There's an unusual amount of suspense surrounding this year's Academy Awards. Unlike most year's where the winners are basically set in stone months before the ceremony, just about every major award this year is completely up in the air. Here are my predictions for who will be walking away with Oscar gold on Sunday night.
Best Picture:
Nominees: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight
And the Winner is....: Spotlight
I can't recall another year in recent memory where the Best Picture race has been so wide open. With an almost complete lack of repeat winners at the major award shows leading up to the Oscars, it appears to be a dead heat between The Big Short, The Revenant and Spotlight for the crown. Ultimately, I think that its timely, awards-friendly subject matter and the old-school feel will give Spotlight the edge in this closely-contested pack.
Best Actor
Nominees: Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)
And the Winner Is....: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
This is easily the least suspenseful award of the entire night. The immense physical, psychological and emotional pain DiCaprio put himself through to portray fur trapper Hugh Glass paired with the Academy's tendency to reward celebrated actors they've snubbed in the past makes him a lock to take home his first Academy Award on Sunday night.
Best Actress
Nominees: Cate Blanchett (Carol), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Brie Larson (Room), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)
And the Winner Is.....: Brie Larson (Room)
Aside from DiCaprio, this is the safest bet of the entire night. With wins at the Golden Globes, SAG and BAFTA's, Larson has every ounce of momentum heading into the Oscars and I don't see how anyone else in this relatively weak field could possibly beat her at this point in time.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Christian Bale (The Big Short), Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
And the Winner Is....: Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
This is a true toss-up between Stallone and Mark Rylance, but I think the career coming full-circle storyline (he won an Oscar for the first Rocky film in 1976) and the lengths he went to reimagine the character of Rocky Balboa in this film will allow Sly to come out on top.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
And the Winner Is: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
This is easily the most wide open of all the acting categories. Kate Winslet is the current favorite because of her win at the BAFTA's, but I still think this is Vikander's award to lose. The combination of her more Academy-friendly role and the fact that the Academy often likes to award buzzed-about newcomers over established stars gives her a slight advantage over Winslet.
Best Director
Nominees: Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
And the Winner Is...: Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant)
There's been rumblings that George Miller or Adam McKay could surprise and win this, but I'd be completely shocked if either of them were able to pull off the upset. The amount of obstacles Inarritu had to overcome to get the The Revenant made and the technical wizardry he displays throughout the film should be more than enough to catapult him to a second straight Best Director Oscar.
Predictions for the other awards:
Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul
Best Documentary Feature: Amy
Best Documentary-Short Subject: Body Team 12
Best Live Action Short Film: Day One
Best Animated Short Film: We Can't Live Without Cosmos
Best Score: The Hateful Eight
Best Original Song: "Writing's on the Wall" (Spectre)
Best Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Production Design: The Revenant
Best Cinematography: The Revenant
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Costume Design: Cinderella
Best Film Editing: The Revenant
Best Visual Effects: Mad Max: Fury Road
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