This morning, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences released their list of nominees for the 88th Academy Awards. In my look at this year's Golden Globes, I considered the Globes to be the first concrete benchmark of what to expect, and what can I say? I'm right. There are only a few tweaks I didn't expect, so, like last time, I'll post the full list of nominees below, with a quick "Who will win, should win, and win in my spherical-cow-populated world?" sum-up below each category (wherever I can be honest and knowledgeable).
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Best Picture
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Who Will? - The Revenant
Who Should? - Room
Spherical Cow? - Room
Best Actor
Bryan Cranston - Trumbo
Matt Damon - The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl
Who Will? - Leonardo DiCaprio
Who Should? - Leonardo DiCaprio
Spherical Cow? - Jason Tremblay - Room
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Brie Larson - Room
Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Who Will? - Cate Blanchett
Who Should? - Brie Larson
Spherical Cow? - Brie Larson
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale - The Big Short
Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone - Creed
Who Will? - Tom Hardy
Who Should? - Tom Hardy
Spherical Cow? - Tom Hardy and Sylvester Stallone share, then do a ridiculously bad-ass 70's cop movie together.
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara - Carol
Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
Who Will? - Kate Winslet
Who Should? - Jennifer Jason Leigh
Spherical Cow? - Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina
Best Director
Adam McKay - The Big Short
George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro González Iñárritu - The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson - Room
Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Who Will? - Alejandro González Iñárritu
Who Should? - Alejandro González Iñárritu
Spherical Cow? - Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best Original Screenplay
Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - Bridge of Spies
Alex Garland - Ex Machina
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Ronnie Del Carmen - Inside Out
Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Andrea Berloff, Jonathan Herman, S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus - Straight Outta Compton
Who Will? - Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Ronnie Del Carmen - Inside Out
Who Should? - Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Spherical Cow? - Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay
Charles Randolph, Adam McKay - The Big Short
Nick Hornby - Brooklyn
Phyllis Nagy - Carol
Drew Goddard - The Martian
Emma Donoghue - Room
Who Will? - Nick Hornby
Who Should? - Emma Donoghue
Spherical Cow? - Emma Donoghue
Best Animated Film
Anomalisa
O Menino e o Mundo (Boy & the World)
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Omoide no Mânî (When Marnie Was There)
Who Will? - Inside Out
Who Should? - Anomalisa
Spherical Cow? - The Peanuts Movie
Best Foreign Language Film
El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent)
Krigen (A War)
Mustang
Saul fia (Son of Saul)
Theeb
Best Cinematography
Edward Lachman - Carol
Robert Richardson - The Hateful Eight
John Seale - Mad Max: Fury Road
Emmanuel Lubezki - The Revenant
Roger Deakins - Sicario
Who Will? - Emmanuel Lubezki
Who Should? - Emmanuel Lubezki
Spherical Cow? - Adam Arkapaw - Macbeth
Best Editing
Hank Corwin - The Big Short
Margaret Sixel - Mad Max: Fury Road
Stephen Mirrione - The Revenant
Tom McArdle - Spotlight
Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Will? - Stephen Mirrione
Who Should? - Hank Corwin
Spherical Cow? - Hank Corwin
Best Production Design
Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo, Bernhard Henrich - Bridge of Spies
Eve Stewart, Michael Standish - The Danish Girl
Colin Gibson, Lisa Thompson - Mad Max: Fury Road
Arthur Max, Celia Bobak - The Martian
Jack Fisk, Hamish Purdy - The Revenant
Who Will? - Jack Fisk, Hamish Purdy - The Revenant
Who Should? - Jack Fisk, Hamish Purdy - The Revenant
Spherical Cow? - Mark Digby - Ex Machina
Best Costume Design
Sandy Powell - Carol
Sandy Powell - Cinderella
Paco Delgado - The Danish Girl
Jenny Beavan - Mad Max: Fury Road
Jacqueline West - The Revenant
Who Will? - Jenny Beavan
Who Should? - Jenny Beavan
Spherical Cow? - Joanna Johnston - The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Love Larson, Eva Von Bahr - Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann (The 100-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)
Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega, Damian Martin - Mad Max: Fury Road
Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Robert A. Pandini - The Revenant
Who Will? - Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega, Damian Martin - Mad Max: Fury Road
Who Should? - Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega, Damian Martin - Mad Max: Fury Road
Spherical Cow? - Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega, Damian Martin - Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Original Score
Thomas Newman - Bridge of Spies
Carter Burwell - Carol
Ennio Morricone - The Hateful Eight
Jóhann Jóhannsson - Sicario
John Williams - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Will? - Ennio Morricone
Who Should? - John Williams
Spherical Cow? - Harry Gregson-Williams - The Martian
Best Original Song
The Weeknd, Belly, TBD, Stephan Moccio - "Earned It", Fifty Shades of Grey
Diane Warren, Lady Gaga - "Til It Happens to You", The Hunting Ground
J. Ralph, Antony Hegarty - "Manta Ray", Racing Extinction
Sam Smith, James Napier - "Writing's On The Wall", Spectre
David Lang - "Simple Song #3", Youth
Who Will? - Sam Smith, James Napier - "Writing's On The Wall", Spectre
Who Should? - David Lang - "Simple Song #3", Youth
Spherical Cow? - Meek Mill, Jhené Aiko & Ludwig Göransson - "Lord Knows / Fighting Stronger", Creed
Best Sound Editing (They Design Sound Effects, Either Making New Ones or Boosting the Old)
Mark A. Mangini, David White - Mad Max: Fury Road
Oliver Tarney - The Martian
Martín Hernández, Lon Bender - The Revenant
Alan Robert Murray - Sicario
Matthew Wood, David Acord - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Will? - Matthew Wood, David Acord - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Should? - Matthew Wood, David Acord - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Spherical Cow? - Matthew Wood, David Acord - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Sound Mixing (They Blend On-Set Sounds and Ones the Editors Make and Balance All Together)
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, Drew Kunin - Bridge of Spies
Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, Ben Osmo - Mad Max: Fury Road
Paul Massey, Mark Taylor, Mac Ruth - The Martian
Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom, Chris Duesterdiek - The Revenant
Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Will? - Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Should? - Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Spherical Cow? - Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Visual Effects
Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Williams Ardington, Sara Bennett - Ex Machina
Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver, Andy Williams - Mad Max: Fury Road
Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence, Steven Warner - The Martian
Richard McBride, Matt Shumway, Jason Smith, Cameron Waldbauer - The Revenant
Roger Guyett, Pat Tubach, Neal Scanlan, Chris Corbould - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Will? - Roger Guyett, Pat Tubach, Neal Scanlan, Chris Corbould - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Who Should? - Roger Guyett, Pat Tubach, Neal Scanlan, Chris Corbould - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Spherical Cow? - Roger Guyett, Pat Tubach, Neal Scanlan, Chris Corbould - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Documentary, Feature
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire
Best Documentary, Short Subject
Body Team 12
War Within the Walls
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom
Best Short Film, Animated
Historia de un oso (Bear Story)
Mi ne mozhem zhit bez kosmosa (We Can't Live Without Cosmos)
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
World of Tomorrow
Best Short Film, Live Action
Ave Maria
Day One
Alles wird gut (Everything Will Be Okay)
Shok
Stutterer
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As far as Oscar lists go, I must admit I'm not mad, an opinion, when I spoke to my college advisor earlier, which isn't as equally adopted. Are there snubs? Of course. However, according to IMDB, Aaron Sorkin's screenplay for Steve Jobs was "snubbed", and I found it the weakest of the Golden Globe nominees (which it won). They thought Michael Keaton should've picked up a Best Actor nomination for Spotlight, and I wholeheartedly disagree. Wherever your allegiances lie, we must always remember that the Oscars are not the sole marker of cinematic excellence. As cult classics and lists of "The Worst 'Best Picture' Winners" remind us, we don't all agree on what's great or what thousand movies are a must-see before death. Art is subjective. Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is an egomaniac and moron.
The Oscars serve as a celebration of film, a New Years' party for movie lovers to reflect on 2015's best. The Academy may nominate a movie you've never heard of over your favorite, and that's okay! Take that as an opportunity to try something new, experience stories and performances that would never be on your radar had it not been for the awards. I also suggest you not let the contest cloud your judgment on those films. It's rare that the Oscars pick films that flat-out suck (I await the flood of comments proving me wrong).
Before the ceremony on February 28th, I urge you to, at least, watch the Best Picture nominees. This year, like last, I'll be doing another showcase, where I rank them from #8 to #1, in terms of what I think should win the Oscar. Some films I've reviewed, some I've haven't, and this will (finally) force me to check out Mad Max - from the first movie to Fury Road. These weeks can be a fun time for all of us, so let's grab our popcorn, throw it at the idiot texting in front, and enjoy some great movies!
Thank you all for reading; I'm the Man Without a Plan, signing off.
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