My 88th Oscar Contender Predictions
by RevengeServedCOLD | created - 14 Jan 2016 | updated - 14 Jan 2016 | PublicMy picks for the nominees for the 88th Academy Awards. Some I love, some I feel are over rated. Either way, these are the ones I believe will be put in at least one (or more) category "for your consideration" in the biggest award ceremony for the top films of 2015.
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1. Spotlight (I) (2015)
R | 129 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber
Votes: 502,355 | Gross: $45.06M
This is a great film. It should be nominated for best picture, best male lead, male supporting, female supporting, best original screenplay, and best director. Prediction written on 1/13/16
2. The Big Short (2015)
R | 130 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the United States mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.
Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt
Votes: 484,959 | Gross: $70.26M
The most entertaining and informative film that could have been made about the housing crash of the mid 2000's. It deserves to win, but it probably won't. I'm almost certain it will be nominated though for best picture, best adapted screenplay, best male lead, and best male supporting. It should be nominated for best Director as well, but I doubt it will.
3. The Revenant (I) (2015)
R | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson
Votes: 874,774 | Gross: $183.64M
This is the most likely to win best picture. Leo is also overdue for best actor. You can never be entirely sure with the Academy, but I think this is the closest to a sure bet as you can get.
4. The Hateful Eight (2015)
R | 168 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins
Votes: 660,267 | Gross: $54.12M
I personally did not like this film. It was just too long, and the humor was a bit too harsh and heavy handed to me. With a better editor, or rather, any editor, I think I may have liked it a lot more. If the Globes are any indication, it will be nominated for the score, best director, and probably best leads and supporting. It's hard for me to guess, since I did not enjoy it personally. It is full of talent though, so it is bound to see some recognition.
5. Anomalisa (2015)
R | 90 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.
Directors: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman | Stars: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
Votes: 75,327 | Gross: $3.76M
I doubt it will win, nor does it deserve to. It will almost definitely be nominated in animation though.
6. Room (I) (2015)
R | 118 min | Drama, Thriller
A little boy is held captive in a room with his mother since his birth, so he has never known the world outside.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson | Stars: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Wendy Crewson
Votes: 450,759 | Gross: $14.68M
Wonderfully written, acted, and shot. I would love to see it get best female lead. Great film. Everyone should see it if you haven't yet. The total lack of pretension makes it all the more enjoyable to root for.
7. Concussion (2015)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.
Director: Peter Landesman | Stars: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse
Votes: 100,623 | Gross: $34.54M
I enjoyed this so much I couldn't believe I was watching a Will Smith movie.
8. The Danish Girl (2015)
R | 119 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard, Ben Whishaw
Votes: 199,302 | Gross: $11.11M
9. Carol (2015)
R | 118 min | Drama, Romance
An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York.
Director: Todd Haynes | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler
Votes: 142,445 | Gross: $12.71M
Forgettable.
10. Trumbo (2015)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama
In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.
Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K.
Votes: 84,797 | Gross: $7.86M
Very enjoyable, superb acting, and excellent writing. It will definitely be nominated, but with so much competition I think it will have to be content with the nom as recognition. Bryan Cranston is completely transformed into Trumbo.
11. The Martian (2015)
PG-13 | 144 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara
Votes: 926,060 | Gross: $228.43M
Ridley Scott is long overdue for an Oscar. Many believe this is his year. Again, if the Globes are any kind of indication, it is. This was a very good film, but by no stretch of the imagination was it a comedy (or a musical for that matter). If you are wondering what I am referring to, please see the Golden Globes award given for this film.
12. Inside Out (I) (2015)
PG | 95 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.
Directors: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen | Stars: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling
Votes: 785,956 | Gross: $356.46M
13. Steve Jobs (2015)
R | 122 min | Biography, Drama
Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels
Votes: 178,626 | Gross: $17.77M
I personally found this movie somewhat lacking, and the title character completely unlikable. The buzz around it makes it seem likely to be nominated. Hopefully that is all it gets though.
There are much more deserving films this year.
14. Joy (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 124 min | Biography, Drama
Joy is the story of the title character, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramírez
Votes: 145,453 | Gross: $56.45M
Jennifer Lawrence is the only good part of this film. Every other character is loathsome, detestable, or simply morally apathetic. I expected more.
15. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
R | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper and a drifter named Max.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz
Votes: 1,087,199 | Gross: $154.06M
16. Spectre (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A cryptic message from James Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover the existence of a sinister organisation named SPECTRE. With a new threat dawning, Bond learns the terrible truth about the author of all his pain in his most recent missions.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes
Votes: 466,405 | Gross: $200.07M
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