88th Academy Awards Nomination Predictions

These predictions get harder and harder to make not so much based on what I've seen of the movies, but more on how much I've read from other prognosticators. The last couple of months have left me bone-dry for reading material on the topic of awards season. I used to read a lot of the buzz, which provides a sense for what people in Hollywood are talking about. You see the ebbs and flows of popularity and the ways in which smaller films creep up from behind to overtake some studio film. I don't have a sense of any of that this year, so I'm winging it.

Of the roughly 13 films from which I believe the 5 - 10 Best Picture nominees will come, I have yet to see two of them.

I've got my eyes on about 25 films that are in the running for acting awards. I haven't seen 9 of them.

But here it goes anyway. My nominations for predictions to be announced tomorrow morning...

Best Picture

I'm going with a prediction of nine nominees this year.

Spotlight

The Revenant

Brooklyn

Inside Out

Carol

The Martian
Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Big Short

With outside chances for one of these to sneak in:

Room
Sicario
Straight Outta Compton

Director

Tom McCarthy - Spotlight

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - The Revenant

Ridley Scott - The Martian

George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road

Todd Haynes - Carol

Actor

Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl

Matt Damon - The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Bryan Cranston - Trumbo

Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs

Actress

Rooney Mara should be regarded as a lead in Carol, but sadly I think if she's nominated, it will be as supporting actress, which makes no sense. I think the old Dames Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith will sit this one out. But Charlotte Rampling will be there to fill the spot reserved for the classy old British actress.

Cate Blanchett - Carol

Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn

Brie Larson - Room

Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years

Jennifer Lawrence - Joy

Supporting Actor

tough decisions to be made here. Who gets dropped? Ruffalo? Hardy? Elba? Not sure, but I'm going to say The Revenant will get much love.

Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies

Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation

Christian Bale - The Big Short

Tom Hardy - The Revenant

Supporting Actress

Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Rooney Mara - Carol

Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

Rachel McAdams - Spotlight

Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight

Original Screenplay

The Hateful Eight

Spotlight

Inside Out

Bridge of Spies

Trainwreck

Adapted Screenplay

Carol

Brooklyn

The Big Short

Room

Steve Jobs

Animated Feature

Inside Out

Anomalisa

Shaun the Sheep

The Peanuts

When Marnie Was There

Foreign Language Film

Son of Saul - Hungary

Mustang - France

Embrace of the Serpent - Colombia

Labyrinth of Lies - Germany

Theeb - Jordan

Documentary Feature
Listen to Me Marlon
Amy
The Look of Silence
The Hunting Ground
What Happened, Miss Simone?

Cinematography
The Revenant
The Hateful Eight
Carol
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road

Film Editing
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
The Big Short
The Martian
The Revenant

Production Design
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
Cinderella

Costume Design
Cinderella
Carol
Brooklyn
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road

Original Score
Carol
The Danish Girl
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Hateful Eight
Spotlight

Original Song
"Simple Song #3" from Youth
"See You Again" from Furious 7
"Til It Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground
"Earned It" from 50 Shades of Grey
"So Long" from Concussion

Visual Effects
The Avengers - Age of Ultron
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Mad Max: Fury Road
Jurassic World
The Martian

Makeup and Hairstyling
Black Mass
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

Sound Mixing
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spectre
The Martian
The Revenant

Sound Editing
The Martian
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Jurassic World
The Hateful Eight