Oscars 2016: Predicting Best Picture

January 13, 2016

2015 was one of the stronger years for film in recent memory, so I suspect the Academy will have a full slate of ten Best Picture nominees. The nominee list should cover the gamut of films big and small in scope, with crowdpleasers and important pictures fully represented. Without further ado, let’s get to the hopefuls and the ten nominees:

Best Picture

Mad Max: Fury Road has gained enough momentum, and has picked up a number of end-of-the-year awards thus far to find itself not only in the Best Picture pool, but a legitimate contender to win the whole thing. Other large-scale films, box-office giants from the year that was, include Ridley Scott’s The Martian and the survival epic, and massively-polarizing film, The Revenant. Hate it if you will, but the craftsmanship of Inarritu and Lubezki is deserving of notice, no matter how nauseating the media campaign might have been for months.

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Taking a step down in scale, but not in quality, is the late-surging Adam McKay housing crisis dramedy, The Big Short. This is a sleeper pick, but one that has gained serious traction recently. And then there is F> Gary Gray’s docudrama Straight Outta Compton. I fully expect a Best Picture nod for the story of NWA, and the notice is well deserved. Bridge of Spies may have seemed like a lock in October, but the film has been all but forgotten aside from the performance of Mark Rylance. Expect it to be on the outside looking in. Ryan Coogler’s massive hit and franchise semi-reboot/sequel Creed will take its spot. As it should. The academy loves quality boxing stories.

On the smaller scale is Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight, which still holds on to the slightest sliver of category favorite. Then there is the 50s New York combination of Carol and Brooklyn; both will be nominated, and undoubtedly split votes. The tenth and final spot will recognize animation, as the academy is want to do when it is deserved. Inside Out is one of Pixar’s finest films, and will be recognized as such. We will see tomorrow morning when nominations are announced.