The Oscars are pretty ridiculous... A bunch of Hollywood insiders (many of whom haven't even worked in the industry in decades!) giving a bunch of trophies out to other Hollywood people. I mean, how can anyone definitively decide every year what the "greatest achievements in film" are, especially when politics play such a huge role in that ultimate decision? Like, studios pay $150 MILLION+ every year just to campaign certain films (yes, like a political campaign) in the hopes that they get a few nominations... AND WE ALL BUY INTO IT EVERY YEAR!
... But, nonetheless, they're still a lot of fun and they (unnecessarily) hold a lot of power both within the business and culturally, having the potential to completely change a person's career/life, so let's watch some of the nominated movies!
I'm mostly going to focus on the nominated films that I like the most and/or the ones that are the most likely to win on February 28th. Some are actually available to stream right now, while other's are certainly worth a trip to the theater.
Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller) - Total Nominations: 10
Possible Wins: Picture, Director, Cinematography, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, and Production Design
Where to watch: Currently streaming on HBO.
The Revenant (dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu) - Total Nominations: 12
Current momentum for Best Picture has quickly returned to this year's most nominated film after Iñárritu won the Director's Guild prize for the second year in a row (he won last year for Birdman). This is a surprisingly difficult year to predict some of the biggest categories, and The Revenant could easily end of sweeping all of them. One category it most certainly has locked down is Best Actor, which means Leonardo DiCaprio will finally win his Oscar. It's a solid film. It is NOT the film about "indigenous struggle" like it's campaign may be trying to (and sadly successfully...) promote (it's more of a revenge/"white savior" movie), but it's certainly well made and sometimes even great.
Possible Wins: Picture, Director, Actor, Cinematography, and Film Editing
Where to Watch: If you're gonna watch this film at all, it really should be on the biggest screen possible. Click for showtimes.
The Big Short (dir. Adam McKay) - Total Nominations: 5
It may only have five nominations, but after winning the Producers Guild Award this year, arguably the best predictor of what ultimately wins Best Picture, this is probably one you need to check out. I personally thought the storytelling and humor was slightly obnoxious, but I recognize the filmmaker's intentions. They desperately tried to make the complicated economy + housing crisis lingo somewhat understandable to regular people, and though it lead to fairly mixed results, everyone in the business totally ate it up.
Possible Wins: Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Film Editing
Where to Watch: Pay the matinee price for this one. Click for showtimes.
Spotlight (dir. Tom McCarthy) - Total Nominations: 6
This film also has a legitamate shot at Best Picture. I've never seen a year where four films have an actual shot at the top price, but it has happened. Spotlight is extremely well written, and that's probably the category it has the best shot at winning. This celebration of investigative journalism is really safely directed, but all the performances are solid and overall it's an achievement (though one you're likely to forget about...)
Possible Wins: Picture and Original Screenplay
Where to Watch: Click for showtimes or wait until February 23rd when it's available on VOD (it's available for purchase on iTunes right now).
Room (dir. Lenny Abrahamson) - Total Nominations: 4
And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to... Brie Larson! It's a guaranteed win for her, and she really is great. In fact, her and young Jacob Tremblay are the main reasons to watch this. They deliver the best performances out of any of the Best Picture contenders. The film is pretty depressing (it's about abduction and the hardships that proceed this mother and son after their escape), so be prepared to cry. But, it's definitely one of the better and more original films nominated this year.
Possible Wins: Actress and Adapted Screenplay
Where to Watch: Click for showtimes or wait until February 16th when it's available on VOD.
Carol (dir. Todd Haynes) - Total Nominations: 6
The Academy didn't love this as much as me (or any other decent human being), meaning it probably won't win anything, but holy shit this movie is masterful! Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are unbelievable and Todd Haynes always delivers. It's one of the most intimate love stories in a really long time and it feels absolutely timeless. It could have been released in 1950 or 2050 and still feel completely classic and simultaneously unreal. Please just watch it.
Possible Wins: Supporting Actress and Original Score
Where to Watch: Click for showtimes or wait until March 4th when it's available on VOD.
Creed (dir. Ryan Coogler) - Total Nominations: 1
It has one nomination, and it'll probably end the night with one win. Sylvester Stallone seems like a pretty safe bet for Supporting Actor, and it most definitely is his best performance since... well, Rocky in 1976. The film itself was surely one of the best studio films of the year and could have easily earned more nominations. It's more entertaining/relevant/satisfying than most of the other films nominated for Best Picture.
Possible Wins: Supporting Actor
Where to Watch: Click for Showtimes or wait until March 1st when it's available on VOD (available for purchase on iTunes on February 16th)
Inside Out (dir. Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen) - Total Nominations: 2
This hit was a dark horse for a Best Picture nom, but it has to settle with easily winning the Best Animated Feature category instead. The additional nomination for Original Screenplay immediately makes it a lock in the surprisingly very diverse and exciting animated category. It's classic Pixar: you'll laugh, you'll cry, and it will make you think about simple emotions and childhood in fairly complex ways. It's very good.
Possible Wins: Animated Feature
Where to Watch: Available for purchase on iTunes (and other VOD platforms) right now!
Amy (dir. Asif Kapadia) - Total Nominations: 1
Amy Winehouse's death was truly awful, not only because any addiction-related death is devastating, but sadly because so many people expected it to happen. This documentary is particularly interesting since their are no on-camera interviews. We simply hear the voices of those who were important or impactful in Winehouse's far-too-short life while we look at video footage of her childhood and career. It's very sad, but a great reminder of just how talented and frankly iconic this performer was. There'll never be another Amy.
Possible Wins: Documentary Feature
Where to Watch: Available for rent on iTunes right now!
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (dir. J.J. Abrams) - Total Nominations: 5
I contemplated whether or not to include this since I'm pretty sure every single person in the world has seen it at least once (I've seen it four times and could easily go again). But that's just it... it is so easy to recommend because it's so effortlessly fun and enjoyable to watch! Plus, it actually has nominations in some pretty major categories. It truly brought Star Wars back into this world, where it could very well stay indefinitely (I certainly wouldn't mind). The film didn't receive the Best Picture nom it was hoping for, but it'll definitely walk away with at least one win, and that's exciting enough.
Possible Wins: Film Editing, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects (it's a genuine contender in every category it's nominated in.)
Where to Watch: Pay full price for this one. Click for Showtimes.
Other Likely Winners To Check Out
Bridge of Spies (dir. Steven Spielberg) - Total Nominations: 6
- Perfectly fine. Nothing Spielberg hasn't done a billion other times. It probably would have been the frontrunner if it was the year 1996.
- Possible Wins: Original Score
- Where to Watch: Available to rent on iTunes right now!
- Undeniably sweet, but problematically tame for an immigrant story. Immigrants faced a lot more difficulties and hardships other than homesickness and boy drama... but it's fine, I guess.
- Possible Wins: Adapted Screenplay
- Where to Watch: Click for showtimes.
- One of the better live action fairytales, which are "all the rage" in Hollywood right now. Pretty much a beat-for-beat remake of the Disney animated classic, but extremely beautiful nonetheless!
- Possible Wins: Costume Design
- Where to Watch: Starz and iTunes.
- This movie is really whatever and doesn't accurately represent the trans community that well, but Alicia Vikander is probably gonna win Supporting Actress, so watch it if you like her.
- Possible Wins: Supporting Actress and Costume Design
- Where to Watch: Click for showtimes, available for purchase on iTunes on February 16th.
- I genuinely hated this movie, but pretty much everyone loves it, so I guess I'm wrong...
- Possible Wins: Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Production Design
- Where to Watch: Click for showtimes (though it's run is basically over), available for rent on iTunes right now!
Son of Saul (dir. László Nemes) - Total Nominations: 1
- It's a Holocaust film and it's rough; shot almost entirely in one tight close-up. It's disturbingly fascinating and will easily win in its category.
- Possible Wins: Foreign Language Film
- Where to Watch: Click for showtimes.
World of Tomorrow (dir. Don Hertzfeldt) - Total Nominations: 1
- Quite possibly the best short film ever made! It deserves your attention! 17 minutes of legitamate perfection! PLEASE WATCH!!!
- Possible Wins: Animated Short Film
- Where to Watch: Netflix!
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