2016 Oscar Predictions - September 10, 2015

The fall festival circuit kicked off this last weekend with Venice and Telluride, which means only one thing: Oscar season. Every year, studios release films that they think are going to win the big prize and only one of those films can win come February. Through out these next four months, we will see some of the very best movies of the year. We will get the contenders, the pretenders, and a few surprises along the way. Most of these are probably going to be wrong this far out, but here are my first predictions for the 2016 Academy Awards.

You can watch all the trailers by clicking on the titles of films.

BEST PICTURE:

It’s anyone’s game at this point. The trailer for The Revenant is one of the years best and it has the pedigree to win. Spielberg and Hanks for Bridge of Spies could very well be the frontrunner. The Danish Girl played like gangbusters in Venice, and David O. Russell and Quentin Tarantino are also in contention with Joy and The Hateful Eight. The picture will be clearer as the festival season unfolds.

1- THE REVENANT

2- BRIDGE OF SPIES

3- THE DANISH GIRL

4- JOY

5- THE HATEFUL EIGHT

6- CAROL

7 – STEVE JOBS

8- INSIDE OUT

9- THE SUFFRAGETTE

BEST DIRECTOR

Could Inarritu be the first director win back-to-back Best Director Oscars since Joseph L. Mankiewicz over 60 years ago? It’s going to be tough with the likes of Spielberg, Russell, Tarantino, Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs), and Todd Haynes (Carol) chomping at the bit.

1- ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU – THE REVENANT

2- Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies

3- David O. Russell – Joy

4- Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight

5- Todd Haynes – Carol

BEST ACTOR

Is this finally DiCaprio’s year? He’ll have to fight off some of Hollywood’s best, as the Best Actor field is loaded yet again with established veterans like Johnny Depp (Black Mass), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Tom Hanks (Bridge of Spies), and Robert Redford (Truth). Or, could Eddie Redmayne win for the second year in a row for The Danish Girl?

1- LEONARDO DICAPRIO – THE REVENANT

2- Johnny Depp – Black Mass

3- Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs

4- Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl

5- Michael Caine – Youth

BEST ACTRESS

Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell are like a modern day De Niro and Scorsese. They always bring out the best in each other, and Lawrence looks outstanding in this bio-pic. However, battling with Lawrence are some newcomers like Brie Larson (Room), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), and Alisha Vikander (The Danish Girl) and veterans in Cate Blanchett (Carol), Lilly Tomlin (Grandma), and Carey Mulligan (The Suffragette).

1- JENNIFER LAWRENCE – JOY

2- Cate Blanchett – Carol

3- Alisha Vikander – The Danish Girl

4- Brie Larson – Room

5- Lily Tomlin – Grandma

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

This category is usually where anything can happen. Reviews out of Venice say that Keaton carries Spotlight. He was shafted last year for Birdman, so the Academy owes him one. Samuel L. Jackson can be dynamite, especially with Tarantino at the helm. Same could be said for Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro with David O. Russell, who both star in Russell’s Joy. And we get a slew of character actors who are looking to get their first nomination, like Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation), and Jeff Daniels (Steve Jobs).

1- MICHAEL KEATON – SPOTLIGHT

2- Samuel L. Jackson – The Hateful Eight

3- Jason Segel – The End of the Tour

4- Tom Hardy – The Revenant

5- Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Having won Best Actress at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Rooney Mara is the frontrunner and could coast if they hype is real. Meryl Streep (The Suffragette) is always in contention, as is Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs). And we get a batch of first time nomination hopefuls in Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Elizabeth Olsen (I Saw the Light), Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy), and Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria).

1- ROONEY MARA – CAROL

2- Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight

3- Meryl Streep – The Suffragette

4- Ellen Page – Freeheld

5- Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

I think this will come down to Quentin Tarantino for The Hateful Eight and David O. Russell for Joy, though I wouldn’t be surprised if The Coen Brothers become a threat for Bridge of Spies.

1- THE HATEFUL EIGHT

2- Joy

3- Inside Out

4- Bridge of Spies

5- Trainwreck

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Aaron Sorkin is one of the best writers in Hollywood today, so if this is anything like is Oscar winning screenplay The Social Network (2010), Sorkin should be getting Oscar number two. This is unless Carol or The Revenant have anything to say about it.

1- STEVE JOBS

2- The Revenant

3- Carol

4- The Danish Girl

5- Black Mass