The Official 2016 Oscar Discussion/Contest Thread

[Still Servant]

You have until showtime on February 28, 2016.

This is the seventh year I'm running the Oscar contest. Last year was the first year that Heather didn't win (congrats once again to T-Dogz) so I'm sure she will be out for blood this time around. We had a great turnout last year (11) I'd like to see that again, or maybe even add some contestants.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget the tie breaker. It's simple: Basically, everybody will submit their choices like usual, except they will also add which film they think will win the most Oscars and give a number. In case of a tie, who ever has the closest number without going over is the winner.

Predictions have to be in by showtime, so there is no rush to post them. We still have some time before Oscar night. I myself will be waiting for the last possible moment to post my predictions. I still have films to watch, buzz to follow and articles to read.

Remember, these are just educated guesses. None of us have seen every film nominated and I doubt if anybody has seen any of the documentary short subject nominees. Just make an educated guess. Or an uneducated guess.

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

BEST ACTOR

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

DIRECTING

Adam McKay - The Big Short
George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson - Room
Tom McCarthy - Spotlight

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

COSTUME DESIGN

Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Body Team
Chau, Beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom

MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING

Mad Max: Fury Road
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant

ORIGINAL SONG

"Earned It" - Fifty Shades of Grey
"Manta Ray" - Racing Extinction
"Simple Song #3" - Youth
"Til It Happens to You" - The Hunting Ground
"Writing's on the Wall" - Spectre

ANIMATED SHORT

Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
We Can't Live Without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow

SOUND EDITING

Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
The Revenant

SOUND MIXING

Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

FILM EDITING

The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Embrace of the Serpent
Mustang
Son of Saul
Theeb
A War

ORIGINAL SCORE

Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant

VISUAL EFFECTS

Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario

LIVE ACTION SHORT

Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay
Shok
Stutterer

Past results:

2010 results
Heather - 15
Servant - 14
Turtlex - 14
Cody - 8
Seymour - 8
Odetta - 4

2011 results
Heather - 17
Servant - 15
Path - 14
Mattrick - 14
Ricky - 12
Merlin - 11
Feev - 8

2012 results
Servant - 14
Heather - 14
Ricky - 14
Stockerlone - 12
Shannon - 11
Thorin- 10
Mattrick - 9
Feev - 8
Garrell - 8
Odetta - 5
Mystima - 4

2013 results
Heather - 20
Servant - 17
Ricky - 15
Matt - 14
Stockerlone - 13
Feev - 12
Pablo - 10

2014 results
Heather - 22
Ricky - 20
Servant - 19
Randall - 16
Pablo - 13
Matt - 10
Mystima - 10
Merlin - 7
Stockerlone - 6

2015 results
T-Dogz - 20
George Monkey - 19
Lurker - 19
Ricky - 18
Servant - 17
Feev - 17
Heather - 15
Shannon - 15
Pablo - 13
Stocker - 9
Matt - 6

[Still Servant]

Let's kick the thread off with a list of everybody's Oscar frontrunners. Here are a few of mine:

The Hateful Eight
Carol
The Danish Girl
Sicario
Bridge of Spies
The Revenant
Black Mass

[fernandito]

Isn't it premature to call those front runners since they haven't even been released yet?

[Ricky]

Yeah, I can't even begin to start thinking about Oscar season yet. Way too early. It's like stores putting out Christmas decorations in September.

[Mattrick]

I barely know any of the films coming out. Once mid-October hits I'll get into the swing of things.

[Shannon]

Just give Leo a damn award and I'll be happy, lol.

[Still Servant]

Isn't it premature to call those front runners since they haven't even been released yet?

No. It's never premature to talk Oscars. Actually, there are already numerous articles talking about films that may be Oscar contenders including pieces in magazines like The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly.

Yeah, I can't even begin to start thinking about Oscar season yet. Way too early. It's like stores putting out Christmas decorations in September.

Pablo asked and he received. Whether we like it or not, there will be movies released in September and October that will be featured come Oscar night. This thread will be here when people are ready to talk about it. It's the Girl Scout motto - be prepared.

Just give Leo a damn award and I'll be happy, lol.

I do not have that kind of power.

[Merlin1958]

"Wolf of Wall Street" and "Mad Max"!!!!

Spoiler:

Oops, did I say that out loud? LOL LOL

[Heather19]

I really wish they would release Oscar contenders throughout the year. I really hate that we get bombarded with them just a month or two before (or sometimes not until after) the awards.

[mae]

Pablo asked and he received.

Can I have a million dollars?

It's very hard now to see which movies will be nominated but certain generalities are probably already doable. For Best Picture, my 10-title list at this point would look something like this:

1. Beasts of No Nation
2. Bridge of Spies
3. Brooklyn
4. Carol
5. The Danish Girl
6. The Hateful Eight
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. The Revenant
9. Steve Jobs
10. Spotlight

Several others could definitely make it too, but I'm okay with this list for now. Inside Out could potentially be there. Maybe also Joy, but it looks exceedingly hollow and epitomizes Oscar bait. I'm fairly certain Fury Road will make it, if it's ten nominees. Probably not, if it's eight. Or Straight Outta Compton could be in its place. And Sicario could be a surprise, can't wait to see it next weekend. One smaller film that could be in the conversation is 45 Years, which is getting great reviews and buzz. Plus there's Room, Black Mass, Suffragette... Not to mention longshots like Trumbo or The End of the Tour.

[fernandito]

As much as I would love to see it happen, I doubt Mad Max will be nominated for anything other than technical categories.

[webstar1000]

As much as I would love to see it happen, I doubt Mad Max will be nominated for anything other than technical categories.

Mad Max was great. I really hope that George does Man of Steel 2. I heard rumors... man he would kill it I think. Hottest action director out there right now... LOVE to see him do something iconic like Supe!

[mae]

As much as I would love to see it happen, I doubt Mad Max will be nominated for anything other than technical categories.

It's very much a longshot but I'm hopeful. Depends on how many slots there are (what's the rule?) If Max is out then Inside Out is in. I still maintain Carol is the frontrunner right now.

[Mattrick]

I think I'm seeing Beasts of No Nations at TIFF on Sunday

My brother as been offered tickets and I'd never heard of it. Seeing Fukanaga's name was all I needed to know I want to see it.

[Mattrick]

Scratch that. Tickets were already claimed. Will end up seeing Family Fang on Monday instead, though I am not nearly as interested in it.

At least Beasts of No Nation is available on Netflix in October.

[killjoy72]

As much as I would love to see it happen, I doubt Mad Max will be nominated for anything other than technical categories.

Mad Max was great. I really hope that George does Man of Steel 2. I heard rumors... man he would kill it I think. Hottest action director out there right now... LOVE to see him do something iconic like Supe!

Did you know he was originally supposed to do a Justice League movie back in 2008?

[Still Servant]

Pablo asked and he received.

Can I have a million dollars?

It's very hard now to see which movies will be nominated but certain generalities are probably already doable. For Best Picture, my 10-title list at this point would look something like this:

1. Beasts of No Nation
2. Bridge of Spies
3. Brooklyn
4. Carol
5. The Danish Girl
6. The Hateful Eight
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. The Revenant
9. Steve Jobs
10. Spotlight

Several others could definitely make it too, but I'm okay with this list for now. Inside Out could potentially be there. Maybe also Joy, but it looks exceedingly hollow and epitomizes Oscar bait. I'm fairly certain Fury Road will make it, if it's ten nominees. Probably not, if it's eight. Or Straight Outta Compton could be in its place. And Sicario could be a surprise, can't wait to see it next weekend. One smaller film that could be in the conversation is 45 Years, which is getting great reviews and buzz. Plus there's Room, Black Mass, Suffragette... Not to mention longshots like Trumbo or The End of the Tour.

If I had a couple million bucks, I'd certainly share it with you. I'll let you know when I get it

I've seen a few articles that have Fury Road nominated for Best Picture. I would really love to see that. I would also like to see Inside Out get nominated.

I think the ones you picked are pretty spot on.

[Mattrick]

My brother is trying to score TIFF tickets for The Martian, Scolari, Black Mass or The Event for me.

[Merlin1958]

As much as I would love to see it happen, I doubt Mad Max will be nominated for anything other than technical categories.

Mad Max was great. I really hope that George does Man of Steel 2. I heard rumors... man he would kill it I think. Hottest action director out there right now... LOVE to see him do something iconic like Supe!

I agree. Did you ever get to pick up the DVD of "Fury Road", Kris? That "special features" DVD was really cool and interesting. They actually used very little CGI in the film. Amazing they didn't manage to kill any stunt men while making the movie. What that director could do with "MOS II" would surely be killer!!!

[Still Servant]

My brother is trying to score TIFF tickets for The Martian, Scolari, Black Mass or The Event for me.

You gotta get this done. That would be great.

[Still Servant]

I took some heat back in early September when I started this thread. People thought it was way too early to talk Oscar. Well, it's November and we are officially in Oscar season.

Oscar worthy films should slowly be making their way to a theater near you (maybe). So, what is everybody looking forward to? I really want to see Spotlight. It's in limited release right now. If you're interested in that kind of subject matter, I suggest watching a documentary called Deliver Us from Evil. It's fantastic.

I also want to see Secret in Their Eyes, even though I haven't seen the foreign film it's based on.

[Mattrick]

Spotlight is top of my list. That fuckin cast! Love that cast.

[Still Servant]

Spotlight is top of my list. That fuckin cast! Love that cast.

The cast is insane. I will be shocked if it's not at least a decent film.

[Mattrick]

All signs point to YES.

[mae]

Very much looking forward to seeing the nominees for Best Animated Film, the submissions this year are pretty strong:

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/award-sea...rs-121466.html

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced today that 16 animated features have been submitted for Oscar consideration in the 2015 feature category.

Here is the list of films, in alphabetical order:

1. Anomalisa
2. Home
3. Hotel Transylvania 2
4. Inside Out
5. Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet
6. Minions
7. Moomins on the Riviera
8. Regular Show: The Movie
9. Shaun the Sheep Movie
10. The Boy and the Beast
11. The Boy and the World
12. The Good Dinosaur
13. The Laws of the Universe – Part 0
14. The Peanuts Movie
15. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water
16. When Marnie Was There

Though all of these films have submitted their paperwork, several of the films have not yet fulfilled the Los Angeles theatrical release requirement that would allow them to advance in the voting process. Here’s why that matters: To have five nominees in the category, the Academy requires a minimum of 16 films to qualify. That means if one of these films doesn’t complete the qualification process, the entire field would drop down to 15 films, and the Academy rules would force them to scale back to just three nominees, rather than five.

That would be especially tough for the other films because it’s an extremely strong pack of contenders this year with much-admired films like Anomalisa, The Boy and the Beast, The Boy and the World, Inside Out, and Shaun the Sheep Movie contending for the prize. Other potential contenders like The Peanuts Movie and The Good Dinosaur haven’t even been released yet.

It’s also remarkable that so few films qualified this year considering that over 150 animated features were released theatrically around the globe this year. The number of submissions in the feature animation category represents a 20% drop-off from last year when 20 features were submitted.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 14, 2016.

For me, the top five would probably be:

• Anomalisa
• Inside Out
• The Prophet
• The Boy and the World
• When Marnie Was There

The Peanuts Movie hasn't opened yet, and I'm hoping it will be great, so it may be an honorable mention or even unseat one top five for me. I love Peanuts so I'm hoping this one is good. Moomins on the Riviera looks great, too.