Some folks live for the Super Bowl. Others live for the Grammys, the Emmys or the Tonys. I don’t know why exactly, but some people find entertainment in “Dancing with the Stars,” “Survivor” or “America’s Funniest Nose Piercings Idoling with Talent on Honey Boo Boo’s Duck Dynasty Storage Wars.” But I digress. While I don’t watch TV on a regular basis, I always find myself glued to my set for the Academy Awards. This year, we’ll see the winners on Sunday, Feb. 28. Here are my predictions for what and who should win.
Best Supporting Actress — Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl”
This is a toss-up between five great actresses, but I give the edge to Alicia who actually had a couple of stand-out performances in 2015. I actually thought her role in “Ex Machina” was much more compelling, but I digress. The other four girls were fantastic in their performances, but the Academy will want to give “The Danish Girl” a major award and this year, this will have to be the one it settles with.
Best Supporting Actor — Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”
This award is a three way toss-up between Rylance, Sly Stallone and Tom Hardy. Hardy’s performance in “Revenant” is fantastic and, ordinarily, I’d go out on a limb and pick him, but the other two did a wonderful job too. Stallone may well win the award for nostalgic reasons, but I prefer to think that the Academy will spread the love around a little and give “Bridge of Spies” this award instead. Did that help?
Best Actress — Brie Larson, “Room”
This is the performance to beat this year. She may be a relative newcomer to the scene, but her performance as a woman trapped in a room for five years is spot on. Jennifer Lawrence is great, too, but this isn’t her year. And while the Academy often likes to give awards to older performers, Charlotte Rampling won’t get the Oscar this year either.
Best Actor — Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”
I don’t think there is even a hint of a challenge to Leo’s award here. I really didn’t like the movie, but his acting is, admittedly, spot on for a guy who can’t speak through most of the story. We always knew he was a good actor, though. The runner up would be Eddie Redmayne, but he already took home an award for acting last year, although cross-dressing does grab attention in Hollywood, so this could be a toss-up.
Best Director — Alejandro Innaritu, “The Revenant”
This is one of those Best Picture/Best Director pairings that the academy loves to award. This year, this one is almost a hands-down fait accompli. You have a period piece movie based on a true story with a world class star and cast. Plus you have a director that almost no one has heard of and it’s a recipe for an Academy Award. Plus, the runner-up directed a movie that I really liked less than this one.
Best Motion Picture — “The Revenant”
Whenever a movie like this one comes along, the Academy takes notice and awards and accolades abound and this movie will be no exception. It’s a period piece, which is already a notch on its proverbial belt. Add in Leonardo DiCaprio and a director whose name no one can pronounce and an Academy victory is all but assured. “Spotlight” is the other contender, but my money’s on “The Revenant.”
The rest of the awards:
Every year, I also pick predictions for 13 additional categories. I don’t pick documentaries, foreign films or shorts since I rarely get to see enough of them. Here though are my predictions for what should win this Sunday in these categories. This was not an easy year to pick from either. All of the choices were standouts.
Best Animated Feature — “Inside Out”
Best Cinematography — “The Revenant”
Best Costume Design — “Cinderella”
Film Editing — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Makeup and Hairstyling — “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Original Score — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Original Song — “Writings on the Wall” (from “SPECTRE”)
Production Design — “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Sound Editing — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Sound Mixing — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Visual Effects — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Adapted Screenplay — “The Martian”
Original Screenplay — “Bridge of Spies”
And there you have it — my picks for Oscar 2016. You know where you can find me on Sunday night! Dim the lights, pass the popcorn, but don’t look for me at the movies because I’ll be riveted to my television watching the Oscars!
