Win pick.
The Eleven O’Clock: dirs. Derin Seale & Josh Lawson – A psychiatrist in 1980’s Australia has an appointment with a delusional mental patient who thinks he’s a psychiatrist. The doctor thinks he can handle it until he meets face to face with the patients. Soon it becomes an all-out verbal battle of madness and idiocies. Looks like he finally met his match.
For once, it’s nice to take a break from some of the more serious stuff and see something comedic. It was very enjoyable and can leave you hating the patient. However it has an appropriately bizarre ending where you’re left to wonder is he the doctor or the patient?
My Nephew Emmett: dir. Kevin Wilson Jr. – This is a depiction of what may have happened the night before the 1955 abduction and lynching of 14 year-old Chicago boy Emmett Till who was just staying with his uncle’s family in Money, Mississippi, but was a victim of racism instead. His murder and his alleged killer’s acquittal would play a part in the Civil Rights Movement.
This might be a fictional depiction of what happened before, but it was very good in sending the message that all Emmett Till was doing was being a typical 14 year-old boy. Having it from the uncle’s point of view is important as the uncle would be interviewed by the media shortly after. It does a very good job of storytelling from the uncle’s point of view as well as recapturing the moments as they happen.
The Silent Child: dirs. Chris Overton & Rachel Shenton – A rich family hires a tutor to help with their 4 year-old deaf daughter. The tutor works very well with the daughter and gets her to sign. The results are pleasing to the father and her siblings, but the mother has higher demands. It gets to the point the mother makes a questionable drastic choice for the daughter.
The story is very good. It also catches your intrigue whether the mother has these high demands because she has high expectations or because she’s trying to cover up a family secret? The story reminds us that the connection between the deaf child and the tutor is a bond we so easily forget about.
Watu Wote/ All Of Us: dirs. Katja Benrath & Tobias Rosen – This is based on a true story. This takes place on a bus trip close to the Kenyan-Somali border. Christians and Muslims travel in the same bus. All have animosity towards each other. One passenger, Jua, has a certain animosity towards Muslims. Her husband and child were killed by a Muslim. She lets the Islamic ‘teacher’ raising money for his student know it. Then the bus is attacked by the group Al-Shabaab. They demand that all Christians be brought forth, but the Muslims defend by quoting scriptures from the Koran to protect them. At the end, police arrive and the teacher is shot. Jua is the one looking after him as they drive to safety.
This is the only film not in the English language. This story may be the darkest of all the stories nominated, but it’s very thought-provoking and it sticks with you. It packs a lot in its 20 minutes of time. You can really feel the hurt in Jua and you’re surprised to see her compassion in the end. That’s why I make this my Should Win pick.
ANIMATED:
This year’s animated shorts made news of what was included and what was not included. Ever since In A Heartbeat, the animated short of boy meets boy, went viral on YouTube back in August, people predicted it would win the Oscar. Even though it made the shortlist of ten back in December, it did not get nominated. A shock to all fans of the short! As for those that did get nominated:
Dear Basketball: dirs. Glen Keane & Kobe Bryant – This is a pencil-and-paper style of animation drawn by Glen Keane, son of Family Circus cartoonist Bil Keane, and narrated by Kobe Bryant. It’s of the letter Kobe wrote to the sport of basketball upon his retirement.
The film is excellent in how it takes a simple style of animation and successfully makes the audience embrace the athlete’s story of passion. Excellently done. You’ll feel the heart and soul of the story within its four minutes. That’s why I choose this as my Will Win prediction.
Garden Party: dirs. Victor Caire & Gabriel Grapperon – This is funny. A bunch of frogs find themselves over at a mansion. They go around exploring and eating whatever comes their way. Then right as they make their way to the pool area, we learn it’s party time for all!
This is a fun humorous story. The events are slow, but they’re still fun to watch. They’re especially funny when the frogs accidentally find themselves in a mess. The ending is a complete surprise. Nevertheless the short is enjoyable from start to finish.
Lou: dirs. Dave Mullins & Diana Murray – This is the short shown before Cars 3. When kids come in from recess at an elementary school, you can guarantee there will be lots of things left behind. A certain ‘thing’ comes from the lost-and-found bin, which have its L, O and U missing, and gathers up all the stuff in the bin. The school bully J.J. steals the kids’ toys and it’s up for this thing to teach J.J. a lesson, and actually be a friend.
Pixar not only knows how to make a great feature, but they also know how to make a great short too. Even though there’s some dialogue in this short, it is definitely entertaining and fun to watch.
Negative Space: dirs. Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata – A son talks of how his father taught him how to pack and how it’s been passed on as a skill. The son reminisces about it at his father’s funeral.
This is an adaptation of a poem by Ron Koertge. This is a charming story with stop-motion animation. It has a humorous look at a story a son reflects around his father’s funeral. The story ends on a note one didn’t expect it to end on. Nevertheless it’s funny and it has its own unique charm.
Revolting Rhymes: dirs. Jakob Schuh & Jan Lachauer – This is done by the same studio that did the Gruffalo series. This time they return with a story of a babysitter meeting up with a wolf. There we learn the shocking truth of what happened to Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and The Three Little Pigs!
It’s a funny and charming short. Does get a bit confusing when you learn about these new ‘truths’ and even surprising when you learn some shocking things like the Seven Dwarfs’ gambling problem. Well-written, well-animated and very entertaining. That’s why I give it my Should Win pick.
And there’s my look at this year’s Oscar nominated short films. Lots of creativity and a lot of good storytelling. However the shorts are two of the hardest categories to predict the winner. The winners are often a surprise. Time will tell this Sunday.
My Predictions For The 2017 Academy Award Nominees
I know I haven’t been too active on my blog lately. I’m just slowly getting my energy back. Recent new subscribers have definitely boosted my ambition again. I have seen a good number of movies lately and will be posting reviews soon.
One thing that won’t change is that I have posted my predictions for the Oscar nominations. Of course I would post my picks and guesses for who will get the nominations on Tuesday morning. Just below are my predictions for this year’s Oscar nominees:
BEST PICTURE
- The Big Sick
- Call Me By Your Name
- The Darkest Hour
- Dunkirk
- Get Out
- I, Tonya
- Lady Bird
- The Post
- The Shape Of Water
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST DIRECTOR
- Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape Of Water
- Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
- Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name
- Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Jordan Peele, Get Out
BEST ACTOR
- Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
- Tom Hanks,The Post
- Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
- Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour
BEST ACTRESS
- Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game
- Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
- Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
- Meryl Streep, The Post
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
- Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name
- Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Christopher Plummer, All The Money In The World
- Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
- Hong Chau, Downsizing
- Allison Janney, I, Tonya
- Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
- Octavia Spencer, The Shape Of Water
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Guillermo Del Toro & Vanessa Taylor, The Shape Of Water
- Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
- Emily Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick
- Jordan Peele, Get Out
- Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- Lee Hall, Victoria & Abdul
- James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name
- Scott Neustadter & Michael Weber, The Disaster Artist
- Dee Rees & Virgil Williams, Mudbound
- Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
- The Boss Baby
- The Breadwinner
- Coco
- Ferdinand
- Loving Vincent
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049
- Bruno Delbonnel, The Darkest Hour
- Dan Lautsen, The Shape Of Water
- Rachel Morrison, Mudbound
- Hoyte Van Hoytema, Dunkirk
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- Mark Bridges, Phantom Thread
- Jacqueline Durran, Beauty And The Beast
- Lindy Hemming, Wonder Woman
- Jennifer Johnson, I, Tonya
- Luis Sequeira, The Shape Of Water
BEST FILM EDITING
- Walter Fasano, Call Me By Your Name
- Jon Gregory, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Paul Machliss & Jonathan Amos, Baby Driver
- Gregory Plotkin, Get Out
- Lee Smith, Dunkirk
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- A Fantastic Woman – Chile
- In The Fade – Germany
- Foxtrot – Israel
- Loveless – Russia
- The Square – Sweden
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
- Beauty And The Beast
- The Darkest Hour
- Wonder
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- Carter Burwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Alexandre Desplat, The Shape Of Water
- Benjamin Walfisch & Hans Zimmer, Blade Runner 2049
- John Williams, The Post
- Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
- “Home” – Ferdinand
- “Mighty River” – Mudbound
- “Mystery Of Love” – Call Me By Your Name
- “Remember Me” – Coco
- “This Is Me” – The Greatest Showman
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
- Beauty And The Beast
- Blade Runner 2049
- Dunkirk
- Murder On The Orient Express
- Phantom Thread
BEST SOUND MIXING
- Baby Driver
- Blade Runner 2049
- Dunkirk
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Wonder Woman
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Blade Runner 2049
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Thor: Ragnarok
- War For The Planet Of The Apes
- Wonder Woman
Those are my predictions for nominations. I also include predictions for possible upsetters for my main predictions. I predict upsetters for all the major categories, but not every category. Just for those in the case I feel they could get nominated instead of the favorites. Without further ado, here is my list for the most likely upsetters:
BEST PICTURE
- The Florida Project
- Phantom Thread
- Wonder Woman
BEST DIRECTOR
- Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
- Steven Spielberg, The Post
BEST ACTOR
- James Franco, The Disaster Artist
- Denzel Washington, Romeo J. Israel
BEST ACTRESS
- Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
- Emma Stone, Battle Of The Sexes
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Richard Jenkins, The Shape Of Water
- Mark Rylance, Dunkirk
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
- Leslie Manville, Phantom Thread
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Liz Hannah & Josh Singer, The Post
- Steven Rogers, I, Tonya
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- Jason Fuchs & Alan Heinberg, Wonder Woman
- Jack Thorne, Steve Conrad & Stephen Chbodsky, Wonder
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
- Despicable Me 3
- Napping Princess
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Sayonbhu Mukdeprom, Call Me By Your Name
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- Renee April, Blade Runner 2049
BEST FILM EDITING
- Joe Walker, Blade Runner 2049
- Sidney Wolinsky, The Shape Of Water
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- On Body And Soul – Hungary
- Felicite – Senegal
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
- I, Tonya
- The Shape Of Water
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- Johnny Greenwood, Phantom Thread
- Rupert Gregson-Williams, Wonder Woman
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
- “Evermore” – Beauty And The Beast
- “Stand Up For Something” – Marshall
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
- The Shape Of Water
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
BEST SOUND MIXING
- The Shape Of Water
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Dunkirk
- Kong: Skull Island
Tune in Tuesday morning live to see which predictions I got right and which I got wrong. Should make for an interesting lot.
Golden Globes Turn 75: And My Predictions
Ever since the Golden Globes were introduced in 1944, they’ve become one of the most prestigious awards on the entertainment circuit. Only the Oscar or the Emmy are more coveted.
Today will be the awarding of the Golden Globes. This year isn’t just any Golden Globes, but the 75th to take place.
A Very Brief History
Some of you may wonder how did the Golden Globes come to be? Firstly, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was founded in 1943 by Los Angeles-based journalists to give a more organized process of distributing cinema news to markets outside the U.S. The following year, they formed their own film awards, the Golden Globes, to give their opinions of who are the best of the year. While the AMPAS Academy consists primarily of professionals in their respective film field, the Golden Globes would be the decisions of these journalists.
The very first Golden Globes held back in 1944 consisted of six categories: Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting categories. Their decisions for the winners would be three for six with the Oscar winners. The Song Of Bernadette was chosen as the Best Picture winner while the Oscars went for Casablanca. Same thing with Best Director; Globes chose Bernadette director Henry King while the Academy favored Casablanca director Michael Curtiz. The acting categories almost completely matched each other as Globe-winners Paul Lukas, Jennifer Jones and Katina Paxinou would also win the Oscars later. Only Supporting Actor winner Akim Tamiroff from For Whom The Bell Tolls wouldn’t win an Oscar, despite being nominated.
Over the years, the Golden Globes would grow in popularity as their matches would be very close to that of the Oscars. They would also include cinematography categories temporarily and even a Best New Star category, which would be retired after the 1983 awards. The eighth Golden Globes would see the Awards giving separate awards for Best Picture and lead acting in both drama and comedy or musical. Something that still continues today. The Golden Globes would start to include awards to television starting in 1955: six years after the Emmy awards were created.
The Golden Globes would eventually become the second-most coveted film or television awards with only the Oscars or the Emmies being more coveted. It’s not to say it hasn’t been without its controversies, and not just because of hosting done by the likes of Rickyy Gervais et al. The make up of the Hollywood Foreign Press is often under question for their qualifications. Also their tendency to favor glitz and glamor at times have made people wonder at their choices. Even how in cases where one actress who did an interview for the HFP would later receive an award would get some people wondering. There was even suspicion at the 1981 Awards when Pia Zadora won Best New Star for her performance in Butterfly. Some claim that Meshulem Riklis, her millionaire husband at the time, paid the HFP to have her win. However nothing has been proven. Also it goes to show that there’s no such thing as an impartial judging body for any awards show. The Oscars and the Golden Globes are no exceptions to that. Nevertheless they still remain the most coveted.
And My Predictions For This Year
This year’s Golden Globes will be hosted by Seth Meyers. Some are saying he can be as controversial as Ricky Gervais tonight. This year’s Globes have fourteen categories for film and eleven categories for television. To start things off, here are my predictions for both the winners and their respective most likely upsetters in the film categories:
FILM:
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Winner: Dunkirk
Most Likely Upsetter: Call Me By Your Name
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Winner: Lady Bird
Most Likely Upsetter: Get Out
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Winner: Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour
Most Likely Upsetter: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Winner: James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Most Likely Upsetter: Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Winner: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Most Likely Upsetter: Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Winner: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Most Likely Upsetter: Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Winner: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Most Likely Upsetter: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Winner: Alison Janney, I, Tonya
Most Likely Upsetter: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Best Director
Winner: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape Of Water
Most Likely Upsetter: Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Winner: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Most Likely Upsetter: Guillermo Del Toro & Vanessa Taylor, The Shape Of Water
Best Foreign-Language Film
Winner: The Square (Sweden)
Most Likely Upsetter: Loveless (Russia)
Best Animated Feature Film
Winner: Coco
Most Likely Upsetter: Loving Vincent
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
Winner: “Remember Me”, Coco
Most Likely Upsetter: “Mighty River”, Mudbound
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Winner: Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk
Most Likely Upsetter: John Williams, The Post
Those who know me well enough know I will predict the winners for the television categories but not predict the most likely upsetters. So my predictions for the winners:
TELEVISION:
Best TV Movie or Miniseries: Big Little Lies
Best TV Series, Drama: The Handmaid’s Tale
Best TV Series, Comedy: Black-ish
Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama: Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy: Aziz Ansari, Master Of None
Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama: Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy: Pamela Adlon, Better Things
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Robert De Niro, The Wizard Of Lies
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie: Christian Slater, Mr. Robot
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie: Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
And there you go. Those are my predictions for tonight’s Golden Globe awards. Winners to be revealed starting 8pm EST.
MTV Awards No Longer Rewarding Just Movies
After rewarding movies only for 25 years, the MTV Awards are now including television nominees. The actual award may no longer be the bucket of popcorn.
The MTV Movie Awards have been a source of intrigue of mine for many years. Sure, I have an interest in the Oscar race and the Golden Globes but I like the MTVs as they would deliver surprising results. Even if I was disgusted with what won what category, it would still capture my intrigue.
This year is a new chapter in the awards. After 25 years, they are no longer giving awards to movies only. This time they are making their awards a mix of both movies and television. It’s a question of why. Some would say it’s because the Movie Awards in past years have been sagging in the ratings. Some would argue these are an awards that’s just there, without any legitimate relevance. Others would say that MTV having an awards for TV are long overdue. I admit I too thought there should be an MTV television awards many years ago consisting of categories of MTV shows and shows from other networks.
This year, there is a change in the way of doing things. For the first time, television shows and performances are included in an MTV awards show. However the awards are part of the movie awards; kind of like the Golden Globes. Unlike the Golden Globes which has all their movie and television categories separate, the MTVs have a mix of movie-only categories, TV-only categories and categories where movie and TV performances are mixed together. Those would be categories like Best Kiss, Best Villain, Best Hero and Best Comedic Performance. However some categories from the movie awards days had to be taken away like the Best Breakthrough Performance, Best Fight and Best WTF Moment. As for nominations, Get Out is the most-nominated film and Stranger Things is the most-nominated show.
Anyways here are the nominees for this year’s MTV Movie and TV Awards. Categories where movie performances and TV performances are mixed together are marked with an asterisk:
MOVIE OF THE YEAR
- Beauty and the Beast
- Get Out
- Logan
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- The Edge of Seventeen
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE
- Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
- Emma Watson – Beauty and the Beast
- Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen
- Hugh Jackman – Logan
- James McAvoy – Split
- Taraji P. Henson – Hidden Figures
SHOW OF THE YEAR
- Atlanta
- Game of Thrones
- Insecure
- Pretty Little Liars
- Stranger Things
- This Is Us
BEST ACTOR IN A SHOW
- Donald Glover – Atlanta
- Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones
- Gina Rodriguez – Jane the Virgin
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan – The Walking Dead
- Mandy Moore – This Is Us
- Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
BEST KISS*
- Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome – Moonlight
- Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling – La La Land
- Emma Watson and Dan Stevens – Beauty and the Beast
- Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard – Empire
- Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick – Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
BEST VILLAIN*
- Allison Williams – Get Out
- Demogorgon – Stranger Things
- Jared Leto – Suicide Squad
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan – The Walking Dead
- Wes Bentley – American Horror Story
BEST HOST
- Ellen DeGeneres – The Ellen DeGeneres Show
- John Oliver – Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
- RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race
- Samantha Bee – Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
- Trevor Noah – The Daily Show
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- 13TH
- I Am Not Your Negro
- O.J.: Made in America
- This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous
- TIME: The Kalief Browder Story
BEST REALITY COMPETITION
- America’s Got Talent
- MasterChef Junior
- RuPaul’s Drag Race
- The Bachelor
- The Voice
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE*
- Adam Devine – Workaholics
- Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson – Broad City
- Lil Rel Howery – Get Out
- Seth MacFarlane – Family Guy
- Seth Rogen – Sausage Party
- Will Arnett – The LEGO Batman Movie
BEST HERO*
- Felicity Jones – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Grant Gustin – The Flash
- Mike Colter – Luke Cage
- Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
- Stephen Amell – Arrow
- Taraji P. Henson – Hidden Figures
TEARJERKER*
- Game of Thrones – Hodor’s (Kristian Nairn) Death
- Grey’s Anatomy – Meredith tells her children about Derek’s death (Ellen Pompeo)
- Me Before You – Will (Sam Claflin) tells Louisa (Emilia Clarke) he can’t stay with her
- Moonlight – Paula (Naomie Harris) tells Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) that she loves him
- This Is Us – Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Randall (Lonnie Chavis) at karate
NEXT GENERATION*
- Chrissy Metz
- Daniel Kaluuya
- Issa Rae
- Riz Ahmed
- Yara Shahidi
BEST DUO*
- Adam Levine and Blake Shelton – The Voice
- Daniel Kaluuya and Lil Rel Howery – Get Out
- Brian Tyree Henry and Lakeith Stanfield – Atlanta
- Hugh Jackman and Dafne Keen – Logan
- Josh Gad and Luke Evans – Beauty and the Beast
- Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg – Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party
BEST AMERICAN STORY*
- Black-ish
- Fresh Off the Boat
- Jane the Virgin
- Moonlight
- Transparent
BEST FIGHT AGAINST THE SYSTEM*
- Get Out
- Hidden Figures
- Loving
- Luke Cage
- Mr. Robot
Show will be held at the Shrine Auditorium on May 7th and hosted by Adam deVine who starred in two hit movies from last year. Remember this year is a trial year for this new format. It’s interesting to see how this will work out. It’s even possible MTV may add categories for other media forms in future years, like for video games or online movies or videos. We’ll have to wait and see.
My Predictions For The 2016 Academy Awards
DISCLAIMER: There was an incomplete post like this yesterday. The reason was I was editing from my smartphone and intended to update the draft, not publish the blog. It published anyways. This blog here is my complete blog for Oscar predictions.
The Academy Awards are here. I’ve seen enough movies to make up 82 of the nominations this year. It was quite the year with lots to offer and a lot of things that appeared guaranteed weren’t. So without further ado, let’s get on with the predictions:
BEST PICTURE WRAP-UP
You all saw my three summaries of all nine nominees. Doing shorter summaries were better for me this year. Maybe next year I won’t be so busy or have as many ailments. So here goes for predicting the winner:
-Arrival- This is the first movie about aliens to be nominated for an Oscar. A very smart film that was loaded with buzz when it first came out. However its awards excitement faded over time as did its Best Picture chances.
-Fences- I like it when I see a celebrated play brought to the big screen. Especially around Oscar time. I felt it was done excellently. However it is up in this category against meatier competition. This is one category I think Fences won’t win.
-Hacksaw Ridge- Very rarely does a pro-religion movie have a chance for Best Picture. Hacksaw Ridge is the pro-religion film in the past 15 years most deserving of a nomination. However it does have some formulaic elements that come up every now and then and it has better chances in the technical categories instead of Best Picture.
-Hell Or High Water- This year’s ‘summer survivor.’ Those like me who missed out on it during the summer missed out on a gem. A crime story that’s funny and entertaining, but smart too. However I’m not too optimistic in its Oscar chances here.
-Hidden Figures- This movie started with very little Oscar buzz at first but it increased as rapport from the film–from both critics and audience alike– grew. It seems like it doesn’t have good chances to win Best Picture but it could pull a surprise. A very slim chance of that but it is likely.
-La La Land- What can I say? People have been embracing it in droves. Why? Because people just really like a good musical? Because of its feel? Because it reminds one of the charm of old Hollywood? Whatever it is, it’s made it the frontrunner that looks hard to beat. That’s why it’s my Will Win pick. the biggest reason why I hope it win is because last year I said: “One more Best Picture winner that fails to gross $100 million and I’m done Oscarwatching.” I don’t know what made me carry on even after Spotlight won– and it didn’t even make $50 million— but La La Land makes me glad I did.
-Lion- I’m no expert in Oscar trivia but I think this is the first Australian film to be nominated for Best Picture, and a deserving nominee. It’s won over everyone I know who has seen it. It may have had better Best Picture chances in another year.
-Manchester By The Sea- This is a film that was loaded with buzz at the beginning of the Oscar race and looked to be the one film that could beat out La La Land. The buzz faded over time, despite how great the film was. May have an outside chance but not too likely.
-Moonlight- This is one film that proves that less is more. Less dialogue, more of a feel of what’s happening. Less showy characters, more knowing who the characters are. Less singing and dancing, more feel for the music in the film. This is the surprise of the Oscar race that was able to let it speak for itself. I know it faces a hell of a fight against La La Land to win Best Picture but I give this my Should Win pick.
BEST DIRECTOR:
Should Win – Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Will Win – Damien Chazelle, La La Land
I felt that Moonlight is the better picture and Jenkins did an excellent job of directing but I know this is the year of La La Land and it’s Damien Chazelle’s to take.
BEST ACTOR:
Should Win and Will Win – Denzel Washington, Fences
These past two years saw the rise of the #OscarsSoWhite outcry. This year there are seven non-white acting nominees. Denzel may have won twice before but his performance as Troy Maxson has been getting loads of buzz and even surprised favorite Casey Affleck at the SAG Awards. The only way I can see Casey winning instead of Denzel is if the Academy doesn’t want to make this his third Oscar, and it is a possibility.
BEST ACTRESS:
Should Win – Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Will Win – Emma Stone, La La Land
Some are saying that Isabelle Huppert looks to be the biggest threat to Emma Stone’s win. It is a possibility but I think Casey Affleck beating out Denzel appears more likely. It’s Emma’s to lose.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Should Win and Will Win – Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Mahershala Ali may have only been seen in the first part of Moonlight but there was something about his performance of Juan that stood out like no other supporting performance this year. Was it Juan’s charisma? Was it his silent coolness? Whatever it is, it’s what made Mahershala stand out this year among all the supporting actor performances.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Should Win and Will Win – Viola Davis, Fences
What can I say? If there’s anyone who can steal the show from Denzel, it’s Viola Davis. She reminded us very well that Fences wasn’t just about Troy Maxson. It was about Rose too.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Should Win – Taylor Sheridan, Hell Or High Water
Will Win – Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea
A lot of people are expecting Damien Chazelle to do it again here but I feel that Kenneth Lonergan will take it for one of the best scripts of the year. It was a film that cuts deep and doesn’t water down.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Should Win and Will Win – Barry Jenkins and Terell Alvin McCraney, Moonlight
It all started with a short story by McCraney, then Jenkins developed a screenplay, and now it’s one of the best of the year. No stopping it.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
Should Win: Kubo And The Two Strings
Will Win: Zootopia
Kubo was the best at taking your imagination away this year. However in comparison to frontrunner Zootopia, it isn’t really all that family friendly and that I believe is where it will hurt it. Zootopia was without a doubt this year’s crowd charmer. Besides this is the one category Disney wants to take year after year.
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Will Win: La La Land
Let’s face it. Any movie that shows off the classic areas in Los Angeles and even meshes it into the present will win this category.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Will Win: Linus Sandgren, La La Land
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Will Win: Madeline Fontaine, Jackie
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Will Win: O. J. Simpson: Made In America
BEST FILM EDITING:
Will Win: Tom Cross, La La Land
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Will Win: The Salesman (Iran)
Salesman director Asghar Farhadi has been the subject of news as it was believed Donald Trump’s travel ban could prevent him from attending the Oscars. Whatever the situation, he boycotted the Oscars in protest of Trump’s policies.
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
Will Win: A Man Called Ove
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Will Win: Justin Hurwitz, La La Land
I’m sure we’ve all been waiting for the longest time for a musical of original composition. Especially the Academy.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
Should Win: ‘Audition (The Fools Who Dream)’, La La Land
Will Win: ‘City Of Stars’, La La Land
BEST SOUND MIXING:
Will Win: La La Land
BEST SOUND EDITING:
Will Win: Hacksaw Ridge
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Will Win: The Jungle Book
I think the reason why Star Wars lost this category last year is because having the best digital effects of the year is expected for a Star Wars movie. That’s where The Jungle Book has the edge for this year.
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM:
Click here for reviews and predictions.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
Click here for reviews and predictions.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:
Will Win: Joe’s Helmet
JUST ONE MORE – TOP OSCAR UPSETS
I did this for the first time last year. I want to do it again this year.:
- Moonlight wins Best Picture
- Casey Affleck wins Best Actor for Manchester By The Sea
- Kubo And The Two Strings wins Best Animated Feature
- Arrival wins Best Adapted Screenplay
- Greig Fraser wins Best Cinematography for Lion.
And there you have it. My predictions for Hollywood’s night of nights. Let’s see how Jimmy Kimmel does as host this time.
Oscars 2016 Shorts Reviews: Animation and Live-Action
I’m lucky to be living in Vancouver. It’s one of the few cities one can be able to see the nominated shorts in a big-screen theatre. Gives me a chance to review them myself and even make a should-win pick for myself. This year is quite an array of nominees in both animation and live-action. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on the nominated shorts:
ANIMATED:
-Blind Vaysha (Canada/France): dir. Theodore Ushev- This is a unique 2D animation story of a Bulgarian folk-tale. A story of a girl with one eye that can see the past and one eye that can see the future and cannot live in the present. The story also shows the attempts of others to fix Vaysha’s blindness. The linocut-style animation, however, was unique and had a lot of style and flare to it.
The story doesn’t really end. Instead the film ends asking the audience their perspective. It has a unique narrative point and I get why it’s done that way, but I often wonder if the film ended on the right note.
-Borrowed Time (USA): dirs. Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj – At first you’ll think this is a family-friendly story at the beginning but soon learn it’s not such as you move on. It’s a dark Western story of a man returning to the spot of a family tragedy from his childhood. The hurt comes back from it and he decides to do something drastic but something happens.
I have to admire Pixar animators Coats and Hamou-Lhadj for making a brief departure from their traditional family fare and doing something more mature under Quorum Films. No, it’s not R-rated like Pear Cider And Cigarettes but it’s dark enough to be adult. I think this short is most likely to upset my pick for the winner.
-Pear Cider and Cigarettes (Canada): dirs. Robert Valley and Cara Speller- Now this is a refreshing R-rated alternative. It sometimes reminds you of a Grand Theft Auto video game or the film Waltz With Bashir. However it is a personal story from director Valley. It’s a story that makes you wonder how far would you go for a friend? Especially if that friend is selfish, conniving, irresponsible and manipulative?
It’s a story that entertains and charms and even gets you to hate Techno too. Sometimes I wonder why was he friends with that jerk? I don’t know if it’s because it was set in Vancouver or because it was an R-rated alternative but it won me over and I make it my Should Win pick.
-Pearl (USA): dir. Patrick Osborne- This is the first VR short to be nominated for an Academy Award. A musician and his daughter travel in a hatchback with a song as a bond between the two. We see the two age, the daughter mature into a musician of her own and have her own version of the song. The viewer gets a 360 degree view of the whole 5-minute story.
Looks like something Richard Linklater would do. Actually it might remind you of Waking Life. An excellent short that’s entertaining and will touch you too. Might even make you go to iTunes and download No Wrong Way Home.
-Piper (USA): dirs. Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer- This is the short shown before Finding Dory. A baby bird looking for food on the beach with her mother looking on and guiding her. Pixar does it again by delivering a clever, charming, and entertaining short with the dialogue absent and the animation as detailed to a tee as it gets. It’s excellent, but it’s something we’ve come to expect from Pixar even with their shorts. Nevertheless this is my Will Win prediction.
And those are my thoughts for the Animated Shorts up for the Oscar. A lot of styles of animation between Canadian and American companies. All five were very entertaining. We’ll see who wins.
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILMS
This year there are no films with English as the language of the majority. All five are from European countries. Here’s the rundown:
-Ennemis interieurs (France): dir. Selim Azzazi – A man from Algeria seeks to be a French citizen but the interrogator at immigration has big questions for him about meeting with a group of Algerian men back some years ago which led to him being arrested and imprisoned for two years. The interrogator keeps insisting he answers but he’s very reluctant to do so. Even to the point of neglecting his chances of French Citizenship. Why? What will make the man give his answers?
It’s a story that appears boring at first but grows with intrigue with each minute and with each new detail. The interest builds over time. It even makes you wonder why is he withholding the names of the other men? Feelings of brotherhood? Fear of retaliation from them? Also this may be about an incident in the past but it’s very relevant, especially with the Paris bombings happening in November 2015. This is my Will Win pick.
-La Femme et le TGV (Switzerland): dirs. Timo von Gunten and Giacun Caduff – Elise is a woman who wave her Swiss flag at the passing TGV train to Zurich every time it passes her house at 6 in the morning and 6 in the evening . After that she bicycles to her job at the town patisserie. It’s her daily routine for 30 years; a routine she doesn’t want to change. One day, she comes across a letter that was thrown to her by a man who goes on that daily TGV. He’s a man from France looking for work. The two develop a friendship only by mail and packages. Over time she hopes to meet this man. Then one day the train stops coming. It’s changed route? How will she deal with the change? Will she ever see the man?
It’s a charming comedy that has you engaged with the character (based on a person who has existed and did wave her Swiss flag at passing TGV trains). Gets you thinking about the woman. Is she an eccentric? Is she naive? Lonely? Unpredictable ending but a happy one.
-Silent Nights (Denmark): dirs. Aske Bang and Kim Magnusson – Inger is a young Danish woman who helps at the Salvation Army during the day and looks after her ailing mother at night. Kwame is a Ghanian immigrant who came to Denmark for a better future and to support his wife and children at home. However he’s been left homeless and makes money from recycling.
They both meet as Kwame agrees to help. The two develop a mutual friendship and even progress into something more. However it’s put to the test when Kwame steals money from the charity to pay for his daughter’s malaria treatments. Even though Kwame is banned for life, Inger forgives him and still loves him. Then Inger’s mother dies and she learns about Kwame’s family in Ghana just as she learns she is pregnant. It’s over between the two. However Inger sees Kwame one last time where she gives him advice, and something else.
It’s obvious that this story is about the immigrant situation in Denmark and the difficultly of the times for all. It presents both Inger’s side and Kwame’s side. However it’s more. It’s about a love that’s true. Inger loves Kwame so much, she’s willing to forgive him for all the terrible things he did. It makes the choice she makes for her and her baby look like the right thing. This is my Should Win pick.
-Sing (Hungary) dirs. Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy – Zsofi is the new girl at a school. She most looks forward to singing in the choir. However on her first rehearsal, the instructor talks of a choir competition where the prize is a performance in Sweden. She also tells Zsofi her voice is not ready for the choir and tells her to lip sync. Along the way, Zsofi finds a friend in star singer Liza. The two become good friends. However Liza notices Zsofi not singing but others. When she brings this up with the instructor, she not only admits it but tries to convince the children it’s the right thing for the competition. All of which leads to a surprise ending and the ending you think is right.
Often I question what the point of this film is. Is it about competitiveness to the point the ‘lesser’ singers are not allowed to sing for the sake of the big prize? Or is it a reminder of Hungary’s past communist regime; of how those that fit in are allowed to and those that don’t aren’t, but make like everything’s okay? Even the choir director could remind you of a communist dictator on retrospect. Whatever the point, the story was entertaining and sweet. Reminds you of the joys of childhood and the right thing paying off in the end.
-Timecode (Spain) dir. Juanjo Gimenez – It starts as a check for a woman on a security job during the day. One day she learns of a broken car light. Upon viewing the video of what happened, she sees the worker before her dancing before hitting the car. She decides to give him a dancing video of her own. Video after video follows. Then on their last day, magic happens.
At first you think the man is something eccentric but this story builds into something that ends on a bizarre note. A very good film.
And there are my thoughts on this year’s nominated shorts. Now remember both categories are the hardest to predict the winner. For example, last year the consensus of critics ranked Stutterer the least likely to win Best Live Action Short and it won. Even Annie wins for Piper and Pear Cider and Cigarettes are not a guarantee that either will win.
With my shorts predictions out of the way, I just have my main predictions for all the categories to deliver. But not before my last Best Picture summary. Coming up tomorrow morning.
MTV Movie Awards Holds Its 25th
The MTV Movie Awards, the awards that’s been come to be known as the anti-Oscars, will hold their 25th edition this year.
Back in 1992, producer Joel Gallen founded a movie awards show for MTV completely unlike the Oscars. It may not have reached to same status as the Oscars but it has grown over the years as an event of significant popularity.
The first MTV Movie awards were held in 1992. The film reel was the award and Terminator 2: Judgement Day was the big winner. It was obvious these awards were going to send a message to the Oscars.
Now back in 1992, MTV had already been known for their Video Music Awards. The event which was started in 1984 was seen as a music awards that appeared more relevant with what was happening in music as compared to the Grammys. It also offered notorious on stage events, either planned or spontaneous, that would get people talking. While such events would threaten the popularity of some musicians or even make the Grammys nervous, it made MTV.
The first MTV Movie Awards were held in 1992. Its nominations featured movies that the Oscars would either turn their noses up to or just relegate to nominations in the technical categories like Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Backdraft, Boyz N The Hood and Wayne’s World. In fact the Silence Of The Lambs which was the apple of the Academy’s eye that year did not even receive a single nomination. The event also featured unorthodox categories like Best Kiss, Best Villain, Best Action Sequence, Best Breakthrough Performance, Most Desirable Male and Female and its Lifetime Achievement Award which went to Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th infamy. Instead of Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress, they had categories like Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance and Best Movie. Even animated performances could be nominated in the various categories. On top of that, they had people call in to vote for who they felt should win the awards in the weeks leading up to the event.
Basically the point of the awards was to have a movie awards show that was current and more in line with the people’s movie tastes. Especially young people since they made up most of the movie-going crowd. The awards didn’t simply want to give accolades to movies that made big money but gave people their enjoyment and their money’s worth. In fact Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which won four Oscars in the technical categories, was the big winner at the first MTV Movie Awards. Basically the focus is on movies instead of films and stars instead of actors. MTV turned out to be only domain likely to start such a movie awards show at the time. In fact the award which is a golden bucket of popcorn is meant to symbolize its rewarding of crowdwinning.
There’s also the entertainment factor of the awards too. There were frequent movie spoofs, often starring the awards’ host, that still happen quite often. The event was also used to promote upcoming summer releases with presenters often people starring in movies to be released later that summer. Also the musical performers would often have nothing to do with the movies and more to do with summer album releases. Performers of movie songs were more commonly featured in the 90’s editions of the awards show as movie music was bigger then than it is now.
There would be category changes and category drops of awards categories. However the standard would be the same where performances and movies that gave people their enjoyment would get top wins. Only three times has the Oscar winner for Best Picture won Best Movie. In addition, nine movies that didn’t receive a single Academy Award nomination won Best Movie including Scream, There’s Something About Mary, four of the five Twilight movies and the most recent Movie Of The Year winner, The Fault In Our Stars. That’s another thing too, how the MTV’s aren’t afraid to even give teen movies accolades. No wonder the show has been come to be known as the anti-Oscars.
There have even been times when the MTV Movie Awards would appear to ‘make right’ what the Academy did wrong as most saw. In 1995 when Hoop Dreams was snubbed of a Best Documentary Oscar nomination, director Steve James would receive the Best New Filmmaker Award: an honorary award from 1992 to 2002 which honored filmmakers whose debut film would introduce a new element to film making. In 1998 when most people thought Leonardo diCaprio was snubbed of a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Titanic, he won Best Male Performance at the MTVs.
Now onto this year’s Awards. This is the 25th annual MTV Movie Awards. As noted, it’s come a long way. It’s still a big public event where a lot of big stars show up. Stars from upcoming summer releases are planned to be among the presenters. However the list is still incomplete even among musical performers. Categories from the first Awards are still here like Movie Of The Year (retitled from Best Movie) , Best Male and Female Performance, Best Breakthrough Performance, Best Comedic Performance, Best Villain and of course their trademark category: Best Kiss. New categories this year are Best Documentary, Best Action Performance, Best Ensemble Cast and Best True Story. Returning categories not at the first Awards are Best Fight and Best Hero. In addition, the category of Best Virtual Performance returns this year.
This year’s Awards are again focusing on big crowd winners. One trivia note: the highest-grossing film of the previous year would always get at least one MTV Movie Awards nomination. This year is far from an exception as Star Wars: The Force Awakens received eleven nominations including Best Movie. Deadpool is the next-most nominated with eight and Avengers: Age Of Ultron is next with six. Four of the six movies nominated for Best Movie are sci-fi or action movies and none of the Best Picture nominees for this year’s Oscars, not even Mad Max: Fury Road, were nominated for Best Movie. Mad Max still got four nominations as did The Revenant. Five of the eight Best Picture nominees have received at least one nomination but Spotlight didn’t get a single one. Can you believe it? While the hard-to-watch Room got a nomination with Brie Larson for Best Breakthrough Performance. In addition, this year’s nominees are way more mixed in terms of race and gender than this year’s Oscars by far.
Also you may remember I talked about a Best New Filmmaker category? That was there during the first Awards but was dropped after 2002. Now the honorary award at the MTV’s is the Generation Award: like a ‘lifetime achievement’ award but going to a star whom the generations born and bred on MTV made. The first one back in 2005 went to Tom Cruise. This year, it goes to Will Smith. Even though he’s not my favorite actor, I wonder what took MTV so long to award it to him.
Now onto my predictions for this year’s MTV Movie Awards winners. Note I’m better at prediction the Oscars than predicting MTV winners. With this being a ‘people’s choice’ awards, they can go any which way. So here goes:
Movie of the Year
–Avengers: Age of Ultron
–Creed
–Deadpool
–Jurassic World
–Star Wars: The Force Awakens
–Straight Outta Compton
Will Win (WW): Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Most Likely Upsetter (MLU): Straight Outta Compton
Yes, Star Wars mania returned. However underdogs have come and taken the Best Movie award before. People’s tastes may surprise you. I predict Straight Outta Compton to be the movie most likely to pull an upset.
True Story
–Concussion
–Joy
–Steve Jobs
–Straight Outta Compton
–The Big Short
–The Revenant
WW: Straight Outta Compton
MLU: The Revenant
I strongly believe with this being MTV, Straight Outta Compton will rule this category. However The Revenant could upset.
Documentary
–Amy
–Cartel Land
–He Named Me Malala
–The Hunting Ground
–The Wolfpack
–What Happened, Miss Simone?
WW: Amy
MLU: He Named Me Malala
It’s a surprise to see a documentary category for the MTVs. I thought the awards were about movies instead of films. With this being MTV, I think Amy is the hands-down winner here.
Best Female Performance
-Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
-Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect 2
-Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
-Morena Baccarin, Deadpool
WW: Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MLU: Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
Looking at the nominees, I feel the biggest star-buzz would go to Daisy Ridley. However Charlize could win because of how she stole the show from Max.
Best Male Performance
-Chris Pratt, Jurassic World
-Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
-Matt Damon, The Martian
-Michael B. Jordan, Creed
-Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
-Will Smith, Concussion
WW: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
MLU: Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
Leo has already won this award before in 1998 for Titanic (of course) and 2005 for The Aviator. He may seem like a guarantee here since everyone wanted him to win the Oscar. However don’t count out Michael B. Jordan or Ryan Reynolds as they charmed crowds too.
Breakthrough Performance
-Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
-Brie Larson, Room
-Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Dakota Johnson, Fifty Shades of Grey
-John Boyega, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-O’Shea Jackson Jr., Straight Outta Compton
WW: Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MLU: Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
Interesting how both Amy Schumer and Brie Larson were co-stars in Trainwreck and they’re now competing against each other in this category. However I feel this is Daisy Ridley’s for the taking.
Best Comedic Performance
-Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
-Kevin Hart, Ride Along 2
-Melissa McCarthy, Spy
-Rebel Wilson, Pitch Perfect 2
-Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
-Will Ferrell, Get Hard
WW: Kevin Hart, Ride Along 2
MLU: Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
It seems like Kevin Hart is the comedy phenom right now. However Amy Schumer is the one having him look over his shoulder.
Best Action Performance
-Chris Pratt, Jurassic World
-Dwayne Johnson, San Andreas
-Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2
-John Boyega, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
-Vin Diesel, Furious 7
WW: John Boyega, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MLU: Vin Diesel, Furious 7
Best Hero
-Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
-Chris Evans, Avengers: Age of Ultron
-Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Dwayne Johnson, San Andreas
-Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2
-Paul Rudd, Ant-Man
WW: Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MLU: Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
This seems to be the year of the heroine instead of the year of the hero. Rey and Furiosa. Rey seems like the best bet but Furiosa could overtake her for the win.
Best Villain
-Adam Driver, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Ed Skrein, Deadpool
-Hugh Keays-Byrne, Mad Max: Fury Road
-James Spader, Avengers: Age of Ultron
-Samuel L. Jackson, Kingsman: The Secret Service
-Tom Hardy, The Revenant
WW: Adam Driver, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MLU: Hugh Keays-Byrne, Mad Max: Fury Road
This seems like another category where it’s a foregone conclusion Star Wars will win. Mind you there have been surprises in the past. Hugh Keays-Byrne could upset.
Best Virtual Performance
-Amy Poehler, Inside Out
-Andy Serkis, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Jack Black, Kung Fu Panda 3
-James Spader, Avengers: Age of Ultron
-Lupita Nyong’o, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Seth MacFarlane, Ted 2
WW: Amy Poehler, Inside Out
MLU: Lupita Nyong’o, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
This category only existed once before: back in 2003. Andy Serkis, I mean Gollum, won. I think Amy Poehler will take it here as she was the most charming.
Ensemble Cast
–Avengers: Age of Ultron
–Furious 7
–Pitch Perfect 2
–Star Wars: The Force Awakens
–The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2
–Trainwreck
WW: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MLU: Furious 7
Now this is one category I’d like to see at the Oscars. Hey, the SAGs have it. I’m surprised Straight Outta Compton didn’t get nominated.
Best Kiss
-Amy Schumer & Bill Hader, Trainwreck
-Dakota Johnson & Jamie Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey
-Leslie Mann & Chris Hemsworth, Vacation
-Margot Robbie & Will Smith, Focus
-Morena Baccarin & Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
-Rebel Wilson & Adam DeVine, Pitch Perfect 2
WW: Dakota Johnson & Jamie Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey
MLU: Morena Baccarin & Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
This is the category that separates the MTV Movie awards from all other movie awards. Hey, the biggest stars want to win this. The winning kisses have ranged from innocent kisses (My Girl) to romantic kisses (The Notebook) to same-sex kisses (Cruel Intentions) to unique kisses (SpiderMan) to threeways (Starsky and Hutch) to even humorous kisses (American Pie 2). I think the Fifty Shades of Grey kiss will take it.
Best Fight
-Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) vs. Ajax (Ed Skrein), Deadpool
-Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) vs. The Bear, The Revenant
-Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) vs. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), Mad Max: Fury Road
-Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) vs. Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Avengers: Age of Ultron
-Rey (Daisy Ridley) vs. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Star Wars: The Force Awakens
-Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) vs. Lia (Nargis Fakhri), Spy
WW: Rey (Daisy Ridley) vs. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MLU: Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) vs. The Bear, The Revenant
This is always a hard one because any fight could end up a winner. However I give it to Star Wars. You can’t beat Star Wars in this category.
Hey, I told you the categories were unorthodox. Anyways those are my predictions for the 25th annual MTV Movie Awards. Tune in Sunday, April 10th to watch who wins what, who’s performing and what notorious acts happen.
2015 Oscars: The Buzz And The Biz
This year’s Best Picture nominees brought in the most box office gold since 2012 but the winner…
Once again, it’s my annual look at this year’s top Academy Awards contenders and how they fared at the Box Office. This was something that once again had to wait until one month after the end of the Oscars to get the full picture. Boy did they have a lot to tell. Once again, all credits for my research to Box Office Mojo.
Before I get into explaining the box office results, I’ll let you all in that Awards Daily showed an interesting graph. It showed how not even $500,000 was spent on a For Your Consideration ad for a Golden Globe win but a win brought in megamillions. It also showed how millions are spent on For Your Consideration ads for the Oscar but the box office draw isn’t even half of what one gets from a Golden Globe win. Something to think about. Especially as we all read on.
When the nominations were announced, two of the eight Best Picture nominees–Mad Max:Fury Road and The Martian— had already grossed over $100 million. That wasn’t the case last year when none of them passed that mark on ‘Nomination Day.’ And that was the Thursday just before American Sniper had its wide release. Actually the eight-set of Best Picture nominees turned in an average of over $75 million. Very impressive.
The film that definitely had its biggest boost since its Best Picture nomination was The Revenant. Between Nomination Day and Awards day, it grossed $116.5 million. A significant boost also came to Room which only grossed $5.2 million before the nominations but $8.2 million between Nomination Day and Awards Day. Films like Spotlight, The Big Short and Brooklyn didn’t double their grosses after their nominations like The Revenant and Room did but their Oscar nominations did give them a good added boost. The Big Short received an additional 423.9 million: more than 50% more than before its nominations. Brooklyn also showed a bigger-than-50% increase in its box office results after their nominations. Spotlight also had an increase but it was just slightly over $10 million.
The only three movies that didn’t see a significant boost after their Oscar nominations were Mad Max: Fury Road, Bridge of Spies and The Martian because they had already neared completion of their box office run with their totals as impressive as they would get. Actually Mad Max: Fury Road wasn’t re-released after its Oscar nominations.
Now Awards Day came and three of the eight Best Picture winners had grossed over $100 million. However the Best Picture winner was a film that was one of the lowest-grossing of the eight nominees: Spotlight. It didn’t even have $40 million grossed by Awards Night. Ever since it’s only grossed an additional $5.2 million and it’s highly unlikely it will hit $50 million. This makes it the second year in a row the Best Picture winner failed to gross $50 million and the third year in a row it fails to gross $100 million. This is a bit of a surprise since I said to myself months earlier: “One more Best Picture winner that fails to gross $100 million and I’m done with Oscar tracking.”
Actually those were temporary feeling as despite Spotlight‘s low gross, it was a film that gave something to admire. However it does point some interesting stats. This will make it the fourth Best Picture winner of the 2010’s that didn’t gross $100 million and there’s still four more years left. The naughts, the decade before the 2010’s, only had three that failed to do so as did the 90’s. You’d figure that the title of Best Picture Winner’ would be a draw to the box office but now it appears less than ever. This shows an interesting detail about how the Academy is in terms of voting for Best Picture. In the past, it was almost always a Hollywood picture. Then things changed with the 1996 Oscars when Jerry Maguire was the only one of the five Best Picture nominees done by a major Hollywood studio to receive a Best Picture nomination. All of the other four nominees including winner The English Patient were independent films.
Since then, the independent films have been winning the Academy over. This has led to a bigger gap than ever between blockbuster films and critical darlings. It has definitely become evident over these last ten years. It’s a bit of a downer for me because I’d really like to see good cinema do well at the box office deep down inside. However it’s becoming more fact. I read an article from Awards Daily which talked about how independent films and films of critical renown don’t so well nowadays at the box office. In the past, you had the movie box office which gave a first run and second run of movies before it even hit video. Now we have such a wide variety of media methods like Netflix and Shomi. It seems like if you want to bring people to the movies, you have to have what it takes to do it. Moviegoers are now choosier as they can decide whether a movie is worth seeing in a cinema or worth waiting for it on Netflix. That would often mean big special effects and often theatre things like showing them in 3D or AVX or in D-Box seats. You mostly won’t get that with the films that win the biggest critical renown. That could have a lot to do with the Best Picture winner constantly grossing lower and lower. For the record, the last Best Picture winner that grossed $100 million+ is 2012’s Argo.
The box office may not have been friendly to Spotlight but it was friendly to the eight Best Picture winners as a whole. The eight have grossed a combined total of $803.8 million– just over $100 million per film for the first time since 2012– an all of them have grossed over $10 million. Spotlight wasn’t the only nominee to bag some extra money after the Oscars. The Revenant took an extra $11.4 million, The Big Short gained an extra $1.6 million, Brooklyn grossed an extra $1.5 million and Room grabbed an extra $1.2 million. Overall The Revenant and Room were the two with the biggest boosts from the Oscar buzz.
The box office results of this year’s nominees told a lot about moviegoers and their choices this year. The winner told lots about the Academy and how they’ve changed as far as voting for Best Picture. Next year should tell more.
My 2015 Academy Award Predictions
No kidding there was a lot of news about this year’s Oscar nominees from the lack of diversity and the boycotts and AMPAS reform that followed to how this being one of the most unpredictable years as far as Best Picture is concerned. Despite the protests, Chris Rock will still host the Oscars.
As for me, I’ve seen all the Best Picture nominees. This makes it the fifteenth year in a row I’ve seen them all before the awards night. It almost would have been my last as I was losing faith in the Academy as the last two Best Picture winners failed to gross $100 million both individually and combined. For the record, 2012’s Argo is the last Best Picture winner with a gross of higher than $100 million. However that could change with The Revenant being a strong favorite.
Collectively I have seen enough films and shorts to make up 86 of this year’s nominees. It’s a shame there won’t be any more members at large because I think I’d make a better Oscar voter. Anyways here are my predictions for this year’s Oscar winners. Note that the bigger categories will get the focus as well as my prediction. Only in few smaller categories will I elaborate. Also you will receive links to my reviews.
BEST PICTURE SUMMARY
This year’s eight Best Picture nominees are quite different. Some have a lot of similarities but there are some surprises. Who would’ve though a Mad Max movie would be one of the nominees? Or even The Big Short would be a heavy favorite? Anyways here’s my summary with the titles hyperlinked to my review:
-The Big Short – My favorite of the Best Picture nominees and my Should Win pick. I admire it for it being unconventional and making sense of something very technical. However I feel it may come up a bit short to my prediction for the winner.
-Bridge Of Spies – I feel this is the most underrated movie of the whole Best Picture race. It did a great job in capturing the eerie feel of the Cold War and even the political tension behind it. Too bad it finds itself out of contention for the win because it is deserving of it.
-Brooklyn – It’s easy to think Brooklyn has all the bait of what would win the Academy over. However this was a tightly competitive year. Plus the Academy will always surprise you about what it thinks ids the best.
-Mad Max: Fury Road – Very rarely does a science fiction movie have a chance at winning Best Picture. This film surprised everyone about how good a sci-fi story can go. A deserving winner, but the competition was tight and also I don’t think the Academy will make it Best Picture.
-The Martian – Space stories have been winning over the Academy more often lately. Two years ago, it was Gravity.Now The Martian. A good choice for a nominee but I think there were too many parts that were a bit cornball.
-The Revenant – It may have a lot of buzz but it doesn’t completely guarantee it will win Best Picture. The Revenant may have won the Golden Globe and BAFTA but Spotlight won the Critics Choice award and The Big Short won the Producers Guild. The buzz however is too hard to ignore and I feel that The Revenant Will Win Best Picture. Anyways I find it refreshing having a movie that made over $100 million win Best Picture, especially after Birdman’s poor gross.
-Room – One of two Canada/Ireland entries for Best Picture. Very well-acted and well-written but I don’t think a movie about two young people abducted makes for a Best Picture winner. It deserves respect for making this scenario watchable on screen but not enough to make it a winner.
-Spotlight – This is this year’s critical darling. It has a lot to offer with a great ensemble of acting, an excellently-written story and well-directed. It has what it takes to win Best Picture. However I feel its November release has hurt its chances for the win. It still has some good chances to win but it faces rivalry against later releases like The Revenant and The Big Short.
BEST DIRECTOR:
-Should Win and Will Win – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – The Revenant – This last while has been the emergence of Inarritu. He first burst onto the scene in 2000 with Amores Perros. He received his first Best Director nomination for Babel. Last year, he won for Birdman. This time around he directs an epic thriller and he succeeds excellently at it. Also it pays off at the box office this time.
BEST ACTOR:
-Should Win and Will Win – Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant – Everybody’s saying “Leo should win it.” It’s easy to see why. He’s done a lot of great performances. Plus winning the Oscar could be the case of career culmination for him. It’s too easy to declare career culmination for his anticipated Oscar win. However you have to see The Revenant for yourself to see why. It involved a lot of physical acting as well as a lot of acting moments involving no speaking at all. You can easily see why he’s a deserving winner.
BEST ACTRESS:
-Should Win and Will Win – Brie Larson – Room – Often enough winning an acting Oscar is often a case of career culmination. Other times it can be that case where you’re lucky to have that role of a lifetime. This is the case for Brie Larson. She was mostly unknown and her biggest work up to then was acting in Trainwreck. However her turn as Joy Newsome as a woman braking free from her kidnapping and struggling to live life in what should be freedom is that role of a lifetime.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
-Should Win – Mark Rylance – Bridge Of Spies – I’ll only base my decision on the supporting performances I’ve seen. Mark was excellent as he had to embody the character of a frail 50 year-old man from head to toe. Not only that but give him a unique charm that’s able to steal the show away from Tom Hanks.
-Will Win – Sylvester Stallone – Creed – I’m not a fan of Sylvester Stallone. In fact I can easily see why the Golden Raspberry awards like to give him accolades. However if there’s one role in which he knows how to do right, it’s Rocky Balboa. I believe with this being possibly the last movie of the Rocky saga, Stallone will win it.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
-Should Win – Rooney Mara – Carol – I have to say of all the supporting actress performances I’ve seen, I’m most impressed with Rooney Mara. She played a young woman who was insecure with herself and just learning about herself until Carol helps her to understand herself and not be afraid to love.
-Will Win – Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl – I admit I have not seen The Danish Girl. However Alicia’s performance has already generated a ton of buzz. It seems like a no-brainer she’ll win. Some are already touting her as the biggest thing out of Scandinavia since Liv Ullmann. We’ll see.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
-Should Win – Matt Charman, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – Bridge Of Spies – I liked Bridge Of Spies and how it captured the time of fear and paranoia of the Cold War. This was a unique collaboration of Spielberg and the Coen brothers. I thought Bridge Of Spies was one of the smartest films this year.
-Will Win – Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer – Spotlight – Spotlight is one film that has gotten a lot of renown for its story of trying to bring a story to the presses. It’s a deserving winner as it is a story that will keep you interested and intrigued from star to finish. At the same time, it makes a film about sexual abuse by the clergy actually watchable.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
-Should Win & Will Win- Adam McKay and Charles Randolph – The Big Short – All I can say is the script was full of energy. It defied convention and at the same time made sense out of a confusing topic which only those inside the banking world can fully understand. A deserving winner here.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
-Should Win & Will Win- What can I say? Inside Out is the animated movie of the year. It’s very much the case that when Disney/Pixar releases an original film, it’s bound to be the class of the field in terms of animated films. Heck, the script was even nominated for Best Original Screenplay so how can you rival that?
Here are the rest of the categories. I will only predict who Will Win. As well as give some notes if I feel so.
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Colin Gibson & Lisa Thompson – Mad Max: Fury Road
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
-Robert Richardson – The Hateful Eight
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
-Jenny Beavan – Mad Max: Fury Road
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
–Amy
BEST FILM EDITING:
-Margaret Sixel – Mad Max: Fury Road
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
-Son Of Saul – Hungary
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
-The Revenant
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
-Ennio Morricone – The Hateful Eight
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
-“Til It Happens To You” – The Hunting Ground
As far as songs go, that’s the biggest talk about Til It Happens To You and Lady Gaga winning the Oscar. I’m cool with it. As long as she doesn’t wear a meat dress.
BEST SOUND MIXING:
–The Revenant
BEST SOUND EDITING:
-Mad Max: Fury Road
Actually I will have my final prediction in this category Saturday evening as that’s when we’ll know the Motion Picture Sound Editors Guild winner.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
-Star Wars: The Force Awakens
It seemed like a no-brainer to predict Star Wars to win that category. However it’s not to say it didn’t have it rivals. Accolades have also been given to the effects of The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road.
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM:
Click here for reviews and predictions.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
Click here for reviews and predictions.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:
-Chau: Beyond The Lines
JUST ONE MORE – TOP OSCAR UPSETS
This is something new for me. I’m picking the five most likely upsets of the evening, especially those that will go against my own predictions:
- The Big Short to win Best Picture
- Mark Rylance wins Best Supporting Actor for Bridge Of Spies
- Mad Max: Fury Road win Best Visual Effects
- Mustang (from France) wins Best Foreign Language Film
- Sandy Powell wins Best Costume Design for Cinderella
And there you have it. My predictions for Hollywood’s night of nights. You might only care about who wears what but see who wins on Sunday the 28th. Even attend a party. You might win prizes.
Reviews Of Other Nominated Movies Viewed:
